Posted in haiku my heart, Photography on 25 May 2012| 10 Comments »
Shorelines laying bare
fishing boats kneel in the mud
the sea takes a breath
Living so close to the Thames estuary, the tides give rhythm to our days that we can see in the skies, the rivers, our lives…
Please visit the Friday rendezvous of the
haiku my heart community at recuerda mi corazon
Posted in Labyrinth, Perspectives, Photography, Travel & Pilgrimage, Women's Lives, tagged Glastonbury, Labyrinth on 4 April 2012| 4 Comments »
My ankle must be healing…. I am beginning to think clearly and care about things again. Last night as I was looking through the photos on Jeff’s camera, I found the one I’ve been wishing I had taken; greeting us as we arrived at the hospital in Glastonbury was this carved stone:
No kidding!
Despite the pain and drama, this bit of welcoming magic assured me that this seeming accident must surely hold some deeper meaning for me to discover….
Posted in haiku my heart, Perspectives, Photography on 4 March 2012| 2 Comments »
Sometimes the soul needs a little retreat. Mine has. And just as the year cycles through the seasons, spring does return to the soul, bringing forth tender shoots of newness, with the promise of further transformation yet to come.
I will begin with syllables, offering them to you from my emerging sense of poetics and linking to haiku my heart, where poets and friends gather on Fridays to share their worlds through image and haiku.
It has taken me a few days to gather the threads of my courage and poke them through the eye of the cyber needle so they can be sewn into my blog, but my intention is to make this a Friday practice.
Early breath of spring
threatens winter’s icy grip.
Crocuses arise!
(Perhaps I should explain that the jar contains my homemade grain-free nutty granola, a symbol of my new and healthful way of eating.)
Posted in Cooking, Knitting, Perspectives, Photography, Spiritual Practice on 22 October 2010| 2 Comments »
I’m in Sock Mode. Definitely and delightedly. I’m loving the 2010 Mystery Socks so much that I’ve started knitting the 2009 socks as well, to fill in the time I’d otherwise just spend waiting impatiently for the next Friday Clue. Not wanting to give too much away, let me just say that the ‘little boxes’ and ‘tiny trowel’ stitches are knitting up quite splendidly. Photos will be forthcoming.
I had a bit of a setback the first week, when I launched myself into the Knit-Along with purple wool from my stash. Unfortunately, my knitting needles didn’t approve of my choice, and kept whispering to me about a different wool, a more autumnal wool, a wool that would appeal to a particular friend. My needles do that sometimes…. they whisper their opinions as I clickety-clack my way along. I can’t tell you how many things I start knitting, thinking that I’m making something for me, only to “hear” the name of someone else. Sometimes I’m a bit disappointed, but I so love the feeling that a certain item “wants” to be for someone else…. and as knitting is such a spiritual practice for me, I love knitting prayers and blessings into my work, especially when they are prayers and blessings for someone dear.
With autumn in full swing, I can’t just sit home and knit… blue skies and crunchy leaves lure me out into the crisp air. A quick trip through the woods with my sweetie yesterday turned into a long ramble amongst ancient trees and along old hedge rows in search of strange mushrooms (to photograph) and signs of woodland critters scrambling to prepare for winter’s chill.
And then as the afternoon light was waning, we came home to our the delights of our Crocktober endeavors…. we had left a beautiful melange of red cabbage and apple simmering in the crockpot. It was Delia Smith’s recipe, carried out with Stephanie O’Dea’s crockpot gusto. The house smelled divine as we kicked off our muddy boots and cracked open a bottle of wine…
October!
Posted in Perspectives, Photography, Spiritual Practice, Travel & Pilgrimage, Women's Lives on 19 October 2010| 4 Comments »
Today I showed up
in the four directions that matter most:
I reached in, to feel my heart,
and out, to connect with others,
down to dig for truth,
and up, to God.
Tonight I can sleep in peace,
secure in my faith,
believing in promises kept.
Posted in Knitting, Perspectives, Photography on 16 February 2010| 2 Comments »
I love the winter Olympics… I learned long ago that watching sports gives me a great opportunity to knit. While I enjoy the competition, I especially love the stories behind the athletes. These extraordinary people have learned to focus their minds so that they can apply their skills under amazing pressure. Each story is a window into determination, passion, and community.
And while the stories unfold, I knit their Olympian spirit into my own projects.
We completely missed the 2006 Olympics because we were in India where their lack of winter sports translated into a lack of Olympic coverage… and under the circumstances, that was fine with us! That trip remains one of our most incredible journeys which left us with the most marvelous of memories; in my head I will undoubtedly spend the rest of my Februarys in India….
Nevertheless, we’ve been looking forward to this year’s Olympics. The time differences mean we don’t see much live action, but we’re finding the rhythm of the Highlights shows. And while the skaters skate and the skiers ski, I knit. And I’m not the only one who does this. The queen of knitting bloggers, Stephanie Pearl McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot) started the Knitting Olympics 4 years ago, inviting knitters to cast on a (challenging) project during the opening ceremonies and complete it by the time the flame is extinguished 17 days later. This, therefore, is my first Knitting Olympics; my entry is called Winterbourne, and at present it looks like this:
So what is it, and why call it Winterbourne? Well, it is born in Winter, of course, at the tender point where one’s dreams of green just begin to be realized. The word winterbourne is a term for a stream or river that is dry though the summer months… and Winter has inspired and motivated this project! It will be more recognizable by the end of the week!
Please stay tuned as I knit my way to Gold!
Eligibility: Any knitter who, embracing the “Citius, Alitius Fortius” ideal, would like to challenge themselves while embracing the Olympic spirit, and is just whacked enough to play along with me.
Concept: You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, Friday, February 12, 2010 and finish before the Olympic flame goes out Sunday, February 28. That’s 17 days.
Rules:
1. The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
2. There are no rules about what a challenge would be. Like the real Olympics, there are many areas to compete in. If you are a new knitter, then a garter stitch baby sweater might do…If you are experienced, use your own conscience.
3. While this is intended to be somewhat difficult (like the Olympics) it is not intended to ruin your life. Don’t set yourself up for failure. (Olympic athletes may cry, but they do not whine pitifully, sob and threaten members of their family with pointed sticks because they haven’t slept in five days. ) This is intended to (like the Olympics) require some measure of sacrifice, and be difficult, but it should be possible to attain.
4. No casting on before the flame is lit. (The opening ceremonies run from 6-8 pst. If you can’t watch, then I’d pick a time in there.)
5. Finish before the flame goes out.
6. You may swatch before the games. (I consider this “training.”)
Posted in Perspectives, Photography, Spiritual Practice, Women's Lives on 3 February 2010| 1 Comment »
Jeff at work on his day’s fossil finds…
When I showed her this photograph, my friend Winter said, It looks old, must be the sepia color, or Jeff’s soul coming through. And that captures my intent perfectly. This is what I love about our days together, the quiet moments when we share space as we go about our individual pursuits.
I’ve decided to celebrate February by challenging myself to take a photograph every day this month. My reasons for this are twofold… not only do I want to hone my skills as a photographer, but it also occurs to me that accepting this challenge will get me out each day in search of something beautiful or meaningful.
I won’t be sharing every photograph on this blog; my challenge is about art not publication… but I certainly hope that this practice will feed my blog as I sharpen my perspective on the world by letting my soul dance with the lens of my camera.
With Imbolc just gone, we can really see the gradual lengthening of the days now, and with it, hopefully we’ll begin to notice the results of the deep soul work that is often done in the depths of winter’s darkness.
What is stirring deep within you? What new sprout in you is making its way tenderly toward the light of day?
Ariadne's Thread 