31 August 2020

We really don't appreciate, enough, how the lovely little things of life contribute to making living enjoyable. Spending happy moments with dear and valued friends is high on the list of good things to do. I had special weekend catching up with special friends. On Friday afternoon, a takeaway hot chocolate and cuppa tea, followed by pottering about in various shops in Stornoway. In the process of being with one dear friend did I not meet up with many others. On Saturday night a lovely meal shared with more special friends, in a more private situation. Sunday was a real family day with positive interaction of each of the generations. All this expressing and defining the origins of the word "company" or "companionship", literally meaning together with bread. It was indeed a memorable weekend and having such lovely supportive company lifted my spirits. I find it important to be positively charged and ready for the autumn, and this is especially true this year with all the challenges faced personally and globally.

As we progress from the reassuring lighter days of summer we should be thinking of creative ways to fill the seasonal changes. For me it is vital to capture time to paint. I also have many little projects to complete and conclude. A few were begun when we first went into lock down some have been on the go even longer and all really must get attention now. Of course I intended to have all these things done once the lock down had been lifted... but a more important priority has been the care of my mother. I gain much inspiration with her example of determination, dignity and patience. It is a very special honour to look after an elderly parent and I have learnt a huge amount over these challenging months, as wisdom accrues with age and is the great gift the elderly pass on to us.

At the moment I am not looking too far into the future and certainly not making any plans. These are positive and cathartic things for me. Living in the moment and savouring the moment can fend off the overwhelming sadness that obviously prevails.

My thought on this last day of August 2020.

4 August 2020

 The relentless ongoing passage of time often denies us the opportunity to stand back to absorb and digest the life changing aspects that affect our futures. I know that I do not really do change very well, a case in hand, is that, I lived in the same flat in my adopted city of Glasgow for thirty-seven years. I thrive in a familiar comfort zone and the only move I made was to return home, over three years ago, to care for my mother. Though in reality I had been spending increasingly longer periods with my mother in my beloved Isle of Lewis. The actual shift when it came was not the seismic one I expected. But things never turn out as expected... The past year has been filled with health issues and challenges. I often wish I could just suspend time for the very briefest of moments, in order to understand it's effects. But one needs to be realistic and positive. For a host of reasons over the last few weeks, I have been in a most philosophical frame of mind with many thoughts focusing on the issues of mortality, usually a totally unspoken subject. But now since our global pandemic it is raised as matter of wide concern. Fortunately the human condition is to look on the bright side of life and seek out the most pleasant aspects of life and not dwelling on the things which threaten our very existence.

I remain extremely worried not to say frightened by the relaxation in the provision to protect us from the coronavirus. I fully believe that real caution is actually required until there is an effective vaccine. So It genuinely saddens me to see the unhindered desire to "get back to normal", which is sadly actually generated by selfishness and greed. Nights out and holidays for a few does put the wider population at risk. Opening our island communities to tourists, when our hospital provision is so limited is a dangerous situation. As ever I feel people require to understand the difference between "needing" and "wanting", things (to get back to normal). My fear is that we are ALL facing a long, sad and traumatic winter. We still still need to stay safe and survive.

A few things on my mind, this late summer. KB.