Beauty
It’s tough being a kid these days.
Those bullies in the playground, those endless billboards showing perfect hair, perfect teeth, the perfect body…
It makes you want to hide from the world; it’s all too easy to make kids feel ugly or unwanted.
We have to give them the self-confidence to believe in themselves
And realize that they too are filled with light and beauty.
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
– Confucius
For more beauty, please visit: Camera Critters.
Winter gold
The snow and ice have melted away. The sun is shining
And magical light is flooding our senses.
But – before it’s too late – I want to show you the gold of winter;
The gold that goes unnoticed in autumn’s burnished blaze
And spring’s happy song.
Now, with the sun warming my face,
It’s easy to look back and enjoy the perfection of winter gold.
“I have stretched ropes from steeple to steeple; garlands from window to window; golden chains from star to star, and I dance.” – Rimbaud
For more golden skies, please visit: Skywatch!
Shaking rainbows
The summer cottage that we have hired for six months was drenched in sun.
(Perhaps I should just clarify that Oscar is looking for his Kong!)
So imagine our surprise when we went to the little beach and discovered big blocks of ice still floating in the bay.
But that didn’t stop Oscar, the dog, from taking the plunge
And shaking icy rainbows of joy all over us.
No need to ask if the water is cold.
We move to the jetty to enjoy the sun and the view.
But…
Oh oh – here he comes again!
Hope you all had a lovely holiday!
For more great pics, please visit: My World!
Jump
What can I say?
Oscar loves water – even if there are still some ice floes in it!
When you feel the impulse to soar, why content yourself with walking?
For more soaring animals, please visit: Camera Critters.
The disappearing act
Going from solid to liquid.
Going…
Going…
Gone!
The transformation from one state to another reminds me that change can be beautiful.
For more skies, please visit: Skywatch!
Spring treasures
Some spring treasures that have brightened my week include …
The dazzling beauty of a daughter’s smile
The thrill of a son’s daring somersault
(Nothing shouts “Spring!” louder than a trampoline in a muddy garden!)
The burst of flavours and laughter popping on my tongue
And, finally, the brave budding of fragile flowers through the last of the ice.
Oh – and I just can’t resist a final final shot of spring – pussy willows with a message of warmth and promise hidden inside.
For more spring (or autumn) glimpses, please visit: My World.
On ice… just
It’s the time of year that canines and humans alike long for: the disappearance of the ice on the lake.
Oscar decided to investigate gingerly…
Nope – it’s still there.
The ice along the shore has melted leaving plenty of water
For a handsome dog to admire his reflection in.
A little further along, the blazing sun beckons
Us to play in its golden rays.
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
For more good-looking critters, please visit: Camera Critters.
Sipping from the cup of sunlight
At last!
The spring sun made the buds shine like pearls
In the pure blue of the sky
And turned the tulips into bowls of sunshine.
“The sun admitted…
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The astonishing Light
Of your own Being!” — Hafiz
For more sunlight, please visit: Skywatch.
Peacemaker
I can hardly believe it but my ‘baby’ boy is 8!
It seems only yesterday he was a round baby who didn’t want to leave my side.
He’s still quite shy and doesn’t like being in the limelight.
But once you get to know him, he’s a generous and loyal friend.
And a peacemaker, apparently.
A few weeks ago, a gang of boys at school were getting ready to chase and attack another group of boys.
Anklebiter #2 and his friends linked arms and started singing, “We want peace on earth!”
This startled the kids so much that they stopped in their tracks and decided to resolve their argument by talking instead.
Oh, the things we can learn from our kids!
But what I love most is his compassion and humour.
There’s never a dull moment here at home!
Edit: No real cockroaches were harmed… this is a big plastic one on his head!
For more treasures, please visit: My World!
Kisses from heaven
You can rant against the snow
Or say that they are kisses from heaven.
In which case, I consider myself well and truly kissed this winter.
In farewell to the snowy season, I’m posting one of my favourite winter shots that sums up – for me – the magic and beauty of the season.
A perfect snowflake glittering on a branch
And a blackbird in the background singing in the cold regardless.
Not a bad way to approach life.
For more birdsong, please visit: Camera Critters.
Deep purple
There might not have been any smoke on the water –
We had to make do with snow and ice and lively dog.
But there was certainly some fire in the sky
In lovely shades of purple and rose.
I spied a plane flying off into the delights of a vibrant silken cloud
Made up of pink and purple and magic.
The hooded clouds, like friars,
Tell their beads in drops of rain.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
For more skies, please visit: Skywatch.
Springter
Springter is that time of year when spring and winter compete to see who is going to rule the weather.
One day the sun is shining and spring is shaking loose with a rainbow of melting snow.
The next day, winter is back with a vengeance – fresh snow and ice make art out last autumn’s leaves
Still clinging to the trees in a display of perseverance.
A bud tries to unfurl but is caught there between seed and flower
Between spring and winter
Between hope and promise.
To get away from my icy pictures, please visit: My World!
(Don’t know about you – but I think this pretty much describes middle age too.)
Symphony in silk
I want to sing like those first birds of spring
That alight on bare branches
European Goldfinch and blue tit (bottom right)
Turning the world into a silken painting
Of song.
Goldfinch
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come. — Chinese proverb
For more song, please visit: Camera Critters.
Who says what?