{Posted from} Home

The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest ~ Sir Thomas Moore ~


hOMe is where the heART is …


Monday, May 29, 2017

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

Saturday, May 27, 2017

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

Thursday, May 25, 2017

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~

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

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~

Friday, May 19, 2017

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 ~

Monday, May 15, 2017

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~