Here before we came. . .

The two big stones were here when we took over the well loved but overgrown garden. They, along with the twisted stick with the hooked end that hung in the old lilac tree, the big old hunk of wood that had been used as a chopping block and the very old rusty vice hidden in undergrowth have stayed, as the garden has been tamed around them.
They are part of the history of this place, they were in this beautiful spot long before we came - and each had stories that I am sure the old couple who used to tend this space knew well. . .I can not hear the words of how they came to be here but I feel their stories everytime I touch them. . .

"There are times when I cannot believe I am separate from this earth,
when I could swear the wind blows through me as it does the woven
needles of the pine tree by the creek, when I feel my feet planted
deep in the earth with the roots of trees and wildflowers,
drawing essence." - Cathy Johnson

Wishing you a very happy Spring Equinox

Dark : Light
B A L A N C E
Another cycle begins.

"One by one - tiny green shoots break the ground around my
feet - quickly spiralling upward - toward the encompassing light."

Image and words by Susannah Bec

Huge Sweeping Golden Beams

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.

"We work with the stuff of the soul by means of the things of life." - Thomas Moore

"In the garden the door is always open into the holy." - May Sarton

"Let the mind be enlarged to the grandeur of the mysteries, and not the
mysteries contracted to the narrowness of the mind." - Francis Bacon

A photo and the memory it contained

I was just going through some old photo files stored on my hard disk when I came across this photo, as soon as I saw it a flood of memories came back and I was there again...

We had walked across the meadow behind the old cottage we used to live in and climbed over the five bar gate that led into the wood; As soon as I put my foot down I could feel the spongy ground thick with pine needles and I breathed in the wonderful damp cool smell.

We knew these woods well and loved to go off the beaten paths and make our way though the thick curling ferns. The slanted dappled light dancing through the canopy made the place seem magical.

In these quiet hidden inner places of the woodland we would often come face to face with its creatures, coming out of the dark green into a passage of sunlight to see a deer standing stately and silent, bathed in the almost luminous light.

It was strange that no matter how many times we explored, we always found new areas that we were sure we had never seen before.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir

On one of these forays we stumbled out of the damp green interior into a clearing and there lit by a ray of sunlight, radiant amongst the blankets of dark green pines was the tree in the picture. It almost took my breath away!

I walked over and stood in front of it and made Joe laugh when I said that it looked like something special was happening and that maybe it was having a birthday. :-)

I stood for a moment just taking in the wonderful sight and enjoying the moment of sunshine, then remembering my camera, I retrieved it from my deep pockets and took the photo before we headed back into the shade of the canopy and made our way home.

Sunday . . .The View From My Desk

"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." - John Zabat-Zinn

The Doves have spent a few days now hanging out on the fence enjoying the sunshine, and then flying over to the bird table for some seed, then back to sunbathing and courting! I watch as they gently groom one another, then I tactfully avert my eyes as they mate - regularly! ;-)

It is wonderful to have my computer right in front of this window, as it feels like I am part of what is going on out there. . . the changing light, the hundreds of birds that visit the bird table and hanging feeders throughout the day. I know that before long all the trees will have their leaves and the bush to the right in the bottom photo will be dripping with huge lilac blooms that I will be able to smell through the open window.

It is wonderful to watch the sun go down, it sets just behind the red heart in the window, and in the morning to drink coffee and check my emails as I watch the pink light of sunrise bathe those trees in a gentle golden light.

I think this is a great place to have my computer!

First Day of March 2010

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips it’s turn." - Hal Borland