Live Simply Simply Live
  • Blog
  • Studio
  • Home
  • Cards
  • Coronation Wood

Simply..write....

26/2/2015

12 Comments

 

I'm away from home for a month to concentrate on my novel, which started out as a bit of fun to get me through February (which used to be my least favourite month) but has become a serious and enjoyable endeavour.

I read lots of advice on how to write, and boiled it down to three things which I have on a piece of paper in front of me now.

NEVER GIVE UP

DON'T EAT CAKE

BE VERY ORGANISED


The hardest one is not eating cake.


There will now follow a short interval....

Picture
12 Comments

Simply..Yay for the detectives!

25/2/2015

8 Comments

 

I am in Buckinghamshire, England on my writing retreat, in a house that was built in 1640.

Well done Cath and all the observant people who picked up on the photoclues and the few extra ones which appeared in the comments!

Looking for possible clues has really increased my pleasure in my daily walks around here and made me more observant about what is really distinctive about this lovely part of England. I'm trying to walk every day (or do some yoga with Angela!) as writing is such a very sedentary occupation.

I'm about 11 miles away from Aylesbury (Elaine and Cath's guess) and just 8 miles from Waddesdon Manor (yesterday's photograph), in a little village called Botolph Claydon which is one of a group of four villages known as The Claydons. The name is said to come from the clay soil typical of these parts.

And now, back to some writing!


8 Comments

Simply..red kites and other exotica....

25/2/2015

4 Comments

 

..It's not all muddy fields here in the middle of rural ..........shire!
Picture
Picture
Picture

And we've seen several pairs of these..  Fabulous!
4 Comments

Simply..back to the land....

24/2/2015

10 Comments

 
Picture
So very different from home!
Picture
Clay over chalk
Picture
Good for bricks...
Picture
..barley, wheat, rapeseed
Picture
It used to be worked by horses.

I found Common Ground's Manifesto For Fields  an interesting (longish) read..

Picture

Some of you are so close! Jessica? Elaine? Are you there still?
10 Comments

Simply..a bigger clue....

23/2/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
(Grace, you were right.)
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
5 Comments

Simply..under a cosy roof....

22/2/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture

Some of you are getting warmer - though last night there was a cold starry starry sky and a deep deep frost - it looked as though it had snowed. But now the rain is dripping from the thatch..

Big clue tomorrow.
5 Comments

Simply..keeping you guessing....

21/2/2015

14 Comments

 
Picture




I hope you are finding it fun too!
 
It still astonishes and delights me that I can sit here in (Oops! Nearly said it!). In a mystery place and have a conversation about local identity with people from all around the world...I love it.
 
What a wonderfully diverse world we inhabit.

Will you celebrate it with me by telling us something about the distinctiveness of where you live?

Another small architectural clue on the left....

14 Comments

Simply..somewhere between the rainbow and the internet...

20/2/2015

12 Comments

 

Somewhere between the rainbow and the Internet a place that is important to you is struggling to maintain its integrity.

Isn't that a great opening sentence?  Read more of this essay by Common Ground's Sue Clifford here.
Picture
A beautiful clue...

I loved hearing about what is locally distinctive where you are!

Iberian wolves and blue butterflies in Portugal, bald eagles in Michigan and Canada geese in the Netherlands, ice and 7 foot deep snow in Boston Massachusetts. Thank you for sharing.

Are there distinctive architectural features where you live?
12 Comments

Simply..locally distinctive....

19/2/2015

16 Comments

 
Picture

In looking for photoclues as to where I am for my writing retreat, I am seeking out features which are locally distinctive - not unique to the area, but characteristic of it. Like duck ponds! (I can't think where there is even one at home.)

The charity Common Ground has made local distinctiveness a tenet of their work - I love what they do - and if you are interested in the natural environment and the arts I think you will enjoy their website. There is a 30 minute Radio 4 programme about their work here.
Picture

What is locally distinctive about where you live?
16 Comments

Simply..where am I?

18/2/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
No mountains here, or lochs..
6 Comments

Simply..much as I love my home....

17/2/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture






..and truly grateful that I have one, it's nice to be away from it!

It clears my head to be in new surroundings. Looking at things which are not actually my responsibility! Having your own home is a wonderful thing, but the responsibilities attached can be huge and sometimes it can feel like one lengthy 'to-do' list, don't you think?

But, for one long treat of a month away, I can forget that list. (It will still be there when I get back..)

As I work through Marie Kondo's book I realize it is not just physical 'stuff' I have too much of. I have too many projects too. This month I am focusing on one only. My writing. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the simplicity of focusing on just one thing!

Where am I? Well, I'll give you some photo clues...and it's not in the southern hemisphere.


4 Comments

Simply..fairer?

12/2/2015

13 Comments

 

I was interested in this article from The New Yorker. I'd like to think other companies might follow suit...I wonder, will it catch on?

Posts are rather erratic this month as February is my writing month. In past Februaries I have posted great first lines of novels and great last lines of novels, tips from writers and places that famous writers have found to write.  If you have time to browse February 2011- 2014, or under Simply Write, I hope you'd find some posts of interest.

I remember reading about writers who went away to write. Vera Brittain whose memoirs Testament of Youth and Testament of Experience I loved comes to mind. She would go to a small hotel on the south coast, or to her cottage in the New Forest (taking staff with her) and I thought 'Lucky woman' and I have to admit, with considerable envy 'Its all right for some!'

Well, my turn has come! I am going away for a month to concentrate on my novel!

I won't tell you where (in case the paparazzi seek me out, ha ha) but will post some clues over the next week or two....

So excited!


Picture
13 Comments

Simply..snow paintings....

9/2/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture

Snow is magical!
 
I've always loved it.
 
Some of these snow paintings will be at Tighnabruaich Gallery's new show opening on Friday 13th February.

The large one is The Sound of Snow. Someone asked 'Did you not get bored painting all those snowflakes?' On the contrary. Do you ever get into a kind of a trance watching big soft snowflakes silently falling? Do you know that feeling? That was how I felt while painting this big landscape. (It's 97 x 76 cms)  It was like a meditation upon snow. It has hung above the dining table every Christmas. It hasn't been on show in a gallery before and it is only now, 12 years after painting it, that I can contemplate selling it.

I learn something new from every painting I do. I keep many of them until I feel that, if I wanted to, I could do them again, (I never do..but I have this need to know I can!)

The three smaller ones (30 x 30 cm) are from the top -

Waiting For Snow
The tension in the air, and in me, builds up when snow is forecast.

Fire and Ice
Hot inside, cold without. I love the contrasts in winter.

Santa Disappearing!
You have to look hard, there, near the horizon where the sun is just rising....

For prices and further information contact Robbie Baird here.
6 Comments

Simply.. a last word on books....

8/2/2015

9 Comments

 

..at least for a while.

In the film Mr Turner, Turner ponders the future of photgraphy -  the daguerrotype -  and wonders if he is looking at  the death of painting.

I felt a bit the same when I looked at my finished bookshelves and considered the physicality of the information in all those (heavy!) books and of the physical effort it took to sort them, and thought that all the information they represent and much much more can be accessed through a computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone!

Are we looking at the death of books?

153 years on from Turner's death some of us are still painting....


What do you think?

9 Comments

Simply....mind the sparks!

6/2/2015

20 Comments

 

Whew! That was a big task.

I'm thrilled that I won't ever have to do it again.  At least not on this scale..

'The last bit is the hardest.' I was telling myself as I got to the pile of books I didn't know what to do with. Back to Kondo. 'Does it move you?' she asks, and I know straight away that the answer is 'Not in the least!'

Out it went.

No regrets.

Just so many sparks of joy coming from my book shelves they might set the house on fire!

So how will I celebrate?

By having a day off tomorrow.
 
Lovely.
 
I might read.


Picture
Last photo, promise!

Are you making progress? You don't have to go at decluttering full-tilt of course (I've always been a rather all-or-nothing type and Marie Kondo's method is right up my street!). If you'd like to declutter a little bit just do your sock drawer...or the bathroom cabinet...

I've moved on to papers and am making literal sparks by burning years' worth of old financial papers in the garden incinerator - it kept me warm for a wee while.
Picture
Picture
More fun than a shredder!
20 Comments

Simply..a winner....

4/2/2015

6 Comments

 

Linda, your name came out of the hat!

I'll be posting  Howard's End Is On The Landing out to you very soon.

I loved all the thoughtful suggestions for which books to have for my guests. Thank you very much to everyone who took the trouble to comment. There were a few I had not thought of, and I'll do a short post on the subject soon.

Picture
Another winner I hope!
Am feeling the first little spark of excitement about the garden, even though the ground is frozen solid, and am hoping that sweet pea Prince Edward of York will be a winner. I plan to put it with red Barry Dare for a good colour clash, and will also grow the true- to-it's-name Nearly Black and the deliciously frilly and scented Anniversary. All from Sarah Raven whose site has lots of information and videos about how to grow them. I have to unwire the door of the greenhouse (wired shut against the northerly gales) and start getting ready to sow them.

Are you thinking about your garden yet?

Or growing something, somewhere?

A window box, a pot, an allotment?
6 Comments

Simply..which way to go?

3/2/2015

8 Comments

 
Picture
I liked this sign outside a cafe in the city!

I plan to get fitter with Angela at Fitfor15....during my writing month. I managed 15 minutes almost every day in January and am upping it to 20 minutes minimum for February!! Wow I hear you say. (I know you are impressed! Some days I even do more..)

You may be enchanted by Sue Blackwell's work which I have linked to before. She sends out a newlsetter, not too often, which I always enjoy.

And for further fascination this February take a look at Swiss Rose's A - Z of her adopted country here.

I shall be drawing names out of the hat for Howard's End Is On The Landing tomorrow....
Picture
By Su Blackwell..
8 Comments

Simply..February. Hurrah!

1/2/2015

10 Comments

 
Some of you will know that February, which used to be my least favourite month, is now a favourite month on my calendar.

It is my writing month.

To see how that came about see my posts A Little Crazy and a Lot of Fun  and Making February Fun, and under Simply Write (sidebar).

'The Novel' is being edited (again) this year and all other commitments are set aside while I pretend to be a real writer!

That includes blogging, so forgive me if posts are few and far between this month

I will post once a week on Fridays (and probably at odd times in between)

The first year I awarded myself the luxury of time to write (one of the joys of being self employed is that I can do this!) I blogged about finding special places to write. This was very much part of the fun for me. I absolutely loved it. Here is one of my favourites.. I also posted Tips From The Writers - some of them quite amusing! See here, and here

I hope you might enjoy a browse through my Februaries if you have time. Can I suggest you start with February 2011? (See sidebar.)

That's what I am about to do right now, to remind myself why I am doing this thing..

Do you have nice plans for February?

If not, can you make some?

(To win a nice book scroll down a page or two and leave a suggestion....)
10 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Live Simply
    Live Simply
    Simple
    Simply Beautiful
    Simply Bin It
    Simply Chill
    Simply Christmas
    Simply Christmas
    Simply Do A Good Deed
    Simply Draw
    Simply Draw
    Simply Eat
    Simply Fitter
    Simply Fun
    Simply Get Rid
    Simply Grow
    Simply Headspace
    Simply Holiday
    Simply Home
    Simply Home
    Simply Inspirational
    Simply Laugh
    Simply Learn
    Simply Listen
    Simply Live
    Simply Low Maintenance
    Simply Money
    Simply Move
    Simply Move
    Simply Organise
    Simply Paint
    Simply Routine
    Simply Seeing.. Or Not
    Simply Stylish
    Simply Venice
    Simply Write


    Author

    An artist seeking a simpler life - (but not too simple!)

    All words and images copyright Freda Waldapfel 2010 - 2020

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.