Morning Glory

Hello dear, kind people.

I wonder, are you a fabulous giver of gifts or are you, perhaps, a better receiver?

Some people just love getting presents & surprises, others are so clever at finding just the right thing for someone else. One of my best & most memorable gifts received, was... half a salami wrapped in tin foil from my friend Trish-perhaps 20 years ago! 

I loved it!

 It meant so much to me at the time.

A week or two ago, I left a little fairy stuck down to Nina's bedroom window sill, with the hope that she might open her curtains one morning & catch sight of a sweet little friend peering in.

Soon after that, Nina was grocery shopping with her mum when she spied the perfect gift for Auntry Catherine..

 Entirely delightful!
And the best part was the Nina made fairy wand....just for me!

 Just in case you're wondering...this is where you keep your fairy wand.

 In amongst the dust & the desiccation, there are magical things in the early autumn gardens.
Like quinces' bottoms.

Aren't quinces buttery beautiful.

 And there are ripe-o-clock blackbirds that are devouring the perfect fruit-wholly, one by one.

 I am rather taken with the vibrant presence of summer begonias at the moment. If you find the right spot for them they flower for months & months, right through to the first frosts. I want to try & label the corms this season before they finish flowering so that I will know what colours I have for next year.

Isn't sweetcorn so delicious & these days it's so sweet too.

I found some more of these vintage corn dishes last week- cute & colourful!

 My fabulous gathering friend Ruth & I have been selling her bulbs & my seeds on Trade me over the last month or so. What a joy it is to sell plants & seeds to people! In amidst the selling a lovely lady called Michelle came from just down the road to collect her purchases & we had such a great conversation. She told me how much she loved our parks & most especially Frimley Park & "The Rabbit Tree". It was about now I found this little rabbit book. The bunnies have their tails painted on each morning by mother rabbit.

 Receiving instructions before going out to play.

 So of course we needed to go & find the Rabbit Tree for ourselves-

 And so it goes that if you come along very softly right about dusk & then you wait patiently & very quietly...

 you just might see the rabbits come out to play.

 sshhh...

 I love to return to the St Luke's Church Fair each year out in Havelock North.

Stalls like the flower ladies are such a delight.

 I decided to be a little floral all by my self.

 This ensemble (double bass included)

 were just adorable & played the funnest old tunes.

 I was so thrilled to be able to buy this entirely hand worked tablecloth.

 The edging is all bobbin lace & must have taken an extraordinary amount of time to make.

When I pass this delightful signage on my way to work, it always makes me smile.

As my friend Kerry said.."It's like nourish...one leads to the other!"

Yes, indeed that's true.

We are doing quite well here this week. We're all ok.

Grateful for that.

"What's the story morning glory?"

Aren't they amazing...each flower unfurls like an umbrella each morning & tucks itself away again each dusk.

(click to see the whole picture)

Fresh glory in the morning, tucked in & protected each evening.
That'll do me, today.
Blessings & friendship to you!
Thanks so much for your visit.
Much love, Catherine

I Can Sing A Rainbow...Too.

I should know by now that stories can only be told when they're ready...

otherwise they turn out all wrong.

But it's time now, to go on with the tale...

~Kelly Rae Roberts~

I have my special hat on today my:

 "Explorer of Truth & Beauty" hat.

Just as I was exploring the world of our Special Senses & how they are so remarkable,

such things as: the touch of butterfly feet on fingertips,

& the lick of a soft & friendly dog,

the arresting sight of verdant colour on the hills over "there",

the amusement of watching the silly antics of Whistle...our other borrowed cat who crosses the road to find us every day & play in our garden,

standing in awe at the feet of this ensemble down at Aunty's Garden & thinking "how very clever", how very clever indeed!

& the taste of passionfruit, a flavour like no other...& how they come in the most amazing packages; that wrinkle!

Discovering & picking a tiny wee sweetheart rose & then noticing the little angel wings & the fine hairs on the petals,

finger-staining elderberries made of magic,

inhaling the scent of exquisitely white naked ladies, gifted by a true friend.

Marveling at the miracle of a thousand hollyhock seeds...
how do they know to grow in to another hollyhock just the same?

Dappled light on a perfect, pastel, vintage blanket find...

colours that activate passion & make me want to make Mexican food or eat juicy mangos
...juice dripping,

Yes, there's a "Little Chaos" that comes with these Special Precious Senses.

& comfort to be able to go to Lucy when life gets hard.

When a son (dear to your heart) returns home, a little broken, depressed, stressed, unable to sleep & function & not wanting this life, it's hard.

 All my work to calm my own heart & world, & foster thrival for myself; overturned, wrenched. 

Lurch, back into: hyper-vigilance, overwhelm & sadness & re-living the struggles we've had as a family...just to do life, at all.

Day to day....that's all you can do.

I've learnt more this time through, about depression & suicide & what drives us to these places.

I've learnt that it's a lot more universal than I realised...the symptoms & the struggle of it all.

Damage...that's what happened.

Systemic, acidic harm that sprang from being un-nurtured by a narcissist. 

Confidence dissolved. All colours turn grey; life-lacking, depleted. Seeds of fear & self-disgust scattered carelessly, deliberately through the whole garden. 

Learning the world is a cold & hostile place where we do not deserve to find love or connection.

It's all a lie, of course...but it stains; deep.

The contamination cannot be soaked out, washed away...it seeps through the family soil & poisons the generations. The clean-up process is complex; hard, gritty.

Over this past month there have been so many nights...our minds in turmoil, bodies on fire, hormones cascading in to panic. Can't go to sleep; on guard. Can't wake up; what for?

Food...ooh no. Which one of us, all of us? Worry...is he ok; where is he it's 1.00am?

The patterns activated decades ago by another, should-have-been care-giver, not taker.

Through the years...dossiers assembled, boxes full: 

"All I have & hold against you" failed daughter, disgust, worthless.

 Only the narcissist is allowed emotions...just calm down Catherine!!" 

There is no discussion, explanation. No, not one single time. 

No reconciliation, let's put things right.

Never "I love you" or "you matter."

Decades go by just the same.
Five decades: long enough to make a different choice!!

Confidence fades with the colours of life, light goes out; drowning.

Where are the healers, the validators? Nowhere to be found.

The pollution fills up the sea, sight of land fades, can't breath.

Then, one day....I found a pretty hat. 

Seeker, author, explorer of beauty & truth it said.

I am.

I am a good daughter, a wonderful wife, a fine mother & a nice friend.

I don't deserve to be punished, not now, not ever.

Close the doors. It's over, even though the voices can still be heard. They never cease.

Nightmares still come, my body (the densest part of the soul) still speaks & aches & inflames.

Thank you for your messages...I am listening. A lifetime of stored emotions not allowed air.

Released, slowly, safely...recieved with compassion & kindness;

we also offer our son. Our brave, beautiful son.

Tender, strong, teaching himself Chinese. Hearing truth, telling his story; safe-supported, brave.

Working again, long hours but determined; eating again.

Little moments of humour & joy bubbling to our surface.

Soft cat fur, Mah Jong (found at the market), nice friends...two young men gabble together like girls! 

We breath deeper, visit the ocean.

Grateful for each other.

We know one another & ourselves a little better.
Trust grows & with it fresh hope.
Thank God for those who shine a light:

Kelly Rae Roberts: Be Brave Manifesto

And those with compassion-bearing, tender hearts; scattering kindness, sharing beauty & truth.
We can learn to sing a rainbow too...

I'm glad of my Special Senses. They are precious to me. A glorious gift.
They teach me that the world is a place to marvel.
Invite me in to life.