Fleeting beauty
There is nothing as joyful
As walking underneath the pink clouds
(Waving gently in the wind)
Of the sakura or Japanese cherry blossoms.
They remind us that life
Is intense and fleeting
As it follows the natural cycles
Of birth and death and renewal.
They flower for such a short time, like us,
And remind us that we too are as beautiful
And transient as a cherry blossom.
For more blossoming stories, please visit: Our World.
Metamorphosis
Nature often holds up a mirror
To show us change as one season glides into another,
(This is winter going into spring.)
It shows us renewal and transformation through stormy phases
And, finally, softens into peace and beauty.
(All shots are of my local lake over the past couple of weeks.)
For more changes, please visit: Our World.
Snow fairies
I love it when the snow fairies come to visit:
Turning pine trees into candles;
Decorating reeds
With garlands of ice –
And giving them hair-dos
Made out of spiky crystals.
The sunlight filters through
Icy fairy art to warm a long-forgotten leaf
And to remind us that we are intertwined –
Together, we can make
The mundane magic.
For more fairytale worlds, please visit: Our World.
A blue dream
A clear blue winter sky
Lends its colour to the ice beneath my feet.
My furry friend and I
Dance on sapphires
In the early morning light.
For more cool photos, please visit: Our World.
Poem to heaven
The first time I saw this white wooden church
I gasped in amazement at its beauty.
It started out as a simple chapel built in the 1700s –
And then in the mid-1800s, it was expanded
And the old clock tower replaced with a new one.
The white wooden planking,
The delicate leaded windows –
Such simple and exquisite beauty
Iced with snow and love.
The lovely and talented RED has interviewed me. So, if you want to know more about me or my photography tips, then please do visit her and say hi. You can find her at Amazing Australian Adventures.
For more wonders, please visit: Our World.
Building bridges
This photo was taken during the deliciously cold winter of 2010.
I like the symbolism of the bridge connecting two small islands of land:
It reminds me that we are all connected
And that it’s never too late to reach out
And mend bridges.
For more connectedness, please visit: Our World.
Talking leaves
It starts as a whisper…
Urging me to go outside and discover the beauty of the day.
I think it’s the leaves talking, don’t you?
Sometimes the September sun is so bright
That you just can’t help posing in its gold;
Other times, the early morning mist
Creates a soft scarf of wisps,
And as you walk on,
You might discover a tiny universe of dew
Or the grand sight of a heron basking in the first rays of light
Before flying off into the distance –
Leaving you all the richer for having seen his graceful flight.
For more tiny slices of beauty, please visit: Our World.
On the slag heap
As you know, I was in Roros, Norway, last week.
Roros is an old copper mining town so it is dominated by slag heaps (a by-product of copper smelting).
The slag heaps are like small mountains – just going to show how much activity there was here during the 333 years the copper works were open.
If you climb up the slag heaps, you get a great view of the ancient timber town -
And of the other feature that dominates the landscape: the stone church.
Looking the other way, you can see the farms and the mountains -
And yes, there was snow on them even in June.
What moved me most was Sleggveien street: a street with tiny tiny houses,
They must have been about half the size of a normal house,
Where travellers and casual labourers lived and worked.
The old wooden houses must have been very cold in the winter.
They look so poor (and picturesque) as they stand there squeezed right up to the slag heaps.
(Not far to walk though for your ten-hour shift in the mine.)
And oh – those wonderful turf roofs! Some had wildflowers and even small trees growing on them.
I’m away filming in the south of Sweden, so please excuse me if I don’t get around to all your blogs. THANK YOU so much for your visit!
For more great places, please visit: Our World.
In the land of snow and mountains
I’m off to Norway again for a film shoot. (Lucky me, I do have a fun job!)
If you remember, I was in Roros - up in the mountains in northern Norway – in April as well.
It snowed a lot.
And the icicles were like perfect crystals against old wood.
We will be staying in the same hotel as last time – a fabulous renovated old wool factory.
It doesn’t look much on the outside, but the rooms are wonderful.
(So is the food.)
The picturesque streets are dotted with deliciously bright buildings – most are about 300 years old -
And antique stores.
You can just about see my reflection in the corner of this shot.
It will probably be snowing again this week.
But don’t worry about me – I’ll be in heaven!
For more cool worlds, please visit: Our World.
As I’ll be away for most of the week, I won’t be able to get around to all of your blogs. But thank you so much for your visit!
Making wishes
Warning: This may be disturbing for passionate gardeners!
The poor maligned dandelion
Is really a miracle.
A drop of bright sun in the garden
That turns into a silken parachute.
It glows like a ruby in the sunset
Before ending its life on the wind –
And making wishes come true.
For more dreamy shots, please visit: Our World.
Laughing in flowers
Spring sent me a bouquet of tulips
As a reminder that rays of beauty
Are also important in this modern world
Of practicality.
Or in the words of Basho:
The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.
Spring also sent me a wonderful reminder
To stop, to wonder
And to take the time to smell the flowers.
For more reminders, please visit: Our World.
Enchanted
Last week I went to a small mining town called Roros in the Norwegian mountains.
(You can see pictures of it here.)
It snowed and snowed and I fell in love with the perfectly preserved wooden houses
That make up the town. Most of these houses are about 300 years old.
Back then, the people worked in the copper mines (now closed)
And lived in these beautiful cottages,
Although I’m sure they were considered to be the huts of the poor in those days.
Even the rubbish bins on the streets were picturesque.
Twisting lanes, old wood and the heavy snow
All added to the enchantment.
In a secret old courtyard,
I discovered Santa’s sleigh –
And then I knew I was in a fairytale
(At least for a couple of days).
For more enchantment, please visit: Our World.
Golden drops (or how to make a fool of yourself)
Winter has returned with ice and snow.
A couple of mornings ago, the sun was shining
And the icy drops on a rail were shining like golden pearls.
People going to catch the train wondered what on earth I was photographing
As I squatted there with my bottom up in the air.
A little while later, I took up my weird squatting position
To capture the newly-melted snow on the brave head of a crocus.
I passed a garden with a wooden fence that had holes in it.
Once again, I no doubt looked like a crazy woman as I peered
Through to see a friendly bunch of snowdrops on the other side.
Then I caught sight of a diamond shining next to some fluffy buds.
Finally, something I could photograph with grace!
(Oh, the things we do for our blogs…)
For more golden moments, please visit: Our World.
Of gingerbread and snow
The little wooden houses of Sweden remind me of fairy tales.
In summer, the wood glows like red rubies -
But in the winter, those red timbers really come into their own.
Topped with an icing of snow,
They resemble gingerbread houses.
So delicious, I feel I could reach out and eat one.
Even autumn leaves hanging onto the winter branches
Look like delicious gingerbread –
Or perhaps a brown coat fluttering in the wind,
Left there by someone eager for new adventures.
For more deliciousness, please visit: Our World.
Who says what?