Full moon this evening, I hope it’s a clear evening! - some people make claims about it’s influence on our mental state, it affects mine in positive ways. I’ve been watching it’s progress this last couple of weeks, with awe, visible during it’s early waning from dark (new) moon, in the bright blue, day sky, and subsequently a few nights ago while strolling late evening, it nearing a full silvery circle. http://www.moonwise.co.uk/sky.ph
The day had been one of the hottest of the year so the cool evening breeze enabled me, like the nearby trees of Woodhouse Moor, to take in oxygen, me having flights of fantasy about climbing up on one of it’s branches, reclining along them as people and animals do in the tropics, or stringing up a hammock and rocking to sleep, which had been hard to find indoors,
-‘ Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re tryin' to be so quiet?’,
lack of sleep is notorious for altering one’s perception, being outdoors, snoozing on a bench, as a friend suggested perhaps allowing nature to hug me - a dizzing moment when the boundaries separating me from things ‘out there’, almost dissolved.
Apparently it’s been reported that pigs also display pleasure on moon lit nights, by singing and playing more often than usual during them! Jeffrey Masson, former psychoanalyst, writes so movingly and amusingly about their emotional life in his book ‘The pig who sang at the moon’, he relates about a pig in New Zealand called Piglet, who was often seen on the beach, swimming- singing (in a pig like grunty way),...I’ve had the book on long term loan from veggie/vegan friends, Masson himself a vegan, concerned about people misuse of animals as food, my attempts over the years to stay meat free have failed. I only started to read it because I had been invited to an ‘Adults reading children’s fiction’ book group– that week’s book, ‘The Sheep-pig’ by Dick King-Smith and upon which the film Babe was based, the author was once a pig farmer and the seemingly unlikely skills and adventures Babe gets up to, not so fanciful, I was surprised to learn how intelligent they are and capable of tasks usually associated with dogs, being both clean and affection house pets, trusting of humans, they enjoy a tummy rub.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ARnZUbMjS0
I’d never been to a book group before, getting together with strangers where the focus might be different from our usual interests and social circle, might result in facing possible disparity in age, background, social standing, that can be hard regardless of whether we’ve experienced mental distress or not, mostly I manage to overcome any colly-wobbles.
Vicky wrote in a previous post about being transported from Hyde Park corner to Greece whilst visiting one of the many eateries bordering the moor, I’ve seen Adonis there occasionally myself!
After rousing myself from my waking dream, I wandered to that another exotic shore – Thailand. Or at least to Mamsy’s café where a plate of the most refreshing ‘warm’ and piquant salad priced £6, was adequate for two, after 9.30pm we had the place to ourselves.
Possibly when the student population are around that might not be the case, Mamsy’s also do take-a-way and home delivery, I guess they will be busy this coming Saturday, when the moor is the stage for Unity Day.
In the meantime watch out for me tonight, I might just be communing with the trees in their respiration and giving voice at the moon!....indeed Hyde Park, as some are want to call the moor, once had it’s own Speakers Corner….amongst the rebel rousing speakers there, several suffragettes.(no name dropping!), each one played their part in emancipation for women, however lowly their status in the movement.
Lily
