Good Morning

It's low tide this morning, and down at the estuary the water's bright mirror contrasts with the flat dun of the marshy mud along the shore.  Patches of seaweed, exposed by the receding water, glow improbably green in the morning light, and the herons along the shore are seen in silhouette.

There was a heron fishing right in the middle of the channel by which I stopped to take my picture.  I'd hoped to catch his silhouette paired with its perfect reflection but, just as I lifted my camera, he took wing and - wingtips just barely clearing the surface of the water - flew away.  

He settled a little further out and, apparently feeling he'd put a safe distance between us, resumed his work.  So smooth was his landing and so still his stance that he scarcely rippled the water. Within moments he was rewarded with a silvery fish.

The estuary is remarkably alive; teeming with creatures large and small who take nourishment from the river water and from the constantly replenishing tides.  Many are not visible to me as I stand there; small creatures living in the mud and hidden in the grass, but those small creatures attract larger ones who provide endless theatre for those who choose to remain quiet and still enough to observe them.

On the mud, in the sea grass, and amidst the beds of seaweed small shorebirds burrow busily, prospecting for insects and shell fish.  They often work in large groups, mostly silent because their beaks are busy with other things.  When a threat appears, they rise as if of one mind, wheeling low above the water in a great cloud, moving in perfect concert with one another.

Ducks and geese nest along the banks of the estuary in spring. Their offspring are adolescents now.  Still soft-feathered, they're growing so rapidly that seeing them each day is like watching time lapse photography.  They've lost the downy cuteness they possessed as newborns and are now gangly and long-limbed, but they still follow their mothers in single file, dependent upon them for food, and for lessons in life skills they've yet to acquire.

People tread lightly in this place.  They're here to be sure:  Boats bob at anchor in the quiet waters of the bay and great freighters moor in the deep water beyond.  A road passes along the edge of the bay and, in the village, houses and stores and restaurants all stand with their feet planted in the waters of the bay.  Even so, there is an ancient, timeless beauty here that remains unbothered by our presence.  There are places where people don't walk, where boats don't intrude, where fish and birds and grass and mud continue on as they always have.

I love that.  Those places, with their timelessness, remind me that I can step outside the constraints of time too, put aside my busy-ness and worries for a while and, for at least a moment or two, become a part of the great, eternal whole.  Such peace in that.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, my friends.  Whatever busy-ness your day brings, whatever your worries or cares, I hope you find some moments to put them aside and find some peace and quiet of your own.  Have a joyful day.

News of the Day

Here are some of the links I've shared today on my Aunt B's Kitchen page on Facebook.  I share lots more on Twitter, G+, and Pinterest.  Do join me there!  :)

On my blogs:

Good Morning 

Spaghetti with sauteed zucchini and grape tomatoes  

Food:

Rosemary roasted grapes from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Faro, cheddar, walnut, and apple salad from Nibbles by Nic

10 green bean recipes we love, from Serious Eats

Cookie Milk Ice Cream from Jenni Field's Pastry Chef Online

Kids:

Living room camp out ideas for kids from Premeditate Leftovers

Inspiration:

Hugginz by Angel and Curtis Hargrove; the story of Angel's prom 

Father's Day:

Father's Day gift ideas from the 36th AVENUE

Good Morning

Addlepated.

Isn't that a wonderful word?  It's an old English term intended to denote someone suffering from confusion, or possibly dementia.  

I'm applying it to myself this morning, in a more fanciful way.

I slept late today and I'm still curled up in the corner of the couch, gazing out the window and drinking coffee.  

And I am addlepated.  

My brain seems determined not to kick into gear this morning. Whenever I stir myself to get up and start focusing on the chores of the day it wanders off again, catching some new sight out the window, some idea on the breeze, and meandering off aimlessly in a new direction.

This morning everything tells a story to me.  

The fat, neighbourly pigeons perched on the telephone wires might well be matronly housewives sitting round a kitchen table, exchanging recipes over coffee and cake.

The starling hopping across the lawn, followed by a single file of hungry fledglings attempting - rather unsuccessfully - to mimic her hunting behaviour could be a nursery school teacher taking her charges out on their first field trip.

The bickering crows in the walnut tree, squabbling among themselves until they hush suddenly at the appearance of an eagle soaring overhead remind me rather hilariously of closing time at the local pub:  a group of noisesome merry-makers pulling back as a policeman passes by.

Funny, really, how very similar all creatures are at their core.

And in the background Mother Nature continues on, regardless.  

The sun, diffused by woolly grey cloud, burnishes the edges of every leaf, the trunk of ever tree, and the top of every fence post, roof, and chimney, pewter in the morning light.

The plum trees in the yard across the way glow burgundy, their branches tipped jewel-like with small, red fruit.

And the breeze sweeps through, making it all dance.

I am sure that if I sit quietly, I'll hear the music too.  A fine reason to stay here a little longer.  The chores will wait.  They always do.

I hope that your Tuesday is off to a pleasant start and that you find a moment or two within your day to pause and listen to the music of your heart.  Have a joyful day.  

News of the Day

Here are some of the links I've shared today on my Aunt B's Kitchen page on Facebook.  I share lots more on Twitter, G+, and Pinterest.  Do join me there!  :)

On my blogs:

Good Morning

Feta Tzatziki 

Cucumber and Red Onion Salad 

Garlic and Rosemary Foccacia 

Re-Vision:  Father's Day Card From a Thrift Store Book 

Food:

Refreshing Cucumber Recipes from Saveur Magazine

Paris Bistro Potato Leek Tart from ChinDeep

Kids:

30+ Super Fun Math Games from Kids Activities Blog

Inspiration:

The Unmistakable Freedom of Contentment and How to Achieve It from becomingminimalist

Frugal Housekeeping:

How to Save Money on Dr. Bronner's and Other Natural Cleaning Ingredients from Premeditated Leftovers

Good Morning

The weather will change soon I think. When I woke at 5:00, the sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight but, by the time I left the house to drive to work, it was decorated with downy streamers of white and grey.

A breeze has come up, cooling the air and riffling the surface of the water into pale blue satin.  Even the quiet waters of the estuary are stirred, breaking the reflections of the still herons fishing along the shore into tiny blue-grey shards that seem to dance and sway even as the birds themselves stand like statues.

The grass on the roadsides is taller than the fence posts now, and sways in the breeze, purple seed heads nodding to the rhythm of Nature's heart beat.  Small brown rabbits dart in and out among the tall stalks, the sound of their movements lost in the rustling of the grass.

 A red tailed hawk perches on a lamp post near my window, its feathers occasionally ruffled by the breeze as it waits, fierce yellow eyes focused on the shrubbery into which a family of quail have disappeared, moving so swiftly and smoothly that they might have been on wheels.

Sunlight flickers across the square, baffled by the movement of shoals of clouds, turning the scenery into a projected image; an old time movie - light, dim, light, dim - before breaking through to a cloudless patch of sky and spotlighting the peonies in the garden so they glow electric pink.

My heart has not yet decided it's Monday.  It wants to cling to slow waking and day dreams, window gazing and wool gathering, but it's time to focus now, and to set about tackling the chores of the day.

I'm off to do that, but not before I wish you a happy day.  I hope it brings you a thousand gifts both big and small, time for day dreams, and a few still moments in which to listen to your heart. 

Have a marvelous Monday.

News of the Day

Here are some of the links I've shared today on my Aunt B's Kitchen page on Facebook.  I share lots more on Twitter, G+, and Pinterest.  Do join me there!  :)

On my blogs:

Good Morning

The Month of Roses

Food:

Simple Greek style baked fish from view from the great isle

Greek Feta Sweet Potato Fries from E.A. Stewart of eat.feel.be.delicious

9 Simple Ways to Make Veggies Irresistible from Delish

Gardening:

DIY Concrete Garden Globes from The Garden Glove

Family:

How to take your own family pictures from Capturing Joy

Health:

The best foods for your brain (and why we may owe fat an apology) from Greatist

Giggles:

Shared on Facebook by Cupcakes and Kale Chips via Meal Planning Maven

Good Morning

If ever there was a time of year when it could be said the air smells sweet, it is in early June.  Tangles of wild rose and honeysuckle bloom along fence lines and roadsides here.  Mock orange dapples shaded spots with white.  Sweet peas climb trellises and walls.  Wisteria twines itself wherever it can, its perfumed flowers hanging in bunches like grapes. Scotch broom runs riot on open hillsides, punctuated by the white, purple, and mauve blooms of sweet rocket and, on farms and in flowerbeds all over the valley, lavender is beginning to bloom.

There is a great sweep of lavender outside my office windows and with every breath of breeze that makes its way up the hill from the straits below, its scent is carried across my desk.  I pause, close my eyes and draw it in, making a memory that will stay with me long after the blooms have faded.

It is one of those mornings when the sun's promise of heat later in the day is given in a fine silver haze that turns the surface of the water into living, moving metal, and the coastal mountains into receding layers of ever-paler blue.  Transparent wisps of cloud sit at the edges of the round, pale bowl of the sky.

On the lawn below my window, a papa quail is loudly proclaiming his presence to the world, all the while being studiously ignored by the small brown bunny nibbling grass nearby.  A single gull, glowing white in the morning's silvery light circles over the water, lazily riding the thermals that rise up the the side of our steep hill.

The day brings all its usual concerns and busy-ness but for just this momen, I am setting them aside, breathing in the quiet and the air's sweet perfume, and enjoying a moment of peace.  All is well with my soul.

I hope that, however busy your Friday may be, and whatever cares you may be carrying in your heart, the day brings you some moments of peace and contentment too.  Have a joyful day.