Follow what moves you!

"Find a way

to express

what moves you."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Let your passions guide you

and follow the path which opens before you.

Sandra

Once Upon a Midnight Blue

Little children gather round

Snuggle up without a sound

Look above at the sky so blue

Telling stories for me and you!

See the delicate silhouettes

and the branches

 drawing lines across the sky

waiting for the notes to play them.

The pine trees tingle in anticipation

and the atmosphere intensifies!

Hush!

The scene is set

Let the story begin!

"Once upon a midnight blue..."

Beyond the golden mist

As often as I can,

I leave the confines of the town

to get out into the country.

Yesterday, I was greeted by a golden  mist!

The surrounding fields and hills and mountains

were hidden from view.

Yet the sun, which was so close,

gave a lovely golden glow to everything.

The snow barriers are still up,

but so far this winter, they have just received sunshine and a little night frost!

A farm comes into view

and I like the pictures that the sun and mist are painting.

I enjoy them just as they are

without wanting to see beyond.

So it is in life,

I sometimes put up protective barriers

 for things that never happen.

I want to see clear pictures

of what lies ahead

I like to feel reassured.

Yet somehow,

the mist told me

All is well

and just as it should be

and I could tell that the hazy views

were filled with sunshine just waiting to come through.

Sometimes,

when we can't see clearly

it's good just to wait

and be with that moment

until the whole picture comes into view!

The Sound of Silence

A candle flickers

 soundlessly

 on my work table

A crochet hook

moves

in a silent, repetitious rhythm

and curtain shadows

dance on the walls

in rays of sun

The window handle

sits in a froth of  net curtains

There is stillness

and quiet contemplation.

No music, no television blaring, no one talking

Just listening to the sound of silence

and bathing in its velvety fullness

creating harmony and plenitude.

Crochet pattern here

Creating Space

A new year

with new ideas!

After spending the whole month of December

photographing simplicity

I realized the need

to create more space

in my home, in myself and in my life!

It can start so simply

and as a reminder,

I embroidered my chosen word for this year:

S I M P L I F Y!

What about you?

Have you been thinking about new ideas

for your own life this year?

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