"That is what is strange - that friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened, Without the interruptions, nourishing and maddening, this life would become arid. Yet I taste it fully only when I am alone....". - May Sarton.
I've been working in the courtyard since 7 this morning. There is a soft breeze and the air is loaded with the fragrance of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. It's far too beautiful to go inside to tap out my blog post so I'm sitting right here, sipping coffee, ruminating and jotting down my thoughts in a notebook. I have the dogs at my feet to keep me company and a lone monkey sunning herself on the roof.
M left for the Transkei in the early hours. He helps a friend with his fishing safari business and they are taking clients to the Wild Coast for a week long South African adventure. The one client, out from Germany, loved the last trip so much that he booked 2 years in advance. He can't understand a word of English (besides fish) and my husband can't understand a word of German (besides strudel) ...and yet they get on like a house on fire.
Happy client snoozing after a long morning of fishing.
At the moment my home is quiet and I am enjoying the silence and the solitude. The other day I was labelled a loner simply because I like to be quiet and contemplative when I create my art. It's a sacred time for me. Not only is it therapeutic but it's also my means of making a living.There's a quote I relate to very well by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
"What a commentary on civilization, when being alone is being suspect; when one has to apologize for it, make excuses, hide the fact that one practices it - like a secret vice."
As I work on "Nature's Child" I recognize in her, so many bloggers that I chat to. Those who love to collect nature's detritus whilst wandering . Gentle folk who share an affinity with the creatures around us. I'm connecting with my art more now then ever, perhaps because I am allowing myself to flow into the art.
BTW, Don Madden has given me a very generous mention on his blog. He and his wife Susan share their love for arting and crafting and what I love about the two of them is that they go off on art retreats together, usually different courses but common venues and then converge later to share their experiences. How wonderful is that?
