Snippets of life

People are fascinating, don’t you think? One week in November last year – before the snows came -  I had the pleasure of observing a range of wonderful characters on the streets of Stockholm, Sweden. It was a fantastic day, with the old cobblestones turned to shimmering gold.

And as I wandered the streets, I observed the following people:

Russian clown escapee? Very tall, gangly bone-thin man with the large black Cossack hat atop fly-away blonde hair and all-too short mustard corduroy trousers ending just above the ankles. Short enough to reveal a pair of elegant ankles encased in scuffed, comfortable-looking boots.

Waiter fashion victim. Oh baby-faced youth! You look as if you should be at school, dreaming about girls and video games instead of clearing plates at the local Asian restaurant with your Adidas nylon sports trousers so low down on your buttocks that the tops of your thighs would be showing if it weren’t for that deliciously long shirt you’re wearing.

Woman fashion victim. Brown buckled knee boots with sandy-coloured harem pants tucked inside. I wonder if we were really designed to have our crotches hanging around our knees?

I definitely need to get out more often! If only to gather more blog fodder…

To enjoy more of the world, please visit: My World!

It’s the simple things

It’s the simple moments in life that transform an ordinary day into something extraordinary – like unexpected beams of sunlight. Or the generosity of others.

The delightful Soul Aperture came up with the ingenious idea of getting people to write about the simple things in life. She donated one dollar for every comment or post that people linked to her challenge and ended up giving 180 dollars to a charity in Haiti.

I missed out on this last weekend, but Enchanted Oak has taken up the challenge once again and promised to donate two dollars for each participating blog to Heartline, a charity in Haiti. So, if you feel like writing for a great cause, then meet the challenge head-on here.

The simple things in life – a celebration:

The goodness of…

a kind friend, an affectionate dog, the taste of rain on the tongue

the cooling of clear river water on hot summer feet

Conversation, love, a needed hug

Compassion and kindness and

The unexpected generosity of a warm spring day,

The smile of a stranger,

A kind deed that goes by unnoticed but brightens the day of someone who needs it.

The sheer delight of…

Snowflakes on eyelashes,

Sun shimmering on snow,

Handfuls of dazzling sunshine and the laughter of children.

The perfect cinnamon swirl of  my daughter’s ear,

The pearly rainbow of a shell,

And the radiant toothy smile of my son.

Big brown puppy eyes, glorious sunsets

Family, friends, a warm home.

Small children’s hands in mine,

The whisper of I love you.

Of rainbows and marshmallow skies

For one glorious day this week, the clouds disappeared

And let the sun frolic in a sky that was

The fragile blue of a jay’s wing.

And floating up high were delicious marshmallow clouds

That beckoned and said, “Come, take a sweet sticky bite of the day!”

Not to be outdone, the sun gleamed and glittered

Leaving a trail of sparkling rainbows

Like laughter

To lift up the spirits so that I shouted out in joy.

For more glittering skies, please visit: Skywatch!

Silken painting

I opened my front door, took a walk on the ice…

… and rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

Someone had rolled out a silken scarf and created a masterpiece with delicate, loving brush strokes

In pearl, and grey, and white and black.

(This colour photo is straight from the camera. Wondrous!)

For other wonderful peeks, please visit: My World!

Are you listening?

No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.

~Christopher Morley

Oscar (dad)

“You can say any foolish thing to do to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, ‘You’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!’” — Dave Berry, musician

Frodo

For more wise animals, please visit: Pet Pride!

The cloths of heaven

It was cold, sub-zero temperatures — and yet the air was so alive with crystals of moisture. There, at the end of the street, I saw a rainbow, which later on went to weave its colours into the clouds and skies.

Bringing to mind one of my favourite poems by W.B. Yeats…

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

For more magical skies, please visit: Skywatch!

Paranoid?

Anklebiter # 1: Mama, you know what? I’m paranoid.

Brief pause while I wonder how to respond.

Anklebiter # 1: I know what paranoid means.

Me: Really? What?

Anklebiter: Well, it’s when you’re really annoyed with your parents.

Pause.

Anklebiter: I’m paranoid quite a lot.

Does that mean I’m going to be kiddanoid when they’re teenagers then?

Seeds of hope

It amazes me to see trees in hibernation, seeds covered in thick crusts of frost

That defy gravity and, instead, cling to the branch in icy embrace.

Just think how fragile the bond between ice and tree:

All it takes is a slight change in temperature

And the whole relationship crumbles, ends

Fluttering to the ground in a soft explosions of snow.

Just like human relationships.

Yet those seeds survive the cold, those Arctic breezes

To blossom out into flowers of hope when spring arrives.

For more peeks into other parts of the world, please visit: My World!

The Given Day

At last, dear readers, I’m ready to bring you another review of yet another huge novel: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane.

Lehane  – he of thriller fame? Yes, the very one. The master of cool noir has now written a literary novel based on the Boston police strike back in 1919.

The Spanish flu, immigration, segregation of blacks and whites, corruption, violence – and love – all appear in this sweeping novel (over 700 pages).

The two protagonists are Luther, on the run after killing a mafia boss, and Danny, son of one of Boston’s most powerful police captains. The threads of their lives become intertwined in Boston, where they survive tough times and become friends, overcoming the racial barriers still in force at that time.

And how clever of you to notice that the horse in my photo is a reference to the mafia (think Godfather)!

The real main character though is the historical setting of Boston and the police strike of 1919. At times, the history takes over the story and makes the human characters pale into insignificance.

I enjoyed the story – and although it flagged a bit here and there – there was a thrilling finale followed by an all-too neat tying up of loose ends.

My final verdict? Rich, intricate storytelling with a hint of fury.

Sky-less

Help! The sky has disappeared!

Can you see it?

Nope – no sign of the sky around here.

Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to enjoy the scenery instead.

For some more visible skies, check out: Skywatch!