1 This morning’s post brought me another little treasure, a painting of Louise O’Hara’s called Fritillaria and it is truly beautiful.You can see more of her work here and on her website.
Fritillaria Sunday by Louise O’Hara of Drawn to Stitch
2
When you arise in the morning
3 The rest of the country appears to be basking in sunshine. Here it is still grey and mizzley so here is a photo from this day last year when the sun shone on our Spring flowers (still trying to identify the pretty little pink one; can anyone help?)
Flowers in the wall 31.3.2013
P.S. 2/4/14 My SIL in Atlanta, Georgia tells me that the beautiful little pink flower is a Chionodoxa – Forbesii, sometimes known as Glory of the Snow. Thank you, V.
1 What a lovely day – cards, flowers and calls for Mother’s Day from our beautiful daughters and Skype with our lovely son and daughter-in-law in Barcelona. I feel very lucky indeed to have such loving people in my life.It has also been a day to remember my own wise and wonderful Mum and all that she taught me.
2 This beautiful Narcissi has bloomed in the sunshine and showers of the last few days. Please see the P.S.
Narcissus
3 We have just five Clematis Armandii flowers, better than none at all!
Clematis Armandii
P.S. I send these flowers to all my female friends out there in the ether with this beautiful post from a friend, P, showing such care and thoughtfulness.
A message of love and compassion to all friends out there on Mother’s Day who do not have their own children, to friends who are estranged from their children or their mothers and to friends who have lost treasured members of their family ... may you find unconditional love in unexpected places and a healthy channel for your own nurturing and creativity to help make the world around you a place where you feel cared for and are seen and known for who you are. x x
1 BBC Radio 4 has done it again! This morning it was a live version of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with the original cast from the BBC radio series. As a family, we loved this and played it in the car on the long journeys from Yorkshire to Cornwall to visit my parents, resulting in knowing much of it by heart!
Original cast – BBC’s photo
Stephen Moore, Susan Sheridan, Mark Wing-Davey, Simon Jones and Geoff McGivern at the BBC Radio Theatre, London, as part of Radio 4s Character Invasion Day as the original cast of Douglas Adams’s comic sci-fi Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe reunite
2 Serendipity struck happily again this week (love that word and all it means!) Several days ago, friends shared the music of Sixto Rodriguez with me and I loved it. Then, not knowing about that, another good friend lent us the dvd, Searching for Sugarman, about two fans’ search for Sixto after he disappeared from the music scene. I know my South African readers will know this story – just want everyone else to know too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKYEYNX-Eug
Sixto Rodriguez – Cold Fact
3 I felt in need of the Ultimate Comfort Food tonight so Macaroni Cheese it was. Totally scrumptious!
1 BBC Radio 4 brought more delights today. The guest on Desert Island Discs was the nurse and humanitarian, Dame Claire Bertschinger, about whom I knew very little. She was fascinating and if you can find the time, I think you would enjoy it too. Here’s the link to the programme.
Apart from hearing about her inspirational life, her choices were very touching for me. There was a verse from Hiawatha, the very verse I learned at primary school and then there was ‘The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God’ which my Dad used to recite to us having learned it at his primary school. I found it so touching because I spent the last seventeen days of my lovely Father’s life in the hospice with him and one day, though very, very ill, he said, “I wonder if I can remember this,’ and went on to recite the whole thing to his and my delight. You can listen to the poem here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUoZAvwvUQA
Dame Claire Bertschinger – BBC photo
2 Sometimes only Jelly Babies will do and the lovely Mr S went down to the corner shop to get me some.
My treat
3 When Mr S came home he found a big cardboard box on the doorstep and inside it were the most beautiful flowers, a present from our youngest daughter for Mothers’ Day, from a Cornish flower grower. I have put them into our lovely amber glass vase that was a wedding present for my Mum and Dad in 1939!
1 Confined to the house as I am with pleurisy (what a bummer!) I am loving listening to BBC Radio 4’s Afternoon play which each afternoon this week is a marvellous interpretation of Hamlet, one of my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays. Today’s episode reached the oh so moving speech when Queen Gertrude tells Laertes that his sister, Ophelia has drown’d.
“There is a willow grows aslant a brook
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream.
There with fantastic garlands did she come
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples,
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do “dead men’s fingers” call them.
There, on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And mermaid-like a while they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued
Unto that element. But long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.
Those beautiful, sad words brought Milais’ painting into my head.
Ophelia by John Everett Millais
2 A blogging friend, Lou, introduced me to The Presents of Presence when she re-blogged a post. The following words really spoke to me so I, in turn, give them to you here:
Make the Ordinary Come Alive
Do not ask your children, To strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
From ‘The Parent’s Tao Te Ching” by William Martin
3 Last night two of my knitting friends brought me some beautiful Pheasant’s Eye Narcissi. Not only do they look amazing, they smell just lovely. Thank you N and T.
1 Between our house and next door there is a rampant vine that has the most beautiful and very small purple flowers. My lovely neighbour, S, tells me that it is Akeba Quinata.
Akeba Quinata
2 A very pretty pink flower has arrived in the wall with the Muscari and the Tete a Tete but I cannot remember what I planted! Any help out there?
Pink flower?
3 We held our first Knit and Natter Night this evening, each of us intent on knitting at least one piece for the Wool Against Weapons event.
Two very different photos today, one a macro of a raindrop with reflections in it and the other caught in the instant as we all walked by a very shiny black VW Beetle.
1 It has been a beautiful Spring day today and I ventured out into the garden. The sunlight was shining through the white Narcissi.
Sunlit Narcissus
2 There were still raindrops held between the newly sprouted leaves of the Aquilega and, if you click to enlarge and then zoom in, you’ll see the reflection of the trellis work. There’s also a tiny string of raindrops just behind the main drop and the new leaves have a delicate furriness.
Aquilega and raindrop
3 My lovely sister-in-law reminded me of a poem that just shouts ‘Spring has sprung’ and here it is –
in Just by e e cummings
in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it’s
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
I love it! Spring and the essence of childhood – just glorious!
You’ll find another e e cummings poem in this post.
My sister, Daisy Priya Lucas, who lives in Hawaii, is an artist.She has recently completed this beautiful pastel of a beautiful and much loved elder of Hawaii, Kumu Raylene Kawaiaea. Daisy has given me permission to use her work as one of my beautiful things today. You can see another of her pieces in this post.
“Kumu Raylene Kawaiaea, also known as Raylene Lancaster, was a beloved elder, revered kumu hula (traditional dance teacher) and a cultural consultant and preserver who lived in North Kohala, Hawaii. She was a teacher at Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center and a practitioner of the ancient Hawaiian art of reaching agreement or “making things right” called Ho’oponopono. She took part in numerous community events and her presence was sought after for blessings and dedications to new buildings and organizations. Kumu Raylene Kawaiaea died at age 61 from a car accident. She is remembered as a beautiful individual whose love and wisdom touched many on the island of Hawaii and beyond. It is said that any person who stood before her felt worthy and loved – the true meaning of “Aloha.”
Thank you so much, Daisy, for sharing your work and for the link to the videos. Kumu Raylene sounds like a remarkable and wonderful woman. I wish I could have met her. You capture her essence in this beautiful portrait.
PS 24 February 2015 I have removed the pictures on the request of Chyenne, the Granddaughter of Kumu Raylene whose comment you can read below. I fully respect her wishes and am very sorry for any offence caused.
PS 16th July 2015 My sister has gained the family’s permission for her beautiful paintings to be shown here.
