Winter Sunsets

That time of day
when a changing winter's sky
warms our hearts
and colours the moment
in pink and gold
and the trees stand quiet to admire the show

when birds soar high above
and mountains dress themselves in beguiling mist
and the lake takes on an inner glow

Time stands still
when we are in the moment
when we let the joy in.





Be still

Be still

I am winter

See my intricate designs

Know that my blanket of snow
prepares spring flowers in secret

Breathe in my pure spaciousness

Accept the moment
in whatever form it takes

I am winter
Do not wish me away...
I have my role to play!






What is love?

How do I love?

Do I love expecting something in return?
Do I measure and bargain?

What is love?
True love is a universal energy which knows no boundaries.

So may I love a stone, a shell, a blade of grass,
a sunbeam and a snowflake
or the tiniest of flowers as much as the tallest of trees.

Love is for my fellow humans
And this is the most difficult one of all
As we come with our desires and expectations...

How is love expressed?
By giving someone our full attention
By recognizing their worthiness
By simple gestures
Giving a smile
or a helping hand when it is most needed.
By looking them in the eyes when they talk.
By being totally present when we are with someone.
By being here
Being
Here

The gift of love
Every day of the year.




Colour me orange

Seville oranges
well washed
still glistening with water drops

Cooked until tender
Fragrant citrus smells in the kitchen
Cut to reveal their gorgeousness

Taking time
to admire texture and patterns

Remove the pulp and pips
cut the soft rind into chunky pieces

Ladle the cooked marmalade into jars

My favourite breakfast
on my favourite plate.

The simplest things in life take on a whole new meaning
when we do them with awareness.






What do I choose to see?

Life is made up of experiences
We may label them good or bad, but finally they are just life experiences.
They come into our lives without pattern or plan.
We are the ones who are so clever at interpreting what happens to us
of labelling it
of giving it meaning.

When I look at my life right now, I can decide what I choose to see
and this will have an enormous influence 
on how I feel about this moment.

My balcony is a wonderful reminder when I need to choose.

I live in an urban environment, albeit out of the city centre.
The road I live on is a busy one,
Cars, motorbikes and trucks of all sorts pass by throughout the day.

There are two ends to my long balcony: the road end and the small park end.

When I want to see beauty, when I want to feel serene and content,
do I go and watch the noisy trucks filled with earth go by as they rush to some building site?
Or do I choose to face the park and the beautiful trees and a golden sky?
Where do I decide to focus my attention?

Can you imagine?

I CAN CHOOSE!

Am I not fortunate?

What do you choose to see
in your life
at this moment?



This is my Photo-Heart-Connection for the month of January.
It is nice to look back and see why I was connected
to an image more than any other
during the course of the month. 
The photo I choose is always one which tells me something essential
about life and how I connect to it.
One which touches my heart and helps me to move forward.






When tree silhouettes grace the sky

Outlined against a pastel sky

the winter trees bring us back to the essential

and the rising moon teases the branch tips.

Like graceful dancers in flowing robes

The majestic Poplar tree plays ball with the moon

and the Cedar tree stretches its limbs against the sunset

Delicate tendrils pay homage to the earth.







Artistic Blur

Pine tree branch in the snow

This month's Exploring with a Camera exercise is about
Artistic blur!
This is much more difficult than I thought!

The  above effect was created by using a long shutter-speed with a small aperture.

 I also put the camera on manual mode
to create the amount of blur I wanted.
I sometimes  used 'intentional camera movement' 
using the direction in which I found gave
the most harmonious effect.
All the photos were taken with a 50mm f/1.4 lens.

Could this be a gale force wind  in a blizzard?

You can tell in which direction I was moving my camera for this composition.
If you look carefully, you can see the benches and a park lamp.

These first shots were taken in my local park this morning
and it was cold work, so I went inside to warm up 
before a second outing.

How about blurring up a picture
I have in my home?

Then into the bedroom 
to move across the turquoise duvet cover
and the bed spread.

Into the office
to play with the coloured files!

A Mother-of-pearl shell 
in my living-room.

After warming up at home with a hot drink,
I returned to the park to capture this lamp.
Then I noticed some people going shopping with their umbrellas
to protect themselves from the still falling snow.

I like this one of the lady dashing along
down the hill to the shops with her
shopping caddie.

And how about this one with her shopping bag
and cheerful yellow umbrella
creating a scene reminiscent of Impressionist painters?


Kat Sloma
from kateyestudio 
has organized this very interesting
and instructive exercise in photography.
Check out her site and the work of others here: