Diamonds

There are diamonds in the snow, I see them sparkling. Tiny lights, brilliant and bewitching. Others walk on by. Can they not see the treasure that is glistening there on the cold and holy ground.

"To discover joy is to return to a state of oneness with the universe." - Peggy Jenkins

To Cover it All

Just twenty six letters to cover it all. To be able to construct sentences, to convey meaning, to voice the cavernous longings, to utter the quiet words that make a life run on into tomorrow. It is good that we have silence as a foil, an antidote, a resting place in case the pressure of words becomes too much to bear.

"Stop counting crayons, just draw pictures. " - Mark Scharenbroich

December Again

Stepping out silently on icy feet December arrived. I was too busy juggling words to notice his swift approach. He bought with him a thin white blanket of snow and threw it far and wide covering the landscape. But outside of my window the blackbird and its golden beak still found the crimson berries and swallowed them whole.

"One must not imitate the sun, one must make oneself into a sun." - Raoul Dufy

Sunday

Another Sunday sprinkled with the stardust of silence. A vast empty hall echoing. Just waiting for me to break the quiet with the sound of my voice.

"Don’t try to steer the river." Deepak Chopra

Misty Morning

The morning is blurred, hidden from my eyes in swathes of mist. A ghost of a landscape, just hinted at in light and shade. A pallete of greys dissolved in a watercolour wash, ethereal and waiting for the hours to focus the lens and give definition to the coming day.

"Every man has a piece of sky in his breast and in it flies a swallow.” - Fatos Arapi

Words are Precious

The words spill, dancing, bouncing onto the waiting floor. I rush to collect them, sweep them up, gather them before some passing creature feasts on them and has them for his dinner. They are my words and right now, I can't afford to waste a single one.

Don't get hung up on details right away. First bake your cake and then add the icing. - Tony van Hasselt

NaNoWriMo - day 4

Blank pages and unwilling fingers. Words waiting to be written. Queueing to be first out of my pen.
But sentences need a structure to inhabit, a stage they can dance upon. So, while the story temporarily eludes me, there is nothing I can do but wait.

"The best way out is always through." - Robert Frost

Honey and Sunshine

Dripping honey and sunshine, the silver birch stands. Shivering drops of amber tremble around the white etched trunk. I overflow with gladness for the beauty of autumn and all its multi hued splendour. For outside my window the world is simply awash with colour, a pallete of jewels glowing in the soft yellow light.
Photo

"Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods." - William Allingham

Barely Touched

Silver birch, trunk white like paint scraped from a canvas punctuates the scene beyond my window. The sunlit trees stand in stark relief still clothed in summer, autumn has barely touched them here. Lithe and liquid eyed the squirrel makes his way along the fence and down the lilac branches into my garden.

"True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by." - E. S. Bouton

By The River

Car parked, waiting under the fluid shadows of the huge willow. Tarmac softened by its shimmering light. Breeze made visible, down by the river.

"To the person who watches, everything reveals itself." - Italian Proverb

October

October walked into my room unnoticed, and it is only now days later, that I see her sitting quietly in the corner wearing her faded green dress. The copper lights are already beginning to shine in her hair and I felt the subtle chill in the breeze as she opened her mouth and called my name.

"I walk in and out of many worlds." - Joy Harjo

Swimming

Dream weaver you have left me entangled in your hooks, daytime has come, but I am still haunting another realm. Not quite here, I am still swimming in night times ocean.

"You are what exists before all stories. You are what remains when the story is understood." - Byron Katie

Caught Up

Rushing head long into another day, I catch myself caught up in the barrage of thoughts that arrived with the morning light. I take a long deep breath and relax for just a moment. Looking out through the window I see the tall trees undulating in the breeze.

"Love someone who doesn't deserve it." - Author Unknown

Seen. . .

Huddled men with crossed arms lean into lit matches, blow smoke like dragons. Breaktime chatter outside the busy warehouse.

"Hope is the positive mode of awaiting the future." - Emil Brunner

Moment

Shadows move on tarmac. Patterns like water, light made fluid by the breeze. An engine starts and the moment is broken, shattered by the lorries roar.

“I believe in nothing, everything is sacred. I believe in everything, nothing is sacred.” - Tom Robbins

Thursday Afternoon

Sky blue against white cloud piled high on the horizon like mountain peaks.
...and the rushing breeze lifts and plays in my hair.

"If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point." - Antonio Porchia

Quiet

This dark velvet night, soft and quiet. Just the tick, tick, tick of the clock and the gentle purr of a snoozing cat. I wish my fingers were silent as they type these words, I don't want to add another sound to this beautiful moment.

"Those who are awake live in a state of constant amazement." - Buddha

Dead Tree

Dead tree, stark and sculptural, an exclamation mark against the opaque sky. Such a contrast against the vivid living greens. Death amongst life - just as it should be.

"Humanity is not different from Nature. Humanity is part of Nature." - Amma

Hope

I saw a rainbow, it gave me hope. There so blazen and glorious in the storm grey sky. The car park full of regimented cars ceased to exist, and for a moment there was only that technicolour sweep of joy. . . and me.

"Whisper 'I love you' 'I love you' to the whole mad world." - Hafiz

Downpour

Rain in sheets blurring the landscape, dripping from the bird feeders, pouring from the trees. Cats alert, listening to the low rumble of thunder. We all watch though the window as diagonal water falls from the sky.

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." - Lou Holtz

Half a Century

Rainbow coloured envelopes in a haphazard pile. Striped wrapping paper and glittery bows. ecards with loving wishes, tweets from friends. Smiles and happiness at a whole day of birthday still ahead!
Do you want some cake?

"Give up your identity as a seeker, and become a finder. Then everything you ever sought will find you."
- Alan Cohen

Doorways

There are always doorways, between this, and that. Between you, and me. Most open at a push. Some need keys to fit rusty locks. Some never open at all.

"The whole is indivisible and real. The parts are imaginary." - Alejandro Jodorowsky

Another New Day

The still and silent morning. The soft whisper of my breath. The vast potential of another new day, potent and willing. Motion stirs the quiet field.

"All the advice you give to others is for you to hear." - Byron Katie

This Morning

Parked car, windows open. Slanted sunlight painting me with liquid yellow streaks, bold brushstokes warm to the touch. Fluttering shadows dance and shimmy like water, patterning the mornings surface with magic.

"Live brightly. Tread lightly." - Lucinda Vette

Full Moon Again

Wisps of grey cloud float like smoke signals, haunting the twilight. Bats dive and swoop uncannily close to my window, speeding silhouettes on their nightly excursions. I watch the sky . . . waiting to see the Moon.

"Abundance can be had simply by consciously receiving what already has been given . . " - Sufi Saying

The Solstice Sky

Tie dye swirls of peach and blue as the Sun sinks down through the patterned sky. Magnificent and all aglow, the heavens are on fire with colour and celebration on this the longest day of the year.
photos
"In summer, the song sings itself." - William Carlos Williams

Starlings

Six freshly bathed starlings artfully arranged along the top of my garden fence, fresh from the splashing bird bath they glisten as they preen and dry, iridescent in the sunlight.

"Things are beautiful if you love them." - Jean Anouilh

Silence

Sometimes silence settles on me like snowflakes. First a gentle sprinkle, then a thick blanket covering me with its weight. I am frozen in place, immobilised in this quiet cave, everything muffled by this igloo of solitude. Nothing but me and the cold sparkling silence.

"Silence is more than just a lack of words." - Egyptian Proverb

Rain is Falling

Dripping from abundant blooms the rain carries an infusion of lilac down into the dark welcoming earth.
A tiny bird waits, taking shelter among glossy green leaves. The sky as white as paper.

"Don't get set into one form- be like water." - Bruce Lee

Cloud

I see the cloud building a wall up into the blue. The storm grey horizon provides a solid base as it reaches up in artfully contrasting bands and hues. At the very top, brave white feathers are still holding on to the sunshine.

"The shell must break before the bird can fly." - Alfred Tennyson

Double Glazing

The quiet cup that holds this still morning, is crazed with tiny hairline cracks of birdsong - almost imperceptable through the airtight filters of sound subduing glass. A subtle soundtrack to accompany the silent film that is playing on the other side of the window pane.

"That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you."
- Charles de Lint

Two Cats

The soft rhythmic purring of a sleeping cat makes a perfect soundtrack to the start of my day. Cat two, jumps up to join us and slips - an acrobatic golden blur as he tumbles. Instinctively I reach out my hands to catch that ball of claw and fur. Crimson rivulets flow into the deeply etched lines of my rescuing hands. Cat safe and nonchalent, walks away.

"Flow with whatever may happen & let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. " - Chuang Tzu

A Moment Ago Outside My Window

Lilac grows up into the endless blue of the sky - a splash of colour added to the vast palette of greens. Jackdaw on the fence post, his pale blue eyes a flash a silver among the shadows and sunlight.

"Everyone is in the best seat." - John Cage

A Tiny Shift

All it takes is a tiny shift in awareness and you will see it, opened up there before you. The world is awash with beauty. I opened my curtains this morning and illuminated in dawns soft pink light I saw it.

"As our eyes grow accustomed to sight they armour themselves against wonder." - Leonard Cohen

Wide Awake

Darkness amplifies the whispers of those marauding night time thoughts - they go stalking through the quiet hours, hunting for those to whom sleep will not come. That silent black realm seems vast when you are wide awake in the darkness, just waiting for the dawn to arrive.

"The tighter you squeeze, the less you have." - Thomas Merton

This Morning in My Garden

This morning the Blackthorn is wearing White - frothy blossom transforming the dark green of my distant view. Scarlet tulips edged with orange catch the morning Sun and light up like stained glass . . . illuminating this holy place. At my gate, fragrant pale pink Magnolia blooms are opening. All is well with my world today.

"Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower." - Shigenori Kameoka

The Morning Dance

The morning dance of weaving cats around my ankles, thunderous purrs from night warm fur. I pick up each individually and nuzzle my nose and stroke and kiss each gentle head. . . and so the day begins.

"Your daily life is your school, your temple, and your religion." - Kahlil Gibran

Last Night As Darkness Fell

Last night as darkness fell it creeped in through the big window in my room. Oozing across every surface, it filled the air. Every particle was dark and it entered me, riding my breath, covering my skin, it seeped into every pore. I sat motionless, holding the night inside me.

"The reason lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn’t there the second time." - Willie Tyler

Jackdaws

The jackdaws are socialising in the big old tree, preening and chattering, wiping their sturdy beaks on the knotted branches. A sudden noise and they take to the air, Black brushstrokes daubed across a steely grey sky.

"Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such." Henry Miller

Safe there in its tangled heart

I watch the swelling buds on the lilac bush outside my window. Dappled with sunlight, the tiny birds play amongst its intricate branches. Safe there in its tangled heart, they are shielded from the swift dart of the hungry sparrowhawk as he looks for lunch.

"Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." - Laozi

Exhilarated

Hands scratched and stinging, mud beneath my nails, I pull and gather, trim and cut. Clearing the way for burgeoning new growth to see the Sun. Exhilarated by the energy of the earth, I smile at my secateurs.

Do not fight the darkness, let the light in and the darkness will disappear. - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

No Space For Me Inside

Today the Sun shone huge sweeping golden beams - filling my room and leaving no space for me inside.
I put on my shoes and stepped outside, just in time to join Spring as she arrived in my garden.
photos
"Everything we do is music" - John Cage

Gentle Morning Sunshine

Etched into the landscape the silver birch glows white in the gentle morning sunshine. A sliver of light climbs the fence and trickles over into my garden. Red berries highlighted in a dark corner feast on sunlight.

"Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen." - Robert Bresson

Yesterday

March made a glorious entrance, decked with blue sky, white fluffy clouds and bird song. A beautiful day drenched in sunshine, it was as welcome as water to a thirsty soul.

"The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world."
- John Burroughs

A Welcome Sight

The sun, a welcome sight to these tired eyes that have stared too long at grey. Wheeling birds etched against a hopeful sky join me in relishing the warm touch. Thankful after being held for so long in winters ice cold hand.

"If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found." - Author Unknown

On Its Way

There they are, tiny shoots emerging out of the dark earth. Green appearing everywhere, beautiful signs of new life. It has started, Spring is on its way at last.

"The significant is hiding in the insignificant. Appreciate everything." -Eckhart Tolle

Once Again

Once again outside my window, a world swaddled in white. Another page written in the story of a winter seemingly without end. Huddled in distant treetops, birds sit, stoic against a laden sky.

"The perceiver is reflected in what is perceived." - Amrit Desai

February

Moss. Verdant hillocks alive and in miniature. Lichen, yellow and grey, modern art adorning twisting branches and old walls. Beauty in unexpected places. Wet slate, cobwebs, crevices. Damp, grey green spaces. February.
Photos
"Speed kills colour, the gyroscope, when turning at full speed, shows up gray." - Paul Morand

A Pile of Paintings

I have unearthed them again, tightly packaged and hidden in black plastic. They still exist. Out of sight but not out of mind. Colours and the creative urge, frozen in time. A burden that evolved from a blessing.
link
"A full cup must be carried steadily." - English Proverb

Days Like These

I am wearing a dark cloak today, I feel its weight heavy on my shoulders. It falls around my feet in voluminous folds, a grey mountain range for me to cross.

"I dreamed a thousand new paths. I woke and walked my old one." - Chinese Proverb

Pulled

I am pulled from the blackness of sleep by the huge full moon hanging low in the sky. Its potent energy is palpable in this dark and silent space. I move to the window to see fresh snowfall, illuminated and sparkling. Thousands of tiny diamonds, scattered by the moons silver light.

"I have drunken deep of joy, And I will taste no other wine tonight." - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Full Circle

The year has turned a full wheel since I began to pour my thoughts into this space. The torrents never came. Just the gentle rhythm of words joining the drumbeat of my heart. The soft ticking of the clock a metronome, keeping time as the music plays on. . .

“I was not looking for my dreams to interpret my life, but rather for my life to interpret my dreams.”
- Susan Sontag

Sunday Afternoon

The plentiful buds promise the sweet scent of lilac. Tiny bird, ever watchful explores the tangle of branches. Slanted shadows on the sunlit fence.

"The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness." - Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

Welcome Sunlight

Delicate white clouds flow like streamers, the pale blue sky a willing canvas. Sunlight touches everything. I race to go outside, so that I too can be bathed in those gentle rays. Nature is smiling today.

"Let there be more joy and laughter in your living." - Eileen Caddy

Thawed

Normality has returned. White absorbed into the green and brown earth. Trickling water pours into deep drains. Puddles on grey pavements quietly reflecting the sky. White world, thawed.

"Life has got to be lived — that’s all that there is to it." - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Pause Button

The pause button has been pressed. January tip toes quietly, inching forward on white slippered feet. I rest in the lull that nature has dictated. Washing dries in front of the heater - fushcia coloured sheet, garish in the soft evening light.

"Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it."- Joseph Conrad

Thaw - Then More

Yesterday it began to thaw. The gently receding snow made hidden things reappear. Colour was seeping in, high contrast against the stark canvas. Under the cover of darkness, night quiet and determined, threw another thick blanket across the land and this morning once again, the world is white.

"Each day, each hour, an entire life." - Juan Ramon Jiminez

Snow and Hyacinths

The sweet scent of hyacinths greeted me this morning, a strange juxtaposition against the icy white scene outside the window. We have settled into this snow covered world and adapted to its parameters, life goes on.

"Our joy does not have to be based on our circumstances." - Joyce Meyer

Deep Deep Snow

I awoke to a cotton wool world. Deep, deep snow transforming the land. Piled high on every surface and sculpted by the wind, the outside scene is once again transformed into a blizzard of white. Swirling and dancing in the icy air it continues to fall, silent confetti muffling a subdued earth.

"This moment is your whole existence."- Osho

Taking Down The Decorations

Baubles shine up from dark floorboards, strings of silver bells meander across the rug, twinkly lights dimmed for another year. Festive sparkles harvested from the magic land that was my room. The sturdy brown box, open and waiting for treasure. The mantlepiece frosted with glitter gives a strange twist to the now barren room.

"Some stories are true that never happened." - Elie Weisel