I will keep this in mind today as I sit amongst the remains of my studio, tying off as many loose ends as I can. I’d hoped to be working up to the last minute, but it hasn’t turned out that way. We’ve simply had too much to do in this final week in the UK. We leave here on Thursday morning. On Friday, we’ll be in France. I intend to curl up on mum’s sofa with a blanket and Timmy the tomcat as soon as I can. Next week we’ll get a temporary studio set up (more on that next Tuesday), and we also have to go collect some firewood. Once that’s out of the way, it’ll be back to work for me. I’m looking forward to losing myself in books again, regardless of whether it’s the “local pub” or the “divine brouhaha”. Whatever it is, bring it on.

Sometimes we choose change, sometimes it is thrust upon us. Either way, it can be difficult to deal with. If we choose it, we at least know we’ve chosen the difficulties that come with it, too. If we haven’t chosen it, we might resent the difficulties it causes. I find it best in either situation to hold onto the constants. For me the constants are my love of books and my knowledge of how to make them, my devotion to myth and magic, my family, community, and my friends, and of course the love of my life, my Dis. I’ve had to remind myself of this quite often in these whirlwind days, especially yesterday when I finally caved and emptied the little desk where I’ve folded and sewn and stapled my way through the years since I first claimed this room as my own. It’s a strange parting, this, both an end and a beginning. The next time you hear from me, I will be living in France.

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by frost.

– J.R.R. Tolkien

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” — Buddha

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” — Henry Miller

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” — Martin Buber

Because there’s nothing much happening in the studio today, I’ll instead tell you who and what is keeping me inspired. Right now I wish I could forget about work until we get to France. That was the plan, but since I’m about two months behind with work, I really can’t stop until the moment the computers come down and the last piece of paper has been packed. It’s hard working in the midst of the unreal clutter in this house and in my mind, so I’m relying on friends, colleagues, and strangers to keep me going.

We’re moving to France, so I’ll start with this blog: French word a day, run by Kristin Espinasse. Kristin uses the story-telling method of teaching, including French words and phrases in short tales of her life in France. She’s writing about ordinary things, the kind of things we all encounter in our daily lives. This could come in very useful quite soon. It also gives me a glimpse of a different region of the country I’ll be calling home.

In another example of perfect timing, the other day Dora Goss linked to Domythic Bliss, a new blog about mythic interior decorating. This site is also going to come in very handy in the days to come, but for now it’s giving me plenty of ideas. Be sure to read Dora’s post about the site, too. What story will our house tell about us? When I’m not working, I’m daydreaming up answers to that question.

Early last week Katherine Langrish wrote about The Value of Mythic Thinking. I could stay lost for days on Katherine’s website, but this piece stuck with me. “The truth that you get from a story is different from the truth of a proven scientific fact.” Yes! And both kinds of truths are of equal worth.

Late last week Terri Windling shared some wonderful quotes about books (obviously a favorite subject of mine) in The Joy of Books. The delightful video of the same name has been making the rounds of the online bookbinding community, so I’d seen it already. It’s really the quotes Terri has chosen that bring it all together for me.

Finally, click through to The Binder’s Ticket for a photo of a gorgeous custom book bag, with copper rivets and hand-stitched seams. There are many more treasures to be found on the site, including this post about a new floor in the bindery. We’ve got a cement floor to deal with, too, and this solution is very tempting.

And finally, if you haven’t seen it already, do watch the video posted in thanks to those who donated to the Magick 4 Terri auction. It’s an amazing look at what happens when myth comes to life.