Wednesday 23 June 2010

The Uncarved Block

Balanced rock in Arches State Park Utah - photograph by Tim Pearce

used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence

One of the basic principles of Taoism is P'u, the Uncarved Block. The essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.

Everything has its own place and function. When you know and respect your inner nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong.

From the state of the Uncarved Block comes the ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times.

As Piglet put it in Winnie-the-Pooh, "Pooh hasn't much Brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn out right."

"Just How do you do it, Pooh?"

"Do What?" asked Pooh.
"Become so Effortless."
"I don't do much of anything," he said.
"But all those things of yours get done."
"They just sort of happen," he said"

Benjamin Hoff - The Tao of Pooh

ISBN-10: 0140067477
ISBN-13: 978-0140067477

Monday 21 June 2010

The Sun Stands Still


Stonehenge Summer Solstice Sunrise
- photograph by Simon and Vicki
used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic licence

''Solstice'' is derived from two latin words: ''sol'' meaning sun, and ''sistere,'' to cause to stand still. As the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it reaches its zenith, and it appears to have stood still.

People have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer: the Summer Solstice, Midsummer, St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha. Today, the day is still celebrated most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when dancers would leap through the flames, Aromatic herbs such as St. John's Wort were said to be burned on the fires.

Midsummer Eve was traditionaly a time for fairies to cross over from the Otherworld. Dancing around bonfires is said to attract them!

Making flower headdresses is an ancient tradition for this day, with wreathes of sacred plants and herbs hung on houses for good luck and prosperity.

When the Summer Solstice was incorporated into the Christian calendar, it became the feast day of 'St. John the Baptist'.

For druids the Summer Solstice was symbolic time of the wedding between Heaven and Earth. The Goddess as Earth Mother and God as Sun King. The Midsummer moon was called the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice. June is still a traditional time for couples to marry.

Sunday 20 June 2010

The Sunshine of Our Love

Sunshine Butterfly - photograph by hocusfocusclick
used under the Creatuve Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

Is not love like sunshine, it is given freely, and shines down upon us from the heavens, whether we feel the rays upon our face, or need to hide away in shadow. A true wish for the happiness of others can only ever be unconditional.

When we meet our true friends, after a long absence, there is always joy in our hearts, for friends genuinely care for one another. We share our tales of travelling through life, and really want to know how things have turned out. I have recently made contact with some friends, that I have not seen for maybe fifteen years at least, and yet it is like only a moment has passed. We connect within an instant.

There are times in our lives where we literaly dissolve inside. We are in a chrysalis, underneath our old hardened skin. Inside our hearts may be broken, or our dreams shattered, and we must grieve for the unavoidable pain. We are in transformation, how we think and feel about ourselves is in change. We dissolve and the anguish can be painful. Yet when something terrible is happening to us on the outside, something wonderful inside is being born.

And in time, the beautiful butterfly will return...

And the sunshine of our friends, will still be there waiting for us.

How does god manifest love, if not through our loved ones and friends?


Wednesday 16 June 2010

Sunny Days and Ice Cream

Ice Cream - photograph by Sarah G
Used under the Creative Commons Attibution 2.0 Generic licence


It has been a beautiful sunny day here in England.
That rare summer event!

If you are an overseas student and ever wonder when all those sunny pictures of your university were taken, that they put in the brochure - well it will probably have been the one day in the year, like today!



Isn't that the greatest ice cream ever, in the picture. I think I'll have to go and search for one...

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Moon and Geese

Moon and Geese at dawn - photograph by Viki's Nature
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

Some nights stay up till dawn

as the moon sometimes does for the sun.

Be a bucket filled, pulled up the dark way of a well

then lifted out into light.

Something opens out wings,

something makes boredom and hurt disappear.

Someone fills the cup in front of us,

we taste only sacredness.


~thirteenth century Persian poem

Daisies

Daisies - photograph by photographic poetry
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic licence

Over the shoulders and slopes of the dune I saw the white daisies go down to the sea, A host in the sunshine, an army in June,
The people God sends us to set our heart free.
~ William Bliss Carman

I wish upon you a daisy blessing, may your path be paved in shining white and gold.

Monday 14 June 2010

Fairy Queen and Silver Pond

Silver pond by by cosmonautirussi
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 generic licence

The water fairy leads us down through the roots, to the spirits of the depths, and the sources of dreams beneath the threshold of consciousness.


I have bathed in the clear cool waters, refreshed, cleansed.


It is so very hard for me to leave, the joy you given me, the love you have shown. The shining jewels beneath, as I gaze into your reflective depths. For one brief moment, you became my very own fairytale, the stuff of stardust. But you live on your side of the pond and me on mine, each of us within our own magic kingdom. The steps I have taken alongside you on our brief enchanted path, have been full of wonder. But I dare not linger, too long, least you should suffer some fairy tale curse, from a broken promise.

In my heart I simply want to stay forever, but to live, we must constantly take our leave. The beginning of every path is at the same time the end of another.

I leave a trail of tiny flowers, in words and pictures, for you to follow in my waking dreams.


Farewell, my bright and shining companion, until we meet each other on the road ahead, when our star clad paths shall cross again.

Sunday 13 June 2010

Margarita Recipe

Margarita - photograph by by Akke Monasso
used under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 licence

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup white Tequila
1/3 cup Triple Sec
Coarse salt for coating the rims of the glasses

Dip the rims of 4 glasses in the lemon juice and put the glasses in the freezer. In a sealable bottle or shaker combine the Tequila, the Triple Sec, the remaining lemon juice, and about 2 cups crushed ice, seal the bottle, and shake the Margarita vigorously until it is very cold and the ice is almost melted. Remove the glasses from the freezer, dip the rims in the salt, shaking off the excess, and fill the glasses with ice cubes. Divide the Margaritas among the glasses.

Not exactly cooking, I know, but just a little something to put a smile on your face, if you happen to take up a friends offer of Tequila!

Heaven

Blossom - Photograph by Paco Alcantara
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

Heaven
An endless sea of apple trees
Each flower a soul
In blossom
The soft golden sunlight
Never sets

My dearest friend, I am so so sorry to hear of your loss. I am giving your hand a little squeeze...

Thursday 10 June 2010

Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness



Sunshine - photograph by **Mary**

Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence



Even though we are slowly letting go... know that we are flying freely... across forever. We'll meet now and then, when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that can never end. (With acknowledgement to Richard Bach, There's no such place as far away)


The fondest farewell

Is a whisper

Resting softly

In your heart

The Eagle and the Sun

An eagle soars above the sun - photograph by Jasmic
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

Eagle Medicine is the power of the Great Spirit. It is the gift of clear vision with which one can truly see the things one sees. It has the spirit of tenacity and courage. It is the patience to wait for just the right moment. It is to live in balance with heaven and earth. The eagle reminds you of your connection with the Great Spirit. It tells you that the universe is giving you the opportunity to fly above your life's worldly levels, and beyond the shadow of the past. Eagle teaches you to look above in order to touch Grandfather Sun with your heart, to love the Shadow as much as the Light. Eagle asks you to grant yourself permission to be free in order to reach the joy that your heart desires.

Lift yourself into the wings of all birds that fly
You can see through their golden eyes,
You can touch the wind that sweeps through their velvet feathers,
You can know the joy of going way up high above the world and all its cares.
You can stay as long as you want in the sky, past the night, through sunrise,
And when you feel like coming down again, your questions will have answers
And your worries will be gone.
~Richard Bach (There's no such place as far away)

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Sunflowers and Blue Skies

Sunflower sunflower by Irina
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Licence

Here is a sunflower for you. I chose it because there was a comment underneath which said, "gives one only positive thoughts." Wishing you a blue sky and happy thoughts.


Monday 7 June 2010

Cloudbursting

Sunlight breaking through the clouds by Chad Johnson
Used under the Creative Commones Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic licence

"But every time it rains,
You're here in my head,
Like the sun coming out--
Ooh, I just know that something good is going to happen.
I don't know when,
But just saying it could even make it happen."

~Kate Bush, Cloudbursting

Don't give up hope, I've not gone away, the sunshine is just waiting, hiding, behind the clouds for another day.


The importance of letting go


I have recently had two lessons in the importance of letting go. One which has haunted me for some past twenty six years, which I have sought to bury so deeply, that it could never be uncovered, and one which by my presence causes their distress. I don't ever want to hurt them and certainly not more than I could ever possibly know.


I have learned that digging a tiny grave and burying a part of you, does not lay the ghost to rest. It simply resides in you deeply. To grieve you must let go. To ask for forgiveness, when for all this time you cannot forgive yourself, and the others around you, who caused your pain. It takes great strength and courage. But we are never meant to carry such a burden, throughout our entire life. I have carried the screaming angry spirit of an invisible child within me for all these years, and it was killing me, trying to get out. And although I tried my best, I wanted to cradle you in my arms, in the end I simply had to let go.


And someone, who has helped me, more than they could ever possibly know. Who I love in a way, I cannot possibly express, but a love which is not selfish or blind. I must let go. For I cherish their happiness more than anything.


I will never ever forget you, not even when I'm one hundred. You will be in my prayers forever.

Tears are silent prayers



If I had arms that could stretch
around the world
I would hold you tightly
for dear life
and not let go
until the very last tear
from your deep dark well of sorrow
had fallen on my breast

If I had wings
I would carry you in my arms
And fly back to a time
When you felt safe
Before fear began

And if tears are silent prayers
Then I pray for you
From the river in my heart
For you to have the strength
To carry on

Saturday 5 June 2010

Magic Hour

Milos Bay Church Magic Hour by ChrisGoldNY
Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic licence

Magic hour is the first and last hour of sunlight during the day, but not at the point of sunrise or sunset.

Lighting is more diffuse and softer and shadows are longer. When the Sun is near the horizon, sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere, reducing its intensity, so that more of the illumination comes from the sky. More blue light is scattered, so that light from the Sun appears more reddish. The Sun's small angle with the horizon produces longer shadows.

There is less contrast during the magic hour, shadows are less dark, and highlights are less likely to be overexposed. This can enhance the colours in landscape photography.

Life is for sharing with your friends

Our happiness comes from others. Being self-centred is the source of unhappiness and suffering, as we struggle to take away other peoples joy. Thinking about and caring for others is the source of all happiness. Genuine friendship is based on true human feeling, we are bought close to one another when we care for one another and share our feelings. We become connected. Everyone needs friends, and compassion and concern for others are what attracts true friendship.

Thursday 3 June 2010

The Apotheosis of the Rose

The Apotheosis of the Rose - Joseph Stella 1926

I love this painting by Joseph Stella. It is joyous and full of hope, and is accompanied by this beautiful poem by the artist. I understand now why artists are so driven to show the beauty of creation. Although I don't know why I was chosen for such an important task... maybe I heard a telephone ringing on the sidewalk, and answered the call!

May, shining and filled with the sounds of warbling,
Proclaims its arrival with vermilion bursts if joy
radiating from the centre of the canvas like
A heart.
The clear serenity of the sky offers as an altar
The Queen of Heaven
With a silver Halo, the song that foretells the Mystic Dawn.
And from the base of the canvas arises, fluttering - propitious votive offering -
A dewy thicket of small roses and field flowers
Set in snowy whiteness.
The whiteness of two herons spring outs as if by magic out of the shining brook that echos with heavenly reasonance,
The brook toward which other birds, to bathe themselves
In the blue and the light,
To draw fresh energy for their joyous voices that they may strengthen, render more fully
The ringing Chorus of Praise
Celebrating the divine union of Sky and Earth
As they sing in unison.


Recognising the Path of Destiny

An image in the heart by Diane Barker

This is a greeting card which a long lost love once sent to me. Although you can't see it in the scanned picture, there is an important message in this card written in very tiny writing around the four sides of the "path" in the middle

It all came back to me
Colour, shadow, sunlight
The soul just opening
I abandoned myself

This is a message about remembering your hearts desires, the states of feeling which you wish to attain, and allowing your imagination to dream - to bring them forth, to manifest your feelings. Abandoning your fears and doubts, and selfish misconceptions of happiness... to step out upon the path.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Guardian Angel

An angel which I drew for a very special friend who was recently in hospital for an operation.




I used special metallic oil pastels which shine if you have the light at just the right angle. They are my favourite artist materials.



I hope she likes them.

Monday 31 May 2010

The Golden Flower, The River of Love and The Immortal Gardener

White Lotus - photograph by Li-Ji
(used under the Creative Commons Attribution licence 2.0)


I have just found this incredibly beautiful parable at http://parables.swami-center.org/ © Vladimir Antonov, 2010. This material may be reproduced with a reference to the author and to his site.

Huang

Parable about the Golden Flower, the River of Love, and the Immortal Gardener

Many legends were composed about the mystery of the Flower of Heart. Some legends call it the Flower of Life; some speak about it as about the Golden Flower, others assert that it is the Flower of Immortality. All these names are not casual: they reflect the blissful aroma of this Flower and lift slightly a veil of the mystery which surrounds it…

… Once there was a man who lived in a small valley hidden in the mountains. He lived easily and lightly! Many people called him saint; others called him monk; the others called him the Enlightened.
Yet he neither spoke nor thought about himself in that way.

Sometimes he called himself a gardener, although he did not have a garden. He cultivated just one single flower: the Golden Flower of Spiritual Heart, the Flower which grants Immortality.

This man lived simply. He lived and rejoiced at the existence that he contemplated! He was a friend with the mountains where he lived, with the winds which passed over his small valley, with the grasses and flowers which bloomed there in spring and beautified his abode during the summer. He was a friend with the stars which smiled at him at night, and with the sun which shone during the day. He was a friend even with the clouds and snows which covered his dwelling place in late autumn and in cold winter.

Sometimes animals or birds came to him; they were his friends. Sometimes people who needed help and healing visited him. And he helped them all; he never refused to help anybody.
He lived for a long, long time. But one day his Flower was grown and it was time for him to leave; he went to the other Immortals and became the Gardener Who sows seeds and cultivates shoots which produce new Golden Flowers.

And he left for people the memory of the Golden Flower which grants Immortality, and of the Source of the River of Love which flows and nourishes growing Flowers.

… The mystery of the Golden Flower attracted people. They climbed the mountains to find the Flower of Immortality. They found different flowers there, tore them off mercilessly and made powders and tinctures, decoctions and ointments… But those potions could not make them Immortal...

Others believed that magical power was hidden in the roots. And they dug them out and killed in vain those gentle creatures…

Nobody succeeded in finding the Golden Flower. And its mystery remained unsolved…

… But once a young man came to that place. His beloved was seriously ill. He was told that she was dying. Yet one healer said him that she will recover from her illness if the man gives her the Flower of Life.

The young man went to the mountains and found there a beautiful flower. Its corolla was so gentle that the young man thought it was the Flower of Life! He knelt down before the flower… but could not tear it off. The mercy towards life did not allow him to ruin this beauty!... The young man lowered his hands and whispered: “Forgive me!” And it was not clear whether he said this to his beloved or to the flower…

At that moment a Voice sounded: “He who respects life deserves to be helped!…”

This Voice was the Voice of the Divine Gardener, Who could appear in any time and in any place as any of the Immortal Ones.

He Himself consisted entirely of Light and Peace. Bliss emanated from each His movement and word.

“I am glad that you had mercy on this flower!” He said.

“The girl that I love is dying…” the young man whispered.

“You were told to give her the Flower of Life. But it is impossible to tear it off and bring somewhere! It is only possible to grow it from your own cordial love, nourished by the River of Love!”

“But my beloved is dying right now… And I do not have enough time to help her…” answered the young man.

“Do not grieve, I will help you. Over there, there is the Source of the River of Love. And a tiny pure brook is also streaming over there. Fill your hands with its water and tell to this water from your spiritual heart: ‘I love you!’. Then pour out this water on the flower and say to it the same words: ‘I love you!’ After a while dewdrops will appear on the petals. Collect these dewdrops from the flower, and this will be enough to cure your beloved! And while you are waiting for the dewdrops to come, enter the River of Love and try to understand the Laws of Love according to which a person can live happily on the Earth!”

The Gardener explained to the young man how to dive into the Flow of the Living Light of the River of Love and disappeared.

The young man stayed in that Flow for a very long time and listened to the Living River; singing streams of it were telling him about the mysteries of life, about the laws of Tao.

And he understood how love transforms a human life! And any person who does not have cordial love in the heart cannot enter the River of Love! Souls, in which the light of love does not shine, are not capable of touching the Flow of Living Love, and that is why they are deprived of happiness.
On the other hand, those who live, giving their love, live and grow in the Flow of the River of Love where Light, Joy, and Bliss are streaming! And only these people can be happy!

And when the young man realized all this, being filled with happiness, and transformed himself, he could see transparent droplets on the petals of the flower. He picked them up carefully and went to his beloved. She took the medicine of the Gardener and was cured.

… They lived in peace and happiness; for their life was passing in the River of Love!

… When their son grew up and became a young man, he decided to thank the Immortal Gardener for the wonderful healing of his mother, for the life He gave her, and in that way to him too.

So he took the road to find that small valley in the mountains.

He climbed higher and higher and admired the beauty which was opening to his sight. Majestic mountains greeted him with their peaks illumined with the sun. Gentle wind, which was flying over the open space, embraced him. Flowers, which beautified a valley, gave him their fragrance. He was walking, and stars smiled at him at night, and the sun lit up each day.

He found a small valley in the mountains, where the Immortal Gardener lived once, and the Source where the River of Love originated.

And he thought then: “I wish to cultivate the Flower of Life and then to tell people about the Way to the true happiness!”

And at once he saw the Immortal Gardener. The Gardener said: “Let it be as you want; for you are dreaming not only of your personal welfare, but of the welfare of others! I will show you how — out of the Silence of Tao — the Flower of Life opens in a human spiritual heart! I will show you the Depths from which its root comes out! And then you can grow your own Flower and tell people about the mystery of the Flower of Life — the Flower of Heart which grows from Infinite Tao and opens in a human soul! You can become the Gardener too!”

Peace


"Be the change that you want to see in the world" - Gandhi.

I've been doing a lot of thnking about my purpose in life recently... just why am I here? And this seems to be the answer.

I find the world to be an astonishingly beautiful place. Despite all of the things which mankind does to itself, there are so many beautiful things in the world... flowers, trees, clouds, birds, mountains. Look and count how many flowers you can find in a single day, even in the city, and take a moment to reflect just how beautiful they are.

Silent Wishes

I listen to the silence
Of the magic world
Deeper and deeper
Into the core of my being
When you wish
With all your heart
I feel your presence
In my soul

(copyright Stephen Peto)

I wish you all a peaceful and beautiful day.

Sunday 23 May 2010

Owls in mythology

Owls are symbols of wisdom, learning and preceptive insight, but also because they hunt at night, they are associated with secrecy and darkness.


Owl Woman's Vision by Carole Estrup.
(copyright Carole Estrup, picture used with the permission of the artist).

To see more of this amazing artist's beautiful, inspirational paintings, visit http://www.caroleestrup.com/



Owls as Totem animals
Owls are one of the native american totem animals and represent clairvoyance and insight. The Great Horned Owl is often referred to as Night Eagle. The owl is at home in the night and has great awareness of all that is around it at all times. It is a predator with sharp accurate vision and is symbolic of great intuition. It is the totem of those that can see into the spirit world. It has the courage to follow its instincts. Owl's medicine includes seeing behind masks, silent and swift movement, keen sight, messenger of secrets and omens, shape-shifting, the link between the dark, unseen world and the world of light.

The Celtic Goddess Arianrhod
Arianrhod was an important Welsh goddess, the mother aspect of the Celtic goddess. She was a star goddess, whose castle Caer Arianrhod lay in the Aurora Borealis. She was a goddess of beauty, the Moon, fertility and reincarnation.

In Celtic Myth the Goddess has three major aspects: the maiden, the mother and the crone. These three represent the three stages in life of a woman. Blodeuwedd is the flower maiden, Arianrhod represents the mother and The Morrigu at last is the crone.

Arianrhod was said to be able to shapeshift into a large Owl, and through its eyes be able to see into the dark depths of the human soul. The Owl symbolizes death and renewal, wisdom, moon magic, and initiations. She is said to move with strength and purpose through the night, her wings of comfort and healing spread to give solace to those who seek her.

The Greek Goddess Athena
In Ancient Greek mythology the Owl was a creature sacred to the Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Athena had an owl companion, which was said to reveal unseen truths. Athena was also a celebrated artisan and patron of craftsmen. Athena was said to have the power of shape shifting and would appear to mortals in the form of an owl.

Sunday 25 April 2010

The Dreaming Butterfly

Photograph by HaPe Gera, used under the Creative Commons Attribution licence 2.0

The great Taoist master Chuang Tzu once dreamt that he was a butterfly fluttering here and there. In the dream he had no awareness of his individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly. Suddenly, he awoke and found himself laying there, a person once again. But then he thought to himself, "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"

Saturday 24 April 2010

There's No Such Place As Far Away

One of the best birthday presents I have ever received is the book "There's No Such Place As Far Away" by Richard Bach ISBN 0-586-05174-0 (God bless you Raman!)

There's no such place as far away starts out in the heart of a humming bird to find the truths he's always known... about friendship and love and growing up and living in this lifetime.

For friendships that don't depend on time and space

The Sleeping Giant

The Sleeping Giant

I traveled far
To find
A sleeping giant
Head in the stream
Drifting
Dreaming
Waiting for the dawn
Of golden myth
To awaken


(copyright Stephen Peto)

Musing about Muses

While looking for the Chagall quotes, I found something I had written some nine years ago, on the subject of muses.

I will fall in love, as is my way, with the sky and with flowers, and with blades of grass. Love is an often used, seldom understood word that covers so many things - ah!

The muse is an impossible dreaming love, whose very impossible nature makes us have to explain and express ourselves, for we are in love and it need to be shared. And the pain we feel when we think it is lost is too an aspect of the muse. But when we have learned what it is to enter the hidden dreaming love of creation and express its beauty, we can never really be truly lost, or be without love, for we have found the key to the magic kingdom.

Perhaps I should post about how much I love fairytales... particularly the Snow Queen

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Inuit illustration and psychedelic rock

Today I have been drawing inuit style illustrations and listening to psychedelic rock. This is a good day at work, and beats working out hexadecimal and RGB values colour tints which I was doing yesterday. While drawing these, I was listening to Simon Dupee - Kites, Jimi Hendrix - The Wind Cries Mary, The Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints, The Beau Brummels - Magic Hollow, Grace Slick and The Great Society - Somebody to Love

I will have to work out how to add music to my blog posts!

I've just remembered... I used to have this great children's book, but I haven't seen it for a while, so either it is lost to the all consuming chaos of my belongings, or it has migrated to a new home. Anyway it was called The Wind has Wings: Poems from Canada - Compiled by Mary Downie and Barbara Robertson. ISBN 0-19-540432-7

Monday 19 April 2010

An angel touching heaven



It was a beautiful spring day on Saturday, and I went on an adventure to take photographs. I saw an angel touching heaven in the park.
It was truly a glorious day, as everyone in the park was having a lovely time in the sun, laughing, playing, sunbathing, sleeping... taking photos. The sort of a day that it is good to remember, for when it is grey and miserable.
My pictures from the day, are in my flickr album spring

Rabbits in the sky


I found a rabbit in the sky, whilst out walking to Hathersage. I was quite excited about this as it reminded me of the film Amelie, which is one of my all time favourite films. (OK, its also unashamedly very dreamy and romantic, but thats not the reason I'm mentioning it)
When Amelie is a small girl she is given an instant camera, and one of the pictures she takes is a rabbit in the sky, and its true they do exist... as I have photographic evidence (above)
If you have never seen this film, it is simply beautiful. Anybody who day dreams in the clouds should definitely see it. Heres what is says on the box - "Amelie Poulain has led a sheltered life - educated at home by over-protective parents, she retreats into a fantasy world of her own. When she finally leaves home and finds work as a waitress in a Parisian cafe, life is pretty uneventful until a chain of extraordinary events leads her to the discovery of a tin box containing a schoolboy's long forgotten memories. It is then that Amelie discovers her true vocation in life - helping others find love and happiness - which she sets about in her own unique and magical way. When Amelie falls in love herself, she realises that making neat solutions is not as easy as it seems... "
For someone who is intrigued the lure of ringing phone booths... you will particularly like Amelie's creative use of public telephones... as she leaves clues for her mystery to be solved.
Ahhh... I love Audrey Tautou

What colour is paradise?

If I had to choose a favourite artist, I would choose Marc Chagall. I love his paintings. I was lucky enough to see a small selection in real life at a galley, and they made me cry. I like a lot of art and artists, but no other paintings have made me cry... because they are simply so beautiful.

"When Chagall paints you do not know if he is asleep or awake. Somewhere or other inside his head must be an angel." - Pablo Picasso

"Art always has a little to do with magic." - Ernst Fischer, writer and art critic

"He was a dreamer and reality did not exist for him." - Leopold Zborowski, art dealer and friend

My favourite books about Marc Chagall are children's book called, "What colour is paradise?"
ISBN 3-7913-2393-8 and "Life is a Dream" ISBN 3-7913-1986-8

A quote from the book about the painting "The Magician 1968", says, "It is the artist's job to search out and portray things that are hidden from most people. If we let ourselves be enchanted (by him), we can discover a whole new world! Things can leave their usual places, change colours, stand on their heads and tell stories!"

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Where to begin...

At the beginning I suppose