Rejoice for Spring is upon us!
It is Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere and I am longing to be in the great outdoors amongst the trees and daisies. This time of year is well suited to my favourite writing spot, the Federal Coffee Palace, which is all out of doors, albeit tucked under the protective arches of the Melbourne General Post Office. The MGPO is having its stonework pointed at the moment, or some such humbug, so the entire building is swathed in scaffold and hoardings. However, down on the ground floor it is business as usual. It will be cool and shaded under the scaffold come Summer; something to look forward to.
Today I have put aside my work on the short story, and I am putting this post together in order to set the scene for the new season. Spring is a time of renewal and I am in need of some new green shoots in my life, both literally and metaphorically. In literal terms I find that I am in the process of slowly torturing another pot plant – this one a previously indestructible aspidistra – and I want to find a remedy for it, and nurse it back to life. I can’t seem to get the watering interval right; I either water it too much or not enough. Meanwhile, the zanzibar plant is in fine form. It thrives on neglect. That is a truly indestructible living organism; I should get more of them. In fact I would like a grove of zanzibars.
Getting out of doors is good for the soul, and the vitamin D is good for the body. My doctor tells me that vitamin D deficiency is the sexy deficiency of the moment, and I am being tested for it as a matter of prudence. You never know! So even my body may be saying that it is ime to shake off that winter greyness and throw open the doors to the warmer weather. I have also been told that it only takes 4-6 minutes to get your vitamin D fix for each day – a reason to sit in the sun, albeit only for a short period in order to avoid the cancerous effects which stalk those of us with Queensland childhoods. In fact I might go and do this right now.
These ruminations lead me to my next experiment: writing in the park seated on a fold-up chair. I will give that a go once I have a free day in the near future, and faithfully report back. In the meanwhile, happy writing people, and enjoy the advent of the warmer weather.