If this were the last day of your life, my friend, tell me what do you think you would do then?

I began the last year of the 20th Century celebrating the news that we were pregnant with twins. While the world was gripped by anxiety about the Y2K bug that appeared to threaten the collapse of computers, I was cocooned in my own little world and thinking of making a t-shirt “Y2 Kids?”.

11 years later, I’ve just finished the first decade of the twenty first century. Our 10 year old boys partied until midnight while I, more sedately, listened to stories about decapitated possums falling from the sky into backyards in Blackheath. As the clocked ticked us over into the next decade and the Rocky Horror Show’s Time Warp triggered a flurry of dancing, the juxtaposition of our pleasant social event against the real life night-time horror of possums being decapitated, reminded me of the relentless passing of time,

the fragility and cruelty of life and our amazing adaptability to normalise under almost any circumstance.

When the kids asked if they could go for a walk around the block, I didn’t realise that they were, in fact, facing their fear of what was happening. They were responding to descriptions of a giant flying creature decapitating possums by banding together to go to the nearby pine forest to see if they could spot it. This monster, as it turned out, is a Powerful Owl which lives on possums and sugar gliders and, as the largest owl in Australasia, has a wingspan of up to 140cm – pretty dauntingly big if you ask me!

Powerful Owl by Ben Cruachan

We made sure when we woke up this morning that the new roof for our chook cage was Powerful Owl proof. Our twin black Faverolles have been hatching chicks all day and it now appears we have twelve new additions helping us to recover another endangered breed.

Which brings me to this blog and its title, taken from a line in the Genesis song, “Undertow”. It’s been jingling around in my head for days.

A Year in a Day has always been about taking personal and political actions to preserve and care for life (except snails), with the hope that if 365 people did the same we’d have the action of A Year in a Day. The song “Undertow” is a constant reminder to me that it’s easy to slide into a state of half aliveness and put off doing what we could do until it’s too late.

Laughter, music and perfume linger here
And there, and there
Wine flows from flask to glass and mouths
As it soothes, confusing our doubts
And soon we feel
Why do a single thing today
There’s tomorrow sure as I’m here
So the days, they turn into years
And still no tomorrow appears
Better think awhile
Or I may never think again
If this were the last day of your life, my friend
Tell me what do you think you would do then?”

My grandfather, who adored our little boys when they were born, and who died in this last decade, always said to me that you should work as though you were going to live forever, and love as though you were going to die tomorrow. His hands were the hands of a man who worked as though he was going to live forever.

So, being New Year’s Day, I’ve been pondering how to approach this year and how to use this blog to keep me focussed on what really matters.

My political act for today was to start blogging again after quite a long break and to begin setting up a new website called The Big Fix.

One thing that certainly needs fixing is what I’ve been calling my Garden of Neglect! Fortunately there’s been a huge amount of self seeding going on and the seedlings I planted 6 weeks ago are already producing a harvest.

So, on the personal level, I’ve decided to start gardening as though my life depended on it. I’ve decided to challenge myself to eat something from the garden every single day. Of course, bad time of year to start this given that we’re going away for two weeks from tomorrow. So today I’ve been preparing food from the garden to see if I can gather enough to take with us. Am feeling pretty confident I must say!

Firstly I picked the tiny amount of basil I had so that the snails wouldn’t eat it all while we were away. Made a batch of pesto and popped it in the freezer. Inspired by the basil pesto I picked a large bunch of golden marjoram and made a marjoram and walnut pesto too.

Then I discovered that there were dozens of snails lurking under the sorrel plant which was so big it was drowning out my smaller seedlings. Picked a huge amount and cooked up a batch of sorrel soup, which also joined the pesto in the freezer.

I’ve made a large batch of absolutely scrumptious pear and parsnip soup. We’ve been inundated with parsnips this year as a result of one self seeding plant.  We’ve also been picking raspberries and gooseberries daily. This is how the freezer’s looking in preparation for going away tomorrow:

In addition I’ve harvested enough garlic and enough potatoes to have some every day if necessary:

At the last minute, before we leave, I’ll  harvest some kohlrabi and the zucchinis. I’m also packing small seed trays and packs of seed. If I’m gardening as if my life depended on it, it’s critical to keep planting seeds now to have food for winter.

Lastly, today I planted a lemonade tree, strawberry plants, tomatoes, pumpkins and brusssel sprouts. Also put in lots of sugarsnap pea seeds and some rocket seeds.

Day 1 of the next decade has begun!

“Undertow” by Genesis

Curtains are drawn

Now the fire warms the room

Meanwhile outside

Wind from the north-east chills the air

It will soon be snowing out there

And some, there are cold

They prepare for a sleepless night

Maybe, this will be their last fight

But we’re safe in each other’s embrace

All fears go as I look on your face

Better think awhile

Or I may never think again

If this were the last day of your life, my friend

Tell me, what do you think you would do then?

Stand up to the blow that fate has struck upon you

Make the most of all, you still have coming to you

Lay down on the ground and let the tears run from you

Crying to the grass and trees and heaven finally on your knees

Let me live again, let life come find me wanting

Spring must strike again against the shield of winter

Let me feel once more the arms of love surround me

Telling me the danger’s past, I need not fear the icy blast again

Laughter, music and perfume linger here

And there, and there

Wine flows from flask to glass and mouths

As it soothes, confusing our doubts

And soon we feel

Why do a single thing today

There’s tomorrow sure as I’m here

So the days, they turn into years

And still no tomorrow appears

Better think awhile

Or I may never think again

If this were the last day of your life, my friend

Tell me what do you think you would do then?

2 thoughts on “If this were the last day of your life, my friend, tell me what do you think you would do then?

  1. Brigitte G.

    This is such an interesting post Lis !!
    and you’re so good with your determinations and good for you for your gardening !! 🙂
    Have a fantastic new Year with lots of goals reached !! 🙂

  2. Ronald Bastian

    At “just-turned” 71, that thought pops into my mind more often than in the past. We really don’t know what we would do or what thoughts would be occupying our mind at that time. But I do know that when I look back at my particular life, I would just loved to have been taken more seriously about my ideas to turn around the path of destruction we are facing, and even more importantly,an enormous sense of achievement and pride for the children and grandchildren that were born through Margaret and myself. Such wonderful and intelligent, loving human beings. Then I would happily return to the earth that I love.

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