Sunday, I was reading the Observer, when I discovered myself shuddering at the title of an article and quickly moving on to another, less disturbing one. I skipped right over the disappearance of honey bees and onto something which I don't even remember now. However, the bees are haunting me. I know that I should read about them but I'm worried about what I'll find. More importantly, I know that I will end up feeling even more impotent than I do now. I can't do anything about their disappearance so should I let it prey on my mind nonetheless? Perhaps, if I knew the facts, I could spread the word to others who might be able to help. The paper is sitting in the corner of the room and will go into my recycling box tomorrow. It keeps niggling at me.
So, what do we do about all the information we receive from various media. I have taken to listening to World Service news before I get up to find out what is happening in the world. Then I either ignore TV and radio or watch a video. Thus, I find that I'm much happier going into the day, not knowing about the nose dive of the economy or any other particularly depressing revelation about society in general. Is this a cop out? Should I take my head out of the ground or does a sensible restriction of input from media help to keep me on an even keel. something to contemplate as I work in my garden today.
Monday 21 July 2008
Friday 4 July 2008
Back from a very nice place
When I say that I'm back from a very nice place, I mean both in a physical sense and an emotional and spiritual one. Cliff and I went to Othona for a week's break immediately after school finished. What a great way to come down form the stress of the last term of school, and most especially the last three weeks. For me, the time there has allowed me to recharge my batteries and to find my direction for the next month or so (and perhaps longer!).
I managed some time on my writing as well. As there was no Internet connection (except in a small corner of the quiet room) all of my writing was focused on my novel. I started by rereading the first 5 and a half chapters. I hadn't worked on the novel for about three weeks and so I had lost track of the characters. I wrote the rest of the chapter 5 and I'm into chapter 6. Now I'm started again, I must make sure that I keep up the momentum because I would like to finish my first draft by the end of my holidays.
I had forgotten what it was like to be somewhere where there is very little noise. For the majority of the time, you couldn't hear the traffic from the road, there were no radios, television sets or CD players available except for special occasions, though we could have had a radio or CD player in our room if we had wanted to. The house was often completely silent. When there was noise, it was often the sound of voices involved in talk or discussion. There were also some who sang. I have come to realize how important silence (or an environment with less noise) is. Often times, I leave the radio or television on to have some noise in the background. I wonder why I do that when I feel so much better without it. I suppose it's a habit, one I would like to break.
I managed some time on my writing as well. As there was no Internet connection (except in a small corner of the quiet room) all of my writing was focused on my novel. I started by rereading the first 5 and a half chapters. I hadn't worked on the novel for about three weeks and so I had lost track of the characters. I wrote the rest of the chapter 5 and I'm into chapter 6. Now I'm started again, I must make sure that I keep up the momentum because I would like to finish my first draft by the end of my holidays.
I had forgotten what it was like to be somewhere where there is very little noise. For the majority of the time, you couldn't hear the traffic from the road, there were no radios, television sets or CD players available except for special occasions, though we could have had a radio or CD player in our room if we had wanted to. The house was often completely silent. When there was noise, it was often the sound of voices involved in talk or discussion. There were also some who sang. I have come to realize how important silence (or an environment with less noise) is. Often times, I leave the radio or television on to have some noise in the background. I wonder why I do that when I feel so much better without it. I suppose it's a habit, one I would like to break.
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