Monthly Archives: November 2018

#MyTime Week 18 – Preparing Wax for future use

Another welcome walk by the sea this morning and then back to the pig barn where I have been rendering wax.

After the beekeeping season, there’s lots of old comb and wax cappings around, as well as blocks of wax direct from the solar wax extractor, and so it’s good to clear some of it out.  And it’s valuable stuff!  The bees put in a lot of effort towards its manufacture and I enjoy making and using candles and other wax items.  (Indeed, such activities will no doubt be included as part of #MyTime over the coming weeks.)  So much is reliant on good preparation though (‘think that might be becoming a bit of theme here) and so #MyTime will definitely include preparation of wax which I can then use for making things, wax shapes from moulds maybe, candles or foundation starter strips for the bees.

And of course a by-product is the waxy debris and slum gum which make great fire-lighters – most useful at this time of year.

#MyTime Week 17 – Walks by the Sea

What a beautiful day in Dorset!

A beautiful sunny November day in West Bay

Time for a walk by the sea and with West Bay less than three miles down the road then that was indeed a perfect choice for a Sunday late morning stroll.  It’s surprising how few visits I make to the coast when it really is on my doorstep.  For #MyTime intention, I think I need to address that imbalance.

November is now becoming a more typical cool month, and today there was a clear blue sky and vigorous, rippling waves – quite beautiful.

#MyTime will most definitely include walks by the sea.

Reflection

Who now remembers you, your look, your smile, your face

Who can recall your voice, your accent, turn of phrase

Who knew the young man, grown old by time

… who, in their turn took their leave – no more remembering

– their son, their older brother, their friend.

for George 1894-1917

#MyTime Week 16 – Composition

Lots of snippets of tune and lyric swimming around my head this week so yes, composition will be a thread through #MyTime.  Of course we’ll see if I have the courage to post anything when and if it all comes together but as this is about spending precious time with things I love and want to do, then sharing it is pretty-well secondary.

Today I’ve been playing around with a new song that has been forming in the last few days inspired by a news item on the radio but I have lots of unfinished pieces so if I can get some dedicated time then that’s what I’ll do – piece together those arrangements I’ve already started, play with a few harmonies and create some new songs.

Yes, that will be a nice thing to do …

#MyTime Week 15 – Reflection

This week started with the clocks going back and it always seems odd – that adjustment of an hour – and maybe somewhat unnecessary in our modern age when we pretty-well have easy access to almost anything whatever the time of day or night.   But that realignment in time still seems to have an impact.  My commute to and from work – travelling east with the rising sun and west as it sets – is replayed over a couple of months until the darkness takes over at both ends of the day.

For me this is a reflective time.  It might take a bit of control to keep the reflections positive, although perhaps it’s good to allow the dwelling to work its way through, hopefully to some resolution or settlement.  And this week has indeed been a reflective week and I see this project is also a time for personal reflection.  I had thought of it in the main as something looking forward and projecting but actually, at week 15, it would seem I may need to look back to be able to sift through the past and make choices on what I’d like to take forward.

So, let’s allow Reflection for #MyTime – it could be one of things I need in order to make choices for my future.