And the Spring arose on the garden fair.
Or did it?
Hello and happy Good Friday to you.
I want to start this weeks letter (I think I might start calling the Friday instalments for Once Upon A Bookshelf, letters, as I feel I am writing to friends) with a poem I found, that I really enjoyed due to it’s simple words that perfectly and neatly summarise the arrival of spring:
“And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast,
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”
Percy Bysshee Shelly
This is actually just one verse from a much longer poem called “The Sensitive Plant”, which all about the mighty snowdrop. It was also written whilst the poet was staying in Pisa, Italy but refers to the beauty of English gardens in spring. I don’t think the poet had ever visited the north east in spring, as at the moment our garden resembles a small muddy field, with wind-battered daffodils struggling to stay rooted. But I am sure you are still able to conjure up in your mind, the beauty of life awakening as the winter months turn to spring.
In terms of welcoming spring into the home, the flowers are still being topped up in vases around the house and we had a big de-clutter (you know how much I enjoy them) a couple of weeks ago. I am still left with a huge box of Lego that none of my neighbours or school friends seem to want. They probably also have a large box of Lego they are trying to get rid of. So I am pondering what to do with that… One idea I had was to bag up the Lego into smaller bags and sell them for 50p on a stall outside our house. My son is brilliant at coming up with fundraising ideas and I am roping in his help with raising money for Alzheimer’s Society and the Trek 26 Steve and I are doing in June. (I finally have the Just Giving page set up!) He has suggested a sweet sale so I could add the bags of Lego and see if his friends pay up…
A night at 7 Stories writers salon.
This week I travelled to Newcastle on a Tuesday evening, to take part in a writers salon at the national centre for children’s books: 7 Stories. In the past, Steve has kindly driven us here or else I have travelled on the train. Driving in town makes me nervous and I was apprehensive about:
1. Driving in on my own and
2. Going to an event where I didn’t know anyone and introducing myself as a writer.
I did it though, and so pleased that I did. You know that feeling of achievement when you do that scary thing? Well, that.
I have been writing for different mediums for seven years now and still have that “errr” moment when people ask what I do. Most of my current work involves marketing which I don’t really enjoy but find I can do it quite easily, so that pays the main chunk of the bills. However, this year I have set the goal to have a children’s book published (more on that in a minute) and to finish writing a novel. I have around three novels now that I have started, lost faith in and then left to sit unread by anyone on my laptop and notebooks. This year however, I want to see it through to the end. I have taken a different approach in that I am setting this as a personal goal just to say I have done it. If nothing happens to it at the end of the year then that is fine (I think). I just want to be able to say I saw it through to the end and completed it mate! So that is one element of writing I am doing “for fun”. And it is fun once I carve out my little writing space. At the moment though, I have early risers, busy days and sleepy evenings so I haven’t found that rhythm just yet, and instead write as and when I can.
My children’s book follows two projects. One project is through the writer’s salon I mentioned above. I don’t want to say too much yet but I am hoping I have finally found a home for a story I wrote a year ago that I very much want to see come to life. The second children’s picture book, I am working on a grant application to fund it. This has led to making some great connections with libraries, cultural venues and family hubs. Again, I will hopefully be able to tell you more soon but I have a family of mice plus big ideas for this project and I hope it can all come to life.
So why am I telling you all this? Well, as we reach the end of the first quarter of the year, it is quite nice to reflect on the three months that have already passed and make our plans for the next three to come. We are leaving winter behind and finding ourselves in the full swing of 2024 now, so it is a good time to reflect on what has happened so far, whilst recognising we still have a lot of time to make things happen if we haven’t done so already.
There is a lady I love/hate to follow on social media. I love her content and what she is about and her success has completely taken off in the last couple of years. On one hand I find it really inspiring how far she has come. Then on the other hand, it makes me feel rubbish about myself as I feel I haven’t achieved that “big dream” just yet.
But then I also read something else about “trust where your life is right now”, or something along those lines. Good things come to those who wait and as my Grampy Pip used to say “just be patient”. So this Easter weekend, I am going to be grateful for where I am right now, whilst enjoying family time while these pesky bugs seem to have gone (🤞🏻) and carrying on quietly, one step at a time, into the rest of the year.
I hope you have a truly lovely weekend and remember not to eat those Easter eggs in one sitting - or so they say 😉
Happy Easter xx
