Saturday 3 January 2009

Thoughts for the day.

Today we are going off to Sedbergh for the day (only thirty miles away and through the magnificent scenery of Wensleydale, so no long and boring journey) so, before we go, I thought I would just leave you with some thoughts for the day, lifted from this morning's Times. As it is going up by 10p on Monday I have to get my money's worth from it! As I read it over breakfast these few things struck me as being cheering:-

John Muir (who described himself as a poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist-ornithologist-naturalist) said "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." (Kate Muir - The Times).
Simon Barnes (Chief Sports Writer for The Times but, in my view, one of the best wild life writers around) said,"Listen out (for bird song etc.) - Spring and Winter are going head-to-head and in this race there can only be one winner."
As a "housewife" I was delighted to read that I am no longer a housewife, but a "Domestic Engineer."
A Good Way to Foster Optimism in these hard times:- Stop listening to The News every time it is on TV - once a day is enough. Don't get caught up in negative thinking!"

21 comments:

Raph G. Neckmann said...

I'm in gardening mode today, so I had to laugh when I read your John Muir quote. My mind immediately went to my parents' garden which had a problem with bindweed - you pulled one bit out, and saw parts of the house judder!

I also remember I once grew a herb for flavouring, (I think it was tansy if I remember correctly - it is used as a flavouring in Maggi Sauce). It was taking over the border, and when I dug it up, great long channels appeared in the lawn followed by great long roots which smelt strongly of gravy!

Have a lovely day - the sun is beaming on us here.

Debra (a/k/a Doris, Mimi) said...

I smiled at the quote about winter and spring. Truly only one can be the victor and I hope it's the latter. I long for spring and the lovely sound of birdsong. Enjoy your lovely day in the country, Weaver. It's wet, dreary and very foggy here - a great day to spend indoors with a good book.

Heather said...

I have stopped for a breather from having a massive clear out - the hall is full of bags of stuff for the charity shops! Your quotes are so interesting and the booklist also. I agree about the news, though there was a lovely piece about a man from Settle I think, who unlocked his shop on Boxing Day, left an honesty box on the counter and then went off for the day. Nothing was stolen and he had almost £200 in the box when he went in the next day. What a lovely story to start the year.

Leenie said...

Thanks for the positive thoughts. I really like the one by John Muir. I am going to have to get out my Google Maps and learn more about Yorkshire so I can visualize your homeland a little better.

Acornmoon said...

Hope your New Year is going well, I love the quote about the house and the acorn!

Babette Fraser Hale said...

You are so right about the news. Once a day is enough. Question is: when will it do the least damage?

I loved the Muir quotation. And 10p seems an awful lot for one price hike! Are newspapers as desperate in the UK as they are in the US?

I hope you had a lovely day, Weaver.

Mistlethrush said...

Raph's bindweed comment made me laugh!
I also empathise with Muir's comment: when a neighbour uprooted a yew the goldcrest went to...

Elizabeth said...

You are quite right about only watching the news once a day.
I think I am a "Domestic Godess" - sort of....I think I'd rather be a gardener......

Lucy Corrander said...

I especially like the first quote (John Muir) because it applies to the whole of life, not just to the natural history section.

Lucy

The Weaver of Grass said...

How your comment made me laugh, Raph - I know bindweed has long roots as does Tansy - didn't know it smelt of gravy though!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Debra - the journey through Wensleydale is always enjoyable - yesterday the south side of the road was snow (very hilly) and the river was frozen over - the waterfall was exquisite with ice - I would have taken a photo if I could have got near enough.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Heather - a good clearing out of "stuff" does ones mind good too I find. I always feel like Mrs Thrush clearing out the best before starting again. I agree about the story of the shopkeeper in Settle - not far from here it is a lovely, quiet little place where everybody knows everybody. Very heartwarming.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Do look us up on the map Leenie - we are in the North of England, not too far from the Scottish border and almost in the centre of the country - we are equidistant between the Irish and the North Seas'

The Weaver of Grass said...

You must have an affinity with acorns, acornmoon - I hope you abide by the phrase that mighty oaks from little acorns grow - judging by the beautiful artwork you produce I'm sure you do.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Bdogs - I suppose you are right about newspapers - probably one of the first savings people make when they are short of money. My newspaper bill is enormous each week but I am afraid I am addicted to them.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Mistlethrush - in Deakin's book he talks about a wood being chopped down and therefore losing a lot of species - and to add insult to inujury they then burnt the choppings on a bonfire built where Deaking knew that the last blewits grew. I hope most farmers are doing their bit to encourage wildlife to return by leaving the field margins.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I like the idea of goddess rather than engineer, Elizabeth.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I absolutely agree, Lucy

Jenn Jilks said...

Lots of food for thought in your post, thanks for visiting mine!

I have the radio on much of the day. Being retired it gives me some framework to the day. I have tended to play more music, lately. I must hold to that. Good idea re: news.

I have been reflecting a lot on My Muskoka, and due to boat traffic, as well as snowmobiles in winter, we are thinking of leaving our lovely lake. (Of course, you must be sure not to tell any potential buyers!)

Major decisions...

Woman in a Window said...

I
am
definitely
a
house
wife.
Little engineering
here!

Caroline Gill said...

http://carolinegillpoetry.blogspot.com

Just to say thank you for alerting me to the John Muir story. I have added a link on my blog (Jan 8th) to the John Muir writing competition.