i'm a rover of high degree

[ontology]

Oh, how lovely; the incense twine of woodsmoke is coming in through the open window, and today it is autumn. I finally realised that sitting in my bedroom all day ruining my eyes on screens, not getting any air or exercise, and only seeing the exact same things I see every day was doing my psyche no good, and on a whim took up my iPod and my embroidered bag and betook me to my bicycle, and to the hill.

The hill is behind my old house, where Sarah and Hannah now live (again: it was theirs before it was mine), and when I lived in the Rectory I would steal up there often, especially last August and September, before we moved. It's a large hill, and if you look in exactly the right directions, the long waving grass and clusters of trees hide all the signs of civilisation and you can pretend you are Nowhere. I mean, there's the statue of the Founder of Our Town and the grave of his horse, but they're sufficiently worn-down to be interesting. There's a path up the side to the top, and if you skirt off the path to the right there's a marvellous little grove of trees, very fey and out-of-the-world feeling. I've always wanted to string candle-jars around it and have a mad tea party at dusk. It was here that I lay myself down in the old leaves and listened to a lovely new album by Thistletown -- pretty, jingley, multi-voice freak folk with the occasional jazzy horn riff reminiscent of Nick Drake -- and then the Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree, because lying on my bed did not do them justice. (I posted them on musicyardsale yesterday; go join and/or have a look!) Sometimes I wandered over the hill and picked an autumnal bouquet of leaves and late flowers, but mostly I lay in the leaves and twigs listening to lovely music and watching the sky change and the orange-edged leaves flicker in the wind, and great flocks of birds fly hither and thither overhead -- the shadows of birds, skirting over and through leaves in the sun, is an image I will never forget.

Of course, while I was sitting in my woodland grove with leaves in my hair (and purple earbuds incongruously in my ears), a herd of college students suddenly flowed into my hidden paradise. Funny how this never happened, ever, when I actually lived in the neighbourhood. Apparently they were on some sort of botany mission? I stayed where I was as they trooped past me and smiled and felt very peculiar. I wonder what they must have thought of me? We sort of grinned at each other amicably and nervously and they went off to do their botany things and I went back to my music, but it was very amusing. (Fortunately they had left by the time "Here's a Health to All True Lovers" came on, because I had to dance to that, and I wasn't ready to stop after that, so I queued up old favourite Steeleye Span song "All Around My Hat" and kicked off my shoes and shouted somewhat tunefully along with the chorus. I can sing well, but not usually so well when dancing.)

And then I had boundless energy! Well, not really, and I think I swallowed an insect, bleah. But I did feel a great deal more motivated and brain-working-y and went home and made chocolate chip cookies and had debates with the radio again.

Comments

[tempestsarekind.livejournal.com]

Commenting almost exclusively to say YAY for "All Around My Hat." That was the first Steeleye Span song I ever heard--and then I inflicted it on all my college friends. :)

But the photos are quite lovely!

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

It was definitely one of the first I ever heard; I was dancing to it when I was a wee tyke of four or five. Of course, I took it literally, and threw my snow hat on the floor to dance around. ^-^ My father listened to a lot of Steeleye Span & like bands in the seventies (and does now, of course), which made for a very happy musical childhood for me. I can't listen to "All Around My Hat" without beaming delightedly.

[tempestsarekind.livejournal.com]

Aw, how cute!

I came to bands like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span rather late (thanks to a college class on popular culture in early modern Europe, oddly enough)--but it's nice to have new things to discover! And I simply cannot be in a bad mood while listening to "All Around My Hat."

[burningstarsxe.livejournal.com]

That hill is such a lovely place. (oh, and the middle picture of you is absolutely fantastic.)

[goddessreason.livejournal.com]

My, how do you manage such lovely pictures? I daresay you shall have to give me photography lessons, as my silly guidance counselor did not give me that class this year.
Yes, on the way home from school, I spotted a large band of young people, rather in a huddle up there. I bet they were on a botany mission of some sort...

Oh, and a fellow in my theatre class this morning asked me if I had a sister who worked at Walden Books. I told him I had a friend who worked there, and he said I reminded him of you. He also asked me to ask you if you remembered him. He claims to have given you a ride home once (him and his mum probably) and he has long reddish hair. Not nice hair though. At least I don't really like it.

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

CHEATING, THAT'S HOW. *evil laughter* My camera always makes the colours dreadfully flat and boring, so I play with settings on GIMP to make them more interesting.

Hmm... I remember a boy whose family drove me home when my mother's car broke down back in January or something... don't recall his hair being reddish, but it was definitely longish. I think his name was Kyle? Other than that I don't remember anyone else haven driven me anywhere.

[goddessreason.livejournal.com]

That's the one. Maybe not so very reddish. But yeah, he thought we were sisters :P

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Well, we do have Awesomeness in common. ;D

Er, are you doing anything tomorrow? Heidi is having a minion over and I need to be elsewhere. ;p It is also possible that I could download acquire something to watch if you have any hankerings. *eyebrow waggle*

[goddessreason.livejournal.com]

That we do. (And I haven't even worn my stripy stockings to school yet;)

I am doing absolutely nothing tomorrow, and would be most happy to accommodate you. Something to watch would be grand, and anything is fine. Perhaps we could bake something too... And you really must meet Calcifer, my portable record player :P

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Well, I daresay I shall be heading down soon, once I have fetched a spot of brunch. Beware!

[barefoottomboy.livejournal.com]

Happy post makes me happy. :-D

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

I like how long your hair is starting too look. :)

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Me tooooo! :D *does the hair growing dance, which is kind of like the rain dance*

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

Your appears to be perhaps about as long as mine... although mine's layered. You should try layers. ;)

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Mine's a little layered, but mostly just from the trim my aunt did, and she only had one pair of basic scissors. I really needed a trim because, um, my hair was distinctly longer in the front than in the back, which looked lovely when it was a bob, but not so much now.

I'm kind of hoping to get my hair cut something like this (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/banuigraphics/thishairokay.jpg), sans bangs and too much hairspray. :p

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

Hehe... I had that same problem when my hair was growing out! ;)

Oh, that looks cute... sans bangs and hair spray, of course. :)

One of these days I'll try another load of brown dye to reduce my wacky tiger effect, and get my hair re-layered... Maybe around Thanksgiving...

[everydayjoy.livejournal.com]

LOVE LOVE LOVE those pictures and being outdoorsy.

[pearlessence.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you had such a lovely day! Finding a good, nurturing environment for your psyche was a wonderful idea, as the results seem to show. ♥

[papertowns.livejournal.com]

The first set of pictures capture that look of early autumn perfectly! Also, your hair is really pretty.

[othergoose.livejournal.com]

I think I love everything about this post :) Your hill sounds like such a wonderful place...

(And, my goodness, you are pretty.)

[sunfiremarie.livejournal.com]

Yes Yes Yes is my natural response but in the interest of a little variety -- mmmmmmm. (I'm articulate today!) Sounds like a soul-enchancing afternoon befitting all the magic in your mind and in your words. When the internal aligns with the external in this way, there's nothing better than that.

And yes, beautiful photos!!

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

YOU HAVE PURPLE EARBUDS YAY \o/

Also hello lovely pictures of Banui & sky! ♥
Autumn, autumn, autumn -- everything becomes so much more magical in autumn.