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

Cherry heart

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

Photographic Simplicity

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!