“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
(excerpt from)
For The Fallen
Laurence Binyon
We Will Remember…
A New Season
I have a phone!
I realise this is not amazing for most people, but I haven’t had a mobile for over ten years… it’s exciting, and a little bit frustrating, as I’ve been trying to work out ways of transferring files from an old Ipod to a new LG phone… Apple and Android don’t seem to get on too well!
It came at an opportune time (courtesy of a lovely friend ❤ ) – this weekend turned out to be a bit hectic, so being able to be in contact outside of wifi range was wonderful! I do have to get used to having a ringtone – my Babe tried to call me just after I got it all activated… I sat there thinking, “That’s a nice tune. I wonder where it’s coming from?” 😆
As the weather has been getting cooler, we’ve put the duvet back on the bed and are sleeping more comfortably on our old mattress, due to a thick, squishy mattress topper (courtesy of another lovely friend! ❤ ) It’s like sleeping on a cloud!
This is a lovely time of year, when everything cools and slows, and it’s easier to catch glimpses of possibility…
I will continue to grapple with Apple, and explore the capabilities of Android…
In the meantime, here’s some photos on my new phone camera!
I wonder what other wonders I can unlock?
Time Goes By…
On a day when we woke up to the sad news of the passing of Prince Philip, we also had the happy anticipation of a birthday celebration for my Mum. While nowhere near the venerable age achieved by the Prince, it was one of the “big” birthdays! We were able to get the family together for breakfast/morning tea at our favourite cafe, and we even got there at the right time to get the biggest table – necessary when there are ten people to be accommodated.
Such a lovely time, catching up, enjoying the food and company. Also – singing Happy Birthday, because it had to be done 😀
We stayed for a while (cheesecake can’t be eaten quickly!) and then all wandered down to the Handmade Expo in the middle of town. Wandered through the stalls, exclaimed over the different crafts, sat for a bit and chatted some more…
We eventually had to go home, but it was a nice little reminder of what’s important – even if there are big things happening in the wide world, there’s always time to stop and enjoy the good things right in front of us 🙂
I hadn’t planned to buy anything, but I couldn’t resist some tiny little things from When Laura Meets Clay –
a “Unicorn Meadows” sign for my fairy garden
…and a couple of teensy pet rocks, with their very own book.
❤
When The Water Is Too Deep
Most mornings I go down to the pool. I don’t really swim – don’t like getting my ears in the water – but I walk back and forth across the middle of the pool. Some days the water is clear, and I walk without stopping. Some days I stop to rescue various insects that have found themselves out of their depth. Occasionally it seems as though the entire insect population of our area has decided to take a dip…
Most of these rescues are for small creatures – beetles or waspy type things. Sometimes I come across a bee. And, very rarely, it’s bigger – a very large stick insect, or a dragonfly. Unfortunately, they’re often already dead, so I place them beside the pool. There are mornings, though, when I can actually save a little being, and that cheers me up for the day. I love saving bees and yesterday I scooped up a butterfly, which I thought was dead, but started fluttering cautiously once the sun dried off its wings.
Here’s a dragonfly from the other day – sadly I was too late to save it, but it’s still beautiful.
Many years ago my Babe and I were in a takeaway waiting for our chips for tea. We lived in Southampton then, and it was that fuggy type of atmosphere you get when the weather’s cold but you’re sitting in a small shop where there’s food cooking… the air was humid and there was moisture running down the windows. Just beside the door there was an insect trying frantically to get out – beating against the glass, seeing the fading light outside and wanting to be out there. We tried our best to guide it towards the door, but it kept getting away from us and back to the window.
I am so much bigger than the insects I try to help, and to them my guiding hand must seem like just another obstacle they need to avoid. It’s frustrating for me – I don’t want to see them drown – but I can understand the fear of something you can’t see or comprehend but that looks like it’s in your way when you’re just trying to survive. I manage to rescue most things (although a fair number are already dead) but a few I just have to leave. All their fearful dodging takes them too far out for me to reach.
Tomorrow is Good Friday. It might feel as though I’m trying to shoehorn a lesson in here, but both these situations remind me of the Easter story – of the times in my life when I’ve been floundering in deep waters but not quite seeing the divine hand reaching out to lift me. Thankfully, God is patient…
Tomorrow, we will go to church and sing and eat hot cross buns. We will, once again, take the time to remember the love that God has for us.
And after the Easter season is over, we’ll go back to our everyday lives, where we will still frequently catch glimpses of that other kingdom…
A Walk Through Another World
We’re just over 24 hours into another sudden lockdown. It’s been quite nice to have everyone home during the week, although they’ve been to a series of online lectures in bedrooms instead of in person lectures, so I probably haven’t seen the family much more than in a normal day…
One thing I’ve been trying to do lately is to take some time to go on an artist’s date. Often that’s shopping for random beautiful things at the charity shops around the town, or having a coffee while writing or sketching. Or sometimes just thinking, and enjoying good coffee. This week that won’t be possible, but next week is not too far away! Last time I went to have a look at the gallery. I haven’t been there in a long while, but I always enjoy it. There’s often beauty, or works to make you think. Taking the time to really look at what’s displayed is an opportunity to look through someone else’s eyes, and catch a glimpse of their world. It’s good to be able to expand what can increasingly feel like a restricted life.
This time around I had a look at a couple of solo exhibitions, and also a selection of contemporary works from the gallery’s collection – it’s on until the 18th April, so there’s still time to go and see for yourself!
Here’s some of what I saw 🙂
Magic Muffin Mountain, by Hany Armanious
Yes, it is as big as it looks!
Ceramics, by Dai Li
There were five figures altogether – these are called “Eating Noodle” and “Slyboots”
This one is “Bad Bird 2”
I’ve had days that feel like that…
I can’t remember the name of the splat on the wall, or the artist, but the marble in front is “Messiah Complex”, by Alex Seton
Look at the anatomical detail in the interior and base of the skull!
This is so cute.
And creepy.
“The Listener”, by Patricia Piccinini
This last one was from a separate, solo, exhibition upstairs – I nearly didn’t bother to go up there, but I’m glad I did. These were a series of depictions of fine, unravelling fabrics, painted with gouache on paper.
The Rose’s Rarest Essence Lives In The Thorns – Rubaba Haider
The whole series is quite beautiful.
Here’s a close up.
All this wonder and a cup of coffee?
It was a day well spent…
As The World Darkens
I wasn’t planning to write today…
I’ve been catching up on some online things, which included checking out some folklore songs, and this song popped up on the YouTube side bar.
It’s getting colder here, and there’s rain this week. That’s a good thing, but it’s… still cold. It’ll get colder now, possibly fairly quickly, and I’ll bring out the snuggly blankets and socks. Right now I’m still in short sleeves and trying to decide if I’ll get too hot if I put socks on! 🙂
Some landscapes are breathtaking, and make me think of heaven – I don’t know what that looks like, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these earthly places are echoes. I didn’t, primarily, enjoy this clip for the lyrics, although they’re good. It’s the mountains, and the majesty (I had it on full screen, and there’s a bit at 4:18 where I just said, “Wow!”). There doesn’t seem to be an English word for that indefinable longing for a place that you’ve never been to – that sad sweet feeling of nostalgia, or possibly anticipation. Other languages have words – fernweh in German, hiraeth in Welsh – that approximate the yearning. In Ecclesiastes it says that “He has set eternity in our hearts“.
Different people will probably have different sparks that set off that light of eternity. For me, one spark is majestic mountains combined with cold, rainy weather 🙂
“Lord, You’re with me either way it goes.”
…and that’s the truth!
Colour, Intensifying
I love bright colours. I wear them, and often surround myself with them.
Last week I finally got around to redecorating my armchair – I’ve had a brown woolly blanket on it for a while, but treated myself to a purple cotton throw a few days back. I bought it, brought it home, gave it a wash… and then put it to one side and forgot about it.
Here it is in full colour, with bright(ish) selfie 🙂
That unicorn cat type thing in the corner is lovely and squishy. It also came with a name, which I can’t quite remember…
A few days after this, my lovely friend came over with a bright watercolour hummingbird cushion for me ❤ so now it’s even more purply/pinky in my corner of the lounge room!
This weekend I’ve been attending the Colour Conference online. I haven’t been in quite a few years, for various reasons, but this year it cost less (no venue hire needed?) and I could log in from home.
Loved it! 😀
I’d forgotten how inspiring it is – worship, teaching (my hand aches, after scribbling notes all weekend at the speed of light!), and being reminded, again, of who I really am.
I have access to replays and bonus material until the end of May, so may see if anyone else wants to watch with me 🙂
I’ve already signed up for next year!
Here’s a couple of songs to enjoy ❤
