A diary can be a voyage of self-discovery, or even a rediscovery of one's surroundings. This year I'm more mindful of my immediate locality, not just the village where I live, more the wider area. That has tended to be given a cursory glance. Rather than glance, and with the digital camera in hand, I have some excursions in mind. Sounds simple enough, however, I'm sure my powers of observation will be improved in doing that. What I want to achieve this year, is get the hang of using the digital camera. I enjoy using my Nikon D40x but I’m not a dedicated photographer. Not with the same passion I have for creative writing.
Many years ago on a train journey to Scotland, I chatted with a beautiful woman aged eighty. I asked her, "what's your secret for looking so young and healthy?" Her reply: Living a simple life, keeping myself busy. Never looking back, without looking forward. She had the power of positive thinking. A highland woman, she remembered when her cottage was lit by oil lamps. When she had to draw water from a well, and walked long distances to see her neighbours. She had a smallholding, and the land, she said, mostly gave her enough to live from. What she couldn't afford to buy, she made or her neighbours made. People had more practical skills then. They survived by sharing those.
