Watching

I spend a lot of time watching the birds, the clouds and people. It can be a very interesting pastime. This morning while I sat eating my breakfast I watched the clouds rushing across the sky. They were quite dark at first then little bits of white appeared and the grey clouds became tipped with yellow. Now was the time to go outside with the camera. I am a bit limited with a view from my bungalow as it is surrounded by others but a zoom lens and a good eye can bring the clouds to life in a photo I uploaded 6 of them to my Facebook page but I will add the best one here later.

I love to watch the birds on the feeders too. They can be very amusing and their behaviour too. I have watched them push one another off the feeder so they can eat first. There is always a lot of squabbling going on.

But watching people is also interesting. I do this when sitting outside on my bench or on the bus or in a cafe. Body language can tell you so much about a person. But one of the things that has struck me in the past is how many people put on a public face when others are around. I have seen people sit up straighter and smile when they thought I was watching them. What were they trying to hide? I know that many people who have illnesses that cannot be seen often put on a what we call a ‘brave face’. Is this a good thing to do or should we really show ourselves as we are to others?

I knew someone once who put on a lot of make-up, thick and like a mask. Was this done this way because she did not want the world to see her as she was or was it the only way she could be out in public? This in itself could make another topic for a blog. But as a final note, I always say to others, this is me, if you don’t like how I look or what I wear then that is your problem. Take me as you find me is my motto.

Bringing the colours of nature into my home

The last few weeks have seemed very grey and dreary and I wondered how I could bring some colour into my home. I love to wear bright coloured clothes but am unable to get these colours for winter wear ending up with black and grey and the occasional wine or green colour. So colour is definitely needed in soft furnishings.

I had looked outside at the trees and their changing colours so decided to weave myself a small rug on my peg loom. I can manage this if I take my time and have plenty of rests in between working. So this is what I did with greens, oranges, reds and purples. The result is the photo at the end of this blog.

Now I have to decide what else to make. Colour is so important in our lives as many of you will know. If everywhere is grey and black and you wear those colours then you can get depressed easily. Too much blue has the same effect!. I do keep acorns and dried leaves in a dish on my windowsill but I needed something much brighter. The sunrise this morning has given me some ideas. It was a beautiful red and orange sunrise so maybe another rug in these colours.

Nature is so inspiring! What inspires you?

Starting the day

I love the early mornings. It is often still and peaceful and it is so uplifting to watch the sun rise. This morning was such a morning, still, peaceful and easy to connect with all that is.

I have a morning ritual and have done this ritual in different forms for many years. Some days I just welcome the new day, another time I welcome the sun and the warmth and light it brings. On wet days I give thanks for the rain as it is generally needed to water the earth and enable the plants to grow. Other times I may welcome each direction in turn thanking them for the gifts they bring. Another way I sometimes use is to thank Mother Earth and Father Sky and offer them tobacco. Whatever I do, my day seems brighter and I am more able to cope with whatever life throws at me. The short time of stillness and connection stays with me throughout the day.

Do you have morning rituals? If so, what do you do? If not, why not try it and see if it makes any changes to your life. Here are the trees this morning with the early morning sun shining on them.