It's something of a stereotypical cliche that when us Brits don't know what to talk about, or have run out of conversation, we always bring up the weather. And so here I am, talking about the weather. It's officially been summer for a while now, but the heat and sunshine arrived a couple of weeks ago, casting everything in that hazy golden light that makes the world appear so still it might as well be a painting. At first it was nice to feel the sun on my skin, but after a few days even self-professed 'summer-people' began to tire of the uphill battle against the lazy heat. Life felt that much slower, like everything was coated in honey and wading through it was so much effort that it was easier to give in to the desire to do nothing. This being Britain, the sunshine eventually broke and we had heavy thundershowers arrive without notice. I don't consider myself to be much of a pluviophile, but I have to admit that the sound of the rain against the windows was a much needed reprise from the still silence of the heat. The world suddenly seemed awake again.
I've had several drafts ready to be published here sat stagnating for a while, but for whatever reason it didn't feel quite right to publish them without some acknowledgement of where I've been and what I've been doing. So, that's what this is - just a little refresher, getting back into the mindset of writing for writing's sake, rather than for an academic purpose. Last week I sat my exams for the second year of my Open University course, and it definitely feels good to be able to say that I'm halfway through my degree. However, I also feel like I need to admit that I wasn't enjoying studying throughout the past few months. Ever since secondary school I've always put a lot of pressure on myself to do well academically, and whilst I didn't intend to do so it reared itself again lately. Some people perform well under pressure, but I'm not one of them. The pressure only came from myself, which in a way makes it harder to confront because changing the way we think and challenging our internal monologues is a big task. Next year though I definitely want to put less pressure on myself. It should be easier because I'm splitting my last year into two years, so I'm studying part time, and also because I'm particularly excited about what I get to study next year. Whilst I'd love to get a good grade, and eventually end up working in that area, I have to remind myself that I'm primarily studying for enjoyment, because I bloody love learning about art.
Whilst I haven't been away from blogging for too long, this short break has both reinvigorated me and puzzled me in equal measures. I'm excited to write and create again, but I also keep asking myself what it is I want to do here. A few weeks ago I refreshed my blog reader, unfollowing blogs I'd grown out of, and I was amazed by the amount of blogs which I followed that weren't updated any more. Are the whispers across the online community of blogs being a dying breed true? I'm not sure. All I know is that whilst I love catching up with people on social media, and love watching vlogs on youtube, blogs and the written word will always hold a space dear to my heart.
There are a few other things I want to talk about here, but can't fit into the flow of this post (I'm rambling a bit, aren't I?). So here they are in no particular order:
-I went to an outside yoga lesson in my local park this week and it was incredible. Seeing the birds flying over head and feeling the soft breeze over my face, coupled with stretching and concentrating on breathing made me feel the most relaxed I'd been in a loooonggg time. I highly recommend it.
-This song is set to be the soundtrack to my summer. I like how it sounds not so different from the kind of stuff I was listening to ten years ago (I guess my taste in music hasn't really changed much either, haha!)
-Talking politics is kind of a taboo in blog-land, but I just want to stress the importance of turning up to vote in the EU referendum. Don't let other people decide the future for you.
This stream of consciousness was nice for a change in pace, even if it doesn't have much of an order or purpose to it! But the longer I left it without writing here, the more difficult it became to remember how to do it, so it feels good to dust off the cobwebs. Hope you're all well and enjoying summer or winter or anything inbetween!
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