February Musings

These winter months are perfect for handiwork of any kind.
Since crochet is my passion, besides photography,
I need no excuses for playing with my colourful yarns and hook.
This little heart turned out so prettily and fit the heart-shaped dish so well.

When we do any kind of handiwork, we need good, sharp scissors.
I have several. These are perfect for cutting off loose ends once they have been sewn in.

The big surprise of this first half of the month was an unexpected
and exciting snow storm.
This house is in my street just opposite from where I live.
I took the photo from my balcony.
The snow was mostly all melted by late afternoon when the sun came out again!

Flowering plants are so welcome in the home at this time of the year.
These hyacinth flowers are beautifully long lasting on the small round table in front of the window.
It's just next to where I sit surrounded by yarns and patterns!

A detail on the beautiful fully opened flowers.

One early evening, I went to see the latest film version of Little Women
adapted from the book by Louisa May Alcott which was written in 1868.
Life was certainly much different back then.
I was disappointed by this new version of the story. The story didn't flow
and some of the actors were sadly miscast.
The settings were beautiful.
As I walked back home from the bus stop at the top of my street,
I saw this beautiful shimmering moon  framed by the branches of a pretty birch tree.

Now something different!
I do love capturing abstract images with my camera 
and I'm not going to tell you what they are!
Abstracts pull us into a new way of looking at colour, shape and texture 
without wanting to label what we see.
This was taken on a structured, shiny surface and has not been post edited.

A different colour scheme on a similar sort of surface.
I love the feel of swirling energy.

This one is made by a special technique called Intentional Camera Movement!
I used a slow shutter speed to help the process and then the camera
is intentionally moved to create a soft blur.

This is the same subject but with different movements.
I love the feeling of the energy we feel and this shimmering vortex
which seems to lift me upwards.
It feels like painting with my camera!

Back to reality with some pretty flowering Viburnam blossom
looking so bright and cheerful in the soft neutral tones we see in February.

I even picked some adorable pink-tipped daisies growing in the grassy verges in my neighbourhood.
I thought they were perfect for Valentine's Day.
This is the day when florist's charge extra for their extravagant flower arrangements
that many ladies seem to expect.

All this brings us to think about the meaning of love.
It certainly isn't necessarily in the form of some grand gesture
like a dozen red roses, diamonds or the keys to a new car.

Love, in its broadest sense, englobes (or includes) all.
Not just one person.
It's about giving of oneself to everything worthwhile.
Everything is worthwhile.
It can be something as simple as offering a smile to someone that crosses our path,
or who sits next to us on the bus.

Love is choosing to protect and nurture our environment
for ourselves,
but especially for the children of today.
Love is not conditional, nor exclusive.
Universal love is the one we need to practice the most.
The whole planet, and all those who inhabit it, need our love.

Author and spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle, says it so beautifully:
"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."

Continuing the year-long project of crocheting a flower a week.
Here are the latest ones for weeks 4, 5 and 6.

See more details here:

20 comments

  1. What lovely photography Sandra. Your sharp scissors are so beautiful, as are the cute little butterflies in the same picture. Brilliant Moon shot too. I was watching it this week as it was close to the earth and therefore loomed large!

    We are currently contending with another windy/rainy storm after last weekend's one! No snow though! Your snow shot looked amazing.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Hello there, Sarn! Sometimes the moon looks so perfectly beautiful, doesn't it? Luckily, I had my pocket camera with me! I read about all the windy and rainy storms and flooding in the UK. We have been getting our share of gusty winds and the lake has been closed and all ferry crossings cancelled four times already this year!

      Luckily, there are lots of lovely things to do on the home-front. Crochet to create, new books to read and interesting documentaries to watch! What more do we need? Maybe a little more exercise?!

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  2. Beautiful photos and thoughtful words, Sandra. I think I may be one of the few women around who doesn't appreciate fresh flowers. I would much rather receive a living plant that doesn't die after five or six days!

    Your crocheted heart is just perfect and I love the tiny butterflies, too. Nice that you did have even a bit of snow. Ours quickly melted even though we had four inches or so. Hope you have a lovely week ahead full of lots of photo opportunities :)

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    1. Thank you, Carol. The hyacinths in these photos are from a potted plant, not cut flowers. I enjoy flowers in any form! When you don't have a garden, plants and cut flowers bring so much pleasure into my home!

      Everyone is talking about the mildness of the winter we have been having.
      I love that the days are getting longer now!

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  3. Oh, I love the snow storm!! We had a little snow one day. I do mean a little! Very fine flakes that could only be seen if you looked at something dark! Winter is a perfect time for your beautiful crochet projects. Love all those flowers!

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    1. Yes, I was very excited about the snowstorm, even though it didn't settle for very long! Yes, winter is an ideal season for doing all the handiwork we love! I do love this year-long flower project!

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  4. Beautiful floral designs! I used to crochet years ago and really enjoyed how relaxing it was. You have inspired me to take it up again. Thanks Sandra!

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    1. Thank you! That's lovely that you feel taking up crochet again! I always have something on the go, especially in these cooler months of the year.

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  5. What pretty crochet flowers! I see forget-me-nots and primulas. And I can't believe you have actual flowers growing at this time of year! You're right - they are much better than overpriced florists' arrangements.

    I enjoyed the colors and images in your abstract photos. I tried to take some "intentional camera movement" shots on my Sunday walk, but it didn't work well with my little point-and-shoot. (I probably ought to have set it to manual, but didn't think of it at the time.)

    Thank you for all the delightful photos.

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    1. Lovely to see you, Sue! Glad you liked the little crocheted flowers. The ones on the upper right in the collage are anemone. They're really fun to do. There will be two new ones for my next blog entry at the end of the month!

      If you want to try ICM (intentional camera movement) again. It would work really well if you put your camera on manual and choose a really slow shutter speed!

      Thanks for leaving a friendly comment!

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    1. How lovely to see you here, Astri! Thanks for popping in and leaving a comment.

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  7. Very thoughtful words about love, Sandra, and wonderful, colorful pictures, even in winter! I love the textures, shapes and colors of your abstract photos. The mind is abstracted and the soul rises to no-named places the more you observe them. Thank you very much for all your flowers this week, they are impressive, very clearly made and in exquisite colors combinations. I shared them on the Pinterest board. Wishing you a happy and bright weekend! 💕🍃🌸🍃

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    1. So nice to have you visit! I think that we need colour even more in the winter months, so I'm always on the look-out for it! I'm glad you like abstracts as well - they are rather fascinating!
      The crocheted flowers project also brings some welcome colour into our lives and they are such fun to do!

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  8. Many lovely images. Beautiful colors and shapes. Your crochet are also cheerful and lovely, as are your words. I chose these out of all be heart felt words:
    Universal love is the one we need to practice the most.
    The whole planet, and all those who inhabit it, need our love.

    So be it!
    Thank you for your birthday greeting!

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    1. Thank you for popping in, Tammie, and for leaving a friendly comment!
      We are having snowfalls today, as forecast, but I don't suppose it will last for very long!

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  9. It always brighten my mood to visit here. There's always something lovely to look at.

    I like reflection, abstract shots and those camera movement shots are wonderful, it's especially so because of their colorful mixtures.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. What a lovely comment, lissa. Thank you! The intentional camera movement shots are great fun to do, but we can never be sure of how they will turn out. I also liked these because of the colours!

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  10. Love the abstracts! Actually, all your work is lovely. Soothing is the best way to describe a visit to your blog.

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    1. So kind of you to say so, Sandy. I am glad that a visit here feels soothing to you. I like to capture the beautiful moments in my daily life. There's always something lovely to see and to experience when we look quietly around us!

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