Quite a few things have happened since the last post. I haven’t had a chance to listen to much music since then. But tonight the evening was finally quiet, the heat of the day disappearing into the clear night. The next few days are forecast to be hot, near 30C. It’s finally decided to be summer here. And for the next 3 nights I plan to reclaim the cool, quiet clear nights and rest.
I can’t stand the heat. I am always warm, and so I prefer cooler temps and if needed, add layers to warm up. Trying to cool down is no easy task while living off the power grid, without air-conditioning. Thankfully my car has it, and I enjoy when I need to travel. Also, not sure I recommend ‘spring cleaning’ in the heat of summer, but it meant that I can now park my car in the garage so that it doesn’t bake in the sunshine and become a furnace when you need to drive somewhere.
Also, being able to have the car in the garage is helpful, because today someone drove into the right side bumper at the back of my car, while trying to park their vehicle next to mine at the supermarket. So at least my car is out of the weather, should it turn foul before the insurance comes through to get it fixed.
No one need’s the hassle of sorting insurance and repairs… just another thing to add to the To Do list…
So I’ve needed to find cool moments to let go, recharge and gather myself after the stresses of the day.
I stood out underneath the stars tonight for a long while. Just breathing, and enjoying the sparkles of the twinkly stars in Orion’s Belt, The Southern Cross and the countless others in between… Shadow (my cat) joined me. He slept the heat of the day away, and was happy to sit and watch in case there was some scuttle to investigate. A friend of mine is keen to get into astrophotography and I think that would be amazing!
There’s a few ways I have been making time to breathe, rest and find the cool and calm.
One is by sitting or lying on a recliner chair on the deck. Boxing Day was a warm day too, and after searching the sales, I finally came across some some cheap reclining deck chairs. I haven’t had any outdoor furniture worth sitting on in the 8 years since there has been a deck to enjoy. These reclining deck chairs are called ‘zero gravity’. If you position yourself right you can tip backwards, and lock the chair into the desired angle to relax. Making time to sit in them has been a high priority. To elevate my feet, and let the breeze (when there’s been one) cool me. I lay on the chair and listen to the wind rustling the poplar trees, the birds singing, the bee buzzing by, distant rumble of traffic on the road… But on clear nights like tonight, a blanket on the grass would be enough!
Another thing that’s been helping keep me cool, calm and collected this month has been keeping to a small self-care routine. Making time for self care is usually the first thing that goes when I’m not in a good place, but irregardless of whether the day prior was good or not, I have been starting the day with a gratitude exercise, and an entry in my journal. Usually I do this simple routine in the cool of the early morning, and with a coffee. It has helped immensely and I’ll share more about both things in an upcoming post.
Until then, I hope you find a moment of cool, of calm and of rest too.
Just Heather x