BECOMING JUNE

 

 

becoming june,

becoming freedom.

a moment with Julia Margaret Cameron.

coffee with cream left over

from yesterday's pavlova

(everyone's had better things to do

than pop to the corner shop

for some more milk.)

it made me think 

about my Finnish grandma Hellin

who would sip on hers

from a saucer

sitting on her yellow porch.

softly blurred childhood memories

like photographs faded by the sun.

if I could have a wish,

I'd ask for a chance

to sit there on that porch

and have a chat,

woman to woman, 

heart to heart.

 moments with roses. 

becoming roses. 

patient attempts

to capture fluttering butterflies,

but they won't be tamed.

strangely i feel them take flight 

somewhere deep inside. 

x

NEUTRAL ZONE

Saturday,

in a neutral gear.

the chilly winds outside didn't beckon,

but a creative urge pulsated,

so I grabbed the camera

& pointed it around the house.

it gets the urge out of the system.

the urge you can't not obey.

and I lose myself 

in the light, 

the music, 

the coffee, 
the moment.

x

THE SILENT IN-BETWEEN

the main festivities are wrapped,

those slow, in-between days arrived.

in-between goes for this post, too

– more moods & music,

less words.

they simmer beneath the surface,

ready to take form 

for the new year about to unveil itself.

i want to hear the silence

& take heed. 

(the ethereal compositions of Ola Gjeilo,

a new discovery for me this winter,

is like filling the ears with music 

that is like the most beautiful silence

– stirring, a call to pause, 

allow the soul to soar.) 

x

SWEET REFUGE

some simple details

to start the weekend.

coffee & pistachio buns this afternoon

to celebrate our son passing his violin exam.

music streaming,

bouquet from the local flowershop. 

it's been a quiet week,

so quiet it started to make me a little jittery. 

but yesterday I landed a lovely suprise shoot

in the neighbourhood

& right after that,

my work diary sort of filled up all by itself

for the rest of the year it seems. 

should have just relished this quiet

I winked to myself... 

as much as I appreciate time for just me,

I do thrive with enough to do

& the right amount of spare time 

for the creative spirit to take flight,

although who wouldn't I guess...

been flicking through the pages 

of Roversi meets Dior,

a true match made in heaven.

his images

& the quality of the pages between the fingers,

enough to transport into a world of soulful beauty,

where texture & warmth abound. 

with this quick post,

I wish you a very happy weekend.

x

JARDIN D'HIVER

Dear blog,

you secret sanctuary,

 hideaway of mine,

it's been a while.

One of these anyway,

simply from a desire

to catch the mood,

a fleeting moment,

the light. 

It's a white light now.

One that sparkles,

catches on the silver ball in the corner of the room

that then casts its spell on the ceiling.

The rays so warm through the window

that it's easy to imagine oneself in the heat of a summer's day in Tuscany,

forget the cold spell beyond the window pane.

Almost a week off,

and I'm taking notice again,

breathing more softly,

feeling a sense of h a p p i n e s s inside.

The kind that calls to look,

admire & create. 

I've missed that notion,

so linger on won't you... 

"I'll wake up as a twelve-year-old,"

my daughter announced just before crawling to bed last night.

She told me she's been having a bit of an age-related crisis,

so I think we were both a little relieved

when she woke up this morning

as per her normal, wonderful self

– smiling, humming, dancing. 

She's at ballet now

and when she gets back

we'll head to an Italian restaurant nearby,

her choice.

She adds a whole different glow to my life.

"Je voudrais du soleil vert,

des dentelles et des théières,

des photos de bord de mer

dans mon jardin d'hiver.

Je voudrais de la lumière 

comme en Nouvelle-Angleterre.

Je veux changer d'atmosphère 

dans mon jardin d'hiver."

~ Keren Ann

⭐︎

⭐︎

⭐︎

EAST LONDON EVENING

The weeks have flown by in a whirl, ladies & gents.

After family time in England over the New Year,

I found myself there again,

this time in East London.

We spent the days presenting our photo books 

at a fair in Islington,

arriving after a long day

to cups of tea & chocolate cake,

followed by a glass of red from the honesty bar,

before venturing out to dinner.

Nothing like running a bath last thing at night,

(or first thing in the morning for that matter...)

and falling fast asleep in a canopy bed

fit for a queen.

Somehow it does good for the soul

to offset busyness & people

with a quiet place to crawl into.

Something I need to find every day,

even if a canopy bed is replaced by a nook on the sofa,

music to the ears,

 a walk,

pen to paper,

lens to light,

no distractions. 

x

All images taken at The Rookery.

x

A QUIET HUM

My soul month November arrived

with its diffused skies,

darkening nights

& invitation to retreat a little,

dream some more, 

quieten down.

The colder & shorter days

give a special quality to light.

That’s when the earth’s muted greys glimmer.

A whole lot of softness with edge,

I think that’s what I’m forever trying to capture.

Not too much of one without the other.

A warm buzz inside

from spending time with a dear friend yesterday,

a walk with my husband today along the coast,

the breeze adding an extra spring in the step.

Current state of mind:

subdued on the outside,

a riot of colour inside.

After dinner,

a glass of red & this interview with Ellen Von Unwerth

(my goodness how kind and down-to-earth she seems…).

Wishing you a lovely rest of the weekend.

Just that, rest.

x