An angel in the garden

Sunday, 13 March 2011

The Road to Authenticity

A week or two ago, our dear Floss over at Troc Broc & Recup' invited us all to join her for what is now, fast becoming, an annual event, "A Pause in Lent". A time to share what Easter means to us personally, or perhaps some of the practices or traditions that we follow in this season. "Love to join in", or so I thought, until I said "yes" & then my mind went blank, my heart went cold with a peculiar sense of dread & I headed into a bit of a tale spin. It's a funny thing, but I've never been very good in the adult world (I'm not even sure I want to be one of those... adults that is) so many cares & hard edges. Even in these times of enormous global volatility I find my philosophies becoming simpler....& simpler. I seem to do a lot of wondering..

Margaret Tarrant

& pondering these days...

via flickr

I recently came to this conclusion: the cross is a symbol of value...I am so loved, so tenderly held in esteem that the Son of God would walk that road just for me. Considering a childhood tea-stained by sadness & displaced by unwantedness, I find that, I am even quite liking the girl gazing back at me from the mirror these days..

via picasca

...value is everything. Finding myself loved at last..at home in beauty...& in Him.

So,what's Lent/Easter really all about? What does it mean to you?

Well, not this... that's for sure! This has to be one of the silliest Easter cards I've ever seen.

A lovely thought, but neither is it, this overly sentimental portrayal of the "Garden of Gethsemane"

my postcard

I guess, in it's own way, the road to Calvary is the road to authenticity. Destination: "Home"

...not "home for Christmas" but home for good.

It all begins with a plan & a cross

via deviant art

or three to be precise......

If you'd like to catch up with more of "A Pause in Lent" do pop in here.

If you missed my post about Yoomia do please read her story of how she was saved & her violin rescued in the event of our recent Christchurch earthquake. A truly beautiful soul is she & an uplifting story indeed, amidst so much sorrow.

MUCH

XOXO

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Gratitude Surrounds Her: Yoomia (Violinist)

In these passed two weeks, since the monumental earthquake in Christchurch, I am sure that many people have felt much like this, as if standing on the edge of a precipice, their lives in jeopardy, or entirely shattered, the deitrius lying on the rocks below....wondering how to go on. Others, are no doubt still running on adrenaline & pragmatism. Those of us not directly involved have been doing our best to find ways, anyway at all, to help. Thanks to the media & other social mediums the stories are being told, the word is being spread & the calvary has been arriving in all manner of forms: farmers with tractors, students with shovels, baking, cooking, clothing, running, counseling, offering a safe place to stay, handmade, feltaid, auctions & so much more..........

There is goodness shining through even in these wildly difficult times. picture Emma Florence Harrison

the hills over Eskdale way

Seemingly entirely unrelatedly, we went on with our lives up this way & last Saturday headed out to Havelock North to St Luke's Fair. I love this wonderful event & wouldn't miss it for the world. It is held in the grounds of this Church where we were married 30 years ago.

Out at the fair, I bumped in to my dear neighbour & her daughter. And at this point I spotted & admired a very nice Trelise Cooper eco shopping bag that these lovely girls had with them. Trelise designed these bags & they were released as a limited edition product through various supermarkets at $4.95 each during the last year or so...sturdy & very attractive... they are about as much Trelise as I am ever going to own. I had missed this particular edition, so thought to myself, no harm in checking in on Trade me. A few days later a very lovely collection of Trelise bags turned up on my watch list, which is all very nice, but as I read on I realized that this was no ordinary auction & that my admiration had taken me down precisely the right path for this very time.

This is what I read:

"I am one of the lucky ones to have survived Christchurch earthquake. Higher force has protected me this time...lots of my friends and colleagues have fled and left the town, psychologically effected by daily aftershocks shaking the city...
All of my auction is going into funding music studio, I have decided to stay, to support to build the city together and set up my music studio again, which is to be demolished we believe... along with my piano, all my music, sound system, my stylish couch, my most loved possessions along with 60% off CBD buildings- thankfully a Singaporean soldier rescued his life to get into red sticker no access building to rescue my violin with me... too much to go on in this auction... see this link for more of this story. Very thankful I am still alive."
http://www.loveviolin.co.nz/blog/

I had just encountered the renowned violinist Yoomia Sim....her story continues from her blog:

"My heart goes out to all of family & friends of earthquake victims.... I am a violinist based in Christchurch...one of the lucky ones to have survived.

I am offering my violin playing to the funeral services for the families who have lost loved ones. Free.

Two days before the quake, on Sunday, I was performing in the Cathedral with my pianist for the festival of flowers. I cannot believe it was last performance in the cathedral...at least for a while...very, very lucky to be alive. I would not have survived if I played in the venue 48 hours later...few photos are from the last performance in remembrance....

"My violin was trapped in my music studio, collapsing Music centre building next to Catholic Cathedral with a red no access sticker. A Singapore soldier risked his life to go inside the building with me- 3 days after the quake- with walls coming down, climbed three stories of staircase filled with rummage, ceilings coming down. He kicked my studio door open as the lock was jammed...and my violin was rescued this way....

This is my way to say thank you to the soldier & and the universe, time to give back to the community.

Having lost my Dad when I was 17, I understand the grief & pain...however nothing compares to a sudden disaster like we are going through now. Hopefully my playing will help to say goodbye.

love and light

Yoomia"

It is with Yoomia's blessing that I share this story & it is her hope & mine, that others might find solace & inspiration through the telling of it.

If you would like to support & encourage Yoomia in anyway you can catch up with her here or on Facebook here.

via deviant art

Lord may there be a continual stream of goodness & kindness & generosity & healing poured out upon Christchurch in the many months to come.

MUCH

XOXOXO

Sunday, 6 March 2011

The Treasure Hunt

There's quite a lot of talk these days about what vintage living is all about. Perhaps, for some, a cheap & effective decorating style, but for us, a wonderful way of living lightly that transposes us out of the insatiably consumptive world around us & allows a richness & depth of life, that might otherwise remain well beyond our means. Our vintage inspired family life is full of busy-ness, adventure & satisfaction. Not necessarily a simple lifestyle, but one that has established old-fashioned values deep in the soil of our existence, developing in us skills for living, that harmonize with commonsense & resourcefulness sprinkled with a touch of grace.
When people say that they want a simpler life, I think that they often really mean they want a more meaningful one; vintage living wins hands down on that front. A tendency toward sentimental romanticism combined with the curious marmalade of personal memory of a vintage kind, make a great backdrop to living vintagely. This happy blend of goodness : following the seasons, having a go at making your own chutney/preserves/jam/yoghurt/bread...growing stuff (flowers too of course!!) & foraging...walnuts, chestnuts, blackberries, wild mushrooms.. op shopping (thrifting), buying secondhand, going to fairs, galas & charity book sales, making use of Trade me, sharing with your neighbours, making cards & homemade gifts, making do/mending/repurposing/upcycling..caring for & cleaning tools, polishing leather, painting & decoupaging an old suitcase or hatbox/furniture, swimming in rivers, walking in the local park, making use of the library, cultivating good manners, using vintage cotton hankies, treasuring old lace, knitting/crocheting/sewing, collecting manure for the vegetable garden & seeds from the spent produce & on & on it goes, or any combination of the above is what it's all about, however, unlike in the past, there are usually alternatives if things don't work out so well or it just doesn't suit..phew!!
So..when Nanna was a little stumped with this past Christmas gift giving, we devised a wee challenge..THE TREASURE HUNT

$10 was kindly given to each person, including the little boys. The challenge was to find some special treasures for ourselves from op shops, car boot sales or secondhand places.

This is was what we found:

Rob found two old chairs at an op shop for $2 each. A cool wooden easel (the man threatened to take it home & use it for firewood if he didn't buy it!) for $4 & two really good quality shirts for a $1 each all at a local car-boot sale.

lovely wood in the chairs..looks like rewarewa

Fynn found a vintage wooden Mary Lou doll (Mary who? Mary rabbit by the looks!) 3 Tin tin comics & a 1948 edition of Timberland Tales..

given to "Nipper" in 1948 at a previous Christmas time event long ago : )

Matthew came across this great "Swan family" vintage sandwich tin. An old slice tin painted vintage green & a depression glass fridge dish for use in "Leonard" (his fridge)

David found... "The work of "Music in the Tuileries" by Manet as a print:8'x12, Yen!(1988) A book predicting perhaps not the worldwide financial hold of Japan as the author thought, but certainly the state of America's debt during the presidential election of 2004."

My finds: a vintage sandwich tin..oh look two PUPPIES. I wonder where my swans went to??? Handmade lace doily, lots of fab cotton reels & a piece of sheet music : )

Kaitiaki found Two "Kapai" books for 5+ years old, a yoyo and a skateboard!

Anna found a book "A handful of herbs", a photo frame & an oil burner!

Thanks Nanna!! We had so much fun on the journey, even though it took us a while to get there!

Much

XOXOXOXOX

Saturday, 26 February 2011

The Army of The Kind

When I felt compelled to write about hope at the beginning of this year, little did I know what lay ahead for New Zealand & the terrible events that would unfold in but a moment, one lunch time, last week, in Christchurch; when a massive earthquake demolished much of the Canterbury region, dismantled precious lives & homes & squashed livelihoods.
Now it makes a great deal more sense to me, why the message was:
Carry Hope Close

With the iconic Christchurch Cathedral now destroyed beyond repair..

photo: Mark Mitchell via the NZ Herald

It now seems so fortunate that, just after NewYear, I received a note from my lovely friend Leigh (who shares my passion for vintage loveliness especially Sanderson fabrics) saying

"Catherine I know that you're very fond of angels and I've attached photos of the new Arch Angels at the Christchurch Cathedral. They are absolutely spectacular and I thought of you as I was standing in the cathedral looking up in awe! Arch Angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are all 2.5 metres tall and very life like. They were commissioned specifically for the cathedral and were made by renowned Christchurch artist/designer Caroline Travella and her daughter Carly. They are suspended from the cathedral ceiling from Christmas until mid January. I'm afraid I did not take great photos and I need a longer zoom lens but you get the idea.”

Here are her photos

Hope Notes can so easily become more than words...fluidly step in to actions of hope. That's something that every one of us can participate in, now, in this time of National disaster & practice on-goingly in our everyday lives until we get really good at it!

When I visited Erin's blog to find the link for her wonderful calendar picture I found the words PRACTICING KINDNESS waiting for me.

What the world needs is a new kind of army -the army of the kind.

Cleveland Amory
Tenderheartedness goes a long way..

Mary Cicely Barker

I love this practical generosity.

In the midst of such sorrow & fear it is heart-warming to see such marvelous goodness; our nation pulling together, working together & simply caring. Anne, in her blog, Ungardened Moments observed these same sorts of things here.
I can but only pray..
Lord come & heal our hearts & our land. Wrap your arms around a hurting people & give us courage & strength to do what must be done.

The National Anthem for Christchurch sung by Cindy Ruakere

I love this woman! She is so power-FULL & truly amazing.

A message:

People of Aotearoa, Cindy Ruakere would like to give you her rendition of our national anthem. Please download it, share it, sing it and pray it. Gather before God and cover our isles and our people in prayer.

Click here for free download.

6/ 3 /11 Post Script..a full search has been completed at the Cathedral in the last few days & it is with relieved & grateful hearts that we now know, that in fact, nobody at all was found in the Cathedral itself..truly a miracle. It was thought for all this time that there could have been 22 trapped there. Very good news amidst so much sadness.

with MUCH

& tender thoughts to you all.
xoxox

Sunday, 20 February 2011

Naked Ladies and Other Glories

I have always been fascinated by naked ladies..perhaps because of my childhood memories of my Nan's place & the entire row of them that flowered along the front fence every summer. Their scent divine & their pearlescent seeds perfect for bead making in the May school holidays, as it was way back then.

Belladonna lilies are a flower of nostalgia, much like the bedding plants still used in our Cornwall park, just around the corner...bedding begonias & geraniums..bright & cheery & flower for months.

The begonia house has had a recent make over..such a lovely place to wander in the evenings. The light recently truly captivating.

the colours garishly vivid but somehow invigorating

This sequoia is magnificent & is often home to the local monarch butterfly population in the time of over- wintering.

Monarchs' have been such a profound symbol of hope & comfort to me & this park so dear to my heart I think that right here would be a good place to be 'sprinkled'....in the winter the butterflies would return & the hope would live on...for those who come after me...

light is so amazing..it brings everything alive

& touches the soul

We have been utterly enchanted by this gorgeous chandelier that was so very, very kindly gifted to us not so long ago.

It has breathed life & delight in to our garden & created magic.

Makes me feel dreamy..wouldn't it be nice to float amongst the waterlilies & listen to the frogs.

My favourite seasons are autumn & spring so I am very happy to find the heat abating & the signs of the abundance slipping in under the gate. No place is this cornucopia more evident, than at our or Farmers Market. Peacharines are just so luscious looking.