The Love Month
Although every month should be a love month!
Hello!
How is it over halfway through February?!
I hope life is treating you well. Here, in the rather mild north, we are having what feels like the longest spring ever. This time last year, there was snow on the ground (thanks Facebook, for reminding me). This year, we have had no snow that’s lasted. Which is environmentally scary.
My homeland has gone from burning inferno to awash with rain. I have cousins who were evacuated in December due to fires and now can’t get anywhere because of floods.
Why is February called the month of love? Is it that over the commercialised day, Valentine’s Day, that has been so taken over by marketing that the reason behind it has been forgotten? Must be. I’m not a fan.
I don’t like commercialism and consumerism. They have ruined what should be a focus on gratitude for those around us we love. Our partners, yes, but our family and friends too. Even pets. Surely they can be included? They love you unconditionally (except some cats, but we won’t talk about that).
I chose to ignore the commercialism and forge ahead, writing and reading, into February. And I’ve written poetry, a few photo stories, plus a few other things. (See the full list below).
This year I have decided to read more books. I read all sorts of short articles but want to develop my long reading skills again. I took off with a blast in January but have slowed down a little this month. Mainly because of one book that I didn’t enjoy very much.
I’ve written about my January books here. I read seven books, most of them very enjoyable. I’m getting them from the library, which does have a good English section, but I feel that soon I will be harassing them to get in more books…the joys of living in a non-English speaking country. I’m on book number 4 right now for Feb so we’ll see if I can match January’s total (*reminding herself it’s not a competition!)
One novel I recommend reading is Orkney by Amy Sackville. It’s a beautifully written love story drawing on myths of the selkie. It is almost poetic. A lovely read!
As the wind blows, I prepare myself to head to work at the maritime museum. Below is a collection of my writing since my last letter. Please feel free to browse at your leisure and pleasure!
Thanks again for joining me on my writing (and reading) journey!
Lisa xx
Poetry:
Photographic Essays:
Satire & Humour
Other Essays:
The Darker the Beer the Better: I had to write about my love of beer. There’ll be more to come, like the beer that brought tears to my eyes!
My Bookish Window to the World: So I have talked about getting curated on Medium before, which for those of you who have no idea what that means, it basically means someone in the head office at Medium read it, like it, and has recommended it to lots of other Medium subscribers under the tag BOOKS. So it gets more exposure. Which means more read time, which means more money. Which is only cents, but better than a slap in the face with a bad book!
My Fellow Writers: In response to a challenge, I gave thanks and gratitude to some writers on Medium who I read and admire. But like any list, there are still some I think about who I missed.
What Language Should I Speak? Sometimes I forget which language to speak. I sit at home, writing and reading and English, then go outside and remember I live in a Swedish speaking place. It’s weird! So I wrote about it.
❤️ Happy Love Month ❤️