the sunny side

"it's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry."
-joe moore

everyone has a disgruntled day now and then.
if today is one of yours, then this is for you.

a soul's age

under his intuitive hands she flourished, and under his earthly attentions she thrived, aware, even as she tended heavenward, that her grace was fleeting and her loveliness ephemeral.
unfolding, flowering, wilting, waning: this is nature's way, and, sometimes, it seems - sadly but simply - the way of the world.

the heart of the country

my husband is very dear to me, and i assume that i am just as dear to him.
if i weren't, he probably wouldn't sacrifice half a clear crisp sunday - like yesterday - to drive poor license-less me somewhere photogenic , and then precede me patiently while i wander, distracted and delighted by all manner of reflections..

and still lives...

and gables.....

little miracles of nature...

and endless and glorious views.
i count my blessings constantly.

some days are diamonds

at the bus stop, my early-morning conversation with myself sends wisps of whiteness into the dawn. the air is cardigan-cold the whole day through, and the sun is distant but determined.
i am content.
i love the fall.

places that i hide

she lifts her spectacles slightly.
"it's the sun," she says, feeling foolish: "it's the sun, y'know, and the wind. this always happens."
she stumbles a smile, and fumbles for some softness to smoothe the unbidden bits of sadness out of sight.
her companion, aware of her true story, nods, and they sip, under the espaliered
lindens, in the brightness, and the breeze.

open to the day

"art is the window to man's soul. without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could the world see the man within."
- claudia johnson

sometimes a birthday party's musical chairs can lead to somewhere unexpected: the one we attended on saturday ended up in the tiny town of biezemortel, savouring a sneak preview of "de kunst van het onvolmaakte" ("the art of the imperfect"), an event which begins tomorrow and will hopefully delight many many visitors between then and the 19th of september.
even in rehearsal mode, it was alive with colour and character and a quirky kind of humour; the festival itself - visual and performing arts, nature, food, drink, and please-don't- forget-the-dahlias - should be even better.
i love eccentricity. returning might be hard to resist.

let the sun shine

smiles and thank-yous to everyone for the birthday congratulations, both here and in my inbox (and to tomo for her glorious virtual bouquet!).
may i wish you all - and especially gimmy and john, who are getting married! - a happy weekend?

what's another year?

it's my birthday.
again.
already.

time just rolls on by.