Mark

Let’s mark today,

let’s mark every day,

with some small beauty

{or big, if you like}.

Let’s open our eyes and look

{really look}

closely at a flower

or a leaf,

or a loved ones face.

Yes, let’s mark today

with a photo

or words, just three

or three hundred;

about how we feel,

about the coming season,

about anything.

Let’s mark today.

…

Using prompts from Spiral Spun…thank Kim!

Soft

The soft light of late August hints at change, subtle, but enough to know that autumn will soon be here and summer will lose her grip.

The flowers are dying, yet still the bees persist and feast on the waning lavender. Plums and apples ripen, ready to be harvested, some dropped and rotting, food for passing bugs and birds. The hydrangea are slowly fading like watercolours run weak with too much water.

Some days we might be fooled, almost believing summer has just begun, but Nature has a way of whispering the contrary quietly in our ears. Even on days that are oh so warm with skies the bluest blue, just wait for the evening, when the sun drops before eight and a chill creeps in through open windows, bringing with it the faintest scent of autumn.

…

Sharing my words with you, writing along with the August prompts from Amanda at The Habit of Being. I used today’s prompt ‘Soft’.

Quiet

There was a quiet this morning. An hour where there was no other sound, but the 7 am stillness of our home. An hour with the low hum of the freezer, a light tapping of rain on windows and a grey sky that made me feel safe.

There was a quiet this morning that was treasured. An hour where I could hear my own breathing, where I could sip my coffee and just think my own thoughts to the rhythmic chug of the washing machine.

There was a quiet this morning, an hour that was mine.

…

Sharing my morning with you and writing along with the August prompts from Amanda at The Habit of Being. I used Monday’s prompt ‘Quiet’.

6 months

As if through frost-covered glass

we peered.

Unable to scrape away

the thin ice we were skating on

between sadness and resignation.

The veil, lifted tentatively

with shaking hands,

revealed a world

seemingly unaltered;

yet changed forever.

…

Writing along with Amanda’s prompts over at The Habit of Being, today’s is ‘opaque’.

Gone seven

Heavy clouds have moved in and moved out all day long.

Sometimes staying a while, looming like huge shadows over the day.

Hung and watching me as I pulled out the clothes from the washing machine; threatening rain as I clicked on the drier.

It’s gone seven now and the first of today’s rain has fallen.

…

Writing with Amanda’s wonderful prompts, today’s is ‘rainy day’. Goodness it’s been a while, but it feels good to write along again.

Nature does not knock

H o w   s t r a n g e   t h a t   n a t u r e   d o e s   n o t   k n o c k,

a n d   y e t   d o e s   n o t    i n t r u d e.

~ Emily Dickinson

Such beautiful words from Emily Dickinson and so very true, don’t you think?

This is the last of my quotes as part of this challenge from my fellow Muse, Jane…thanks Jane, it has been lovely!

Today I would like to nominate Kim over at the lovely Spiral Spun, but please don’t feel obliged : )

 

Touch of Nature

O n e   t o u c h   o f   n a t u r e   m a k e s   t h e   w h o l e   w o r l d   k i n.

~ William Shakespeare

Yes, it’s that flower again, but this time, as you can see, with two little friends. We have lots of flowers and bushes attracting bees this year in our garden, {which makes me enormously happy} not least these yellow mystery flowers. We have also planted much more lavender, which not only attracts wildlife, but smells divine too.

This is my second day of the quotation challenge from Jane, which now appears to have a slight theme. Today I would like to nominate Karen from Pumpkin Sunrise, a lovely lady with a wonderful blog that makes me feel so at home when I visit. Karen, please don’t feel obliged to take part {I know you will be busy with the wedding just around the corner} but it is fun! You can see the rules here on my first post.

A happy Sunday to you all, Jane xx

Smiles of Nature

C o l o u r s   a r e   t h e   s m i l e s   o f   n a t u r e.

~ Leigh Hunt

I have been invited, along with some fellow Monochrome Muses, by the lovely and very talented Jane Morley {who’s blog is full of much beauty and inspiration} to join a great challenge, posting a favourite quotation over 3 consecutive days and inviting 3 other bloggers each day to join in.

For me there can be no bigger and more happy smile than a yellow flower and boy is our garden full of them at the moment. We spread some wild flower seeds in early spring and up they have popped, bringing a swathe of vibrant yellow to our small space.

My nomination today is Katie over at What Katie Did Next, please know that there is no obligation to join in Katie, but I felt it might be the kind of thing you would enjoy {and I am only going to nominate one person per day}.

Sending a big yellow smile your way, Jane xx

Bluebells

Through ancient woods

 we ventured

on well-trodden paths

dappled with sunlight;

 and either side

carpeted with bluebells,

ringing in May

without a  sound.

~

Sunday has officially become the day for poetry writing!

Wishing you a happy Sunday and a great weekend ahead, Jane.

Promise

So, April has arrived, and today there was definite promise of warmer weather. A walk through the park, this afternoon, saw more people than in recent weeks, which is a sure sign of change {although, I will walk its paths come rain or shine}.

The Forsythia is a bright spot in our somewhat unkempt garden, but with the lighter nights and the trampoline now gone {this still makes my heart ache} I can see how it could look, with a little hard work.

I have bought a pack of wild flower seeds which I am hoping to sprinkle somewhere soon {not being the type to have a formal garden} and shall await excitedly to see what will grow.

Yes, there is promise in April. Winter is losing its last desperate grip and longer, brighter days are in the offing.

I wish you a very happy April, with much sweetness in it.