Keep Digging

"Dig inside yourself. Inside there is a spring of goodness ready to gush at any moment, if you keep digging." - Marcus Aurelius There are those whose words echo, far beyond their lifetime. I return to such words, because of their beauty and how as humans, we vibrate a thread that connects us all. I'm …

Wanderings

I've ventured to local hills in recent months. With their popularity growing as the sun brightened towards midsummer, I've wandered some heathland that's new to me. Ramblers and dog walkers are tiny specks of colour in the distance. The expanse draws me in each time and surrounds me. Staring at trees move in the wind, …

Long Are The Days

Summer has become a friend, in recent months. It's provided a sunlit haven as we continue studies and projects; while maintaining contact with loved ones. I'm fortunate to live near much of my immediate family, so baked goods dropped at doorsteps, garden visits at safe distance and video chats, have provided relief. Habits we've had …

Small Deeds

One of the ways I've been reaching out is making use of the wonderful postal system. Aside from writing regularly to a few people, I've been sending snippets of pretty with letters, from a pile of magazines I've recycled. An interesting article, colouring page, arty postcard and picture to stick on the fridge with colourful …

Create Your Toolkit

Breathing, cleaning, dancing... drumming, gardening, reading... talking, writing. These activities help in feeling relaxed yet aware. When things are overwhelming, I do some of these and it helps. They are part of my toolkit. Awareness springs from these actions, that we are all united and playing to our strengths makes an impact. We all currently have …

School at Home – Made Simple

A very simple guide to home education for an adapted way of living. This is an outline of how I do Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) at home. It's an evolving process for parent and child alike. I wrote a plan, which I adapt every few months as we move through the topics. I chose …

Notes on Paper

When planning my projects for the next few years, I was aware that print books are still my format of choice (as a reader and writer). A love of nature and lifelong habits of re-using paper, where possible, impacts my purchasing and use of paper. Though as far as print books I've published, I'd yet …

Launching SPIRALS!

Today I'm launching SPIRALS - a collection of poetry, featuring words devoted to science, love, nature, the abstract, the sacred and sublime. Read them aloud, in a whisper, to a friend or lover, into the wind, under a tree. Let the words carry you deeper within or towards the sky. Wherever your heart roams. These …

Begin with Joy

We must crack open to see our joy. For humans, it is not enough to feel it. We bend until we break ourselves, so that we may then believe what we are, what we forgot. Gratitude is the most direct path to joy. It expands the interactions of the day. We feel it in the …

All We Do

A new decade is embracing us! There are experiences ahead to celebrate, challenge and inspire us. The topics of impact and contribution have come up in various conversations recently, with my eldest, as they approach adulthood. With a climate in crisis and a rising population, their presence has grown into the social-sphere as buzzwords that …

Self-Care Soup

I have this soup a lot in Winter and created it by simply combining ingredients that have immunity-boosting, antibacterial, soothing or cleansing properties. It makes me feel good; especially when tired or unwell. Give it a go and adjust to suit 🙂   SELF-CARE SOUP (serves 1-2 small bowls or 4 mugs): 350-400ml of water …

SPIRALS – poetry collection

I'm happy to announce that the poetry collection I created last year is being released into the world early 2020! There are 100 featured poems, covering such topics as science, love, nature, the abstract, the sacred and sublime. I've written poetry for 3 decades and sifted through over 500 poems to choose those that best …

Choose Collaboration

Namesake has held meaning for me, for a long time. I've been observing my reactions to it in meditations. It's another way to expand awareness and acceptance. Originally Ancient Hebrew, later European; the meaning of Louise appears in two forms: 'renowned warrior / battle maiden'. As inspiration, it is a teacher of courage and resilience. …

Beauty in Breathing

Sunday is a great opportunity to sit for longer, meditating. There's less going on, people are occupied with their own hobbies and pursuits. I've been doing a breathing practise centred on repeating the same few phrases on rotation. What I love about this, is the expansiveness it produces mentally and at the same time, the …

Sharing

Time stretches to enable you, when intentions become actions, I've learned. Accommodating what we need or want in a schedule isn't an obstacle of time, but willingness. Self-care goes through phases and I've come to know when it slips, as the right time to shift into a new routine. Changes in life had motivated me …

Trees & Bees

I love when many people get involved in doing small, local actions to create a global impact. It's inspiring and exciting to be part of. I've ordered some trees (Beech, Elderberry and Silver Birch) from Woodland Trust, as part of their pledge for 1 million trees to be planted towards the global effort of reforestation. In …

Forager’s Fun

Blackberry picking in the low-slung warmth of early Autumn. A great way to end the week. Purple-stained fingers and dark fruit glistening in the sunshine, like jewels. Apple and blackberry crumble with custard for Sunday pud. Mmm! Fruit picking was part of my childhood; laughing and singing as we picked fruit from a lane (always leaving …

To the Hills!

A recent walk to the local hills... I've been coming to this place since I could walk. On this occasion, I ventured in a direction I hadn't been in years. The scent of Scots Pine and shapeshifting clouds accompanied the stiff breeze that ran through drifting grasses. Heathers trembled, in a sweep of purple, as …

Re-Written Habits

The sun is bright yet glows pale this morning. Its burning brilliance has waned and so it casts a lighter tone on all that it touches. Autumn is reaching into the days, with yearnings of letter writing and hot chocolate. I've been making more little changes, with each season. Autumn is about stationery and re-purposing …

Peace Runs Beneath

In my recent post, Return to Sender, I wrote that, "blogging used to feel like writing to a friend – a slow, enjoyable conversation." For years I've been using journaling and meditation as a way to detach from feelings and thoughts. I would write letters to myself, to the world; so that I could reflect back on …

Desk Note – July

Writing letters to someone is wonderful and re-reading them almost as good. Something I've done in the past, is to exchange letters with someone so that we return our penned pages to one another. You're reminded of little moments in life that happened and can see how life has changed (or you have changed). Keeping …

Love Note – June

Commitment and contribution are BIG words... great and wonderful things. When they are put into action in a way that honours the person (and their journey), they feel in tune with the Earth. Our existence in itself is a contribution. There are days of doing more, yet achieving less, moments of fruition and quiet days; where …

Field Note – March

I've been visiting other places with my notebook over the last month. Observing different sounds and watching fields of movement, instead of flowers. There's so much to see. All those tiny moments of life that have us slipping into reverie. Between drafting paragraphs for my current project, odd moments slip between what I'm doing. A …

Love Note – February

Not all wandering happens in fields. There are landscapes inward, that we walk with as much wonder, as when viewing the sky above us. Dancing, singing, laughing, sweating and drumming our practise - alone, with friends or strangers. Some people walk it, some find it wherever they sit, others cover great distances. It is all sacred. …

Desk Note – January

January offers solitude (and fog). The soul longs to express the brightness of a new year. Winter draws us deep to its heart. Coming in from the cold, the urge to face plant into warm blankets is palpable. Yet beneath the skin, bone deep, the revival has begun. A restlessness taking shape in the mind, …

Field Notes – January

Going forward, life is about nature and creativity. Here's a recent venture... I set out for a walk with family, in the grounds of Packwood House, Warwickshire. Restless and eager to rinse off the festive season, we slip between others enjoying the reviving cool of the parkland expanse. Mist is still rising off the fields …

Wax & Wane

October is the month it grows dark enough to light candles. Wind snaps at our legs. Green turns molten as leaves curl then fall. Skies can glisten like pale crystal or dampen everything with a wash of grey. Autumn sweeps in with a ruthless brush stroke. It finds us peering into cupboards; savouring (or slinging) …

Writing: The Process

I met with author ES Moxon recently, to talk about the process of writing Sky Drum... 1. What was the initial inspiration for your current book/series? A thunderstorm several years ago reminded me of recurring childhood dreams. I've always been fascinated in nature and the cosmos. I began thinking about people interacting and working with them directly. …

Big Expanse

I love wandering along a coastline, to bathe in the expanse... It is one of my favourite forms of self-care. Whatever the weather, it always inspires... Wherever you're wandering and whatever you're creating... ...enjoy the expanse.   Louise Online: Twitter  | Subscribe for project news All photos copyright © Louise Ann Knight

Collaboration

Following on from my previous post, Contribution, here are 8 ways to collaborate with others, within community: Do something calming or creative to manage stress (sing or meditate) Renew or learn new skills (such as first aid or preserving) Daily self-care to increase strength (like dancing or yoga) Cluster errands/task, where possible, to reduce consumption of …

Memory Stones

In another research post, I share my photos of West Kennet longbarrow and Sidbury hill in Wiltshire and Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire. The deep blue of the sky on a clear day is wonderful. The black mountain is framed by the Pentre Ifan burial chamber. Buttercups and gorse in golden bloom quiver in the wind, …

Contribution

Nature is threading change into our days, with the seasons. Here are some ways to adapt and improve upon current living situations: Growing, harvesting/preserving food Planting trees, particularly fruit-bearing Re-purposing items and waste where possible Adding feeders/water tables/shelter for wildlife Clearing gutters, drains and soak-aways regularly Collecting leaves and composting to improve soil quality Securing …

Ancient Abodes

Here are some photos I took while exploring places that inspire storytelling; Castell Henllys Iron Age village in Pembrokeshire and Wroxeter Roman City, in Shropshire. From the fireside earthenware to the loom, these abodes highlight what was important to us then is still important now. The scale and layout give each place a different feel. Narrow paths …

Repurposing

I've been thinking how re-purposing provides an opportunity to be creative. It has other benefits... bringing greater awareness to our actions, reducing consumption, building co-operation and creating solutions to problems. Some examples: Plastic sleeves that cover cards, delicate or seasonal decorations. Use them to display wipe-clean notices, certificates or event posters. Completed pages from colouring …

Sacred Spaces

Here are some photos I took, when exploring Stone Henge and Avebury, in Wiltshire. I love the atmosphere of wandering these places. It unravels the knots of modern life and gives chase to imagination. The play of light is one of my favourite aspects of a stone circle. The changeling weather provides a mysterious aspect. …

Embrace

Within each season, the moods of nature support certain activities; building momentum throughout the year. They nurture the necessary and the beloved, providing a loose framework with room to adapt (because disruption is part of life). I've put my life on paper in 3 lists; what I need to do, what I love to do and …

Allotmenteering: Hayley Stewart

This ‘Winter Morning’ interview is with the lovely Hayley Stewart; allotmenteer, Chair of the Sandy Carnival and long term committee member and Show Manager for Sandy Horticultural Association. What motivates you to work / run an allotment? This actually stemmed from growing up in a family of keen gardeners fresh veg and fruit is a …

Earth Whispers

Some stanzas on the reviving properties of nature... Gone the brain slump Soul cramp ceases Trees offer reprieve Far from the clusterfunk Feels good to see People as rainbows I taste each moment There are galaxies in my cup I listen closely Earth whispers   This extract is from a poetry collection I'm launching in the …

Piano: Sal of One Empty Shelf

Enjoy the first of my 'Winter Morning' interviews; featuring creative skills. Today we sit down with Sal of One Empty Shelf. What motivates you to play piano? I've played piano since I was 4 - I went through the whole teenage angst thing of hating practising, but was still proud of the fact I could play. …

Artist: Wendy Andrew

Update: I interviewed representational artist Wendy Andrew and her website - Painting Dreams - features a new blog. Read on for inspiration... 1. What drew you to becoming an artist? I have always drawn and painted and made things! My father was an artist and took me to life drawing classes as a young child, so being …