Dream

I had a vivid dream that I thought I would share. It went like this.....

 

We arrived at a campsite, a lovely green grassy field sloping down to a beautiful golden sandy beach and the sea beyond. It was a typical British coastal scene complete with dunes and a cafe selling teas, but not anywhere real that I had visited. There was a stiff breeze at first, so there weren’t many people on the campsite or wandering along the beach, but everyone I saw smiled at us and nodded a polite greeting.

I felt that we should pick a pitch and set up camp first, but the sea sparkled in the light and the soft, golden sand looked warm and enticing, so we ambled down to the beach. We walked along the beach and then sat on the sand, and enjoyed the feel of the warm sand. The children ran to the sea and we relaxed, breathing in the beautiful scenery and enjoying the tranquillity, in the early evening sun.

When we finally turned back to the campsite the number of people around had swollen, and as we reached the edge of the camping field it was busy. At a glance I could see that all the best pitches had been taken. The ones that I had coveted, on the flat ground closest to the beach, with a wonderful view out to sea, were now full of close-knitted tents. So began the hunt for a suitable plot to pitch the tent on, though it was a choice of severely sloping land or a rather boggy patch. All the while the field filled up with more tents and more people, and we were driven further back up the steep hill away from the view and the beach.

Now I am not normally one to dwell on dreams but this one was rather vivid and seemed to convey so many possible meanings. It may be the story of my longing for some land. Finding a patch to reside on, in order to become more resilient and sustainable, is becoming harder and harder. The impossible task of trying to find an affordable plot locally is it's own nightmare. Or the dream could be conveying my concern about overpopulation, and the worry of how there can be enough space and resources for everyone. (That may be due to commenting on population increases before going to bed.) Or perhaps it is just that spring is in the air and there is always so much that needs to be done, but the temptation is to sit out in the warm sunshine and just be.

It is also a reminder about leaving things too late, just as in the story of the cricket and the ant. The ant spent his time wisely, working steadily all summer to collect food to store for the winter. The cricket however enjoyed the summer relaxing and left it too late to prepare for winter. Then as the last leaves are falling and there are barely any nuts or fruit left, the cricket realises he has left it too late and scurries around at the last minute trying to find the last scraps of the harvest. He wishes he had followed the advice of the ant rather than laughing at him. 

I have been working on my garden, preparing a new vegetable patch and growing seeds indoors. I am also planning to de-clutter and re-organise to give me more storage space in the kitchen. In fact my head is full of jobs and improvements and my desk is covered in to-do lists, which I am slowly ticking off. But the warm sun has been sorely missed.

 

Last summer was not great. The sunniest week in the Midlands, was the week that we weren’t there. We were on holiday in Ireland. The West coast of Ireland is beautiful and full of history and dramatic scenery, but we barely got more than an hour or two at a time when it wasn’t raining. The weather varied between a light drizzle, to a full downpour (as it had for the previous month in England!). My shorts barely made it out of my bag, let alone beachwear! And yes we were mad enough to be camping on a sloping green field with a view out towards the golden beach and sea beyond.......