sing the song ...

I have wanted & waited a long time for a Tibetan singing bowl.

The very first time I heard one, it's beautiful sound resonated with me .

Each time I went into a shop that sold singing bowls, there was always a few that I was drawn to,

and I would pick up the striker, tap the side of the bowl and listen ...

each one making it's own unique sound

wondering ... was this the bowl for me? knowing that I was patient enough to wait ...

and that it would appear at the right time.

and "the one for me" appeared

her sound is sweet and gentle and soothing

and well worth the waiting ...

♥

"The true miracle lies in our eagerness to allow

appreciate

and honor

the uniqueness

the freedom of each sentient being

to sing

the song

of

their heart"

~Amit Ray~

and in our sparrow garden

there was much singing and happiness today also ...

baby sparrows

{be still my heart} ♥

watching them out of our kitchen window as mama sparrow

took pieces of fresh suet from the basket to feed her babes

& with my IPad on the kitchen table, I picked it up and managed to record mama feeding her little ones {on my Instagram page if you would like to see it}

♥

d xo

abuzz with thoughts

~her mind was abuzz with thoughts~

{as many of ours are}

I love bumble bees

{when even your name has a bee in it, how could you not} :-D

we've planted our English country garden with bees and birds and butterflies in mind

and I've been keeping a close watch on our peony bushes ... buds swelling and ready to burst open any day, they will be the next to supply big dollops of colour in our garden.

I love how it isn't all at once and then over , but bit by bit ... first the crocus , tulips and daffodils, ending with the hibiscus in late July/early August... we only need be patient and mindfully enjoying each and every one as they arrive/depart.

Peony blooms and bumble bees found their way into my latest painting.

Many of my girls are found with their eyes closed ... cultivating mindfulness ... in meditation ... pondering ... serene ... quiet.

I stumbled across a {new to me} quote that I thought was lovely ...

"If you think positively,

Sound

becomes music

Movement

becomes dance

Smile

becomes laughter

Mind

becomes meditation

and Life

becomes celebration"

~Rishika Jain~

&

something to ponder upon ...

~listen & silent are spelled with the same letters~

have a bee~utiful day ♥

d xo

Thankful {things I love} Thursday

~mindful sitting~

the power of awareness

on this rainy, damp and cool day,

sitting in my little sparrow studio

with twinkle lights lit

and candles burning is one of my

"thankfuls" ♥

"Mindfulness nurtures our ability

to see deeply into our true nature.

The view of a humanity

that stands isolated

or above other forms of life

dissolves"

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

what we seek

is inside us

all along

I have a meditation corner in my garden

beside our little pond. Our pond has tiny stones placed here and there with positive affirmations and inspirational words etched on them.

The sound of trickling water is ideal for sitting quietly and depending on the breeze, wind chimes can be heard. And always ... bird song.

It's a space that I share often {and most happily}with the sparrows whose serenades I hear faintly as I close my eyes.

The inspiration for Mindful Sitting came, when I opened my eyes to find a sparrow sitting above me in our flowering pear tree, a snail clinging onto the leaves of the wisteria vine and our resident garden bunny Honey flower nestled amongst the  hosta ♥

blessings in the *here and now*

"Silence is full of sounds.

The wind murmuring,

the leaves rustling

, the birds flapping their wings,

and the waves washing ashore.

And even if these sounds cannot be heard,

we still hear our own quiet breathing,

the motion of our hands over our skin,

the swallowing of our throats,

and the soft patter of our footsteps.

But we have become deaf

to these sounds of silence"

~Henri J.M. Nouwen~

  

Breathing in

I calm my body

Breathing out

I smile

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

sequence ...

After a few days of heavy rain

our lilac bush was water logged and her branches were literally touching the grass.

After a bit of pruning to take the stress from some of the branches

we have  a lovely tin filled with blooms for our deck ♥

bleeding heart are looking so pretty in our shade garden

archer ... our sweet garden "helper"

lily of the valley have spread wildly & beautifully

columbine

garden visitors and butterfly spottings

♥heart shaped wings♥

a little garden journaling/reading

Live * Life * Lantern

I created this linen hand painted garden lantern a few years ago.

During the summer months, we like to make our outdoor space as comfortable as inside,

and our gazebo is one spot in the garden that we thoroughly enjoy.

Sitting under the honeysuckle vine covered roof, it is here that strings of tiny white lights are wrapped overhead, clay pots are stuffed full of our favourite flowers, big comfy cushions are tossed on chairs, a quilt sits on our garden swing to throw over our legs in the evening and my ever - growing collection of garden tchotchkes is dispersed.

{more photos of my Live* Life* Lantern can be found in the Summer 2015 issue of Sew Somerset (pages 60-63) along with full instructions on how to create }

purple sand cherry

"Let your life

be the epic poem that it is.

Embrace each moment

on its own merit.

One at a time,

in the sequence

in which it happens"

~Veronique Vienne~

flower power ...

my sweet daughter surprised me with a day in the country

mother's day afternoon

where we made floral wreaths & fairie crowns

there is such joy being with and working with flowers &

I am thinking that we don't wear fairie crowns near enough!

:-D

Flowers

really do

intoxicate me

~Vita Sackville-West~

patiently waiting for the peony to bloom

{garden photos are from last year} ♥

thinking *flowers*

this long {planting} weekend

flower power

garden guardian

When words escape

flowers

speak

~Bruce W Currie~

Morning Glory

is the best name

it always refreshes me

to see it

~Henry David Thoreau~

Give and Take.

For the bee ~ a flower

is a fountain of life.

And to the flower~ a bee

is a messenger of love.

And to both, bee and flower,

the giving and the receiving

is a need

and an ecstasy.

~Kahlil Gibran~

we spotted our first butterfly last weekend

winged beauty

Where you have a plot of land

however small

plant a garden.

Staying close to the soil

is good for the soul

~Spencer W Kimball~

~have a wonderful long weekend ~

in the garden ...

I love exploring our garden in the month of May ...

when it seems that a walk around the garden shows new signs

almost every day ...

the lilac is in full bloom now,

as is the white bleeding heart in our shade garden...

lily of the valley have spread this year to a bit more of the garden space & many will need to be moved ... the columbine have grown in spirts ... clematis vine is clinging onto the arbour ...peony buds are swelling and ants crawling over each little bud helping it to open ...

grass has been mowed a few times...the garden is taking shape once again

***

He leaped the fence

and saw

that all nature

was a garden

~Horace Walpole~