Bubbles

A little bit of soap bubbles' magic

Even more fun when the surrounding landscape is reflected

Summer pleasures

Oops!

I got caught!

Seeing Beyond Seeing

Beyond

the labels

and the reflections

lies something deeper

than thoughts

something more wonderful

 when we exclude what we think we see

and look beyond

to really see beyond seeing.

Creative Moments in August

My latest crochet creation: a star tablecloth in cotton.

Trying out different colours

Fresh blues and white.

A plain white crocheted cloth will look good on any colour

and a star mat in my favourite blues.

Lots of stars for various uses

Here is where I found them - in the lovely book below.

 Click on the images to enlarge them:

I love bright colours outside. Don't you?

This summer I made a new bunting.

Hanging  the triangle bunting outside.

If you like these two patterns, you can find out details

HERE

Do you like creating things with your hands?

      

Water abstracts

When reflections create 

colours and abstract shapes

my eyes see only them

as they dance

and ripple

and create magic...

What do your eyes see today?

Keeping cool

Water and the fresh green of ivy

Can you reach the waterfall with your fingers?

Feel the freshness on your face

" Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water.

Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better

It has no equal.

The weak can overcome the strong

The supple can overcome the stiff."

(Lesson seventy-eight, Tao Te Ching)

Shallow water to cool our hot feet

Can you feel the little wavelets lapping around your ankles?

During the hot, hot days of summer

there is nothing better than water to energize us once again.

A book to read:

This is a book of wisdom written by Lao Tsu.

It is thought to have been written in the sixth century B.C.

Link to book: HERE

How are you keeping cool these days?

The Taste of Summer

Have you ever taken a sensory walk, noticing what you really see, smell, hear and can touch?

My eyes were drawn towards this emerald green dragonfly

which I luckily managed to capture with my compact point and shoot camera

when out in the country doing pole walking!

The lush green pastures and the deep green pine trees

If you close your eyes, you can actually smell

the beauty of this summer's day.

A woodpile full of curving shapes with many textures of moss and wood

and a perfume of resin.

Closer to home on a neighbourhood walk, soft dandelion clocks prepare

to send their seeds in the air at the next gust of wind.

In my balcony garden a bee lies across my zinnia flowers

to gather pollen.

Can you hear him buzz as he goes from one flower to another?

What I'm reading now: the biography of Alice Herz-Sommer.

A Century of Wisdom, is a testament to the bonds of friendship,

the power of music and the importance of leading a life of material simplicity,

intellectual curiosity, and never-ending optimism.

See the link below:

A Century of Wisdom

A breakfast smoothie.

Now this is a real taste of summer!

I decided to buy a blender in July

and have been making health promoting smoothies ever since.

If you're a smoothie fan, maybe you'd like to try the one above:

Fruit smoothie:

2 apricots, a few strawberries, some blueberries

1/2 cup of pineapple juice

1 soy yoghurt

4 fresh mint leaves.

Blend on a 'pulse' setting and drink without delay!

Makes 2 glasses.

Try it and let me know what you think!

What are you reading this summer?

Inspired by a newsletter from Kim Manley-Ort

on Photographing Summer.

See a link to her site HERE

Thoughts on Summer

A new book, some flowers on my tablecloth

and reading outside in dappled sunlight.

White parasols against the blue sky

Crossing the water to new horizons

Sunrise on the lake and hazy skies

Closed shutters against the midday heat

listening to muffled sounds in the street outside.

The perfume of roses as they climb to the sky

Watching  wavelets break on the beach

and listening to tiny pebbles singing their gravelly song!

The elegance of a sailing boat waiting for evening breezes

and watching the sunset and eating some good quality ice-cream!

This is the ice-cream I sometimes make at home!

It's a single tub serving of  coffee ice-cream.

I make a chocolate sauce with 4 squares of dark chocolate, 

add 1tbs water, 1 tbs light cream, 1 tbs alcohol of your choice (optional).

Melt the chocolate and liquid together gently to blend

then pour the hot sauce over the cold ice-cream.

Oh! the glorious tastes of summer!

When I think of summer, I remember my childhood and all it meant to me:

summer holidays

days that never ended

the beach and the sound of waves

the seagulls cry

sand in-between my toes

and ice-cream cones.

These days, summer evokes life without a fixed schedule,

never looking at my watch

Getting out early to see the sunrise

and

letting myself live the moment so fully that I think I'll burst with joy!

How does summer speak to you?

Summer reading:

 Click below:

The Last Runaway