Words Make The World Go Round

The statement ‘Words make the World Go Round’ is really a no brainer. When I was at school, words and english, correct english was a necessary evil. Not all of us thought that words were a doorway to a magical world that you could create yourself, a world limited only by your imagination. 

I can’t remember thinking to my self “I want to be a writer”. I just wrote. About anything and everything. I think before writing became all-important to me I drew and most of all I read and read and read. I mostly read lady writers (no offence guys), tis was probably to my own detriment, however ladies such as Enid Blyton,who wrote The Famous Five, The Secret Seven The Ringading Mysteries and a lot more; Eleanor H Porter author of the ever optimistic Pollyanna; Pixie O’harris was famous for her illustrated fairytales but I loved her series the Fortunes of Poppy Trelor.  

These are but a few of the wonderfully talented ladies who shaped my early times of reading and who, along with my school teachers at primary school encouraged a young writer on her life's path. Later on in my life the ladies feature once again in the pages of  Catherine Cookson, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Anne and Charlotte Bronte, Phillipa Gregory, Karen Rose, and many many others.

So words! Why do they affect us so profoundly? What is their magic? What do these amazing conglomerations of letters mean to us. We use them every day in a multitude of different ways . We use words without even thinking about it. We spell, write, read learn, all these things involve the use of words. Even those of us who don’t feel this overwhelming urge, no need to put our thoughts into some sort of permanent display, are bound to use words every day.

As I get older I appreciate the use of ‘proper’ language. Not because I am prude so much as for the innate beauty of stringing together the perfect sentence. Hearing how the syllables roll off the tongue painting an exact picture in ones mind. 

I am saddened that our younger people are have created their own abbreviated text that, while they understand it well enough has destroyed the beauty of the english that we were taught in school. Don’t knock old english it is the essence of who we are.

Have you ever stopped still to simply admire a flower in your garden, or been looking in a book filled with lovely painting or photographs? Do you ever take time out of a busy schedule to sit quietly and ponder on how fortunate we really are? Sometimes it seems that a week will slip by and we haven't taken time out to just think. We get frustrated and make up excuses, oh they are all very real ones, such as family commitments, work, housework, time for our friends; the list goes on and on. 
A very wise lady once said to me to take time to pray. Take time to know the meaning of contentment because only when you are quiet and sit and think of the good things in your life (and yes I bet even at your lowest you can find at least one good thing to be thankful for). Following is a list that I made quite a few years ago when I was having a rough time.
Things that I am grateful for:

• Captain Corsair aka my husband( even though after 22 years he still leaves his towel on the bathroom floor for the cleaner aka me to pick up).
• My four very different boys, each one has brought joy and tears.
• My cats, little creatures that understand more than we give them credit for.
• My mother who is my inspiration and so much more.
• My father who I know is always there and who makes me laugh.
• An old farm house that is beautiful in its own way.
• My ability to write and research and write again.
• My imagination that seems to be unstoppable.
• My freedom, in a world where many are not free to write what they feel, worship whom they believe in, live where they want to live.
• And lastly I am thankful that I have a dear friend in Jesus Christ.  

These are ten things that I am thankful for -- I invite you to think of ten things too. 

Laxettes and Chamomile Tea

24^th January 2012

And so inevitably the old year rolls over and a new year takes its place. A new year with another set of resolutions to aspire to. We humans are a remarkably predictable lot, on the whole I find that resolutions don’t change all that much. In fact one could almost be tempted to give the whole New Year Resolutions thing a miss, excepting the fact that we are creatures of habit and we look to organise our whirlwind lives give some meaning to the sometimes perturbing events that go under the heading of ‘family life’.

So once again I find myself mentally listing the things that I wish to do with my life in 2012. Loose 10kg, thoroughly clean the office, do the ironing that I left over from last year,secretly get some Botox treatment, really get on with writing my novel, get my blogs up to date and comment on those blogs that I follow. It is all well intentioned but rather sad, as these were the last years resolutions too.

And whilst on the subject of passing years, I wonder if other more mature ladies like myself; find that due to the inevitable new year diet they are looking forward with pathetic enthusiasm to the nightly laxette chocolate.

And along with that new cleansing diet comes an abandonment of the daily shot of caffeine. Not to worry though this has been replaced by the always reliable Chamomile tea.

One could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that New Years resolutions are not all they’re cracked up to be. However something to look forward to is an alcoholic beverage(for strickly medicinal purposes)before ones bedtime. 

It's All Over

It All Over— it is a sad title to start any blog or story isn’t it? On a whole we don’t like sad things, they make us feel uncomfortable, spoil our day generally putting a dampener on all around us.

But be that as it may be Christmas is all over for another year. Was that a sigh of relief I heard? I think if we all were to answer honestly we would say that Christmas is probably one of the most stressful times of the year.

Please don’t misunderstand me here. Capt. Corsair and I and the two spitfires had a lovely time; for the first time since the boys were born we spent Christmas Day together at the farm— by ourselves, no rellies. It was awesome! Not that we are against family Christmas gatherings however they are tiring and this Christmas we enjoyed our own company.Sometimes I think we need to take time out and enjoy our family without the fuss and fooster of a celebratory Christmas dinner complete with hot lunch and the inevitable hot tempers as well.Our Lord told us to “ Be quiet and know that I am lord” Amongst the media push to spend spend and spend again, our minds are full of thoughts of have we got the right gift for everyone and did I get enough food?We forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas anyway. We don’t have time to think of it. The presents to be got and wrapped, cooking to be done places to go, people to see— when all our bodies want is to STOP and chill out. 

Try it one year, everything seems to come easier. I am not saying problems don’t happen— they do, but it seems that you are able to handle them better, without the frustration. I wish I had learnt this secret sooner!!

The Eye of the Storm

Yesterday afternoon Captain Corsair and JB and I experienced our own personal storm. We knew things weren’t going to be good when the weight of the storm turned around and came back on the farm from the south. Never a good thing! Rolls of loud resounding thunder rumbled round us followed in turn by the ear-splitting crack of lightning that sounded as if it was in the next room. OK, by this time we had battened down all hatches that can be in an eighty year old farm house and waited for the onslaught. Outside in the paddocks stood our summer crop of sorghum and corn. Tiny little plants just beginning to flourish. And to the south- an ominously green sky was bearing down on us.

A disaster of any proportion in devastating. I have lived on this farm for twenty two years now, and I had never seen crops stripped as these were. Golf ball sized jagged hail stones don’t mess about. Oh, it was all over in fifteen minutes, but it caused the same heartache as the twenty year drought before it had. A years salary and weeks of blood sweat and tears torn to shreds. It made me think of the various disasters that have happened over that last few years, of the losses that people have suffered and will continue to suffer. We lost only a season’s crop, but for those who lost a home or family member the devastation must be as a searing pain, one that can’t be fixed by replanting a crop. As hard as the lesson is to take, I believe that we don’t really understand the lose of others until we experience loss ourselves.

New Boardies, a Surfboard and the Meaning of Friendship

Gods word tells us to be still and know that I am Lord. There is an old saying ' take time to smell the roses'. Have you ever just sat and quietly contemplated all that is around you? Do you have a special place , a favourite chair, maybe a peaceful part of the garden where you can be quiet and take stock of life?
A few years ago Captain Corsair bought me a garden chair and it is here I gravitate on a still day to read, write or just think. However quite often when I go and sit on my chair I am joined by the Captain, a bevy of cats and the inevitable dog or two, then to top it off sons Top Gun and JB usually add to the mix. There were times that I resented this intrusion to my time of peace. Selfish huh?
This morning was such a time. I had just settled down comfortably on my chair when Captain Corsair sits down beside me, followed by his undisciplined hound that seems all big feet and lolling tongue. No sooner had we organised the seating arrangements than Top Gun bounds out of the house doing an impressive impersonation of John Cleese( long legs going everywhere)wearing a pair of bright orange and yellow board shorts and sporting his new reflective sunglasses--and not much else.
" Like the new boardies mum?' his eyebrows shot up in question.
' Mmmm, bright!' I replied.
He then went on to tell me that he and his two mates had by some means (I refrained from asking how) come by an old surfboard. The new boardies were to compliment the second-hand surfboard. I asked him how three guys were going to make use of one surfboard, especially living approximately 300 kms
from the nearest beach. His reply may have been somewhat naive but on hindsight his simplistic solution to the problem, is one that should perhaps be adopted more often.
' We're friends Mum we will share.'
Out of the mouths of babes?

Long Live Fairytales

When you were little did you enjoy fairytales? Did you let your imagination run wild and join the characters in the story. Did you, like me wish that you could stay in fairyland forever. I think every writer enjoyed fairyland and at one stage or another dreamed of following a white rabbit down a hole or being the most beautiful princess in the world who is rescued and married to the most handsome prince in the world. Of course everything ends 'happily ever after' and the conflict is always conquered, after all good will win out. But as writers we know that real life is very different to that. Fairytales like nursery rhymes, in many cases had quite bizarre even horrific double meanings that were pertinent to the time of writing. Telling a tale is just like that, a mixture of events that thrown into the cauldron to brew together tell the story of someone's journey through life.
Writers of all genres can learn from the fairytales of old, for they not only involved a fantasy world but their writers drew from a world of reality to spin their tales. The fairy tale gave a name and a reason to characters that the average person didn't understand; a reclusive old woman who picked herbs became a witch, a very tall man a giant, a small mischievous child a sprite,and so on. 
Next time you read a book, write a story or tell a tale, bear in  mind that the characters events, and places arn't really that different to the fairy tales of yesteryear,