To everything turn, turn, turn, PHD

As a teenager in the sixties, for whom rock was a religion, I was astonished to discover that the words to the Byrd’s song “Turn, Turn, Turn” were neither theirs nor Bob Dylan’s. “To every thing (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn) and a time for every purpose under heaven” were words from the book of Ecclesiastes written some time previously…

Brave snowdrops flowering in bitterly cold weather - for me the best sign of spring

One thing that Italy still offers to the country dweller is a rhythm in life, an ebb and flow with its peaks and cadences as we experience the joys and hardships of real seasons. I am convinced that mankind has evolved with the rhythms of change in seasons and the sight of the stars overhead. We now have both and I think we abandon such things at the peril of a deep, personal well-being.

Spring is out there evidenced by snowdrops, crocuses, both the green and stinking hellebores and squills that we found in full flower. Today, a howling 50km/ h wind from the south is out to convince us otherwise and as I write, hiding from the elements, that gale has forced rainwater through any previously unnoticed gap beneath doors and windows downstairs and my ‘paranoia’ makes me take this personally since I did the work.

four years ago I moved some crocus bulbs (Crocus biflorus) from a collapsed bank...year after year they have increased beneath one of our ancient oaks

With spring comes that stirring and awakening that is captured by the haunting bassoon notes of the opening bars of Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ (see, not just a rocker!). New energies must be harnessed and efforts made to catapult embryonic projects into a state of reality – books, articles and other things such as changes in technique and approach. Much of what we set out to do here on the physical side of creating a home and work place is done.

Niall wrote recently about ‘following the heart‘, but also of having a plan, ‘cunning’ or otherwise. He mentioned the speech by Steve Jobs at Harvard and I watched it again, having forgotten how much in agreement I had been at the time. I would add a caveat: be prepared to recognise opportunity and to change that plan yet keeping the goals clearly defined (if flexible positioned…)

nowhere does bluebell displays like Britain - here we have plants of the related Scilla bifolia but never those wonderful scented drifts of bluebells

I know from my emails that there are folk out there who want to write, many for the same reasons I do/did in that they love books and think it’s worthwhile. The past couple of weeks I have been thinking hard (again) about books and publishing and, at last, there are projects afoot (more anon). What follows is a personal take on writing and experiences of being an author in a changing world. An Italian Tale 2 – to everything turn, turn, turn…