New Year, New Energies

'The Red Deer Guardian'
Watercolour and ink
16 inches by 12 inches

£175 + postage

After a prolonged absence, my muse finally returned this morning! The ideas have been jostling about on the peripheral edges of my mind for a while, but I've not been able to see them clearly. I put it down to the general Christmas and New Year 'brain fug', but I just couldn't quite shake it off. However, this morning I woke up feeling energised and vital. Coincidentally, the stormy weather and deafening wind had also gone, leaving a bright dawn and a strange stillness that feels pregnant with life and energy. I keep half-expecting to find that the garden has burst into song, Disney style, next time I look out of the window!
A dog walk and brisk workout digging and clearing debris from the stream in the Further Fields, which had become blocked by the raging torrent earlier this week, and consequently was flooding down the road, shook the remaining cobwebs from the dusty recesses of my brain this morning, followed by a meditation , and the muse burst back in.(No, I don't meditate often, I rarely pause for long enough, and I had almost forgotten how good it is for sharpening the mind)
Those half glimpsed ideas are pouring out, fully formed and brightly coloured! I just need to get them down on paper now :)

So while I'm working on that, I'll show you what I've been up to while the muse was away! The owl-daughter and I made our first attempt at a plush monster. This was a Christmas gift for my nephew (he named the monster 'Mark') and we had great fun making it.

Then of course there was the traditional Christmas lurgy, which thankfully only I got this year. It entailed lots of sleeping and sitting by the fire, accompanied by the cats. (I don't know why Beetle chooses to sleep in this 'face-plant' position, but it is always his sleep style of choice)

And then there were the Christmas books! I got lots of wonderful books this year, and I'm only just starting to make inroads on them. One of my new Year's resolutions is to attempt to read more academically this year. There is so much I want to know, and I have a list as long as my arm of 'wanted books'. One that has been on my wish list for a while is 'Thursbitch' by Alan Garner, and I was thrilled to be given it this year. Alan Garner was one of my earliest loved writers - I'm sure many of you are fans of 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' and (my personal favourite) 'Elidor'. Aside from the fantasy element, the thing I loved most about his writing was how he evoked such a clear, strong sense of place. However, I only recently discovered his adult works, and this, 'Thursbitch' lived up to all expectations. I can see that it might not be every one's cup of tea, and I'll admit it is challenging, but I loved it, and it's the first book in a long time that has made me want to go and research it's references thoroughly, understand more of the history and folklore behind it, and then go back for a second read. There is a great site here, which points you in the right direction for further reading. So that is more books added to my 'wanted' list!

And finally, a wander around the second hand bookstore at proper job yielded yet more paper treasure. The pile is growing far faster than I can read!