a little rest

I have been feeling a little bit deaf recently... as if my hearing range has shrunk and the low, resonant notes, the high, delicate notes, have been tuned out. All I have been hearing is the flat, tinny thumping of life's main tune. The harmonies, the ornaments, the nuances are silent for me at the moment. An experience shared by most women, mothers and grandmothers at different times of life, I am certain.

Luckily we have a week's holiday coming up in the beautiful Wye Valley where I am hoping that my ears will open up to a fuller, richer music again. A week on the side of a wooded hill, walks by the river, evenings by the fire, days spent poking in bookshops, drinking tea and soaking up the early autumn sun. A week without teenagers or babies and their attendant laundry, mess and meals. Without hospital trips, waiting rooms or work. Without the builders next door, reality tv blaring out, arguments, shouting or dreadful so-called music on the car radio.

A lovely rest. I really need it.