Monday, May 5, 2008

R & R

Bank holiday weekend. I've changed plans and stayed close to home, mainly out of fatigue. Intermittently I've gardened, cleaned house and pottered. The last weeks at work have been difficult. Much distress and upheaval, not involving me directly but the cumulative effect has been draining. Until recently I've enjoyed this job: the organisation's work ethos is an excellent one and the people are more than compatible. In fact they've been a gift, which makes it worse. One day the acceptance will come that this is how life is sometimes.

Early morning. In my dressing gown I take a cup of tea outside and sit on the patio. It rained during the night and the paving stones are still damp, the sky heavy and overcast. The temperature is comfortably warm: for the last few days - the first time this year - there's been no temptation to switch on the heating. Daisies and dandelions have sprung up overnight on the lawn, scatterings of white and gold, and the scent of the blossom from the next door neighbour's fruit trees permeates the morning to the point of sensory overload. I sit back and try to disentangle the threads of birdsong: blackbird and thrush are simple, the rest need work.

That evening I go to take out the scraps for the compost. The blue crocs - kept outside for garden wear - have been comandeered.

7 comments:

Zhoen said...

Patient as a snail.

Anonymous said...

It sounds lovely. I'm sorry work has been so hard, though.

Dale said...

xoxoxo

leslee said...

Oh, how lovely! I love the snail especially. Hope you find some balance between the hard work and the joys of spring. :-)

Sky said...

yes, the microcosm of work can be complex and difficult just as life often is. i guess the trick is to see it broadly instead of broken into its intense parts. getting to the broader perspective is hard for me and is work i continue to do.

gardening is so healing; putting life into the soil is a sure way to heal whatever is bothering me. i, too, love sitting in our courtyard in my nightgown and robe while i admire the gardens and watch the birds splash a few feet away in their bath. in decent weather you can find me there every morning and afternoon. i take garden breaks several times a day, and when it is especially beautiful weather i remain there for a long while, reading, chatting on the phone, or sitting quietly in my natural retreat as an observer who is paying close attention to detail.

MB said...

Lovely blossoms. They are among my favorites. Our tree is overflowing.

I'm glad you can get out to visit with snails. :-)

mm said...

Thank you everyone, very much. It was a good weekend.