Nine by One
Nine things I found, learned or enjoyed this week
Art Work of the Week - Houses at Auvers by Vincent Gogh, 1890 - Vincent led a pretty miserable life, never learning how loved his work would become. It’s a reminder that a creative person needs to enjoy the process of creating work as much as the outputs. I really love Austin Kleon’s books, and Keep Going is a favourite. As Austin says today is the only day that matters. Thanks also to Austin for giving me the idea for this newsletter. His Substack is great. I was over in Ledbury the other day, a place strongly associated with the Dymock Poets. Edward Thomas is a poet who didn’t live long enough to see how influential his work would be.
An article that made me think - In my later years I want to embrace valour - Sheila Hancock - What a marvellous article this is. Sheila reflects on two stories of people enduring terrible suffering, whom despite everything, remained unflinchingly positive about the future. One 92-year old man fell and shattered bones in his hip and leg. Refusing to give up, he battled back to mobility. Sheila writes how on the day he left the nursing home to return to his own house, she wanted to form a guard of honour and blow a bugle fanfare as he leaves, to celebrate his dogged valour. He will not be defeated. It’s another version of keeping going and look forward to the 3rd Act of my life.
Something I learned this week - Are there moose in the New Zealand Fiorlands? - I’m fascinated when the vanished seem to re-appear, like the story of the Little Lady of Flores. Myths associated with the Fiorlands, the remote, mountainous and heavily forested area of the South Island abound. It seems ten moose were released over a century ago in an attempt to create a hunting opportunity. They sank from view and the last potential sighting is a blurry photograph from 75-years ago. The takahē, a large flightless bird was thought to be extinct until it was recently re-discovered, so maybe there are still moose out there? Stories like these give me the shivers.
Something happy - The fields are yellow - after the daffodils of spring, the fields around my home are filled with buttercup and dandelion. It’s been dry and sunny, which after a long, grey winter seems to have driven energy into the wildflowers. If you find just the right place, there are plenty of Marsh Orchids too.
Where I found hope this week - The wonders of Wales - Wales has, like a lot of the UK, an industrial heritage. Many of the old industries are gone, and the scars they have left in the landscape take time to heal. But they do heal, and nature is waiting for us to just give it a chance. These photos capture the wild and windswept severity of what’s emerging.
Something inspiring - Humans dressed as bears - No, really. A tiny orphaned black bear cub was found alone in the California woods and taken to the San Diego Humane Society. To help him adjust to the wild, staff wear bear costumes so he doesn’t bond with humans. This unique approach aims to prepare the cub for a life in nature. And how wonderful the world has people who will take the trouble.
A poem to enjoy - Song for Refugees by Philip Metres - Borrowing the form used by Robert Frost in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Metres creates a delicate, beautiful soundscape for his poem addressing the plight of refugees. ‘The oud’s a lovely ark that leaks / with tales and bromides we can’t keep, / and miles of ghosts before their sleep. / And miles of ghosts beneath our sleep.’ Wonderful.
A Substack to savour - A Time and a Place, Helen Mort - Helen’s a terrific British poet and I’ve been enjoying her articles about her trip to Iceland. It’s thanks to Helen I also learned about Solastalgia. I definitely suffer from this.
Music I enjoyed this week - Lonely - Nils Hoffman (Feat. Rae Morris) - I’m a terrible sucker for anthems, or at least the anthemic. This track swells in just the right way with the correct amount of melancholy. I love the fact the boffins reckon sad music can make us happy.