The Posy - Scene & Story June 2017

On a bench at the lakeside metro station,

there was a forgotten posy of wild flowers starting to look a little wilted

and very thirsty.

The next metro didn't come for five minutes and nobody came to claim these flowers,

so it seemed the best thing to do was to bring them home,

trim their stalks and give them plenty of water.

They soon perked up in my little fluted vase

and their presence on my small round table

was both joyful and endearing.

I had a feeling that these flowers had been picked by a young child,

the stalks were uneven and broken at all different lengths.

I just hoped that she (or he) didn't go back to look for them...

and find them gone.

If you know the little posy creator,

please will you thank them for me

and show them how their flowers have been loved and well-cared for in my home.

They have thrived and smiled at me for many days.

Every time I looked at them, I thought of you,

the unknown and mysterious posy child!

A tender posy

Quite forgotten on a bench

Found its way to me.

***

Click here to join the Scene & Story link-up at Paisley Rain Boots

In the Palm of My Hand - Scene & Story April 2017

What are you thinking with that serious little face as you look at the photographer?

Can't you see that it's your daddy holding a black box?

He's sure to be making silly faces to make you smile!

But you look back gravely, wondering what all the fuss is about!

Ah! Little girl, if I could be your Fairy Godmother 

and bestow upon you only love and laughter in your life,

I would do so.

There are so many years ahead, so many things to learn.

That is what it's all about really. Learning.

Life is unexpected and it meanders where it will and we follow as best we can.

There will be laughter, there will be love and that is what keeps us going

when the times are tough.

You believe me, don't you?

You see, I know these things for I have lived them.

My years have often been filled with laughter and I have loved and been loved.

There have been tears, but the joy for life has always returned.

This is the resilience we learn through our life experiences.

I look at you with emotion and tenderness, holding you protectively.

Accepting, for the most part, what has been

 and doing my best to live each new moment

with an open mind.

No one knows what lies ahead, ever.

But we continue our journey - taking just one day at a time.

I hold you in my heart, little child, looking at me in the palm of my hand.

Don't be afraid, it will all turn out just as it should.

Here we are, little you and grown-up me. 

One and the same for all eternity.

***

Baby photo taken by my dad and mounted on a cut-out piece of aluminium.

I was told that this photo was always on his desk when I was little.

***

Joining the monthly Scene and Story link-up

with  Lee at Sea Blue Lens

and Sarah at

  Paisley Rain Boots

The Old Door: Scene and Story - February 2017

The old door sighed,

not a sigh of lassitude, but rather one of serene contentment.

It had lived its life from a young sapling which had grown into a fine oak tree in the forest.

One day, it was decided that the tree was big enough to cut down.

It was then transported to the lumber mill, cut into planks

which passed into the hands of capable and talented carpenters.

A fine door was made.

It could be seen from the patina on the surface of the wood,

that many years had passed, one hundred and fifty to be exact.

The door's constant companion, the rather elegantly shaped door-knocker,

had been there right from the start.

There was quiet, understated beauty in the harmonious lines and design.

despite the now tarnished appearance.

The old door and the knocker had retained the wondrous charm of days long gone by.

They both remembered ladies in crinoline dresses

holding up lacy edged parasols against the sun,

for it wasn't fashionable in those days to have a suntan.

They had witnessed suitors coming to visit the young ladies

living in the house, quickly adjusting their appearance before knocking on the door.

There had been many a shy kiss exchanged on the now worn door-step.

Horses and carriages had passed by in those early days.

Neither the door nor the knocker had become accustomed to the noise

and smell of cars and how they polluted the air.

"What is the world coming to?" they said to each other.

Yet here they are, holding strong, still together after all these years

facing the changes over time philosophically,

conscious of the joys and suffering of humanity 

and hoping their steady presence had been of some comfort and reassurance in times of need.

Neither of them knew what the future reserved,

but this did not worry them.

Through their intuitive inner wisdom, they knew that the only reality

was that of each new day

and that was the secret of their constant contentment.

***

On the first Sunday of each month, I join Sarah at Paisley Rainboots and Lee at Sea Blue Lens

for Scene and Story with a favourite photograph from the past month 

and the story it inspires.

Read other stories too on this monthly link-up.

It's story time again!

Scene and Story for January 2017

How do I embrace the long month of January?

I fill it with all the things I love!

I light a candle in a pretty cut crystal candle holder.

I reread some favourite books to savour them once again

and discover new delicious details I may have missed before!

I get out my yarns and crochet hook and start creating with colour and design.

There is nothing more rewarding!

I like to feel the softness of the yarn, choose the colours by the mood I'm in.

Feel the smooth metal of the hook work its way in and out of the stitches

in a calming rhythmic manner.

Creating circular designs which have a beautiful harmonious feel to them

Mandalas too are full of flowing harmony.

Snip the yarn, sew in the loose ends.

What shall I make?

It doesn't matter for now.

Just create and sigh a sigh of contentment.

The pleasure is in the doing as much as in the foreseeable end product.

January can be a tad grey and windy and cold and wet or snowy,

but all these things are a perfect excuse to do everything I love doing!

Even photography is possible indoors

and although it can be more of a challenge, because of poor lighting,

it's time to get out that wide open prime lens and play with distance and angle.

So dear January

Do your best with wind and snow

I am snug at home!

***

Joining Sarah at Paisley Rain Boots and Lee at Sea Blue Lens

for Scene & Story every month.

A Life Well Remembered: A Story

When I was twelve and my brother six, my mother left to make a new life for herself,

without us.

My father became a single parent.

Every day of my adult life, I am thankful that my brother and I were brought up by my dad.

It wasn't always easy, especially during our teen years,

but dad did his best to be the best dad he could be.

I consider myself lucky as I have inherited my dad's positive and upbeat attitude,

his love and enthusiasm for life and his caring nature.

Dad was full of fun and was always there for me when I needed him.

When I became a mother to three lovely children, 

I realized the true value of my dad's upbringing.

There isn't a day goes by when I don't think of the father I was given,

how lucky I was and how I shall always be truly thankful.

I'll never forget all he did for me 

and I'll never forget that smile of his

and his wonderful twinkling blue eyes.

Photo:

Two photos of Dad, a book of poems he gave to me,

his Parker fountain pen, which I still use,

and a handkerchief with his initial, J for John, which he once left when he came to stay

and which I laundered and kept in memory of him.

His writing in a birthday card he sent to me.

***

Joining Sarah at Paisley Rain Boots and Lee at Sea Blue Lens

for Scene & Story