made in heaven

"and in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."
- kahlil gibran

this image fills me with joy, as does kahlil gibran's aptness, as did that october
week-in-england, as do the people i love.
i am short on words today, but long on wonder.

that grand old harper

the regal cedar at the back of our garden came excruciatingly close to being firewood during last week's storms.
as i stood, uneasy, at the steamy window, feeling the creaks, and watching the world gone wild, its twin - at the back of the neighbours' garden - did.
i love a crackling hearth; i always have.
but i love living trees more.

feathers and flights

"an aim in life is the only fortune worth finding."
- robert louis stevenson (scottish essayist, poet and author, 1850-1894)

my daughter - in nova scotia six months today - is still standing strong, despite a few stumbles into frustration and despair. she is more resilient than she realises.
and more missed than she suspects.

with greater ease

middle-aged waists don't whittle willingly, so i have surrendered myself - following the gastronomic abundance of the festive season - to restraint and stringency and moderation.
i was ripe for this personal regime, these rules, at this particular time, i think: the effort feels minimal, and the progress rewardingly swift.
limitations - the self-imposed ones, anyway - can be surprisingly liberating.

apple pie, in the sky

the day after tomorrow, on three kings' day - as is the tradition here - our christmas tree will be carefully bared of its baubles, and the holiday season will be officially over.
the month of december - feast days, full-time work, and the frenzy of daily posting all told - rather exhausted me, but i have high hopes, and splendid plans, for 2007.
i trust you do, too.