Doing things, but not writing

It has been a tough month and I can't wait for it to go. I'm not a winter person, and what with lockdown I have been struggling. I have no motivation to write, though I have submitted a handful of pieces over January and February. A piece of flash fiction was published by Visual Verse in January, one of only two new pieces I've written this year.

I find concentration hard these days. I flit from one thing to another, but nothing holds me. Even reading has been a struggle, but maybe I chose the wrong book for my mood; I firmly believe in the right book at the right time. I find non-fiction works slightly better, and am reading a very interesting book called Square Haunting at the moment. The book by Francesca Wade, is set around Mecklenburgh Square in Bloomsbury and follows five women who struggled to be who they wanted to be - independent, and follow their own career paths. It features H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Dorothy L Sayers, Jane Ellen Harrison, Eileen Power and Virginia Woolf, who all lived in the square, though not necessarily at the same time. There are appearances by others, men who were lovers and friends, including Ezra Pound and D H Lawrence. As a Bloomsbury group fan, this book widens my horizons in that era of art and literature that broke moulds.

I was intrigued by Robert Harris's book Second Sleep. A post-apocalyptical story of a young parson sent a village to sort out the affairs of the parish priest who had died. He finds amongst the priest's things banned books and items from the past deemed heretical. Before long the young parson is caught up in things that go against his teachings, but is drawn in bit by bit by curiosity. Well worth a read.

What I am reading now is a collection of small press magazines. Popshot and Dreamscape are magazines I subscribe to. I love the mix of short stories, flash and poetry. I've bought a one-off copy of Butcher's Dog to try it out. 

So, if I am not writing, what am I doing? Well, in January we had a new garden shed which is rather nice! It is to be a for multiple uses. Last year I worked on the garden more than I ever have in the past. This year I want to really begin to understand how to do it properly! I've been seed sowing already, though I've had to move them indoors because it has been bitterly cold even my new insulated shed! When the weather is warmer, it will be a space for me to work in too. I have two fold-up garden chairs there and a large fleece to wrap myself up in. There is even a solar light, and I have bought a solar/wind-up radio!

Walking still keeps me sane, and I go out when I can. My last walk was on a bitterly cold day. My fingers ached from the cold. I had to take my gloves off every time I took a photo. Taking photos is my other obsession. It always has been, but since the pandemic I've taken way many more than I would usually.

This morning I booked for my first Covid vaccine. Perhaps there is a small glimmer of hope back to a semi-normal life. Warm weather would also help. I long to be in the sunshine and feel its warmth again. Meanwhile I shall keep reading, walking and gardening when I can.