Taking the time

Have you ever noticed how much a child

lives each moment so fully?

Painting stones is so absorbing as the creative energy

is allowed to run freely.

What can be so interesting as we walk in nature?

Snails!

It has been raining so there are plenty of them

along the path we have chosen to walk.

A new pretty shell is chosen for his collection!

Look at this one which has been broken.

What is the snail's story?

Contemplation

Every single thing is a reason to stop and observe

and children show us how important it is to take the time to do this

in a world where so much frantic rushing seems to exist.

Such fascination in the shapes of  these shells

which once held a living being.

and now it's time to climb and play

totally in the moment

feeling all those lovely stones under summer sandals

and to rest at the end of the day with furry friends!

Children teach me how to take the time

to enjoy each moment fully

excluding all else

except 

for 

this moment!

I feel so lucky to have a grandson

with whom I have a privileged relationship

and feel blessed when I am in his company.

At the end of my day

As I leave the house, I pass the iris leaning softly into a sea of green leaves

I notice shapes and details and colours as I stroll and unravel my day

tiny grasses sway and tremble on Nature's summer blanket

and a single stem brings me back to simplicity

Fresh green foliage waves me on my way

Soft tendrils brush away  the little knots that appeared during the day

and the last rays of sunshine illuminate the trunk of a tree

reminding me

to come back to my centre.

Dappled skies show that a change could be expected

yet on the other side, the innocent pink and blue sky enhances the clear-cut  silhouette

of a tree 

and gives me another point of view.

Do you like to unwind in nature at the end of your day?

It helps me let go of all that has passed

and brings me back into the moment

I am actually living.

Street Photography

Colour coordination

Red is the colour of the day!

Are my cuffs in the right place?

Happy moments on the lakeside path

Devoted daddy with his little babes

and a silver-haired couple seeking a spot in the shade.

Reading the menu

"Mummy! I've chosen my ice-cream!"

This is the life!

A sunny terrace and the time to enjoy it!

Sharing a moment

When time stands still...

What is he writing?

Expressing himself

Quiet contemplation.

It's quite an honour to enter into other people's lives through photography.

A connection is felt and I feel closer to their life stories

as if I am part of their world

which I am.

Using my 50mm lens to capture these candid shots.

Discovery

When pansies become a painting

 and where the wind whispers its impressions to soft and dreamy yellow daisies

Tiny speckled flowers fade in and out of their smudged background

like the breath of a flower fairy

When flowers and crocheted Mandalas blend together and connect

and a chalice of petals reaches up to brush the circle of life

A soft blanket cascades down to meet with a single flower

and all becomes muted and mingled and each object becomes part of another 

as they dance together in joyful abandon.

The discovery

of the 50mm lens

how it connects to all it sees

with a paintbrush dipped in watercolours.

I've just finished a very uplifting class

with Kim Manley Ort

The 50mm Project

Delicacy of the Butterfly Lavender

The bud, decorated with tiny dark purple flowers with a bright pink centre

to protect the folded wing-like garments of the

Butterfly Lavender

Unfolding petals in the sun

Stretching frilly petals in a shady spot

Kissed by the sun

Poised for flight

Butterflies

symbolize change and transformation.

The butterfly is symbolic of the soul and its freedom at the time of passing.

What's a girl to do?

What's a girl to do when it rains on her birthday?

She puts on her best smile 

and opens her umbrella

and feels a song coming on!

"Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face!"

" I walk down the lane 

with a happy refrain,

Just singing, singing in the rain!"