September Reflections ~ The Literary Lady

September was sunny, rainy and everything in between. This is a time of year that makes me feel so creative…I hope it’s the same for you! Here’s some September reflections…

Quotation

‘Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.’ – George Elliot

Let’s celebrate the arrival of autumn – the official season for everyone bookish. I loved reading this post about the influence of autumn on our culture and on ourselves. I’m very excited to light the candles, run a bath and test out the gorgeous Autumn Leaf bath treat from Lush.

Reading

I’m making the conscious decision to read more poetry. You all know I love D. H. Lawrence so it was rather serendipitous that I stumbled across a collection of his poetry in a second hand book shop this month. I particularly love ‘Piano’, a gentle but powerful reflection on memory:

Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.

In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.

So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.

Writing

I love talking and finding out about the creative process. I thought that when I wrote my second novel it would happen in the same way I wrote the first but I’ve found that each new project requires a new process. It’s a great idea to keep a writing journal so you can track the ways in which you write. Here’s an old post about how to do it.

Focus on…Nesting

Ah Autumn! As well as being cosy, it’s a great time to clear out and have a little revamp. This could mean chucking out clothes you never wear, treating yourself to a bunch of flowers or forging a new, good habit.

Three things to look forward to in October:

1. Snapping the colours of Autumn on long walks.

2. Baking bread and making soup.

3. Twinkling candles and carving pumpkins.

Posts to catch up on: