Down by the stream

Such a perfect place to walk with the new leaves starting to open
and the water gurgling and splashing as it goes downhill


The pond is on higher ground
 and the water irises are growing taller each time I visit
The dandelions shine a cheerful yellow in the adjoining field
and the mountains appear in the distance against a hazy, light blue sky.

The duck is paddling to join his mate in the bulrushes where they spend a lot of  time together 
with their heads under the water and their tails in the air!

"Oh, there you are dear, I'd recognize you anywhere!"


Going back through the woods and past a little clearing where the wild anemone are still blooming

a blue periwinkle flower illuminated by a ray of sun
smiles up at me along the way.








Sunshine petals

Sunshine petals
Brighten my eyes
on a rainy day!

Pale green stalks
and a perfect layered profile

You fold your petals
with a precision
that only nature knows the secret...

and you come into my home
with your calm
and limpid beauty

The simplicity of your lines
brings spaciousness
into this moment
now.





After the English Lesson

During the Easter break, a little visitor came to stay and one of the things we planned into our days together were a couple of English lessons!
However, it wasn't all work and no play, not at all!
Our first outing was to go downtown to visit the cathedral and admire the architecture and take some photos.

Wow! Look how tall these columns are!

The day was cold and windy, so we dashed to a little café we know in the old part of town to drink a thick, hot chocolate!

It was so thick, we had to eat it with a spoon! 
The chocolate was accompanied by a mini Panettone, which is a rich Italian bread made with eggs and fruit and butter according to a secret recipe and traditionally eaten at Christmas.
Then we took the bus back home and had fun time in the local park.

Swinging high!

Jumping for joy! 

The next day was warmer and we even got some sun
and we drove out into the country to have a picnic by the pond.
There were masses of wriggling tadpoles for us to observe.
We couldn't have gone at a better time!

Playing by the stream was one of the highlights of the outing.
The woods were so peaceful except for beautiful birdsong and the sound of the running stream.

These photos are not about artistic composition
they are about the composition of Life
and how we can capture the wonders around us and rediscover
the sheer joy of existence
through the eyes of a child!

Dynamic Diagonals

This is all about diagonals which I have been studying in the exercise
of  Dynamic Diagonals as explained by Kat Sloma 
in
"Come Exploring with a Camera".

The delicate silhouette sign with star hanging against a blue sky is a "secondary" diagonal 
 which goes from bottom left to top right. 
It is perceived as "uphill".
Although this diagonal does not completely fill the frame,
if I drew a line with a ruler, it would cross the lower left-hand corner
to the upper right-hand corner.

"The Basics of Diagonals:
Diagonal lines are effective because the viewer's eye will follow them through the phtotograph.
How the eye moves through the photograph is based on how we read,
 which in Western cultures is from left to right."

This scene has both a secondary diagonal with the slope of the street from left to right
and also primary diagonals which we see in the slope of the roofs

here.

Although the diagonals here are discreet, they are my favourite ones:
the primary diagonal from left to right which we see in the shadow on the wall
 of the glass door in-between the two columns on the left.
Then the climbing wisteria on either side of the door creates a twisting
zig-zag up the main trunk.
The bars on the upper part of the door are both parallel and and zig-zag diagnonal lines.

Here is a lovely stone-carved spiral staircase which is a "downhill" diagonal
and on the far left is a plain staircase also going from upper left to lower right.

A clear-cut example of a primary diagonal

Uphill and downhill lines, crossing in the middle in a graceful movement.

A "primary diagonal" filling the frame.

This is my little helper - pointing out diagonals everywhere to me and I'm hoping that this one
is what is known as a converging diagonal created by the handheld stick with its reflection
in the puddle and creating two diagonals in line with the legs.

"There are often multiple diagonal lines in a photograph.
You can have parallel or non-parallel diagonals, along with converging and zig-zag lines.
According to Michael Freeman,
'A variety of diagonals gives the greatest energy to an image.' "















Letting the light in

I can never resist the unfolding of the leaves each spring.
The way nature wakes up from her long slumber
and teaches me about new beginnings
year after year.

After the toughest winter 
all is renewed
and so may we renew ourselves
when times have been tough.

Let the light come in

to lead the way.
Thanks to the darkness
I may see the light.



If I were a bird

If I were a bird
I would contemplate the world
from a branch on high
and wonder why 
so many humans
cannot see
the real meaning of life
the beauty
the simplicity.

If I were a bird
I would look up at the sky
and see the vastness 
and the greatness of it all
and offer up thanks.

If I were a bird
I would sing a song
to celebrate life
to celebrate simplicity
to celebrate the awareness of it all.

I am a bird
sitting on a branch up high
Observing the human that I am
and wondering why.




Photo-Heart Connection: March

Standing under the outstretched branches of the chestnut tree,
 I look around me and feel a deep connection to all I see.
Each element before me holds a symbolic message.
I get a wonderful feeling of openness and freedom and yet I feel protected, but not hemmed in, by the branches of the tree. 
Even though the trunk is not visible, the branches, with their upturned tilt,
 encourage me to cast my eyes around me.

The lovely tree shadow in the pebbles tells me that wherever I go 
 I shall always be protected by a discreet presence.
The new leaves unfurling speak of new beginnings
and however many life experiences I may encounter, they are there to help me grow and move forward.

The little ripples on the surface of the water are the ripples on the surface of life which isn't all plain sailing,
but underneath the ripples there is stability and strength.
As I walk across the pebbles, I approach the evergreen trees in the distance
and through them, I feel the promise of continuity.

 I continue my walk on the sunny side of the beach and my eyes are pulled towards the distant horizon
and I am reminded that there are always new possibilities in life 
which become more apparent when I lift up my eyes
 and take in the bigger picture.
Remembering the bigger picture of life gives me more freedom and opens up my limited vision.

Every detail of this scene speaks its silent wisdom to me
 in every possible way. 
I am happy to have seen and heard and understood nature's message.

When my heart is connected to nature,
I am connected to myself.




Bedazzled

Bedazzled by blossom
blue skies
and the beauty of it all

Irresistible delicacy

Sheer luminosity

Sunshine petals 

Frills and flounces

Pink and blue
just for you!