Читать книгу Morning - Allan Jenkins - Страница 12

First, could you tell me a little about yourself?

I am a writer, an editor, a gardener. At twenty, as a single parent, I could sometimes skip sleep completely if, say, my young daughters were unwell. Now I need maybe seven hours, perhaps a nap at the weekend.

What time do you wake up (and why)?

Some time before 5 a.m. in summer, a little later in winter. I sleep with sliding doors open, no curtains. It is usually the birds that wake me, even gulls a joyful thing. It is the time I write or summer-garden, though I sometimes get caught up in social media, before my wife gets up.

Do you have a morning ritual?

I like to make tea in the dark. I think my senses may be heightened. Earl Grey in a pot, no milk.

How does being awake early affect your life?

It gives me time to be me, before the day begins.

What time do you sleep?

Mostly around ten-ish, give or take.

Does your sleep vary through the year?

I am up earlier in summer, more energetic, more excitable and so are the birds. I don’t know that I get more done.

Has your sleep pattern changed?

Maybe less sleep with age, though it is more likely I have carved out time to write and/or garden that I don’t have in the evening when I need to cook and digest the day.

Is the light important?

It is everything. I think I am addicted. The shift from night, the sometimes timid start of day. My world wakes. Particularly if there is sun, of course. I write by an open window facing south-east; the light draws me outside, catches the vase of flowers beside me (there are always flowers). Most mornings I take a photo, same photo, same view, of the sunrise. I tell myself it is like Monet’s water lilies or haystacks but I think I am mapping my life in mornings.

What do you like least about being awake early?

I can lose an hour reading useless links to politics or old YouTube, purely because I can.

What do you like best about being awake early?

The energy, the time it gives; it feels like a gift (apologies for romance but it is true). Sometimes it allows me to escape to the allotment, feed it, water it, sow seeds, connect with land and wild.

How would you sum up your thoughts on your mornings in 100 words or less?

Sometimes I feel it is my secret, like Narnia, outside time or at least the rest of the day. I cannot believe everyone doesn’t know about it and take an occasional step through the wardrobe.