Happy New Year

Another year over
With mixed blessings!
Facing the New Year
With some trepidation
Government cutbacks
And economic woes.
And yet we'll survive
One way or another.
Happy New Year
May it exceed all our wildest desires.

#aros

Wind

Gusting hard
Rattling the cat-flap
The wind is here again
Making its presence known
By its antics.






#aros

Fog Walk

Grey, moist cloud
Covers all
Objects loom like ghosts
Memories of the past -
To what has been
But not forgotten.



#aros

Shades of Blue and Gold

Shades of Blue and Gold
Sky-wrapped Sun
Over Sea-layered sand
Crisp Bright Afternoon
With Stillness in the Air
Sounds of Joy and Laughter
Christmas on the Beach

Christmas

Cards sent;
Presents sorted;
Food bought and
Meals arranged.
Then finally . .
Lights on the Tree
Now ready for Christmas
Awesome!

The Day

The Day
Still as a picture
Bright with Sunlight
Crisp and Cold
Surrounds me

One of Those Days Again!

I suppose everything would be easier without the cough I've recently acquired. But now everything is something of an effort. One of those days! Oh Well! Creativity scat, concentration scat, energy scat. So it can only get better now! Can't it? Please?

T'ai Chi in the Snow

I always do T'ai Chi as part of my morning routine as well as a form of Chinese yoga and often in my back garden when the weather is dry. Yesterday was so changeable that I started doing T'ai Chi in sunshine and it had started to snow before I'd finished. It all felt a little surreal. Now today it's bright sunshine again but still cold.

Christingle

I went to my first Christingle service last Sunday. I'd heard about it through friends of mine and decided to go. It was lovely seeing the children going up to receive their Christingle Oranges and then moving back to the front of the church. I looked up a bit of information about this ceremony and discovered that it is quite ancient and was practiced by the Moravians in the eighteenth century and was adopted by the Anglican church in 1968. Afterward I stayed and listened to a concert with Pendeen Silver Band and Mounts Bay Singers.

Porthcurno

Today, as the weather was sunny, we drove to Porthcurno for a walk on the cliffs. It was remarkably mild down there and on the cliff path up from the beach where my friend and I caught our breaths after the steep climb, it was incredibly warm in the lovely sunshine and beautifully sheltered from the wind. An inquisitive robin came to investigate us and was our companion for part of our journey further up the cliff path. The view from the top was brilliant. The whole experience felt quite magical.

Blackcap

This week, for the first time, I've noticed a lot of male Blackcaps around. Although my bird book says that they're quite common little birds, I've never noticed them in the back garden before. Maybe their presence now has something to do with the snow that we had earlier this winter and they're now coming to new areas. Whatever, it's a pleasure to see them!

Creative Writing

On Friday I put together some images for a Creative Writing Group I joined earlier this year. We all live locally and we meet about once a month. We each take turns to lead the session and later this month it is my turn to do so. I chose the subjects of Christmas and Winter. I enjoyed putting together images for both themes.

Farmers Market Concert

This afternoon I drove into town to sing in an open air concert with Levow an Bys in the Farmers Market in Penzance. It was a bit chilly but we still had a lot of fun.

Blue November Sky

Recently I've been made aware of the sky and cloud patterns. It seems as if at this time of year there is more variety in the patterns than during the summer. Perhaps it's just me noticing more!

December Evening

I was busy for much of yesterday afternoon but managed to slip out for a walk in early evening. Can't get used to the shorter days but I do find that the sky effects can be quite stunning. It's all a matter of timing like many other things, music included.

Cornwall Symphony Chorus

Last night I attended a brilliant concert in Truro by the Cornwall Symphony Chorus. The singing was wonderful and the soloists, Melanie and Daniel Hoadley were quite fabulous. Could fully recommend attending any future concerts by the Chorus if you ever have the opportunity.

Expectations

At the beginning of the week I had certain expectations of how it would go. I knew when my various appointments were and the time off in between. All this was disrupted by the abrupt change of weather in West Cornwall. First the cold and then the snow changed my expectations for the rest of the week and I literally had to take each day as it comes. This did allow me however to go for a walk in the snow and take photographs of scenes that I'd never seen before and may never do again. Even so I'm glad that the snow has nearly gone now and the weather is warmer.

Monochorome

My day started in monochrome. I woke up to find that snow had fallen during the night and was quite deep all around. As earlier in the week my daily activities had to be altered due to the weather. I sat and looked out of the window at the falling snow - just watching it. After a while I walked to the shops. As a storekeeper pointed out, it was good to see so many people about in the town with their families - something that doesn't happen so much now as people tend to drive more. As I write, some of the snow is melting but it will be interesting to see what happens tonight.

Winter Morning

Like many places in the UK, it snowed in Cornwall yesterday, disrupting all our lives and with many schools having to be closed. I did manage to get out to do some shopping in the late morning when the snow had mostly melted from the road but some more came down later. I was amazed this morning when I looked in the back garden that the little primrose which had come out some while ago was still surviving! Tough breed these Cornish primroses!

Family Walk

My son came home with his girlfriend yesterday and we all went for a walk on to Cape Cornwall. Initially it was quite warm and sunny but the wind was pretty biting. Got snowed on and so went home but it was a lovely family walk while it lasted.

Rainyday Walk

I got fooled by the weather because it was nice and sunny earlier this afternoon. Went for a walk down to the cliffs. I was nearly there when it started to rain. Managed to shelter for a while in a hole in some rocks but when it continued to be more than a shower I decided to walk home regardless. Did have the opportunity of taking some dramatic cloud pictures.

Unexpected Sunshine

At the beginning of yesterday, a walk didn't seem very likely so I met my friends for coffee. Afterward it had cleared up sufficiently to be able to walk. The wind was cold but the sun was surprisingly hot for November and I even had to take off a layer to be more comfortable. As usual I took lots of photos. Saw some ponies and llamas as well as some gannets in the distance. It was such an unexpected pleasure to have such a lovely walk in the afternoon after such a disappointing morning.

Porthleven

Image via WikipediaLast night one of the choirs I sing with performed in a concert at Porthleven before a small but appreciative audience. Some Christmas carols were included in the programme. There were also two excellent soloists who sang two songs each, one before the interval and one afterwards.

Rainbow, Sunset and the Moon

There is one advantage to the days drawing in at this time of year. When I went for a walk this afternoon, I was lucky enough to see a rainbow, which I photographed, shortly before being caught out by the rain! A little later in the afternoon I was also privileged to see a beautiful sunset which I also caught on my camera. Then on my return home I saw the moon in the clouds. It is not often possible to see all of these in one day, let alone in the space of an afternoon. So I feel very blessed!

Connection

Image via WikipediaConnections . .
To cyberworld -
Temporarily
Inerrupted
Router not working
Normal service will be resumed-


In due course.

Peaceful November Walk

After nearly three weeks of bad weather on a Tuesday, my friends and I went for a walk around Cot Valley. There was a great sense of peace and stillness. The leaves are mostly off the trees now and the bracken is a russet brown. The sun was shining and the sea was a brilliant blue. Obviously other people were taking advantage of the good weather as we saw quite a few other walkers. As usual I took some photos as we strolled along in a leisurely fashion. Saw some buzzards and a kestrel before returning for a refreshing cup of coffee.

Buzzard

Yesterday was beautiful, dry with sunshine and warm if you could stay out of the wind. Grabbed the opportunity to go for a walk as I was feeling a bit stir-crazy after the rain we have been having recently. I took my favourite walk to the cliffs and was surprised at how many plants were in flower. I saw some violets and a white dead nettle to name but a few. On the cliffs, I saw a couple of ravens which I tried to photgraph but they were too fast for me. On the way home I managed to photograph a buzzard who was circling nearby. It was good to get out into nature again.

Rain

Drizzling over moors
Running down windows
Joining with streams
To meet with the sea
To start the cycle again.

Morrab Gardens, Penzance

As it was a beautiful sunny day today and I decided to go to Penzance, I wandered around Morrab Gardens. I'd forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it is. Being a sub-tropical garden there are many trees and bushes that you wouldn't normally find in the UK and an amazing number of palms. I was also pleased to see on my wanderings, a friendly cat, a predatory seagull and a Red Admiral butterfly! Most enjoyable experience.

A Day of Unexpected Changes

Image by BeautifulRust via FlickrA Day of Unexpected Changes is the Chance of New Opportunities. I'll see what happens . .

Variety

Changing skies of grey than blue
Remind us all
Of Nature's variety.

The Acceptance of Autumn

The Acceptance of Autumn
Like the Twilight to the Year
Purpose fulfilled, resting . . .
Waiting . . .
For Renewal.

Mild November Day

This morning is unbelievably mild for November, in West Cornwall, after a foggy evening. I drove to a choir rehearsal yesterday and had some difficulty on the way back seeing where I was driving because of the fog. I thought that this would last over a few days as it often does but today it is beautiful and clear with occasional glimpses of blue sky and sunshine. It was such a pleasant surprise and I had a lovely walk to do the shopping and back home again. A really wonderful respite from the recent wind and rain that we've been receiving and a brilliant reminder that winter doesn't always have to be cold, wet and miserable in this country.

Waterfall

This morning I went for a lovely walk. There are definite signs of autumn in the colour of the bracken and there was a sense of mistiness in the air which was quite mysterious. Noticed a waterfall that I had totally forgotten about in my many missions to the cliffs and photographed it. There was a gentle quietness in the valley that was very peaceful and pleasant. Later on I saw a Goldcrest in a tree.

Greenwich Mean Time

Image via WikipediaThe clocks went back one hour this morning, in the UK, to GMT from BST. Personally I enjoyed the extra hour I had to sleep in this morning. Am not looking forward so much to the shorter days and it getting darker earlier in the evening. Still it's that time of year again and I'm trying to get myself to appreciate the beauties of autumn and winter. Also Happy Samhain to everyone. May the following year bring to you all that your heart desires.

Awaiting Inspiration

Image by Chris Gin via FlickrAwaiting inspiration
I sit;
Hands on keyboard;
Brain on slow;
Hoping to catch
One thought
I can write about.
Oh the process is slow;
Like wading through treacle.
So I wrote this instead

Young Calves and Other Little Things

This afternoon I noticed a herd of cows in the field behind our house with some very young calves. Later I saw one of the cows gently licking her calf but sadly couldn't get a photo in time. Also went for a walk this afternooon and was struck by the perfection of some ferns and other plants which had grown in a stone wall. So small yet so perfect.

Autumn Fruits

Since it was such a beautiful afternoon yesterday, I went on one of my walks. Apart from the beautiful leaf colours I was surprised by the large amount of berries that are around at the moment. Good food for the birds later in the year!

Autumn Winds

Image by Ed.ward via FlickrAfter some lovely warm days, it feels now really autumnal. I did some gardening yesterday and enjoyed sitting out there afterwards, observing the wildlife. But today that has changed again.The wind is quite sharp and leaves are skittering from the trees. There are some beautiful colours about. I saw a Stag's Horn when I was driving back from choir rehearsal this morning which was a glorious colour of red-brown and quite beautiful. All around are the colours of autumn, on the trees and now on the ground.

Moon over Water

Image by RobW_ via FlickrYesterday when I was driving to a choir rehearsal and saw the nearly full moon shining over Mounts Bay in Cornwall I felt inspired to write the following:

Moonlight on the water
Reflecting silver serenity
Shadow and light
A mosaic together.

Autumn Colours

On a walk I took with friends this morning I came across these amazing autumn colours. The weather was very variable, sunny and cloudy by turns but we managed to keep dry if rather blown by a strong wind. The coffee afterwards was very welcome!

Compassion

Image by Tony the Misfit via FlickrI have had a problem with understanding the spiritual concept of 'service' in the past as it seemed associated in my mind with somehow being beholden to others and of duty. More recently I have come to understand that this is a natural expression of compassion which flows from one's being. This experience of compassion is free flowing and as I said earlier natural and unconstrained. There is also a sense of excitement and deep connection which is also part of the experience.