 |
| Dreamer at the Fountain (c.1860-70) Camille Corot source Wikiart |
Well, perhaps the title of the post seems more dire than it actually is. September saw many changes in my routine and to be honest, it’s been difficult to get a handle on everything and find a smooth working routine that functions well. I’ll get there …… it will just take some time, some thought and a little organization on my part.
 |
| Autumn (1870-90) Emile Eisman Semenowsky source ArtUK |
Since I normally post bookish-type posts, I thought I’d change it up today. Inspired by one of O’s posts on Twitter, I’ve decided to post some goals with regard to autumn. So often we get distracted by the big picture and forget to appreciate the little things in life. Therefore, I’ve picked ten goals that focus on the wee, meaningful aspects of life that really are much more worthwhile than a day at a shopping mall, or painting the porch steps, or doing your taxes, or surfing the web.
1. Draw a picture of something in nature, such a leaf or tree or insect. My drawing skills are not superb so you’ll just have to put up with me for this one.
 |
| Sketch of Countryside (c. 1890) Nicholas Roerich source Wikiart |
2. Walk barefoot in the ocean. Perhaps I’m a tiny bit crazy but I will have a chance to do this a couple of times before autumn is over.
 |
| The Charmer (1911) John William Waterhouse source Wikiart |
3. Do something kind for someone else. I like to think I’m a kind person but I’m not always sure it comes naturally. We all need practice, right?
 |
| Charity of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Frederic Leighton source Wikiart |
4. Put my feet up. I’m sure NONE of you have even guessed that I’m quite a busy person and don’t often slow down. Well, I admit it. Leisure is a lost yet necessary pastime for our mental well-being. Really, I need to practice this more than once. Will someone join me?
 |
| Solitude (1890) Frederic Leighton source Wikiart |
5. Cloud gaze. The last time I did this was with friends, laying in the middle of a frozen pond late at night. It was so peaceful with the moon shining down ….. as if you were the only ones left in the world. The feeling we experienced was indescribable. Definitely a time to remember.
 |
| Ophelia (1889) John William Waterhouse source Wikiart |
6. Make a new meal. This shouldn’t be difficult. A friend and I have started a new food blog called Journey to the Garden, so I’m going to be spending lots of time in the kitchen. I really love cooking yet I hope to hit on at least one meal during this time that’s spectacular.
 |
| Prayer Before Meal (1660) Jan Steen source Wikiart |
7. Be computer-less for one day. I’m not sure this is possible, but I’m going to try. Honestly, there’s very little I do on the computer other than blogging and taking a few courses, but I am on it every day. I would LOVE to have a day per week where I don’t use it. Now THAT’S dreaming …..
 |
| What a Freedom (1903) Ilya Repin source Wikiart |
8. Read a poem slowly and REALLY think about it. Poetry is a new interest of mine, but being new at reading it, I’m not very good at drawing meaning out of it. Often good poetry can have dual meanings and symbolism, and imagery and a number of other different things. I need to read it more slowly instead of rushing.
 |
| Young Man Reading by Candle Light Matthais Stom source Wikiart |
9. Pet or see an animal that’s not domesticated. Well, I could cheat and visit my neighbour’s wolves but I’m not going to. However, they would probably fall under the “domesticated” umbrella and not count. We’ll see if this one comes to fruition.
 |
| Dante and Virgil Meet the Wild Animals in the Forest (1800) Joseph Anton Koch source Wikiart |
10. Intentionally say something nice to someone at least 5 days out of 7 during one week. No, this is not the same as goal #3. Saying is much easier than doing …… which is why I’ve challenged myself to do it 5 times during the week. We take each other too much for granted and don’t often say the appreciated or kind things that we should. Time to change that.
 |
| Charity (1878) William-Adolphe Bourguereau source Wikiart |
As I’ve been listing these goals, two themes have stood out for me: KINDNESS and REST/LEISURE ….. well, perhaps three …… NATURE is in there as well. So just by brainstorming some goals, I’ve learnt something about myself: I need to practice more kindness, take more time to relax and spend more time in nature. Rather than being “Cleo-specific goals”, these are things we all probably need to do, so whoever wants to take a few goals from my list and see if you can accomplish them, please do! And please let me know how they turned out!
 |
| A September Day (1935) George Henry source Wikiar |
When summer’s end is nighing
And skies at evening cloud,
I muse on change and fortune
And all the feats I vowed
When I was young and proud.
……
So here’s an end of roaming
On eves when autumn nighs:
The ear too fondly listens
For summer’s parting sighs,
And then the heart replies.
Selections from a rather mournful end-of-summer poem by A E Housman but it fits with my mood as the slow summer days slip into the cool evenings of September. I’m feeling rather nostalgic as autumn will soon be approaching and my life will be changing for a number of reasons. While my job for the last number of years has been amazing, and fulfilling, and interesting, it’s time to move on and I’m not quite sure what I want to do. I’m an accounting clerk by trade, as much as I enjoy it, it’s not my natural inclination but what is? What would I really enjoy doing? Food blogging? Freelance writing? Property management? All these options have popped into my head lately but I think I’ll have to wait and see where I’m taken before I know for sure.
 |
| Once Upon A Time (c. 1850) Carl Spitzweg source Wikiart |
I cannot believe where the time has gone. It’s passed by so quickly that my mind is spinning. Which is not good. Lately I’ve been thinking about balance in life, and how we find it. Is it only people who live in large cities who have this problem, as events and opportunities are much more accessible? Or do we all do it to ourselves and are “nuts,” as my scorekeeping liaison is fond of calling me? I have a feeling there are many answers to this question, all of them complex and none of them clear.
 |
| © Cleo @ Classical Carousel |
Well, it looks like summer has finally arrived. We’ve had temperatures close to 30C (90F) some days, however the temperature has also dipped into the teens, so it’s still somewhat unsettled and colder than normal.
 |
| © Cleo @ Classical Carousel |
Ugh! I don’t know how else to say it. Most of April was rain and not just regular rain, but capricious rain. It would pour and then stop, sprinkle a little and then stop, be sunny for not very long and then stop, because mother nature must know how torturous it is to have fleeing views of that warm golden orb before it is snatched away and the rain continues. I do realize that we live in a rain forest, but seriously, it can become ridiculous! Fortunately the last week has seen less rain and more fleeing glimpses of the orb so I’m going have a positive outlook for May. Work with me, okay …… 😉
 |
| © Cleo @ Classical Carousel |
Well, perhaps I’m exaggerating. I have seen crocuses pressing out of the soil, and the tiny promise of buds on some of the bare trees, but we certainly have seen little sunshine to herald the coming of this spring month. Today it’s rainy heavily and rather grey, but nevertheless, this last month brought some new experiences and new adventures!
 |
|
Snowy Fields
© Cleo @ Classical Carousel
|
Well, after a very cold January, then a warming period, it was back to snow for the beginning of February. Lots of it. Lots and lots of it. Seriously. We had about two feet of it in two days, and I can’t stress how highly unusual this is. Usually we might get a day of snow, but then it quickly melts. In this case, it stayed for about five days, but with the curiously cold weather last month, this winter has been an unique experience! And now, as I write this during the last couple of days of February, it is snowing again, about 5 inches in less than 24 hours! The good news is that it’s the wet snow of temperatures hovering around 0 C and it looks like rain is in the forecast, so it won’t last long. I must say I’ve enjoyed it but with a couple of days in February with temperatures looking rather spring-like, I won’t be sad to see it disappear!
My new resolution for 2017 is to attempt to journal monthly updates and I almost forgot, only remembering yesterday that it was the last day of the month! Yikes!
January came and went rather quickly, like a strong breeze coming in one window and whooshing out the other. Earlier in the month we had unusually cold temperatures for a long time, sometimes dipping to -10 C (14 F) but usually hovering around -3 C (26 F). The lower temperatures were WAAAY too cold and I didn’t want to go out in them, but around -3 C was quite nice. A huge pond south of us froze so we ended up skating for quite a few days.
