Thursday 23 August 2012

Spring Arrived Early.

In the lower half of the world spring has begun early. We are one day ahead but also, I think, one season ahead. The good news is in countries that have clear seasons, spring is always just around the corner.


Spring Promises.

Buds promise the flower
The flower- the fruit
Fruit- the harvest.
Warmth, ease, colour.
In the South of the World
The promise is Christmas
And holidays- beaches
Barbecues- time off
Less clothing layers
More time with family and friends.

For the winter is over and past, and the rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up,
and the time of singing birds has come, even the cooing of turtledoves. Song of Songs 2 verse 11 New Living Translation. 

Sunday 19 August 2012

Domestic Beauty, Distressed Paint.


Domestic objects, just common place but beautiful.



The old bookcase is the backdrop for all the ordinary objects- its colour and genuinely distressed surface
sets of any thing on it or in it. Fallen bird's nests- perfect in their roundness.

Old books collected from second hand shops with delicious gilt and embossing.
The contents are all treasures- poems, stories and illustrations.


A crystal bunch of grapes
on an empty frame with the sunlight caught in it's fruit and stem.


Where was the old French bookcase before I bought it?
In which French village, in whose home?

A thing of beauty is a joy forever...



Psalm 27 The message- I'll contemplate His beauty; I'll study at His feet.



Saturday 18 August 2012

English Heaven Echoed in New Zealand

From Votive Tablets by Edmund Blunden. 1931

Our painters have failed to compete with
the world-masters of myth and allegory-
but they did not waste time,
while they sat in ten thousand
leafy look-outs
and caught the warm shower stealing
and giving odours on the sunny labyrinths,
or the last messages of light
between the village walls and the summer sun.
Our shepherds never doubted,
as they shifted their hurdles
or came to the fair,
that earth
had something of heaven in it.


Let us see whether the vines have budded, whether the blossoms have opened and whether the pomegranates are in flower. Song of Songs 7 verse 11.






     Go to post Gardens Without Flowers for More Inspiration.

Our back garden is often without flowers, or maybe only has drifts of daisies, but it is never without interest with its contrasting leaf shapes and tones. Of course, in sunlight it looks its best, with the dappled light spotting through the trees onto the lawn beneath.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Even Artificial Roses are Romantic.




Middle of winter,
the roses you can buy have no perfume
and hardly look romantic.
So a bunch of fabric, artificial blooms
make an excellent substitute.
These are in an old well-shaped
pickle jar.

You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
The Message.Psalm 23.

Crochet Star on a Pillow Slip.

An inexpensive way to decorate white cotton bedlinen is to add a motif.


The white on white theme, which always looks crisp and peaceful is enhanced by added texture.

My friend made me the crochet star for my birthday and this is a brilliant way of displaying and preserving it.

Try to mix as many different textured whites as you can. Be sure to have some plain and smooth white in places so the look is not too busy.


I inherited your book on living,it's mine forever-What a gift! And how happy it makes me! The Message Psalm 119.

Monday 6 August 2012

Chalk Drawing

Chalks come in such delicious colors and large sizes like sticks of GELATO ice cream.




Kids of all ages enjoy the freedom of drawing on concrete. The effect is textural and beautiful.
If the images are great, save them through
photography.
Bethany
Antique Version Of Beth


I choose the road to somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner. Psalm 119 The Message.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Celebrate an Achievement!

Any and all achievements
are worth celebrating:

For eg: The finishing of a garden-Making a batch of jam or relish.
           A child's good report- A raise-An anniversary of any kind.
           A new baby in the family- A sum of money saved.
           An exam passed- A debt paid off- A friend's good fortune.
           A parent's good health report- A sports win.
           A creative project completed- Someone else's good news.
           A new address.
Also worth  celebrating are: A national holiday, the end of the week,
                                      Christmas, Easter, New Year, the arrival of 

                                       

                                      Spring, the first blossom, the first rose.

         These great things are not 'luck' so CELEBRATE them, and more.

Joining with friends, family, neighbours, strangers, or colleagues in a celebration for e.g.  in an open air music  or  national event, spreads 
enthusiasm and happiness- This celebrating makes you healthier by 
relaxing muscles, releasing endorphins and boosting your immune system-
Go ahead it's good for you!

The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, His life on our lives! 2 Corinthians 3.