Minerva's silence

A trek to check on six Sentinel trees. I was on a mission and did not carry with me the coffee et cetera.

A short time and no hares - though I did see a fair few muntjacs and squirrels.

Though I seldom seem to have "conversations" with trees at the moment - and I wonder if that is related to the increased doses of SSRIs, which, incidentally, don't do my liver much good - there is a sense of peace and presence, which I relish.

She is, of course, Athena in the Greek world. Interestingly, though, despite the fact that they are "equivalent" goddesses (wisdom, strategic warfare, and crafts, represented by the owl, helmet and spear), Minerva initially leaned more heavily toward practical arts, medicine, and strategic/defensive wisdom - before later taking on Athena's more markedly martial attributes. So, despite my current Greek interest, she will remain Minerva.

On owls, I have just finished Skellig by David Almond. It is fabulous. Owls feature - as they do in Alan Garner's The Owl Service, which I liked less. It is emotional, ambiguous, magical, wise... a really excellent book. Yes, I am reading literature for a younger age range in order to have something to reference in teacher training interviews. Having dissed one Garner novel, I should say that I am now heading to the end of Treacle Walker, and I am very much enjoying that. Strange and evocative. Enchanted and disturbing.