Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
-excerpt from "The Day is Done"
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of family activities, sports tryouts and just generally getting into the back-to-school groove. Yesterday being a Sunday with very little on the agenda, I determined to set aside time to read a book, listen to music and enjoy a deliciously warm fall day. In this moment, I'm looking forward to doing it all again soon.
Listening to - Louis Armstrong on vinyl. A lovely pairing with a great book.
Reading - Afterimage by Helen Humphreys, a Canadian poet and novelist. I ordered her novel The Reinvention Of Love
because it sounded so good. (I have yet to read it.) When I saw Afterimage at the library book sale this summer, I snapped it up. It's about an impoverished Irish-born maid with a love for Jane Eyre. Annie arrives at the country estate of an eccentric and unhappy married couple - a mapmaker and a photographer. I am only 70 pages in, but the back of the book promises that "as Annie matures, she finds herself caught between the torments of her hardscrabble past and her hopes for a future free of servitude. Jealousy, betrayal and erotic longing intertwine as the story sweeps to its riveting conclusion." So far I find it really engaging.
because it sounded so good. (I have yet to read it.) When I saw Afterimage at the library book sale this summer, I snapped it up. It's about an impoverished Irish-born maid with a love for Jane Eyre. Annie arrives at the country estate of an eccentric and unhappy married couple - a mapmaker and a photographer. I am only 70 pages in, but the back of the book promises that "as Annie matures, she finds herself caught between the torments of her hardscrabble past and her hopes for a future free of servitude. Jealousy, betrayal and erotic longing intertwine as the story sweeps to its riveting conclusion." So far I find it really engaging.
Drinking - a cup of decaf green tea.
Lighting - a rose gardenia & bergamot spice candle to gently overpower odours of soccer shoes and dog.
Lighting - a rose gardenia & bergamot spice candle to gently overpower odours of soccer shoes and dog.
Appreciating - the most beautiful fall days, with gentle breezes flowing through open windows.
Planning - to plan less for a while. (And maybe, just maybe, plan to fit in some more reading time.)
What's your favourite way to spend a moment alone?
What's your favourite way to spend a moment alone?
I like to craft or clean or maybe play a game-- I'm a do-er when I'm alone lol. I just like the ability to become engrossed in an activity uninterrupted, whatever that activity may be.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you're a "do-er" Taby! I've seen how much you create. :) I tend to wander around doing a bit of this and a bit of that. I used to read soooo much. I'm trying to train myself to sit and focus again.
Deletei love putting the classics on the hi-fi for "downtime". current high energy music is great for "doing" but there is something about the greats like louis that say "relax, be in this moment". i love the photo!
ReplyDeleteThat's so true! Louis really helped me chill. :) Thanks Chrissy.
DeleteI read and listen to music.
ReplyDeleteThat's my fave thing to do too Liz! :)
DeleteLately I've been using my alone time to declutter the house (mostly the kids rooms, much easier to get rid of stuff when they're not around insisting they neeeeeeeeeeed that lolly wrapper that I found stuffed behind a shelf...) I have lots of books to get through but prefer to put on music and do the decluttering, though I do like to sit down with cookbooks.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of decluttering to do too! That's for darn sure. But I want to make more of an effort to read some of our hundreds of books too! (Sadly we have plenty of hidden candy wrappers around here too. Why can't they just throw them out?)
DeleteThat sounds like a very divine alone moment. I get very very few, but I'm having one now! Made myself a fire and enjoying a beer while the kids (hopefully) fall asleep. Once the cries for water or pacifiers are definately over, I'll take a shower. Ahhh that's my favorite way to spend alone time ;)
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely. A fire and a drink sounds nice too. I can't get into beer - not since I was young. But my friend let me try a flavoured beer the other day that was quite nice. I'm looking into it. ;) Yes, showers are the best. The water blocks out noise... ;)
DeleteAt our house we have both my in-laws, who are both ill, one mentally and the other physically impaired; My brother in law who has a serious drinking problem, Myun-biological but un-adopted brother, and some insane woman my mother-in-law took it upon herself to invite to live with us and has nowhere else to go, along with my husband, and myself. So needless to say I would love to sit down in my "old craft room" and scrapbook some night until the sun comes up with some "Regina Spektor" playing in the background and some fantastic ideas to create my next masterpiece for an album of my brother who took his own life in June of 2013. But for some reason I don't forsee that happening in the near future, because everybody always needs "something"from me. But I'm grateful for my family and even more grateful to have a few moments to kick back and read a few blogs and catch up on my own. So I'm happy with the spare time I have at this very moment. However the last book I read was either "Surviving Suicide: Help to Heal Your Heart--Life Stories from Those Left Behind" Written by Heather Hays or "The Forgotten Mourners: Sibling Survivors of Suicide" written anonymously by the pen name of John's SIser (John was my brother's name whom I also lost to suicide" and both were touch reads.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear girl, you certainly are having difficult times aren't you? I hope you and your husband can support each other through this. And I hope you get a few perfect evenings to pursue your passion for scrapbooking. It sounds like you are in desperate need of some pampering. My best to you, Jo
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