Gently Down the Stream

Sometimes,

 the very best thing to do

 is take the road all the way to the river.

Especially in the heat of a fig ripening summer's day;

just before that unmistakable turn in the season when the sun's warmth no longer reaches in to the shadows & the water becomes chilly instead of soothing...  

A picnic on the river bank with the one you love the most in all the world...

just under the hill called "Sacred",

in the light that makes the world seem like a place of wonder & magic,

and time pauses, breath deepens...
sigh...
 as all the hustle & anxiety is quieted,
wrinkle smoothed & stroked

...flowing,

floating away in the tranquility

of willow green,

& poplar tall.

The fine shingle & sandy river bottom kind to tender feet

& the water shallow & so gentle you could walk all the way up stream to the bridge, if the fancy took you.

Time dissolves as the sun flirts with the close of day.

These are the moments that we cherish..

for they are but moments..

shiny memories of one summer when life was hard,
 but our hearts returned home, over & over

& our hands kept reaching out to each other in friendship...

& we chose to believe that there would come better days

of hope & grace.

Hope: fragile, intangible.
As soft as breath,

yet as indelible as sunshine yellow..
dandelions,

 become a jar of gathered wishes & prayers.

Home, full.
Hearts warm & tender.
Believing...

to see goodness...

in our land & our days.
♥♥♥♥♥

Grateful and Growing

Aren't naked ladies beautiful..

in their simple,

 fragrant late summer elegance?

Wild & free & growing in a paddock;

 I admire their easy grace.

Mary Oliver writes, "Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild & precious life?"

Do you ever feel that maybe you're living too tucked in, too small?

If you could really, really chose..what would you do? 

What would you change?

What would you dare to dream?

We've been busy growing, just like these slender stalks; reaching up to the sun.
Standing with our heads held high.
Settling in to a new sense of self assurance & awareness & the gentle dignity that comes from truly accepting who you are. Rob has two days to go before he walks out the door of his workplace, soul in tact; knowing that it is time...time to move on & expect more, give more, teach more & believe in himself in new ways. He has a new job to go to in a week or so. The first door that he knocked on, they grabbed him with both hands. He'll be fine & so will we.
 Growing fast can sure make you dizzy.

The world is full of harshness
& it is also full of kindness.
Tam sent me this spontaneous gift in the mail last week. She's been a blogging friend for a few years now & makes the coolest stamp jewellery...you can catch up with her & her creations at A Treasured Past on Facebook.  

We were out walking around our neighbourhood one morning recently when we stumbled over these hazelnuts all scattered across the footpath & the verge. So we stuffed our pockets full, before anyone could come along with a lawnmower & crunch them all up.

These late season blueberries are a very pretty colour & have a distinct muscat flavour. They are aptly named "delite"

 It has been oh so hot here this week (my coconut oil is liquid), the cicada chorus coming from the high trees in the park is almost deafening, but the trees are so welcome for their shade & protection as we walk in their morning or evening shelter. I had never noticed before that dwarf maples make helicopters too.

It is the time of full harvest, especially in Hawke's Bay here.

 I love all the vibrant colours of the summer produce.

These golden beets are so sweet & delicious.

I am starting to get the hang of tomatillos..

They are marvelous roasted with capsicums & eggplant.

They look like a giant cape gooseberry but aren't too good to bite in to as is.

Our flamingos have grown in to a flock.

 And have already been off to meet & greet at a birthday party on Napier Hill.

 They are available to hire..a dozen or so.

 They are snazzy old happy things & love to brighten up the garden.

 They're pretty indestructible too, which is always a good thing!

This has not been an easy venture in to a new year for us. In fact, it's been darn hard & gritty, but we are both signed up to learn & grow & release the old self stuff that is no longer needed for the good life we have set our intention towards. Living authentically means signing up for the fear & the trembling & asking the hard questions & letting things open up to the light. It requires being willing to learn new habits & adopt fresh skills. There's a whole lot more in our tool box now & we're so grateful for that.

Recently, I watched a local TV current affairs report on "Sunday"...it was all about loneliness. The lonely & disconnected souls of this nation of New Zealand. Somehow, they came to the estimate that there were a million Kiwis who suffer from some degree of loneliness, many acutely so. Our souls long for goodness & belonging & meaning & friendship & connection. Connectedness is essential for our health & any sense of well-being. I am so encouraged to see so many of my elderly neighbours coming to the gate for fruit this weekend. I love chatting with them & knowing that for some of them, the fruit is a huge boost to their nutritional intake. The "old bloke" around the corner who is 95, living alone & still driving is one of my favourites.

We were so blessed to come across this wonderful video a few days ago. It may not be your style of music but the images will warm your heart & make you smile. I'd love you to watch it too.

Thank you for popping in to see me & to read my ramblings.

Much love to you all.
Catherine x0x0x

♥♥♥♥♥

The Enchanted Garden

I visited Aunty's garden again this week, to gather vegetables.

I loved the people that I met while I was there: an Indian family & a lovely lady called Marion.

I stood gazing at these sunflowers for ages.

Don't they just shout summer!

I picked flowers there too.

These were very kindly given to me for my birthday.

I have so enjoyed them.

 There have been fairies living at the bottom of my garden..

 or perhaps that's a gnome?
 Either way, the two of them have moved on to an Eco Lodge just down the road & are having a marvelous time hanging out with back-packers from all around the world. They start apple picking on Monday.

 They gave me the most truly perfect gift.
"The Enchanted Garden" by Claire O'Rush.
Discovering & Enhancing the Magical Healing Properties of Your Garden.

 And look what's on the very first page!

 "There is an angel in your garden.
If you tend a plot of ground with love & care, no matter how small it may be, you invoke the presence of the Angel of the Garden. It is possible to form a bond of conscious communion with the Angel, a communion which stems from & is received in the heart. Because of this natural unfolding of spiritual perception, it is well to create a corner of privacy in the garden, even if you do no more than to establish one of the rustic bowers which can be purchased nowadays. Such a sequestered nook, however tiny, enables us to open a window on to the sublime sweetness of the angelic worlds with all their peace & wisdom & visionary inspiration informed by the spirit of love."

This is one of my very favourite fairy pictures "Midsummer Eve" by Edward Robert Hughes.
It's in the book too.

There's an angel that lives in my garden.

I know that she & Lucy are very good friends.

When I took that very, oh so huge step & decided to buy Lucy almost a year ago, I could never imagine what she was to come to mean to us.

Who would have thought that she would soon embody the family arms that Rob & I have never had around us. Even as we've had to process this next round of bullying & difficulty (work) Lucy has been our safe place, a sanctuary for our souls to find solace, a place to pray & just be
...rest.
A place for tea...
And a place for deep wounds to safely rise to the surface spontaneously & be released.
Lucy keeps our secrets.
She's a sure shelter from the rain when your tent leaks.
She's a safe haven to leave a Trade me parcel for a customer passing through at 7.30 in the morning 'cos the letterbox leaks too.

I sure needed my "Dorothy Boots" (that's what it says on the label) to get to her today!

When I put out the fruit this morning I saw a little creature in the driveway. Oh no, I thought, a wee bird fallen out of the nest & into the gutter. But no, it turned out to be none other than Urbit.

 The Keeper of the Tea Pot

The boy hung out the washing one day last week. 

I discovered my newly washed op shop finds safely tucked in the larder..so sweet.

After my fruitless attempts to source vintage chic wallpapers locally (or anywhere else for that matter) when we were decorating Lucy, I ended up sending for some of the Cath Kidston designs, which I adore & I soon discovered that a metre & a half of paper sells very well on Trade Me, so I have ordered others. 

Including this fabulous oil cloth. I love it to bits!

Fairy music in the garden...now that would be just perfect!

So here are some more hearts for you.

Such treasures you are.
Thank you so much for visiting.
May your week be filled to the brim with caring hearted friendship & love.

♥♥♥♥♥