The August Break 2016: Part four

THREE

Day 24

Three marbles.

What can I say?

I have loved them since I was a child

and still do.

PEACEFUL

Day 25

Quiet waters

shady trees

and a walk around the lake.

ORANGES

Day 26

Seville orange

perfect for making marmalade

not too sweet

and very delicious!

LITTLE

Day 27

My tiniest jug

and the tiniest  aster flowers

growing on my balcony garden.

I AM...

Day 28

I am...

zinnia

with many layers

joyful and vibrant

sometimes reserved

with a tender heart

and a poetic soul

enjoying the moment

seeking beauty wherever I am.

 FAVOURITE MUG

Day 29

In my kitchen cupboard,

I only have mugs that I really like

and I use them all.

However,

this one with the butterfly decoration

is my favourite breakfast mug.

It was given to me by my son many years ago

and he knew that the symbolism of butterflies

was important to me.

The butterfly is a symbolism of transformation

because of its impressive process of metamorphosis.

The butterfly is also associated with the human soul.

EVENING LIGHT

Day 30

AUGUST WAS...

Day 31

August was...

Slow moving

Colourful

Outdoor terraces

Parasols

Sparkling water

Lake crossings

Golden light

Walks before dawn

Languid

Forever changing

Beautiful

and

the hottest month of August I have ever known!

Here we are at the end of The August Break

It has been fun for me to do

The prompts have nudged my creativity!

Thank you to all of my visitors

for coming along!

The August Break 2016: Part three

BREATHE

Day 16

The calming influence of small waves breaking on the beach.

Breathing slowly and calmly brings helps us find a peaceful inner rhythm

 which relaxes both mind and body and eliminates stress.

Inhale 1-2-3-4-5

Exhale 1-2-3-4-5

Here is a short video to help

This sort of breathing is called 'cardiac coherence' (cohérence cardiaque).

BEDROOM WINDOW

Day 17

The gentle atmosphere and soft reflections before the sun comes over the hill.

The same window

illuminated by the sunrays

FIVE YEARS AGO

Day 18

Five years ago, a new tin of brightly coloured felt pens

was given to him for his birthday.

The first thing he did was organize the tin with strips of colour and numbers,

so that the felt pens would always be in their original order!

I love his quietly pleased expression as he admires his handiwork.

MY HANDS

Day 19

We use our hands to express ourselves,

to create and to follow artistic pursuits.

They allow us to feel textures, like the smoothness of a mother-of-pearl shell.

Hands can soothe a child and express compassion and love.

When I take photographs, I am very conscious of my hands and their importance.

Every day I am grateful for all my hands allow me to do.

CLOUDS

Day 20

This hot and humid month of August has shown us the most wonderful

and colourful cloud formations.

These were taken in my neighbourhood as the accumulated heat of the day

was culminating in big dramatic clouds filling the sky

with their majestic presence!

Clouds to dream by

A mosaic of a few of the clouds I saw during the past week.

TODAY IS...

Day 21

Today is walking along the lake in the early evening

and admiring the elegance of this beautiful swan.

SQUARES

Day 22

MY FACE

Day 23

This brings us to the end of the third week of the August Break.

See you on the last day of the month again!

The August Break 2016. Part two.

Day 9

RED

There's nothing like a dynamic red abstract to start off part two

of the August Break postings

RED (2)

in the form of a red double-decker bus

and because my grandson, staying with me, loves it!

Day 10

YELLOW

Dancing yellow petals in the background bringing a feeling of joy.

Day 11

GREEN

A dreamy soft focus capture which feels meditative to me.

Day 12

A SECRET

Sssssh!

Day 13

6 0'CLOCK

Time for a glass of sparkling water with a squeeze of lime juice

So refreshing!

Day 14

   LOVE IS...

"Love is a state of Being.

Your love is not outside; it is deep within you.

You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you.

It is not dependent on some other body, some external form.

In the stillness of your presence, you can feel your own formless

and timeless reality as the unmanifested life that animates your physical form.

You can then feel the same life deep within every other human 

and every other creature.

You look beyond the veil of form and separation.

This is the realization of oneness.

This is love."

Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now.

Day 15

UNICORN

Everyone says that unicorns don't exist, 

except in legends and mythology,

but last night I dreamed I was riding bareback 

on an amazing silver-grey unicorn.

We galloped through pastel coloured clouds of pink and blue

and I clutched his flowing mane to keep my balance.

I could feel his silky coat against my bare legs and feet.

When I awoke, I really believed in the existence 

of these beautiful creatures.

Do you?

***

Since I was unable to take my camera with me in my dreams

I found this wonderful unicorn image

which corresponds exactly to the one I rode!

Unicorn image: Stockphoto/CoreyFord.

***

Next week, I'll continue this August Break journey with you.

I hope you are enjoying yourself as much as me!

The August Break 2016: Part One

Day 1:

MORNING LIGHT

I had gone out early to catch a sunrise

but

all I caught were clouds and misty moments

so

I turned round to go home

and

when I looked back I saw these amazing misty sunrays!

Day 2

LEAF

A textured wooden step in a garden attracted my attention

because of this beautiful pale green leaf.

Day3

HANDWRITING

I cleaned my pens

polished the nibs

and found a stock of decorated paper.

I have decided to write more handwritten letters

and reinitiate the art of handwriting

into my life.

Just feeling the pen gliding effortlessly across the smooth paper

makes me remember how good that feels.

Day 4

SWEETNESS

Slowing down to notice the charming moments in each day.

This little toddler pulling her big shopping bag

made everyone smile.

Day 5

MIDDAY

Seeking the shade in the middle of the day

and being thankful for a parasol

which framed the fluffy blue clouds

like little thought forms drifting away from me

and leaving my mind free to revel in the moment.

Day 6

I'M READING

The latest book of one of my favourite authors

whose stories are based on true historical facts

with a story woven between them.

Tracy Chevalier is the well-known author of

'Girl with a Pearl Earring.'

Day 7

BENEATH MY FEET

The soft earth and sweet clover

where the early evening breeze created my skirt to billow out

.Day 8

FAVOURITE TASTE

Strawberries and raspberries: the taste of summer

***

This year, I've joined the August Break group for the first time.

The group is organized by Susannah Conway

who says:

" This is a community project that has no real rules -

the idea is to simply take a photograph every day 

for the whole of August.

That's it.

Pause, look around you and shoot what you see.

Live inside each moment.

Pay attention to what's there."

We get daily prompts

and they are the words written in capital letters.

For the whole of August, I'll be doing a daily posting on Flickr

and a weekly posting here.