Wherever you are

A shining star on my window
reminding me that from today
the days are getting longer!

A new wreath has been created and put on my door
to welcome all who come my way.

May the sparkle I have woven in,
bring the sparkle back to someone's eyes.

and may the softness of the yarn
offer some softness in a passing moment.

This angel  brings me music the whole year round
and just now, I like to listen to Christmas carols
as I prepare traditional treats.

Some home-made mincemeat made for mince pies
to be eaten from Christmas Eve onwards!

Time to take a break with a warm drink.
Won't you join me?

Wherever you are
Whatever your circumstances
Whatever your beliefs
May you be at peace with this moment
Just as it is.

For those whose families are scattered
and cannot be together,
My special thoughts go out to you.

Merry Christmas
Wherever you may be!












Slipping Simply into December

The luminous presence of a Hellebore

Another year is drawing to its end.
As I look back, I have been wondering how I could make my life simpler.
I have been musing on this for some time now.
How to simplify my everyday life.

In photography,
I often seek out visual simplicity.
Could I not do this in each moment - even when there seem to be so many things
demanding my attention?

When I look through the viewfinder of my camera,
I seek to strip away the superfluous and capture the essential.
I know what I want to include and what I wish to exclude.
I ask myself:
what draws me in?
What touches my heart?
Do I get an emotional response?
What goes deeper than just a pretty picture?

A tiny rosebud on my rose-bush, unable to open because of the cold
but which unfurled its tiny petals in the warmth of my apartment.

A rose,
is not just a rose
it's sometimes a little messenger
leading us to contemplation.

You may well ask,
why show a part of a crane?
Does it fit in with flowers and bells
and all things pretty?
Of course!
This image speaks to me, it draws me in
and lifts me up above the normal admiring attention I might give
to a classical and beautiful scene.
It carries me beyond the surface of beauty.
It makes me stop and observe for a long moment.
I see colours and shapes
I see balance 
I feel equilibrium.
There is something more to this than meets the eye.
It brings me into the moment
where all else just falls away!

As Christmas approaches,
there is a desire to create.
Simple shapes attract me
and using the colours that speak to me in the moment.

Seeking simplicity in all things
and remembering that
Less is often more!

The pretty star pattern was generously given by

Another link you may wish to check out, and which has been a source of inspiration to me,
is a photographic gathering for the whole month of December
organized by Kim Manley Ort
and which goes under the title of












Keeping it Simple

Lavender pomander

During this month of December
It's so lovely to pull back from the hustle and bustle
away from the tinsel and the baubles
and seek out simplicity.

Soft candlelight and ribbons

A vase of flowers in pastel colours


and in the evening
a little candle contemplation 
and time to unwind with Mozart's music:















Cosy crochet

Choose the colours you like
for the texture you want to create

See the pattern appear
as your crochet hook works its magic
to create ocean waves ...

and suddenly
you have a  flower

which unravels

into a scarf.

Make some wrist-warmers to match

Add a flower

Make another scarf 
with a different yarn
and another stitch.

and you're all set for winter


Come wind or snow!



It is normal courtesy to show you where I got my patterns and inspiration!

Pattern links:
Scarves: Fiber Flux
Wrist-warmers: Pink Milk Jewels










Seeking simplicity

The more I move forward,
the more I seek simplicity

and notice tiny details

soft meandering lines

gentle waves

New openings...
 with soft curves and muted harmonious tones.

I have always been attracted to the harmony in nature which allows me
to distance myself from the disharmony
 sometimes prevalent in the life of human beings.

Distancing my-self
from chaos
and reconnecting
with flow.






Reflections and the Art of Seeing

Have you ever noticed that when we take the time
to look at things in the opposite way we normally do,
we are transported into another dimension?

Instead of looking out of my window at urban concrete 
I can go outside in my own neighbourhood
and take in new horizons.

I can create my own picture gallery 
by taking in all the window reflections I can see

Just a few minutes from my apartment
is a wonderful art gallery
with paintings of the season
just for me
and for anyone else who wants to see!

Ahhh!
Breathe it all in
See how the light changes
Notice the slight movements the breeze is making.

Reflections are everywhere
and all we need
is to practice
the art of seeing!



Instead of looking at our views from inside out
we can look at them from outside in
and see a completely different world before us!

Thanks to reflections
and changing our point of view!





Abstraction

Let go of labels
let go of the analytical mind!
What do you feel when you look?

Trying to work out 
what something is
limits our perceptions.

Abstract quality.
When our eyes think they recognize what they are looking at.
Leave it be!
Let yourself be carried into a whole new world
away from concrete realities.

Enter into a deeper level and pull back from wanting to call something by a name.
Just go with the flow of the shapes and the colour
and immerse yourself into the subtlety
of what you feel.

Zooming in helps us
to look at just a part of the whole
and to discover that it exists in its own right.

Shapes take on a new feeling
See what you want to see
Feel what you want to feel
without preconception...

When I look at these images
I see beauty
I feel emotion
It is not necessary to know or guess what something is
to be able to feel its essence.
When I pull away
from wanting to know
A knowing is born in me.


Word meaning:
Abstraction:
from the latin word: 'abstrare'
meaning: to draw away.
The art of withdrawing or removing something from a source.








Leaf Whisperings

On my kitchen tiles
Through the open door,
A tiny leaf blew in
I bent down low
to say hello

In the park
A golden light was calling my name

Come outside!
Whispered the leaves

as they sighed and swayed over their bed of autumn jewels

Come and drink in the light and see our tantalizing colours

Let your eyes be filled with wonder

Breathe in the sky and our golden glory
to fill your heart with happiness
for a cold winter's day!