Thursday 12 March 2015

Vacation Anticipation …

Dear All,

Just dropping you a little note to say that I won’t be around in ‘blogland’ next week to visit your blogs or leave comments.  We are taking advantage of what the weathermen say is going to be a good week for sunshine and are going to the coast to wander along its sandy shores and breathe in the invigorating salty air – and it will definitely be a computer-free zone.

We hope to do a lot of walking and visiting our favourite haunts, eating lots of delicious sea food and generally relaxing and enjoying the change of scenery.

The waves of the sea help me get back to me. ~ Jill Davis

1-SDC19927-002

“I must go down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship, And a star to steer her by. ~ John Masefield

I will leave you with a few pictures that I have taken this week in the Rosebank garden.

rose prunings

1-SDC14127-001

peach buds

1-DSC_0050-001

1-DSC_0076

1-DSC_0065

1-DSC_0073

Looking forward to visiting all your blogs on our return.  Best wishes.

 Elaine x.

I'm going to have a vacation!
      I'll leave all my housework behind,
      And not have to do any cooking;
      I'll forget all the daily grind!
I'll bask in the sunshine—don't worry!—
      And so all the things that are right;
      I'll enjoy myself every minute,
      And I'll go to a dance each night!
But when my vacation is over
      And I pack my glad rags, alone,
      I'll be happy—so very happy!—
      For, really, there's no place like home!
~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, "My Vacation" (1940s)

Thursday 5 March 2015

March: "In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb"

 

hellebore - tutu

March has been living up to its name so far – bitter winds that cut right through you – the bright sunshine fooling you into thinking it is warm, come outside it says – believe me, it is not warm.  The spring garden is struggling to show itself – bulbs that emerged a few weeks ago are in a kind of stasis, neither growing or dying.  Just being.  Is it always like this – do I look every year the same way and find nothing is growing – nothing is willing to bloom until it can be sure that there will be more warm weather. March is such a tease.  I am thankful for the Crocus that bloom regardless, thank you for brightening up the containers.   

1-SDC14085

As I walk I search the hedgerows for signs of life – I find  clusters of stray snowdrops and crocus, a few catkins and pussy willow – but no real signs that spring is on its way – am I always this anxious that spring won’t return when it should.

1-SDC14025

“March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine.”
L.M. Montgomery

1-SDC14087

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!  - Sitting Bull

  1-SDC14094

Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.  - Gustav Mahler

pussy willow

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. – Harriet Ann Jacobs

1-SDC14061

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. – Henry van Dyke

1-SDC14053

A hush is over everything, Silent as women wait for love; The world is waiting for the spring.  - Sarah Teasdale

As so I fear the wait must continue – my wishing for spring won’t make it come any sooner – now that winter draws to a close I feel the need for the warmth of the sun on my skin once more.  To be able to wander outside and see a colourful garden – to potter in the greenhouse sowing seed of this year’s flowers and vegetables – this is what I want now.  But still the March winds rage on – this transitional time is the hardest to bear – the sun shines with a promise that teases and fools us into thinking we can work out of doors – but no, icy winds tell us that we are not quite there yet.

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” —Charles Dickens

1-2015-02-026_thumb[3]

Sunday 1 March 2015

Happily Accepting the Inevitable …

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again – Eleanor Roosevelt

SDC13992

The first day of March, St. David’s Day, heralds my birthday.

Birthdays don’t bring that much excitement any more.  When you have been around for well over six decades they kind of lose their appeal.  Although I am grateful that I have been around for that long.

SDC13980

But it did get me to thinking – about life in general – about how many different  people I have been during my lifetime so far – and how many of those different people are still in the heart of me.  For we are the sum of all our parts.

1-SDC14007

Every few years – perhaps a decade  – a new me takes over.  Everything changes – new hopes, new dreams, new ambitions,  new opinions – everything.  I couldn’t possibly be the same me I was at 10, 20 or 30.  You grow up, make choices that lead you on different paths – want different things - need different things.

SDC14008

I leave all those different me’s behind – each one is in the past – what is important is the me I am now.  The one I have come to accept with all its faults and imperfections.  I try not to judge or reject myself any more – I now accept myself for who I am, not who I perceive myself to be, or what I want other people to believe I am.

1-SDC14016

Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others.  Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval.  Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her. – Lao Tzu

Am I always this introspective when a new birthday comes and goes – no, not really – mostly the day just passes with a small celebration to mark the occasion – a few cards, the odd present  - with just a passing thought that another year has been added to the ever-growing total.

How do you feel about birthdays as you get older?