Dear Reader,
I know this poem goes on my blog fairly frequently but since, it seems, that it is your favourite I thought it could have a spring outing. There is so much written and talked about mental illness today in the papers and on the television that it seems to be a limitless subject. I myself have severe anxiety as you all probably know from my pieces about the chimp. This is the chimp that lives in our heads and is really there to protect us from danger. But some are overactive. Mine is. He is constantly on the rampage, telling me not to do anything much in case of misfortune. I have learnt in the last few years not to take much notice of him, but I have pills that help out if needed.
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I have been reading an excellent book this week called "The Summing Up" by W. Somerset Maughan. In a nutshell it is saying that however much you read from philosophers, writers or academics no one is able to tell you exactly how to live your life. You simply have to work it out for yourself. He was brought up by an uncle who was a Christian clergyman but exposed no signs of Christianity in his own life. Maughan decided that there was no God, unless he was a benign personality, and he saw nothing of that.
He also said that most men were, on the whole, made of much the same material. Good and bad, kind and cruel, loud and quiet., and so on. He travelled all over the whole and came to this conclusion. I agree. All people are flawed, just in different ways. I myself don't know anyone who is normal and perfect. I don't suppose there is anybody like that and perhaps they would be insufferably boring. Even saints must have limitations.
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From James Woodforde February 1st 1799 in Norfolk
'Very hard frost with much snow and very rough easterly wind....I don't know that I ever felt a more severe day. The turnips all froze to blocks, obliged to split then with beetle and wedges, and some difficulty to get them on account of the snow - their tops entirely gone and the lay as apples on the ground.'
From Katherine Mansfield February 1st 1915 in Buckinghamshire
'There is a glimpse of sun. The trees look as though they were hanging out to dry.'
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The Mind Cupboard My mind cupboard overflows with unwanted debris. It needs a spring clean. I will brush away the cobwebs of cheerless thoughts. Scrub out the stains of childhood. I will replace the brass hooks corroded with salt tears, empty all the screams hoarded through the years. I will replace the accumulated ashes from the worn shelf-paper, with virgin tissue. I will chase and catch the wasps, relieve them of their stings. I will refill this cupboard with love, and learnt, brighter things. * The Kindle edition of my memoir "Half a Pair of People" is now available on Amazon here. Reviewers have said: It is a thought provoking and funny book. Why not give it a try?
Very best wishes Patricia
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