Monday 31 December 2018

The hunter of dreams

Time hurries swiftly on,
Each fleeting year seems shorter than the last,
And many hopes which cheered its opening dawn,
Are buried with the past.
~Mary Ann H. Dodd Shutts, Passing Time




Once upon a time, I thought I had time. So much time that I never gave it much thought. So much time that I just used it as if there were an endless supply. So much time that I let it carelessly slip through my fingers.



I was young and didn't know better than that there would always be time and that everything would remain the way it was. How was I to know that I would grow up and grow older, and that time is like shifting sand. That the passing of time would wreak havoc on the world as I knew it. That houses would be built on what was once my playground.



And even if I should know better by now, I am still getting away from the present moment. There, it has gone. And another one. And another.




The past is wrapped in cotton wool. Put at the back of a bottom drawer and forgotten. Until one day you happen upon it, slightly warped and yellowed with age.



All it takes is a snippet of a half-forgotten song, a whiff of my mother's perfume, a photograph stuck between the pages of a book.




The time machine, its rusty cogs creaky with age, is put into motion and suddenly I'm back in 1974, with the radio playing in the background and me singing along in broken English.



Or 1969, standing on tiptoe in  front of the bathroom mirror, trying out my Mum's chalky lipstick and dabbing my wrists with her perfume. The one in the fancy bottle that she bought from the Avon Lady the other week.



Oh, and that photograph, it takes me right back to my grandparents' garden. It's the early 1960s, and I'm dressed in a pink corduroy frock, my curls all tangled from doing clumsy forward rolls on the lawn.



On Christmas Day, we walked back into Jos's past. Where his childhood house once stood, there's now a windswept tangle of shrubs and trees. Our booted feet keep slipping and sliding on the sticky clay which once provided the area's livelihood.




The passing of time has wreaked havoc here too, forgivingly blanketed in wilderness.



Now another year has passed. The  hands of the clock have ticked away the minutes, then the hours, until they turned into days. Days which have been strung together into strands of weeks, then woven into a pattern of months.



Twelve months. 52 weeks. 365 days. One year. And another one. And another.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
~William Shakespeare, from Macbeth



Still, I have always been and always will be a dreamer, a hunter of dreams, so I am raising my glass to you, my fellow dreamers, and to past, present and future dreams.




“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt


Linking to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style one more time this year!

42 comments:

  1. Oh Ann what a beautiful thoughtful post. So reflective my friend.
    Wishing you and Jos the happiest of New Years making more memories to look back on.
    Love lynn and Philip xxx

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    1. Thank you, Lynn. I do hope this year's memories will include seeing you and Philip again! xxx

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  2. Thank you for this wonderful poetry, I have a lump in my throat as you're so true, true, and deeply thoughtful. Happy new year to you and yours, xox.

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    1. Thank you Patti, and here's to a fabulous 2019! xxx

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  3. What a lovely and oh so perceptive post!

    It is so true we don't appreciate time when we're younger but I realised aged about 55 that time was the most precious thing I had. I was in the the very fortunate position to have paid off my mortgage and decided that spending the last 5 years of my working life on a reduced hours basis was worth more to me than five more full time years to add to my pension. I have never regretted that decision.

    Happy New Year to you and Jos!
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica! Working on a reduced hours basis seems like a very good idea, which I've promised myself to look into this year! xxx

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  4. Beautiful observations. All best for the new year,

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  5. Your post almost brought me to tears. It's so poignant and so so beautifully written.
    I wish you and Jos a wonderful and happy new year 2019.
    Time passes by so quickly, hope the hours of this new year's eve are good ones. xxx

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    1. Aw, Sally! Wishing you and Philip - and Ziggy obviously - a fabulous 2019! xxx

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  6. What a fantastic last quote.

    The whole post was beautifully written. Every phrase resonated with me.

    Looking back on the years can feel quite bittersweet. Memories are meant to keep us happy in winter of our lives but often make me wistful for the past.

    Happy New Year to you and Jos!

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Thank you Suzanne! I hope you started the new year well! xxx

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  7. I had tears in my eyes reading this beautiful post, Ann! So true and so beautifully expressed. I raise my glass to you, Jos and Phoebe, too! May 2019 bring you much happiness, creating new memories to look back upon with a smile in the future. XXX p.s. I love your groovy dress and that awesome vest! ;)

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    1. Thank you so much, Sasha! I'm glad that you loved reading my wistful post ... xxx

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  8. Happy New Year Ann.
    This is a lovely post, keep dreaming those dreams
    xx

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    1. Thank you Hazel! Have no fear, I'll always be a dreamer! xxx

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  9. Such a beautiful post! Best wishes to you and yours for 2019.
    Liz

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  10. Happy new year Ann. What a beautiful post. What a beautiful weather. I love your words and you look so amazing in this yellow dress with blue beret.
    A very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! Hope you had a great start of the year! xxx

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  11. Happy New Year to you, Ann, and to Jos and Phoebe as well! Time just races by, doesn't it? Faster every year, too - so unfair. I had a swell of emotion at the shot of yours and Jos' feet, for some reason.

    All the best to you for the coming year! Stay bright and funky, my dear!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! Staying bright and funky is what it's all about ;-) xxx

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  12. Your writing is utterly beautiful, dear Ann and your photos are lovely.
    Sending you all at Dove Cottage loads of love from the residents of Stonecroft. xxx

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    1. Thank you darling, although you probably won't be reading this. Thinking of you on your travels! xxx

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  13. darling ann!! i´m wishing you and jos and sweet phoebe a fabulous, happy & healty new year!!! <3 <3 <3
    dont mourne the past - don´t dream of a future thats far - live your life now and every day, as if it were the last.......
    hearty hugs and much love! xxxxx
    p.s.: love the funky dress with the furry vest and that statement necklace!!

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    1. Thank you my darling! I know, I'm far too sentimental ... xxx

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  14. Joining in with everyone else to say what a wise and beautiful post, Ann. I hope 2019 treats you and yours well.

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    1. Thank you so much, Fig, and I hope you 2019 is a good year for you! xxx

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  15. What beautiful writing Ann- you are so poetic. Melancholy tinged with hope- I like that!
    Time does seem to stampede forwards, the older you get, doesn't it. MY husband and I are bemoaning what has happened to our holiday- he is back tomorrow which we can scarcely believe. I hope that time takes its time this year, if you know what I mean!
    P.S. What a beautiful yellow and blue dress!x

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    1. Thank you, Kezzie! I'm with you in hoping time will take its time in 2019! xxx

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  16. There is nothing better than a calm walk and spending time in nature. Thank you for these lovely impressions. Amazing ones.

    take a look at my BLOG and my INSTAGRAM

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    1. Thank you Amely Rose. Spending time in nature always soothes my soul! xxx

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  17. Wonderful words and so very true about how time flies by !and such lovely pictures best wishes for 2019 xxx

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  18. Beautifully written Ann, I wish both you and Mr.S sweet dreams in 2019. xx

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    1. Thank you Fiona, I hope your 2019 is fabulous! xxx

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  19. Keep on dreaming, Ann! Time may tick on, but you can travel back - and enjoy travelling forwards, to new adventures and making new memories too.

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    1. Thank you Mim. Here's to new adventures! Hope 2019 is a great year for you, with less stress, and more sewing! xxx

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  20. What a romantic and lyrical post this is. Your writing is truly exquisite.
    Yes it does feel like time is wrapped in fine wool, and quietly gathering dust.
    I love your soft and furry vest and somehow the feel of it is in harmony with the spirit of this post.
    You do look beautiful and hopeful in your yellow printed dress. Your blue beret is calming as well.
    Oh the landscape here, too. There are houses and complexes being built on marshland and garbage piles. No attention is paid to the creatures an ecosystem that came before. Goodbye fragile species..
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Elle! I truly appreciate your lovely comments. xxx

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