Sharing Water

A watchful eye

Originally uploaded by Dave-F

I just watched a bird taking a bath in the hedgehogs drinking water. We have a whole family of hedgehogs here and my landlady puts out water for them and feeds them every evening. During the day though the drinking water is a free for all and with the first bit of sunshine in a week our regularly visiting lady blackbird was not going to miss out. She plunged in and splattered water all around her as she performed her daily ablutions with gusto. May she fly high and sing beautifully and bring some cheer to Winchester as it experiences a very patchy summer weatherwise. Life and beauty is all around us no matter what the weather is doing. A lesson in keeping my eyes open to the wonders of the universe.

Further reading: Conversation with a Hedgehog

Dancing in the Sky

Dancing in the sky

she moves gracefully

with the excited flow

of an astonished crowd

Tumbling to the edge

of day touching night

arabesque and pirouette

take her on a daring flight

Her heart skips

in rhythm with the sphere,

as her lover whispers

you are now and here

Back to Andalucia

Photo by Philip C

Dear Friends and Readers, apologies for not having written a great deal recently but I have been deeply immersed in my research and writing plenty of academic stuff. Just another 2 weeks and I will be going to Andalucia, Spain for a field study. There will be plenty of work to do but I also plan, inshallah, to continue writing ‘Diary of an Andalucian Village’. So look out here for posts from Andalucia in May. I am looking forward to once again bathing in the beautiful light of Andalucia, seeing the mountains and the sea, visiting the beautiful architecture that remains from Al-Andalus and seeing many friends once again. May is definitely one of the most beautiful months of the year in the Alpujarra mountains as they are covered with so many beautiful wild flowers. A real bouquet of colour.

Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak to all my dear readers, may the blessings of Ramadhan continue to pour down on you.

Apologies also that I haven’t been posting much recently. I have been finishing my MA dissertation and am also in the midst of moving to Winchester (when I find somewhere to live, inshallah). I intend to start posting more regularly as soon as I have safely negotiated this period of transition.

Andalucian Breeze, English Rain and Wind

Finally we have had a day of relatively sparse rainfall and more sunshine than we have seen in a while. The gusty breezes are a constant companion and have been throughout August. Such temperamental weather contributes to the greenness of this Fair Isle but I haven’t seen an August quite as cool and grey as this in a while. Of course I have spent the previous four years in Southern Spain, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range in Andalucia. Summers there are so hot that there is little anyone can do before nightfall. Barely anyone works during August. A lot of people return home to their families in the mountains, to the villages where the employment opportunities are so poor that the majority of people leave for the coast to earn a living. During August they feel the pull back to the mountains and so the village population almost triples and its streets become as lively as they must once have been in better times. Once the sun has set there is a slight relief from the relentless heat of the day, often accompanied by a delightful breeze. Groups of women and groups of men (rarely mixed) set off on walks out of the village up towards the pines on the beacon or out towards the olive and wine fields. I often walked with a friend out towards the large threshing circle at the edge of the village and without fail, every time we turned the corner that took us out of sight of the village and closer to the fields, we would be met by that delicious breeze and throw our arms up and whirl around in its refreshing embrace. A simple but so effective reminder of the mercy of God.

Now I am in England and the wind is unrelenting at the moment and it is often tempting to complain and wish for more sunshine but here too there is mercy and provision. What better help could I hope for as I write my dissertation late into the night becoming ever more bleary-eyed? There is nothing better than to go in the garden and let that chilly wind wake me up. It’s what I need to do right now as I need to be writing well past midnight tonight. Of course, a good cup of tea is another great remedy. Alhamdulillah for cool breezes that bring relief in the heat, for chilly winds that help keep me awake, and for the good old English cup of tea!

Amazing Diversity

It is August and many people are on holiday. Everything is quieter than usual; even the internet seems less busy. I feel the need for a holiday too. I miss Andalucia and it’s nearly a year since I was last there. I can’t go anywhere at present though because I am working hard to finish my MA by September. I have a dissertation to write which also involves field study. I am working on the role of memory in interfaith dialogue and looking specifically at Jews and Muslims ‘remembering’ the times they lived and worked together in Al-Andalus. So Andalucia (present day Al-Andalus) is never far from my thoughts. This topic will be expanded when I begin my doctoral research in September.

I was speaking to a Spanish friend on the phone last night and she said I wouldn’t want to go over there right now even if I had the time and money because it is so hot. Climate change is making itself noticeable in the Alpujarra Mountains as well. Summers have become shorter and hotter. In Al-Andalus of medieval times there was a tendency to build houses relatively high and to keep the streets quite narrow. This provided shade and a measure of relief from the heat in summer. They also used water in numerous water channels and fountains. The Court of Lions in the Alhambra in Granada is a wonderful example of this. On a hot day I find even the sound of trickling, bubbling, splashing water immensely refreshing. Well, to come back to where I am now, sitting at my laptop in Bristol, the sky grey, the air chilly, quite unusual for August, it certainly makes it easier to work on my dissertation. So, Alhamdulillah for all kinds of weather, rain and sun, wind and dust. What a beautiful planet this is in all its natural diversity!

Back in Academia

There are a few crocuses coming through in the garden and a couple of daffodils, the pond is frozen and there is an iciness in the air but the sun is shining and thawing the frost, this is were I begin to like England, otherwise it’s bleak in the winter. I would be quite happy to stay outside all day in a warmer climate; it’s so conducive to a contemplative mood and an abundance of inspirational ideas. I am missing Spain, the mountains and the sea, and especially the light. Back in academia, my poetic voice seems to be on hold for a while as I grapple with the pressures of financial constraints and essay deadlines. My apologies and thanks to the dear readers who have left comments. I haven’t blogged since September and I want to try and begin writing a regular post again. Inshallah, it will happen.

Haiku: Cool Breeze

Relief of cool breeze

Sweeps summer’s heat from the day,

Clarity returns

Thunderous Outburst

I thought I had finished here for today but I just had to come back again and let you know that it’s raining. In this very dry and hot landscape we love water and never take it for granted. After finishing the last post I went out to take the rubbish to the bins at the bottom of the road/track. As I walked through the night the entire landscape was suddenly lit up over and over by sheet lightning. I was delighted as the rumble of thunder crossed the skies shortly after the lightning. But was it going to rain? Sometimes we get the special effects without the water as it passes over very fast. I felt one drop, then another. Finally, Alhamdulillah, as I was walking back heaven let loose its blessings. Immediately I think of Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and his words on the elements in The Secret of Secrets. More about that tomorrow I have to hurry before the electricity cuts out …

Herbs Against Flying Insects and a Writer’s Worst Injury

There are plenty of insects flying through the air at this time of year but the locals have an intriguing custom to keep them away. A sprig of small leaved herbs is hung over one ear. It looks like young marjoram and wilts very quickly giving the wearer something of a rakish look. Strangely it is only the men who follow this custom.

It isn’t the insects that are worrying me right now though but an injury to my right thumb (I am right-handed). I cut myself quite deeply on glass. The wound is small but deep and is now dressed and bound. Inshallah, it should be better in about three days but at present I am typing very slowly. One advantage is that I get a break from washing the dishes!

Translation and the Power of Words

Today the heat has been hard to bear. The usual breeze that brings some refreshment didn’t arrive today and even now as the call for Maghrib prayer is about to sound from my laptop it is hot and humid. The sky over the Mediterranean is pink and blue and the swallows of the village are returning to their nests under the church eaves. As they settle down for the night I continue writing. I have had a good writing day today. I completed some translation work this afternoon and wanted to press on with an article that needs to be finished tonight.

Stay indoors and write!

It’s a beautiful day but there is writing to do. I’ve got several articles to complete and I must make time to continue with my new novel which is still very much in its beginning stages. To be fair, it is not difficult to stay indoors during the day in July. Where I live, and that’s the mountains of Southern Spain, it is very, very hot and most people stay indoors until the evening. Then the village comes alive with the chatter of families and friends sitting on their terraces and patios. Children squeal and laugh with renewed energy after the lethargy of the day, and the night sky is magnificent.

I look forward to a walk after sundown in the refreshing breeze that hardly ever fails us at that time of day. But for the moment it is back to work and I am quite content to be sitting at my laptop within the shelter of these thick, ancient walls.