Julian Summerhayes

Sadly, I can't embed the Mixcloud player — some problem with HTML — so here's the link.

Enjoy.

Ju

“The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

― Wendell Berry, The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

“How I go to the woods

Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single
friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore
unsuitable.

I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of
praying, as you no doubt have yours.

Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit
on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost
unhearable sound of the roses singing.

If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love
you very much.”

― Mary Oliver, Swan: Poems and Prose Poems

Good morning.

It's early — real early for a Sunday. I'm in the groove again — lucky ol' me, eh!

The coffee is poured. Sadly, it's not my normal brew but it's OK for now. 

And I've got some nice music playing through my headphones — the ones they gave me from work with brilliant noise cancellation. 

What could be more perfect?

Well actually, and I know I'm truly blessed, my walk in and with nature, which routinely happens at around 7 am or sometimes a bit earlier, depending on how much time I spend online and then stretching and exercising in the lounge.

I'll say it again. I'm blessed to live where I live. In fact, I'm lucky as hell; but then again, I did make the choice to move to Devon in August 1992. I could have stayed in London working but it didn't feel right on so many levels. (I'm not sure it ever did.)

I suppose then, at heart, I'm a country bumpkin.