The golden
Come sit with us a while –
You don’t need to speak –
It’s enough to let our hearts swell
With golden joy.
For more golden moments, please visit: Skywatch.
Spring sparkles
It was one of those perfect spring evenings
When the sun made stars out of water
And Oscar made abstract art
Out of water pearls.
On the way home, I turned around
To see my daughter caught in the fairy glitter
And become one with nature.
The setting sun
Threw its golden drops
On grass and woodland flowers
As if to say: Stop. Look. Listen.
And appreciate.
For more fairy glitter, please visit: Our World.
Wonderful firsts
It’s always exciting to experience the first stirrings of spring.
And even though they happen every year, it feels as if I were experiencing them
For the very first time.
It’s magical when the ice finally melts …
When the first patch of crocuses appear in the neighbours’ garden…
When we can finally get out into the woods again
And witness birds singing on trees.
Even the faded beauty of an old cottage in the woods
Takes on new beauty
And the old window
Reflects back a stately tree.
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. -Alan Cohen
For more fresh starts, please visit: Our World.
Burnished copper
On Earth Day, nature gave us the gift
Of big rolling skies and dramatic clouds;
Of our local jetty, finally revealed
As the ice melted away
To leave a lake of burnished copper.
The canopy of the sky
Seemed so close and so beautiful
That all we had to do was reach up
And touch it.
For more dramatic skies, please visit: Skywatch.
Those big April skies
April seems stuck in the beauty of winter.
A couple of weeks ago, we enjoyed
A pink panorama of big skies and fluffy clouds.
And only a couple of days ago,
The snow cover on the lake was gone
And the cold mist seemed to make
The clouds as silver and soft as silk.
Gently, almost secretly, spring is approaching!
For more panoramas, please visit: Skywatch.
Snow blossoms
There is something so delightful
About the bright light of spring
And the cold of a lingering winter.
If you look carefully, you can find snow moons
Dancing on the snow.
And instead of flowers,
We have snow blossoms
And dazzling light.
And – just as in real life –
You might be lucky to find
A diamond in the rough.
For more hidden jewels, please visit: Our World.
Perfect balance
We celebrated the spring equinox
With three days of snow.
But that doesn’t matter –
The equinox is the time when the world is
In perfect balance:
That moment when the light of day
And the dark of night are equal
All around the world.
And now, here in the northern hemisphere,
We go towards lighter times…
Even if we are enjoying the coldest ever winter this spring!
For more, balanced skies, please visit: Skywatch.
Tropical cold
I love the contrast between the cold of winter
And the humid tropical temperature of visiting the greenhouse of the Botanical Gardens.
First off, you are greeted by a vibrant
Splash of colour as you go in…
Wandering around the more temperate parts of the greenhouse
You can see signs on some of the trees:
Happy Winter! I’ll wake up again when it’s spring.
(The same could be said for some of those people who don’t like winter…)
As you walk further back, you enter different regions — much hotter ones.
My camera lens fogged up and as it cleared,
I could just make out some kind of orchid
Swimming towards me like a fish with petals.
I fell in love with the fronds
And patterns of some tropical ferns.
Before I left, I spied the delicate
Pink tutu of a flower.
“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”
– Indian Proverb
For more stories, please visit: Our World Tuesday
Spring light
Spring is all about
Flowers waiting to unfurl
And reach their full potential.
It’s about the lone wild daffodil
Growing on the shore of the lake.
It’s about the wild weeds
That are as beautiful as flowers.
(Yes – that’s Oscar in the background.)
And – most of all – it’s about
The magical light of being.
For more magic, please visit: Our World.
Tiptoe through the tulips
Spring is about pollen
(Atchoo!)
And being knee-deep in flowers.
When you’re surrounded by petalled reminders of joy,
You just can’t help smiling…
Especially if you’re a dog.
For more happy creatures, please visit: Camera Critters.
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.
Trilling times
When the silence of winter
Gives way to a wall of constant
Singing, trilling, warbling and chirping
By the birds of spring –
That, my friends, is a thing of wonder
And beauty.
For more cheep trills, please visit: Camera Critters.
The blossoms of life
A couple of weeks ago
I went to see the sakura, or Japanese cherry blossoms, in the centre of Stockholm.
Walking under the trees was like entering a fairytale cave –
And you couldn’t help feeling uplifted and joyous.
The cherry blossoms remind us of life itself:
Of its extreme beauty
And vibrant colour –
And they also remind us that life is fleeting.
So we need to bloom as beautifully as we can
While we can.
For more beauty, please visit: Our World.
Bubbly feelings
Spring is that celebration of
Bright surprises;
Of new buds daring to bloom.
It’s that warm fizzy feeling that bubbles up
From the inside in an explosion of petal and joy.
Sometimes, its dewiness trembles on a flower
So that it seems to swim in the air like a petalled fish.
And sometimes, those winter remnants remind us that endings
Can be the seeds of new beginnings.
For more spring beauty, please visit: Our World.
Of waffles and spring
Every year, just after the Spring Equinox, the Swedes celebrate spring by eating waffles.
The sun was up early – casting a cozy golden glow on the day.
In the woods, I looked for signs of spring:
Glowing green cups of sunshine;
Melted ice puddles
Creating artistic reflections;
And the golden thread of a cobweb
Slung across a 1,000-year-old Viking rune stone.
The most delicious delicious sign of spring was found at home:
Golden heart-shaped waffles topped with fresh fruit.
The Swedes have been eating waffles to celebrate spring since the 1600s –
So it would be rude not to join in.
Do you suppose we could call them eggy-maniacs?
For more waffle, please visit: Our World.
Postcard from spring
Spring sent me a postcard:
A pasture full of wildflowers.
A foal.
A pocketful of delight.
For more cuteness, please visit: Camera Critters.
Spring goofiness
Spring brings out the goofy side of us in a wonderful way, don’t you think?
It can make our ears flap and our bodies tingle.
If you’re a dog like Oscar, then spring means only one thing: wild jumping and swimming.
Find a good diving spot, take the plunge, swim and repeat.
Again and again – for maximum joy.
For more goofiness, please visit: Camera Critters.
Smoke gets in your eyes
In ancient times, the last day of April marked the beginning of spring and was celebrated by letting out the cattle to graze once again
And the burning of bonfires to keep the evil spirits away. This pagan tradition is called Valborg (or Walpurgis Eve).
Here they come with burning torches in a procession just as the sun is setting.
The dry twigs catch fire and the flames roar like a dragon.
We all sing songs to welcome in the spring as the fire mesmerizes us with its primeval power.
It’s cold – oh so cold – as the sun goes down and soon it’s time to return to our cozy homes.
But don’t forget to turn around and gasp in amazement
As the heat from the bonfire turns the sky to molten glass.
For more stories, please visit: My World.
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!
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.
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.
Eating your way into spring
When you live in a cold country, you have to seize every chance to celebrate.
Friday dawned very cold and snowy: a perfect day to celebrate spring!
In Sweden, Annunciation Day, also known as Our Lady’s Day, is commonly called Waffle Day.
This is because Our Lady’s Day is ‘Vårfrudagen’ in Swedish.
If you say that very quickly, it sounds like ‘Våffeldagen’, which means Waffle Day.
And Swedes take this very seriously. It’s time to take out the waffle iron
And make the waffle mixture and cook until golden brown.
Each part of the waffle is shaped like a heart and a whole waffle is made up of five small hearts… Waffles must be the food of love, don’t you think?
(The waffle iron does all the work and tells you when the waffles are ready, so there is very little chance of burning them!)
Then comes the fun part – decorating your waffle with fresh fruit and cream.
Bliss!
So next time someone says, “What a load of waffle!” The only response can be: “Yes please!”
For more traditions, please visit: My World!
Who says what?