My name is ZING - captured moments

Blackbird

2012-02-11T11:33:00.004Z

Against the snow, the blackbird and its golden beak are a joy.

"When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves." - Buddha

The Busyness of Birds

2012-01-04T10:22:00.002Z

Outside my window the air is alive with birds. Sparrows and blue tits hop and flutter among the bare branches of the lilac. Two wood pigeons sit stately on the top of the fence. And overhead the grey sky is streaked with the black ink of jackdaws coming in to land.

"Morning is the fresh page of nature." - Edward Counsel

Arriving In Style

2012-01-03T18:05:00.009Z

Whistling down chimneys and banging on doors. The new year has blown in on the back of the wind. It announced its arrival by hurling rain at my darkened window, it sounded just like a round of applause.

"If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.'' - Dale Carnegie

Five AM - Dark Room - Full Moon

2011-12-09T07:39:00.007Z

Through my dark window I glimpse the Moon, and my breath is stolen away by its presence. That great big shiny coin is just hanging there, low and golden in the sky like unspent riches. Its aura so bright, that I feel I have happened on some piece of magic not usually destined for mortal eyes.

"The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration."- Claude Monet

A Moment Observed

2011-11-19T09:30:00.004Z

A gust of wind - and a flurry of yellow gold leaves take to the air and soar over my fence like birds.

“Take one step away from yourself - and behold! - the Path!” - Abu Sa'id

An Unexpected Gift

2011-11-09T18:33:00.008Z

November has bought more light into my north facing room. The trees have dropped their verdant graces and now stand naked against the colourless sky. Intricate silhouettes softened and blurred by the gentle falling rain.

“You realize that our mistrust of the future makes it hard to give up the past.” - Chuck Palahniuk

Early This Morning. . .

2011-11-06T08:52:00.001Z

It has been so long since I last waited for the dawn, there is magic in that liminal place as we cross the threshhold from dark to light. So here I sit in this dark room, watching as the soft pink light gently dissolves the darkness into a new day.

“As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all beings.” - Dalai Lama

Time to Rhyme

2011-10-13T09:15:00.001+01:00

The constant trees beyond my window, stately stood against the sky. Clouds adorned with whirling jackdaws. How I wish that I could fly.

“And so being young and dipped in folly I fell in love with melancholy.” - Edgar Allan Poe

The Magnificence of Clouds

2011-09-17T15:56:00.004+01:00

And the sky was full of mountains, snow white and edged with light. Billowing turrets set against the brightest blue. They made me catch my breath in awe. What a privilege to be alive and to be conscious of it - and of the splendour of skies such as these.

"Awareness is curative." - Fritz Perls

Day Dawning

2011-09-07T09:00:00.007+01:00

Dawn breaks and tumbles over the horizon in pinks and pearls, trailing light from the east. The land gives up its bat filled darkness and the night creatures scurry home, just before the first bird begins to sing.

"Learn to pause...or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." - Doug King

Nothing moves but sound

2011-08-29T17:32:00.016+01:00

The air is still as feathers and the yellow sun nowhere to be seen. From the top of the old ash tree, a crow shouts. . . his voice resounding like a claxon, sending sound waves shimmering through the static air.

"What comes out of you when you are squeezed is what is inside of you." - Wayne Dyer

Looking for Colour

2011-08-25T08:38:00.005+01:00

Geranium, white, a punctuation in this monotone scene. My eyes roam, restless, searching for somewhere to settle. At last, amidst the roaring greens I see it. A splash of yellow glowing like grounded sunshine.

"I have immortal longings in me." - William Shakespeare

First Glimpse of Autumn

2011-08-20T12:07:00.001+01:00

Shadows shifting. Soft grass splashed with sunlight. Shimmering leaves throw down their yellow gold beauty like blessings bestowed. The green velvet ground at my feet is laden with jewels.

“There are no old roads to new directions.” - anon

Illuminated

2011-08-11T20:25:00.004+01:00

The light through the trees is beautiful. Low golden sun touching the remnants of this dark day. Oozing from the edges of leaves and falling into liquid amber pools, its soft fingers spread honey on the cold hard ground.

“Love what you do. Learn balance. Take rests. Trust your instincts.” - Leith Clark

As Night Falls

2011-08-03T21:51:00.009+01:00

The hushed night falls as quiet as a breath over my garden. Silhouetted against the indigo sky, bats navigate at speed, swooping low and agile. Nocturnal birds weaving their dark magic into the fabric of the coming night.

"From wonder into wonder existence opens." - Lao Tzu

Last Sunset of July

2011-07-31T21:15:00.010+01:00

Through the trees, a band of fire sets the horizon alight. The Sun is singing its radiant farewell, leaving the marshmallow sky to ready itself for another night.

"There is no enlightenment outside of daily life." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Seeing the light

2011-07-30T21:11:00.003+01:00

Illuminated leaves, petals painted with light. A shaft of sunshine visits the darkest corner of my garden.

"The greatest discoveries are those that shed light unto ourselves." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I Saw a Butterfly

2011-07-29T19:40:00.008+01:00

I saw the feeble white flutter of wings, stifled. Wrapped in a skein of spiders silk, its beauty captured. I reached out my hand and broke its chains, freeing it from its single thread shackle. It fell to the green leaf safety net below, and I knelt and pulled away the sticky rope that had it bound. White wings flickered open and closed, as if to be sure it was finally free. I smiled as it took to the air, circling up into the deep blue of the afternoon sky.

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James

Feeding Felines

2011-07-28T21:38:00.004+01:00

Cats running, tails raised, after the moving plate of food.

"Say yes to what belongs to you, and let all else go." - Alan Cohen

Every Shade of Grey

2011-07-27T23:36:00.007+01:00

I sense the stillness, the silence, as this greyscale evening seeps into my psyche - permeating my aura. The sky's grey mantle, a lid upon the world. It adds a weight that I can feel right down to my bones.

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear." - Ram Dass

In The Middle Of The Night

2011-07-26T21:44:00.005+01:00

I awaken, heart pounding, terrified. The nightmare still has me in its power, so I reach out to stir my partner. "Are you okay?" he mumbles as he surfaces from sleep, then continues with a disappointed tone to his voice. "I was dreaming I was baking cakes, and now I won't be there when they come out of the oven." I feel the giggle bubbling up through my fear.

"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings." - Miles Franklin

The Strange Beauty Of Walls

2011-07-25T18:26:00.003+01:00

Drystone wall, lichen covered and beautiful. Orange and pale green tell stories of time passing.

"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." - Frederick Buechner

Overheard

2011-07-24T19:05:00.002+01:00

Old man taps his cane, I feel the floor vibrate under my feet. Hushed conversation overheard. "Do you like yoghurt". He yawns and looks away.

"The control center of your life is your attitude." - Norman Cousins

Giving Voice

2011-07-23T22:18:00.002+01:00

The wind makes my garden speak. It runs through the greenery, whispering and telling tales.

"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." - Lao Tzu

Up, Up and Away

2011-07-22T21:37:00.001+01:00

A swirl of butterflies ascend skyward, weaving their white magic against the endless blue.

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." - Henri Nouwen

Eight Thirty This Evening

2011-07-21T21:19:00.007+01:00

The sinking sun paints the soft white clouds yellow. Crows shout their goodbyes to yet another day.

"Join me in the pure atmosphere of gratitude for life." - Hafiz of Persia

From a Hospital Waiting Room

2011-07-20T20:53:00.004+01:00

Waiting room, silence broken by hushed whispers. Outside, the sky hangs heavy and grey over the red brick buildings. His big hand is warm, he curls his fingers around mine and squeezes. A small gesture that speaks volumes. She comes with clipboard and calls his name. He gets to his feet and quickly leaves the room. Silence resumes.

"Don't say this is good and that is bad. Drop all discrimination. Accept everything as it is." - Osho

At the end of the day

2011-07-19T21:35:00.000+01:00

Yellow light dazzles and daubs. I am smeared in sunshine.

"Follow the river and you will find the sea." - French Proverb

Earth Drinking

2011-07-18T19:57:00.001+01:00

Rain darkens the tree trunks, the skies, the bench in my garden. Splashing and dripping in translucent drops, it falls to the grateful and thirsty land.

Put seeds and cover them. Blades will sprout where you do your work. – Rumi

Bina Observed

2011-07-17T21:02:00.003+01:00

She sits on the windowsill, tail wrapped around her delicate paws. The light catching her profile and highlighting the cream coloured patch on her nose. She turns and sees me watching and begins to purr.

"People that don't like cats haven't met the right one yet." - Deborah A. Edwards

Sounds from the kitchen

2011-07-16T19:39:00.001+01:00

I hear the soft rumble of the kettle as it comes to the boil, then the chink of spoon against cups. I smile, knowing that he is making us both a cup of coffee.

"This is my beloved and this is my friend." - Song of Solomon

With my hands in the earth

2011-07-15T22:29:00.001+01:00

Dark earth, hard crust gives as I plunge in my trowel. Careful transplanting of self set seedlings complete. I clear space for the courgette plant that has been waiting to put down roots.

"Where ever you are, be there totally." - Eckhart Tolle

seeing not hearing

2011-07-14T18:46:00.003+01:00

The tiny bird and his shadow sit on my fence top. He has his back to me, but I can see his little body moving. And though I can't hear it through my double glazed windows, I can tell that he is singing. . .

"For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day." - Evelyn Underhill

Sky Watching

2011-07-13T22:52:00.018+01:00

The trees are backlit with a shimmering honey aura, their foliage all aglow. Changing light weaves a special magic that only those who watch the skies will ever know.

"Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there." - Lao Tzu

A Passing Moment

2011-07-12T21:59:00.001+01:00

The melancholy landed on my shoulders. I felt it settle, like soft familiar hands. It seeped into my skin and slowly permeated my being, like luke warm warm liquid poured into my bones.

“There is always a sheet of paper. There is always a pen. There is always a way out.” - H.L. Mencken

The Beauty of Light

2011-07-11T21:38:00.005+01:00

Soft pink morning light casts its shadows, like nets, upon my gardens green ocean. Natures intricate etchings, inking the canvas of my fence. With the ever shifting dance of light and shade, everything looks twice as beautiful in my garden today. . .

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."- Alfred Austin

Waiting in Traffic

2011-07-10T21:01:00.006+01:00

Slow moving cars crawl to a stop. Beneath the bridge the motorway traffic hurtles onward. There between the exhaust fumes and sunlight, a tiny white butterfly flutters like a floating flower.

"There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing."
- Lorraine Hansberry

Running from the Wind

2011-07-09T22:34:00.012+01:00

Clouds like curling waves, ride the roughshod sky. Moving at such a pace, I can only guess that the wind is chasing them across the heavens today.

"The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle." - Anais Nin

Torrential Downpour

2011-07-08T22:49:00.010+01:00

Rain bounces from the shiny wet pavement. Dynamic water droplets leaping back up into the waiting air. Branches bend and glossy leaves act as funnels - channelling the water down into kinetic puddles, where the frenetic water continues to dance.

"Arriving at one point is the starting point to another." - John Dewey

Everything Moves

2011-07-07T21:46:00.002+01:00

The sun fell so quickly tonight. Streaking the watercolour sky with skeins of the softest yellow. Silhouettes appear in the big old tree. The jackdaws are coming home to roost.

"The world is always in movement." - V. S. Naipaul

Where I Am

2011-07-06T23:00:00.004+01:00

Clock ticking, marking time as night shadows darken. In the mirror of my uncovered window, I see the reflection of my lamp lit room. On the other side of the glass, a tiny moth flutters. . .

"Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life." - Buddha

Before Twilight

2011-07-05T19:54:00.005+01:00

In the grey green moment before twilight, a solitary dove lands. Rain drips from the silent bird table and falls to the waiting earth.

"Peace in ourselves, peace in the world." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Driving As The Sun Goes Down

2011-07-04T17:30:00.006+01:00

Speeding by the sunset - a blur of yellow streaks the coming night with gold.

"You are the energy, and the energy is you." - Berri Clove

Parachutists

2011-07-03T19:37:00.026+01:00

From a slow moving plane they emerge. Brightly coloured canopies whirling in the still afternoon air. Like man seeds falling from the sky.

"Who can tell the dancer from the dance?" - William Butler Yeats

Reflection

2011-07-02T13:01:00.005+01:00

I held the mirror upside down today but it didn't change what I saw. Still me, still there, still the right way up.

"You’re thinking too much. Just let it flow." - E. Paluszak

Industrial Estate

2011-07-01T19:15:00.006+01:00

Growing among the rusted metal and stark utility of factory units. The tiny yellow flowers bloom.

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." - Henri Matisse

Walking in Twilight

2011-06-27T22:38:00.013+01:00

I wanted to take pictures of the day leaving and the night covering the vast heavens with stars. So I walked out into the moth rich darkness, and was entranced by the intricate silhouettes of trees etched against the sky.

"The shadows: some hide, others reveal." - Antonio Porchia

Sunday Sunshine. . .

2011-06-26T15:11:00.002+01:00

The heat haze hangs heavy over the leaf green land. The air has weight. I feel it pressing into my unwilling limbs, wrapping itself around my shoulders like a shawl.

The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer.- Henry Clay

Why She Hasn't Visited

2011-06-21T10:50:00.012+01:00

June has waited until this - the longest day, to walk with gentle feet onto this page. She has been so busy adorning the land with her green touch, blowing new life into every living thing she hasn't visited here. I saw her face in the blooming flowers, and instantly understood why...

"I've been wandering my garden, eating gooseberries and blackcurrents off of the bush."- SB

Listening to Nature

2011-05-22T22:31:00.002+01:00

I step into the garden and I can almost hear it all growing. Nature is burgeoning, pushing forth with green fingers and blossom. The energy is palpable. I watched the insects busily moving from flower to flower, struck by the fact that they are living their life too. A shared space, my garden, the insects, the birds, this moment and me . . .
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"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere." - Vincent Van Gogh

Right Now . . .

2011-05-09T09:38:00.014+01:00

Pushed by the wind, white clouds sail across the vast ocean of blue sky. On top of my fence a sparrow fledgling chases after its parents, fluttering its tiny wings.

"The cloud is free only to go with the wind. The rain is free only when falling." - Wendell Berry

A Change in The Weather

2011-04-27T09:41:00.002+01:00

No blue today. The sky like spilt milk oozes across the heavens and the green leaf ocean rises and falls as it rides the wind like surf.

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates". - The Kybalion

The Beauty of Dandelions

2011-04-16T12:34:00.004+01:00

Outside my window, a Jackson Pollock riot of yellow spattered dandelions transforms the plain green canvas into a giant painting underfoot. And the landscape is alive, as the miniature suns open their intricate and shining hearts to the sky.

"What a nice day. What a nice universe." - Flemming Funch

Before Dawn

2011-04-13T08:43:00.007+01:00

Awake before dawn, I am draped in a shawl of melancholy. It settles like a fine mist as I emerge into the half light, stranded between sleep and wakefulness. It seeps in through my pores, infiltrating my being. There's nothing I can do but wait, as it gently evaporates, and like a soft cloud sails away on the wind of this new day.

"The moon lives in the lining of your skin. " - Pablo Neruda

Yesterday by the Reservoir

2011-04-08T09:26:00.013+01:00

I was standing at the edge of the reservoir, watching the breeze draw patterns on the water. The thick white cloud parted to give a glimpse of the brightest blue sky. Then came the transformation - a shaft of sunlight illuminated the ever moving dark water at my feet, dancing upon its surface like a million scattered diamonds.

"Each moment a blessing of abundance, each breath a prayer of thanksgiving." - Michael Rawls

As April Begins

2011-04-01T09:00:00.006+01:00

All Fools day, and by my gate the Magnolia tree is abundant with promise. Its blooms like chalices, pink tinged and pointed at the sky. Such delicate beauty, still serene in the blustery wind of March's last breath. Soon there will be perfume to touch all who enter here, sweet scent at my gate, as April begins...

"I used to trouble about what life was for, now being alive seems sufficient reason." - Joanna Field

The Sweet Smell of Hyacinths

2011-03-22T09:49:00.021Z

Treading quietly, I slowly open my bedroom door and step out into the softly lit hallway. With one sleep filled eye still closed I am stopped in my tracks, overwhelmed by the sweet smell of hyacinths. Nostalgia steps forward and paints its hues into this midnight scene, indelibly marking the moment. And as dawns grey light heralds another day, it is the first thing I remember as I open my eyes.

"We must not let daylight in upon the magic." - Walter Bagehot

This Misty Morning

2011-03-16T10:23:00.014Z

This morning wears mist like a shawl, a veil to disguise the swelling of the fresh green buds. Today, I can only imagine the traces of spring laying swaddled in the fine gauze that March has casually thrown over her shoulders and wrapped around her still bare bones.

"We’re all stumbling towards the light with varying degrees of grace at any given moment." - Bo Lozoff

A New View From My Window

2011-03-13T09:50:00.006Z

There in the distance they have cut down a tree and my wall of nature has now been breached. A new porthole opened up into the world of man. Through it I see a house on a hill and grey sky reaching back to the horizon.

"Seek a reality deeper than the changing forms." - Meher Baba

The Setting of Todays Sun

2011-03-07T18:07:00.007Z

These few quiet moments, as the sun dips in the watercolour sky and daytime trees become silhouettes etched onto the surface of twilight. The horizon is glowing flame orange, fading up into purple night. Stillness reigns, as a solitary bird sings another precious day to sleep.

"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." - James Russell Lowell

The Soft Footsteps of March

2011-03-04T20:18:00.000Z

Dressed in the yellow light of her spring sunshine, March tiptoed in and left the door ajar. Winter shouted after her as she trailed new life. The coldness of his breath chilling my hopeful bones. For now they coexist, sharing the earth... but as each day passes the scales are tipped in the favour of Spring.

"There is in all visible things...a hidden wholeness." -Thomas Merton

Last Day of February

2011-02-28T14:15:00.007Z

Low cloud, grey skies, drizzle. Lichen covered stone. Catkins swaying in the breeze. Tiny new buds emerging from winter twigs. Forsythia's first yellow blazes in the shadows and the hardy evergreen sits solid in the rapidly waking earth.

"Tomorrow lurks in us, the latency to be all that was not achieved before." - Loren Eiseley

This Morning's Sounds

2011-02-17T10:48:00.004Z

From the kitchen, the rumbling of the washing machine sounds like a distant train. The kettle gathers steam, hissing as it comes to the boil. Closer and much quieter is the soft breathing of a cat, sleeping, and if I listen hard, the almost imperceptable tick of a clock. Then behind those sounds and quieter still, my heartbeat.

"Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Newly Ploughed

2011-02-10T14:03:00.014Z

Rich brown earth, newly ploughed. Turned and ready, it draws me with its fertile promise and vast expanse. It is expectant, awaiting the seed it will nurture and nourish. I want to throw myself down into its warm umber embrace. It is potent. I long to sink my roots, tap the energy I feel there. Ah, soon it will be Spring.

"All that you need is just to be silent and listen to existence." - Osho

Watching the Day Dawn

2011-02-01T08:03:00.009Z

Up before dawn. Darkness wanted company so I came and sat with it a while in the gentle and heavy silence. And as the pale pink light began to seep across the sky it let go of my hand and slipped away without a word.

"Bound to suns and planets by invisible cords, I feel the flame of eternity in my soul." - Helen Keller

First sharing of my NaNoWriMo Novel

2011-01-28T13:12:00.004Z

She's reading it. Stepping into the world my mind has spawned. Getting to know the figments of my imagination. My words through her eyes. I am no longer alone. She is living the story too.

"How do people make it through life without a sister?" - Sara Corpening

Equilibrium

2011-01-27T10:16:00.005Z

Daybreak's shallow breath pushes away the dark pointing fingers of night. Restores equilibrium to the scales that have been tipped in favour of darkness. Outside my window a solitary bird, sings.

"Man is harder than rock and more fragile than an egg." - Yugoslav Proverb

Sitting Beside The Window

2011-01-22T09:45:00.003Z

Morning, beginning the slow ascent into the day. Opalescent sky reflected in my cup. A movement in the still surface, there is a bird flying in my coffee. I drink it up.

"As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself." - Shunryu Suzuki

Tuesday

2011-01-18T09:56:00.002Z

The gentle grey green morning cradles me in its comfortable arms, there are no sharp edges or loud noises, just the soft slow hum of another day dawning.

"Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." - Buddha

Darkness Falls

2011-01-10T18:37:00.004Z

I hang from the moment. Twisting each second, stopping the tick, before it tocks. Darkness falls over the villages and towns and seeps into the quiet corners of the wildest places. High above, a single star, shines.

"Be not afraid of life." - William James

Just Enough

2011-01-04T08:16:00.003Z

Snow again. A light touch. A delicate frosting. Just enough to highlight edges, coat leaves and settle into the contours of twigs. Like icing sugar sifted on top of a cake, there is just enough to make the morning beautiful.

"Existence begins in every instant." - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Diamonds

2010-12-23T10:36:00.002Z

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

2010-12-15T13:42:00.007Z

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

2010-12-04T19:20:00.005Z

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

2010-11-21T12:14:00.003Z

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

2010-11-19T07:32:00.006Z

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

2010-11-14T09:38:00.001Z

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

2010-11-04T14:54:00.004Z

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

2010-10-30T15:25:00.007+01:00

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

Barely Touched

2010-10-18T09:30:00.003+01:00

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

2010-10-07T12:43:00.006+01:00

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

2010-10-04T09:51:00.007+01:00

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

2010-09-28T15:36:00.007+01:00

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

2010-09-22T10:31:00.010+01:00

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. . .

2010-09-14T21:28:00.002+01:00

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

2010-09-10T20:23:00.003+01:00

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

2010-09-09T17:52:00.006+01:00

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

2010-09-05T21:57:00.002+01:00

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

2010-08-26T09:57:00.007+01:00

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

2010-08-24T21:14:00.003+01:00

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

2010-08-21T18:32:00.003+01:00

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

2010-08-13T08:48:00.003+01:00

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

2010-08-05T20:35:00.003+01:00

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

2010-08-02T06:13:00.010+01:00

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

2010-07-19T13:48:00.011+01:00

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

2010-06-26T21:51:00.003+01:00

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

2010-06-21T22:17:00.009+01:00

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

2010-06-18T08:57:00.003+01:00

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

2010-06-09T21:42:00.004+01:00

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

2010-06-01T10:49:00.011+01:00

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