TheBanyanTree: No rushing it

[John Bailey]

Sunday April 25, 2004

NO RUSHING IT

It simply does not seem possible that it's only a month ago today that I 
shut down the journal in Wales before re-opening it a few days later here 
in Lincolnshire. So much has happened, not just to the physical realities 
of our world but also to the colour and flavour of my internal landscapes 
that, surely, it can't all be contained in the space of a single month?

It is only a month, though. Leaving aside the mean-minded little voice I 
carry within me, always complaining, alway criticising, I reckon we've done 
pretty well so far. The house is clean and comfortable, with all the 
essential elements unpacked and working adequately. The garden is looking 
good, the fish pond is planted and cleaning up nicely with its new 
filtration system, and the workshop is now weatherproof and ready for 
interior decoration. I've located all the essential shops and services, and 
am well on the way to completing even the most tedious of the address 
changing work.

If there's one thing I've not done to my satisfaction it's to settle into a 
good, workable daily routine, fitting chores, exercise, recreation and 
writing into slots rather than pottering from one to the other as 
inclination and the doings of the day direct me. But then, perhaps I'm 
expecting a bit much on that one. There's precious little evidence from my 
past that I'm the sort of bloke who can unpack a suitcase and get down to 
dashing off masterpieces from the very first day in a new location. I need 
time to feel my legs and determine the lay of the land before I can wet the 
point of my pencil and get scribbling with serious intent.

Another activity needing to find its feet is photography. Apart from an 
initial 'hey, willya look at this' burst of activity, I've still to work 
out the way I want to use my camera in my new world. Is it to be a 
recording device only, or shall I develop my creative photography 
skills?  Do I look at the larger landscape or at the smaller elements of 
it? Or both? Do I want further to explore the possibilities of 
photographing people? As yet, I simply don't know. It could be that I'm 
over-complicating a simple problem.

What I do know is that I must find and follow my own path in these matters. 
While I admire the work of others, and devote considerable time to studying 
what they have done, I shall beat my own drum or none at all.

Hey ho. It'll all come in its own good time, and there's no rushing it.

--

John Bailey   Lincolnshire, England

journal of a writing man:
<http://www.oldgreypoet.com>