I locked myself (and my daughter) out of the house two weeks ago. Dark rain clouds were looming overhead. I panicked. My toddler was hungry and tired, I had no snacks, and to tell you the truth, I was hungry and tired too! But after a few phone calls, we had no choice but to … Continue reading Things you find under trees – poem
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Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood – Book Recommendation
Humans strive for perfection and optimisation. Better skin, better bodies. More efficient cars, more efficient farming. But how far is too far... When dangerous crossbreeds escape labs? When chicken meat is grown without chickens? This is just the tip of the iceberg when Atwood explores these uncomfortable questions in Oryx & Crake [2003].
fleeting treasures – poem
shoots. sprigs. twigs. sprays. spring. * Happy Friday! A tiny poem for a tiny bowl of spring filled with gifts from little ones and fleeting treasures. For more stories and poems, follow the Wild Library blog on Instagram. You might also enjoy The Little Red Bird and Pictures and Poems. Thanks for reading! Chantelle
Leave a Garden – Poem
I create a garden every time I move to a new rental house. It’s hard work and I seldom stay long enough to truly reap the rewards of my efforts. But planting and tending a new garden is a rewarding and special process in itself. Even though I know there’s a good chance the next renters will leave the garden to die or grow wild, I believe it’s better to leave a garden when you go.
Daffodils
The daffodils in my garden showed their sun-filled faces yesterday. I’ve been anxiously excited about this moment for weeks. I watched the bulbs as they emerged from the frosty earth. Saw them rise towards the leaden winter skies. Watched, with great anticipation, as their flower buds edged upwards, a little closer to the sun each day. Saw the spathe turn brown and transparent like a finely veined piece of paper as the bulbs swelled with promise, drinking in the sun and rain. For a few days, the yellow petals threatened to burst from their containment, but they were waiting. For a day, for a signal, for the sun. Now, finally, they have unfurled their magnificent crowns and turned them towards the light.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – Book Recommendation
Wilde’s only novel is a complex labyrinth about art, corruption, morality, sin, and society’s idolatry of the sensual world. The young and beautiful Dorian Gray, like Narcissus, falls in love with the power of his own beauty after seeing a portrait of himself. He uses his supernatural charm and influence over people to live life to the fullest: he denies himself no earthly pleasures, regardless of the cost to himself and others. Like Dorian, we love a good filter on reality. Read why Wilde's novel still resonates with us today.
10 Questions: How a Dog’s Love Changed your Life – Candice’s Story
Today's Story that Inspires is for all the dog lovers out there. Even if you're not convinced about the life changing potential our canine friends possess, Candice's story might persuade you otherwise. Candice recently wrote a blog post for Candice Says about her relationship with her beloved Delilah. I had to know more about the hugely positive impact Delilah made on Candice's life. I asked her 10 Questions about how a dog's love changed her life!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – Book Review
If you Google "42" Wikipedia offers the following explanation: 'The number 42 is, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything", calculated by and enormous supercomputer named Deep Thought over a period of 7.5 million years. Unfortunately, no one knows what the … Continue reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – Book Review
My year of ‘flow’
I used to love new year’s resolutions when I was a child. I’d make a list each year with bright markers. It was immensely gratifying to tick things off the list as the year went by. Achieving these goals felt straightforward. I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions for 2020. Instead, I thought something more abstract might work and I chose a word as a theme for my year, something I can aspire to: Flow. 2020 would be a year of ‘flow.’ Except, it was not...
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – Book Review
'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy follows the story of seven-year-old twins, Estappen and Rahel, as they navigate life in Southen India during 1969. A hostile political climate, love laws, a family tragedy, and a series of ‘small things’ collide to alter the course of their lives.
