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Sunday 9th June 2024

Art

The special offer on the Dandelion hardcover books is now ended.
Thank you, everyone who ordered a book or two.
It was special, as the price was the lowest possible Amazon allows, meaning I receive zero royalties.

There’s something I like about this. If I could I would prefer to give my books away for free to anyone who wanted to read them. This isn’t possible, but I can keep the price at zero royalties. That’s the closest I can get for now.

Art originated with our pre-historic ancestors. I imagine forms of art: storytelling, singing, dance, mime and play-acting, being performed around campfires after a nomadic band of people had eaten together after a day of hunting, fishing and gathering.
These forms need no tools, instruments or requisites: the body and voice are enough.
Later, musical instruments: drums, flutes and stringed instruments were invented. Dyes, brushes and pens were made for drawing, painting and writing. Stone was shaped with tools. And so forth.

Art was performed, exhibited and shared freely between artist and audience. Being an artist was simply an expression of an instinct inherent in all people.

We are all artists; we are all the audience.

Thursday 6th June 2024

Mount Everest

“Why would you want to climb Mount Everest?”

George Mallory was asked this question in 1924 and gave the famous answer: “Because it’s there“

I wonder if his words would be remembered 100 years later if he’d answered: “Because I have to go shopping”

Well, I have to go shopping today. It’s a round trip of 34 kilometres to the supermarket on my bicycle … That’s nothing many of you are thinking.
Hah! I was too. It’s less than my commute to work used to be. On top of that, I regularly strap my camping gear and guitar to my bicycle and ride thousands and thousands of kilometres.

Well, now I understand why George Mallory decided to climb Everest … To avoid going shopping!

For the technically inclined it’s 800m of climbing. For us others, that’s a blinking great hill that never ends!

Monday 3rd June 2024

Woof!

For the past four years I have lived in a little house in the forest in Sweden.
My neighbours have a big black dog.

I have never been a “dog-person”. Sometimes when jogging or bicycling they have chased me – for fun or food, it’s hard to tell – so I prefer them to keep to themselves, and I will keep to mine.

That said, my neighbours dog and I got used to each other, and now go on walks together in the forest. I have learnt to see dogs in a different light.

One day a french couple turned up at the campsite in a van. They had a big black dog with them. Within minutes, he came unbidden over to me and dropped a ragged, slobbered-on tennis ball at my feet, panting expectantly. Although unable to talk, his body language was impossible to misunderstand.

Manaru, as I later found out he was called, wants to play “fetch-the-ball” all the time. Literally all-the-time! Sans arrêt! He never tires of it.

Dogs are experts at manipulating people with those big ol’ eyes of theirs, so I spent the next two days either throwing the ball, or washing my hands before I could do anything else.

Thank you for the memory, Manaru

Friday 31st May 2024

*** HARDCOVER *** SPECIAL OFFER ***

Only for a week, the HARDCOVER editions of “Dandelion Book One & Book Two” are on sale

Book One: £10.98 / €12.63 / $14.30

Book Two: £10.78 / €12.39 / $14.06

This is the lowest that Amazon allows me to sell them for. I get not a penny or cent in royalties.

These lovely books will look great on your bookshelf even if you’ve read the paperback. And what a beautiful present to give away!

Just go to your local Amazon. If you’re in the EU and haven’t got one, Amazon.de is the best. Search for “Timi Jarvis Dandelion” and choose the hardcover versions.

The links on my website are an even easier way to get to all my books: https://timijarvis.com/marketplace/

Tuesday 28th May 2024

After my recent post about my hammock, there has been an unfortunate development.
Eucalyptus trees have thin, fragile bark. To protect them from the hammock’s rope, I first wrapped web straps around them.

Being old, somewhat frayed around the edges, and bleached by both sun and salt water – The straps, not me, silly! – one had weakened to the point of breaking.

Scientists tell us that gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental forces of nature. I do not doubt their expertise. However, it does raise the question of whether they have ever fallen out of a hammock.

My lower back is very stiff and bruised, but thankfully not worse than that. This morning I lay in my sleeping bag on the ground (from where it is impossible to fall) pondering the mystery of life in general, my life in particular, the chapter in the book I will write today, and whether the mango juice I bought for my morning porridge will be as delicious as I hope.

The morning chorus is in full swing. Sparrows, crows, owls, cock-a-doodle-dos, sheep, wild donkeys and a multitude of buzzing waspy things have all joined in. Turn the sound on (the picture is a video) and hear a short sample.

I finally managed to get up, and yes, the mango juice was delicious!

Saturday 25th May 2024

After a hard morning’s labour at his desk, the author felt – may one say entitled? Yes, one may – entitled to repose in his hammock along with a copy of the book “Gods In Us – Psychology and Greek Mythology” by Leonel Hillsdale.

Coming to the end of an interesting chapter, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and found himself gently sliding into a well deserved nap.

The author felt neither the desire, nor could he see any particular reason, to resist this not entirely unexpected turn of events.

Wednesday 22nd May 2024

Dandelion E-Book One!

Dandelion Book One is now available as a Kindle eBook on Amazon for the small sum of €2,69 / £1.77 / $2.99

Just go to your local Amazon (if you’re in the EU and haven’t got one, Amazon.de is the best), search for “Timi Jarvis Dandelion” and choose the Kindle edition for Dandelion One.

There are even links on my website to all the Amazon stores:
https://timijarvis.com/marketplace/

Please share so I can reach more readers. Thanks!

“A group of Boy and Girl Scouts are isolated on an island in the Mediterranean Sea after an apocalyptic war almost destroys the human race.
This is the story of their struggle to survive, the adventures they share, and the rediscovery of their inner nature.
At the same time in northern Scandinavia, a motorcycle gang takes control of the only other region to survive the war.
Ruling through fear and brutality, they lay the foundations from which a new feudal kingdom will arise…”

Sunday 19th May 2024

The campsite I have found on this island is perfect for me to write. Peaceful and close to the beach where I can sit and play guitar. All the surrounding wildflowers and trees are blossoming at the moment.

Next to the shower block is a laurel tree whose flowers smell so wonderful, I have to stop and smell them… even when rushing to the loo!

This is from the greek mythology about Daphne, a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater.
So I guess that’s why the tree is next to the showers.

“When Apollo finally caught up with her, Daphne prayed for help to her father, the river god Peneus of Thessaly, who immediately commenced her transformation into a laurel tree (Laurus nobilis): a heavy numbness seized her limbs, thin bark closed over her breast, her hair turned into leaves, her arms into branches, her feet so swift a moment ago stuck fast in slow-growing roots, her face was lost in the canopy. Only her shining beauty was left.”

Thursday 16th May 2024

A Volkswagen Beetle!

This wonderful car was parked by the beach on my island.
I felt a rush of nostalgia. Greece in the ’70’s!

A time when we’d make a fire on the beach, a guitar was passed around from one long-haired hippy to the next, as were bottles of wine. The guitar player couldn’t drink – they had to keep singing.

Until, at last, everyone fell asleep as the fire slowly burnt down and the stars moved across the night sky.

The Aegaen Islands! It is here the first part of the “Dandelion” story is set:

“Charlie didn’t say anything for a few moments as he gazed out
over the blue sea.
Then the answer came to him as if from nowhere. A strong
feeling seemed to wash over him, almost rocking him off balance as his whole world shifted subtly. Everything changed in that instant.

His eyes never left the horizon, but he was seeing beyond it. Way beyond it.
“Survive,” he said softly. “Survive.”

The first time I was here was in 1979. I’d hitch-hiked from Hamburg, through Yugoslavia, and was heading for India.

I had a plan! Buy two donkeys (or mules, I wasn’t sure of the difference), and make my way to the Himalayas.

I didn’t make it. Revolution in Iran, War in Afghanistan. I headed south to Greece and ended up in the Sinai desert – as one does.

But that’s another tale, which I will tell another day.

Monday 13th May 2024

So, the adventure begins!

A sleeping bag under the stars, a bike to ride up and down the hilliest island in the Aegaen sea, and a little table to sit and write at under eucalyptus trees with the scent of wildflowers all around.

This will be my life for two months. I’ve started “Dandelion – Book Three”
If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, then you surely should do!

You can order them from whichever Amazon is closest to you.
If you’re in the EU and haven’t got an Amazon, then the german one is best.
Search for “Dandelion – Timi Jarvis”

I’ll be posting pictures, tales, thoughts and feelings every few days.

I’d be so grateful if you would follow my author page “Timi Jarvis – Author” and share this with all your friends.

Here’s my webpage, for more about everything: https://timijarvis.com/