Arriving In Style

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

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

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

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. . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Earth Drinking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. . .

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

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

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 . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.
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"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.
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"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.
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"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.
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"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.
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"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

The Weight of Dreams

I awoke from sleep dragging a dream with me. It was out of place in my dark bedroom, it sat uncomfortably on the edge of my bed. Tipped and unbalanced by its unexpected weight, I threw off the covers, fumbled for my clothes and stumbled into the day.

"All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams." - Elias Canetti

Evidence

Scattered strips of bright orange peel - a surreal sculpture in the dim light. Crumpled wrapping paper bubbles and spills from over full bins. Cats pounce and stalk on the once safe fluffy rug, transformed by new toys into a different and exciting place. Their ignored and unfamiliar fish treats stare menacingly upward, stranded and lifeless on the wooden floor.

"The cat was created when the lion sneezed." - Arabian Proverb

White

Outside it is silent as dawn breaks, pale pink tones added to the fading grey of night. The snow covered scene is breathtaking, a magical land beyond my window. All is calm, all is still, all is white. Another day begins.

"A thousand men can't undress a naked man." - Greek Proverb

Snow

The land has been whitewashed overnight, the early morning light has a gloss white glare, illuminating golden yellow curtains and prewarning me of the change that has been wrought outside of my window. Huge flakes swirl in random patterns sculpted by the blustery wind.

"To let go of stress-let go of preconceived notions of how things should be." - Michael Singer

No Sound

Up before dawn and it is silent, no sound but my fingertips tapping the soft black keys. The darkness is palpable, I can feel its weight. I watch through my window, ignoring the glare of my own reflection, as the dense blackness softens and begins to fade and once again light seeps in to the waking world.

"Night is a world lit by itself." - Antonio Porchia

Early Morning Light

Early morning, the soft pink light casts descriptive shadows. Contoured limbs become feathery branches brushing the watery pale blue sky. Behind them, the ghost of the full moon patiently waits as the Sun rises.

"Man is nature as much as the trees." - Dan Kiley

Strange Light

A fine mist drapes the treetops, wrapping the scene beyond my window. Still air and strange light highlights the intricately patterned lichen, modern art on twisting ancient branches. The yellow of the blackbirds beak shines like a tiny golden sun on this grey green morning.

"The appreciation of life becomes your spiritual practice." - Caroline Myss

Reflective

Reflective droplets of water dangle from the twisted branches. Light filled and liquid, they endure. The distant tree is roost to eight plump woodpigeons, feather fluffed against the cold. A robin lands and a water bauble falls, a solitary raindrop falling to earth.

"Everything moves, only the mirror remains. That mirror is you." - Osho

Winter is Coming

I can sense Winter approaching. Bare branches scratched onto the opaque sky. A certain quality of light that talks of colder times and gently whispers of sprinkling fine white powder to highlight natures bare bones. I can smell it on the breath of the wind. Winter is coming.

"No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky." - Bob Dylan

On Our Doorstep

Neighbours leave freshly dug vegetables on our doorstep, the compost bin we gave them will help in next years crop. Root vegetables chopped in chunks ready for a dinnertime stew. The beautiful trees sway against the clear blue sky. Birds queue on the fence waiting for me to scatter seed. The church bells chime the hour.

"Believe in the holy contour of life" - Jack Kerouac

I start my Day

The lilac bush outside my window a kinetic sculpture - alive with birds, hopping from branch to branch, random and beautiful. The Silver birch is glowing in the morning light, its remaining leaves, gentle moving amber jewels. I start my day.

"Speak to me of love, said St. Francis to the almond tree, & the tree blossomed." - Nicholas Kazantzakis

Monday Morning

My curtains open to a grey morning. Adorning the distant wire top fence the starlings, doves and woodpigeon are interspersed with sparrows who act as surreal punctuation in this sentence of birds. A blackbird swoops down to join them as the jackdaws circle overhead, turning cartwheels in the mist.

“The infinite is in the finite of every instant” - Zen Proverb

Paint Effects

Afternoon sunlight daubs the pared back landscape with golden brushstrokes. Trees etched against a painted sky, intricate branches burnished with liquid yellow. A moment later the light has gone, taking the paint effects with it.

"No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; Let it settle itself." - Tilopa

Red Berries

Red berries against deep green leaves, their colour so vibrant through the curtain of falling rain. The lilac branches a landing strip for small eager birds who don't seem to notice the weather.

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky." - Buddha

The Leaves Have Gone

The leaves have gone from the big Lilac bush outside my window, exposing an angel hanging from the branches that I had forgotten was there.

"Change always comes bearing gifts." - Price Pritchett

November

November has blown in on brisk winds. Blowing and billowing, bellowing its arrival through cracks and openings. Tunnelling down empty chimneys and racing around after skittish cats. Herding leaves into dead end corners and shaking fences to prove their worth.

"In the ant's house, the dew is a flood." - Persian Proverb

The Racing Wind

Dusk. Black etched trees, silhouettes against a grey striped sky. The racing wind collects leaves from dancing limbs, whistling as it passes. Pushing the fence with insistant nudges, the old wood creaks and moans but holds its ground - the wind moves on.

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it" - Anon

Out With The Old

The old mattress leans like a fallen monolith, narrowing the already crowded hallway. Meanwhile its successor, plump and comfortable, makes itself at home on our bedframe.

"For sleep, one needs endless depths of blackness to sink into; daylight is too shallow, it will not cover one."
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Windows Open

Windows open, I hear the rain fall. Drops explode, then drip from the pitched roof of the bird table, inside a solitary sparrow waits.

"There is no language of the holy. The sacred lies in the ordinary." - Deng Ming-Dao

Perserverance and Belief

He flew, he finally flew. The endless months of metal and plans, the will it? won't it? questions finally answered and put to rest. The spinning propellor, the majestic wing, his amazing perserverance and belief in his quest allowed him to take to the air. He flew, he finally flew.

"A thousand things went right today." - Ilan Shamir

Half Moon

Night time streets, dark and deserted. The golden half Moon, pinned low in the big velvet sky. Curling wood smoke and the screech of an owl cut through the crisp blackness. Glowing lights behind drawn curtains hint at life, as we walk together in the dark.

"Nothing like a night time stroll to give you ideas." - J.K. Rowling

Autumn Equinox

The leaves begin their slow journey from summer green to autumn's fiery jewels. Glimpses of saffron yellow and burnt orange amidst the sea of green, picked out and set aglow by the sinking sun. Day and night, balanced again at this equinox point. The year is turning and autumn is returning to the land.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

The Sheer Volume Of My Possessions

The sheer volume of my possessions sometimes weighs me down. So many things, cupboards full, boxes overflowing. It feels stifling, claustrophobic. I long for space around things, for room to breathe. Once again I am ripe for a clear out. It is a time for letting go.

"My body and spirit are the only things that truly belong to me." - Carrie Latet

Life Moves On

Limb by limb the beautiful branches of the old Willow tree are removed from the sky. Blue instead of green now seen from the window. All things change. Life moves on.

"Thank God, they cannot cut down the clouds." - Henry David Thoreau

The Weight of The Heavy Sky

Today I can feel the weight of the heavy sky. Blankets of cloud slung low and grey touch the treetops, unmoving in the still evening air. Dusk creeps slowly, absorbing the fading light in its path. The atmosphere is palpable, I can sense the pressure. The heavens are embracing the earth too tightly today.

"With finger on her solemn lip, night hushed the shadowy earth." - Margaret Deland

This Moment

Cats piled up on my desk - a purring mountain of warm fur. Outside, washing blowing on the line - bright colours flying like flags against the blue sky, clouds hurrying along, shepherded by the insistant wind.

"All truths wait in all things" - Walt Whitman

Goodbye August

August is saying its goodbyes. Waving farewell, with blustery winds, with shivering trees, with clouds scudding across a grey sky.

"Ride the horse in the direction that it’s going." - Werner Erhard

Calm Has Returned

Blustery winds and black, black skies have relinquished their place outside my window. This morning I see sunlight sculpting the limbs of the huge old tree in the distance, the bark of the silver birch glistening white, leaves still in the morning sunshine. A flock of busy sparrows dart back and forth to my birdtable.
Calm has returned to my garden.

"The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings." - Okakura Kakuzo

In My Kitchen This Morning

Early morning sunlight casts a perfect silhouette of my lilac tree on the frosted glass of my kitchen door. Liquid yellow light runs in rivulets across the terracotta floor. Timing just perfect for my newly opened eyes to catch this beautiful moment. In minutes the Sun will be higher in the sky and that rare scene will be gone and no one else will witness the beauty that was in my kitchen this morning.

"If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads." – Anatole France

Zen Garden

I sit, grounded, earthed. A large boulder in the zen garden of my life. My thoughts, carefully tended patterns, swirl in the pure raked gravel of my mind. The single tree, my focus, shaped over many years by careful pruning. Everything is still, serene, unmoving.

"The body is a sacred garment." - Martha Graham

The Day Before

The day before my birthday and I feel strangely resolute. Dancing thoughts hover just out of reach, resisting my attempts to pigeonhole the sparkling fragments of possibility. My aura is filled with stardust, there is magic in the air tonight.

"Observe the wonders as they occur around you." - Rumi

Soft Fine Rain

Soft fine rain blurs the edges of this August day. Silence, a quivering leaf, the hopping of sparrows in the lilac bush. I feel as muted as the subdued pallete of the colours outside my window. Nature and my being are both being viewed through a soft focus lens today.

"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest." - Thomas More

Illumination

Evening Sun riding low in the sky rounds the corner of the building and abruptly streams into my room where seconds ago it was almost twilight. I am dazzled by the light and then by the realization that it is the rotation of this, our planet Earth, that caused this sudden illumination where moments before there was none.

"Every day is my best day; this is my life. I’m not going to have this moment again." - Bernie Siegel

Changing my Viewpoint

Another room, another window, another view. There is nothing but green as far as my eye can see - layer upon layer of green, rich with texture and changing hue. Not wanting to disturb the scene, a green woodpecker lands and eyes me warily as I adjust to my new lair.

"Pleasure is spread through the earth In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find." - William Wordsworth

Sunlight and Butterflies

Dancing shadows play across the wall, sunlight glints on everything shiny. There are pools of light in dark corners. Outside, white butterflies flutter like floating flowers. Pinned like delicate brooches to the Buddleia blooms they collect the nectar that is their life. The thought crosses my mind, am I collecting nectar, or am I still fluttering around the bush looking for somewhere safe to land?

"Too often we visit the well of divine abundance with a teacup instead of a bucket".- Elinor MacDonald

Sheets of Water

From my window I can see the rain. Sheets of water flung from the grey, grey sky. The arching buddleia blooms, vacant of butterflies in this deluge, drip, as they bow to the weight of the downpour. New metal bird feeding station, stands Black and stoic, the only visitor a cautious Dove with liquid eyes.

"Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so." - Marcus Aurelius

Pulling Back The Curtains

I have pulled back the curtains covering my window. My dawning realisation, that as well as stopping others seeing in, they were stopping me seeing out. White lacey froth now clipped up in flounces, no longer a screen but a frame for the view. I can see the flowers, the vast sky and the deep green leaves moving in the gentle breeze. The pay off for privacy was far too great.

"All the windows of my heart I open to the day"- John Greenleaf Whittier

With My Blessing

July brings extra blankets - stifling heat. Slow motion days with heavy air and ripe gooseberries. The blackbird feasts on redcurrants, golden beak devouring the shiny red jewels. He clears the bush in days, he can have them this year with my blessing, there is plenty for us all.

"I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs. "- Joseph Addison

A Pallete of Neutrals

A subdued morning - a pallete of neutrals after the primary colours of yesterdays sunshine.
The sparkling water, the agile sailboats and the blue green wet paint on the shop windowsill now just a memory.

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't being said. - Author Unknown

After the Winds of Yesterday

Television ariels tattooed on the blue and white striped sky. Yesterday the young trees trembled before the terrible wind, today it is calm and they are stronger.

We are all tattooed in our cradles with the beliefs of our tribe; the record may seem superficial, but it is indelible. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Path to the Gate

Outside my window, the opalescant sky like a huge lightbox - silhouetted birds like paper cutouts scattered on its surface. Abundant greenery narrows the path to the gate, lush foliage reaching out as I pass, touching my shoulder and reminding me of summer.

"Ultimately magic finds you, if you let it." - Tony Wheeler

Sunlight.

Sunlight pours through my window, drips down the couch into a golden puddle on the wooden floor, awaiting a passing cat.

"This day will not come again. Each minute is worth a priceless gem." -Takuan

Innate Beauty

Everything has its own innate beauty, some obvious, some takes investigation, but it is always there, always part of the package. Sometimes you have to make an effort to look at things a little differently to appreciate its value.

"The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy." - Eudora Welty

May Is Racing Ahead

May is racing ahead, sunshine and showers reflecting my moods. I have not settled into the warmer temperatures or the lighter evenings. I still feel like a stranger in my garden and realise that I haven't yet taken off my winter clothing.

"Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed." - Irene Peter

From the Kitchen Window

Clematis smothered with huge cream flowers, cornflowers at its feet piercing the grey morning with colour. Burgeoning nature bursting from the confines of the brick edged beds, a riot of green energy vital, vibrant, alive. I observe from my kitchen window, mesmerized by it seemingly growing before my eyes - behind me the kettle boils.

"The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers." - Basho

Dark Clouds

Locked inside myself there can be no movement. Dark clouds in the grey sky a mirror. Soft rain falls on the gentle earth, soaking us through to the bone.

"You can't cross the sea merely by staring at the water".- Rabindranath Tagore

A Gentle Morning

A gentle morning awash with pale sunlight and promise. The bare bones of my garden now filled out with lush new growth, spring greens and pink flowers sing with joy, the blackbirds golden beak shines like the sun.

"Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be." - Marsha Petrie Sue

Welcome the Rain.

Rain falling, refreshing yesterdays sunwarmed garden, everything drinks deeply, fuel for another bout of growth. Raindrops on my window panes, sparkling like diamonds.

"Welcome the rain it is as important as sunshine." - SB

Yesterday - Bluebells and Memories

Bluebells filled the woods with sweet fragrance, shiny bark and twisted limbs catching sunlight, ground soft underfoot welcomed our feet. Out of the shade and into a clearing, we followed a path to the now fenced meadow and looked back at the place we used to live.

"Peace - that was the other name for home." - Kathleen Norris

Shedding Your Skin

Some days demand retreat, they scream go back inside, close the door and turn out the light. Cover your head with a blanket, curl up in a ball, dark, silent, nothing but the sound of your breath, in and out, in and out. Block out marauding thought. Wait patiently until your skin grows back.

"Solitude is the place of purification" -Martin Buber

A Day Inside

I awoke today with a cloak of quiet wrapped around my shoulders, my inner being calling me inside, the outer world can do without me today. Sunlight spilling on scuffed floorboards, streaks of light reminding me of another time, another morning, another sunlit room. . .

"If you are alert, you can hear the tide turn." - Suzuki Roshi

Still and Calm

Saturday morning still and calm, holding its breath so as not to ruffle the scattered magnolia petals, strewn like giant confetti on the damp earth. The sky low and heavy, dove grey and thinking of rain, the eager garden awaits its promise.

"There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path" - Buddha

The Scarlet of the Tulips

The scarlet of the tulips, a strike of colour in the greyscale morning seen from my window. A punctuation mark piercing the damp new day. Branches clothed in brilliant green dripping with jewelled raindrops, set against a steel grey sky. Art is everywhere!

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?" - Albert Camus

Thursday - Another Full Moon

Thursday has been painted with a watercolour wash in shades of grey. Natures pallete muted and subtle, shadows and form replacing colour. Another full moon. I awoke with a start last night, to find the Moon peering in through my curtains, watching while I slept.

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Night Thoughts

Night folds around me like a cloak, the deep velvet blackness heavy with silence. I hang in space. Deep within, the stars begin shining, pinpoints of light cutting the endless night.

"Mine is the night, with all her stars". - Edward Young

April 1st - All Fools Day

April yawns and stretches in the warm sunshine, welcoming the new month with extended arms. Nature is optimistic, rushing to fill every corner with new life, succulent spring green spreading over the land. The fool stands on one leg reaching for the glittering star above his head. It's all fools day and the light now outweighs the dark.

"The Fool represents a new beginning, a fresh start in any aspect of our life" - The Tarot

In My Atmosphere

A thoughtful aura hangs in my atmosphere today, an internal quietness. I sit deep inside my being, still and subdued. New moon tonight, so tiny in that huge black sky, another start, another cycle. May today bring us whatever we are in need of.

"We must have reasons for speech but we need none for silence." - Proverb

Almost Spring Equinox

A time for balance. Dark and light have the same weight. The fleeting moment that contains equal measure, we all have those. Scales balanced, equilibrium obtained, hold your breath. Time moves, light grows, darkness retreats until next time.

"To live remains an art which everyone must learn, and which no one can teach." - Havelock Ellis

No Trace of Yesterday

A beautiful morning. The Sun running like a tap filling my room with joy. No trace of yesterday here. Just the glorious now, laden with promises of tomorrow. Winter has retreated leaving the year to start again. March has redeemed itself. All is well.

"I wake expectant, hoping to see a new thing." - Annie Dillard

Sunshine with Showers

Weaving sunshine with showers, grey sky and blue, melancholy and joy, the month marches on. Worries that come to nothing leave a slimy trail across my mind. Dragging a past laden with spikes opens old scars my delicate skin has not yet healed. Time moves on, seasons change.
This too will pass.

"Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday." - Author Unknown

Full Moon

There are strange feelings in the air, nuances so subtle as to almost go unnoticed. Sensitivity to the virtually imperceptable can unsettle me, with undercurrents that are tugging at my ankles beneath the smooth surface water of life. Full moon moves the tides, tomorrow things will be clearer.

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen

March

March has opened its door and I warily step inside. Strange feelings wrap my being of late, as though the dream world has sprung a leak and is seeping into my reality. Feelings change like weather, and my mists will surely lift as a fresh breeze blows through and the sunlight warms the air. Until then, I stand in the doorway and wait for March to roll out its road before me.

"Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do."
- Michel de Montaigne

A New Moon

The air is still and the milky sky hangs heavy over the silent houses. The birds etched like tattoos on the grey clouds. Tonight a new moon will slit the sky with its tiny crescent, cutting the black with a pale glow as it begins its journey to transform from delicate sliver to full round light. But today the air is still, the land waiting, the cycle has not yet begun.

"Nature's music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions".- Mary Webb

Hope Returns

Spring is stalking my garden.
Snow recedes slowly as new life breaks through the cold, cold, earth.
Birds sing songs of encouragement to a shy Sun. Pale green takes its first breath and I watch cautiously as hope returns to the land.

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn". - Hal Borland

Options

Middle age has thrown her cloak around my shoulders, the distant stalker is now standing in my shadow. The years and gravity pulling on my face. Shouting at me from the mirror. Sadness, as I realise that I haven't yet figured out what I want to be when I grow up, that someday isn't a magical place. and that options, like arteries, narrow with age.

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." - John Barrymore

All Alone

We are all alone. We play at connection, at families, at friends, at lovers. Partners joined at the hip, friends forever, part of a group, part of a gang, part of something. Ultimately, we are all alone in our own skin, our own mind, our own feelings, our own perceptions. However much we wish it were different, it's not. We are alone on the island called me, waving frantically at ships passing in the night.

"Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up". - Pearl Buck

February Snow

Snow, a soft white blanket covering over the stains of everyday life. All is clean, white, virginal, new. Yesterdays litter hidden. Winter branches bent under the weight of the decorators white sheet. everything sparkling in the half moons light. Untouched, unspoiled, awaiting tomorrows footsteps.

"When snow falls, nature listens". - Antoinette van Kleeff

Another day

Another day, another month, gobbled up by a hungry year. Time races, rushing to achieve, to do, to consume the busy hours. The continual stream of ‘now’ moves so fast, like a silent film star, jerky black and white moments that are quickly woven into the tapestry of today. Strange, abstract patterns giving texture and movement to the rich garment of this everyday life.

"Time is the fire in which we burn". - Delmore Schwartz

Expectation

So much for the flood of words I thought were building behind the dam of my silence. I have opened the floodgates, given the words permission to flow and what do I find, a drought upon my parched land. The cracked dried earth of my expectation, barren.

"The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out." - Annie Dillard

My Name is Zing

And I need to talk. Not about anything in particular, just words, just to see them appear on the page, just to watch the flow of consciousness. Just to see what I have to say. Maybe I won’t have anything much to fill these pages. Maybe once I start, there will be torrents swirling around my feet. Maybe I will have to find higher ground so as not to drown in my words. Maybe, I won’t. We’ll see.

"Of those who say nothing, few are silent". - Thomas Neiel