Challenge Accepted, Challenge Completed

Continuing with the questions for me, charmingly posed by Liz on her blog Exploring Colour:

Question Three: Your favourite colour(s) are what? –and what do you associate with the colour?

My favourite colours are blue-based. (And there is a poem about this in my new book!)

I associate blue-based colours with sky and sea. With blue eyes. With my favourite singer, Joni Mitchell’s album ‘Blue.’

Sometimes my relationship with the colour blue is a conflicted one, as reflected in this poem from my second book, ‘Made For Weather’.

Question Four: What connection do you feel/experience with Nature?

I often relate to nature on a spiritual level.

Nature gives chances to me (to all of us) again and again. It is forgiving, yet resilient, dependent yet independent. It is stronger than I am. It continually / continuously inspires me, but this is not reciprocal.

Nature appears in my writing – more as a reminder to myself of how much I value its integral presence, than any attempt to praise. It doesn’t need my praise, or notice. I often feel I don’t value nature enough, but nature doesn’t hold any grudges, it simply heals itself where it can, without my help. It will go on after I die and not notice I have gone.

A photo of a road in my childhood town, Orepuki. It is the road I walked to school on – actually my siblings and I walked on the grassy track you can see to the left of the road – and holds a mythical place in my mind and memory. (Note the painterly appearance – I was delighted to discover an app. that gives photos the look of a painting.)

Question Five: Your favourite ‘active’ recreational activity …?

Walking. And gathering as I walk – images, (photos and writing ideas) stones, shells, driftwood, beach glass …

Question Six: Your favourite ‘quiet’ hobby/interest?

Writing. Writing. Writing. (Watching tv. Movies. Reading. Recently I’ve taken up crossword puzzles.)

Question Seven: Is there something you enjoy ‘having a go at’ regardless of skill? 

Painting and drawing.

Above is a photo of a painting I did with my granddaughter on one of my visits to Berlin.

In this child-like ( I have no other level) painting I tried to express how I felt in Berlin at that time – the country mouse, all at sea in the big city.

Question Eight:What is your favourite children’s book?

Easy! Always – ‘Anne of Green Gables.’ Given to me by my parents on my tenth birthday.

Question Nine: Your current or past ‘occupation’ ie. work / study / keeping busy is …what? 

I am a retired early childhood teacher.

Retirement is heaven. Have to say. It’s not for everybody, but for me it feels like a reward.

However, I am not a retired writer. I don’t believe I will ever retire from writing.

Question Ten: What’s your favourite creative activity… what do you have a passion for?

I have a problem with the word passion … but photography is something I enjoy very much. It’s not so much working at it, using large lenses etc. to capture the perfect photo, but more a case of quickly capturing memories and images for future reference.

I also enjoy listening to music (I have eclectic tastes that range from C&W – Modern Country – Bluegrass – Americana – Folk – Rock … through to Jazz, Blues, Classical. (Even modern, ‘noise music’ which I learned to semi-appreciate through my son’s interest at one stage.)

And children’s music. At present because of my country’s lock down state (Level Three), I am missing the community toddler music playgroup I help run with friends in St Nick’s Hall, Waverley.

Question Eleven: Is there something you can share about a challenge you face, or have faced? 

Travelling on a long haul flight by myself to Germany and back (twice) – with several stop-overs / transfers – was a challenge faced.

I had some heart-stopping, terrifying moments … but I did it!

Flying solo would not be my preferred mode. I’m not going to say, never again, as I think there may be one or two solo flights still ahead for me. But it will never stop feeling like a challenge.

(Maybe life is just that when it all boils down: a solo-flight challenge.)

Thank you Liz for this particular challenge – one I enjoyed.