Pause to catch my breath

I dived into the river
Playing amongst the stones
Skimming pebbles on the surface
And watching the ripples spread far and wide.

Bonfire In the garden

I stand mesmerised by burning vegetation
White hot ashes
And swirling, curling billows of smoke
Carried and tossed around by the wind
Pushed and pulled in all directions
The heat warms my face
But my back remains cold.

Birthday Cake

Green icing in a bag
Nozzle attached
No idea what I'm doing
What fun
Although
Not that pretty!!

Tulips

The first tulips of the year
Sit on my windowsill
Their treasure hidden
Tightly wrapped in green
I wait for the grand unfurling and opening
With anticipation.

Transition moments

Five minutes
Spent collecting my thoughts
And closing my eyes
I move from worker to mother
The transition made
I go to scoop up my little ones.

Early

I've been ahead of myself all day
I'm not sure how
But I'm enjoying the less frantic-ness of it!

Snowdrops

A speck, peeking from some leaves
Spots of white on sturdy green stems
Clustered together
A tentative sign
Life is returning to the garden.

Lunchtime in the Garden

A pheasant struts majestically past the window
His feathers gleam
He pauses to peck at something at his feet
Below him a thrush struggles
Pulling a worm from the harden ground
Leaves are thrown in the air beneath the blackcurrant bush
A robin appears triumphantly
It's lumchtime in the garden

A Small Stone

A small stone
A moment in time, captured
Really seen, with all the senses
Going back to the things themselves
Looking for the essence
Struggling to put it into words
Making things seem new and fresh
Everyday phenomenology?

Lap Cat

It's bitter sweet
A cat on your lap
Lovely warm, furry bundle of purryness
But sharp, kneading paws . . .

Lazy Day

I sit
And knit
The click, click beats a rhythm
It calms and rests
And my mind soars and roams

Frozen Morning

Icy pigs
White with frost
Snuffle in the cold, hard earth
Brrrrrrrrr!

Sunrise

A hint of red hidden behind the trees
Fading to gold, pale blue then a bright blue sky
Promising a glorious day

New moon

The moon rose early today
Greeting the sun before it set
A big, round sphere
Exuding it's bright light over the darkness

Tidying up

Two little tornado's rage through the house
Things are whisked up and dropped
I feel like Sisyphus behind them
Struggling to find meaning

Catching memories

I look deep into his dear little face
Trying to capture this moment
This look
Etching it into my soul
Wishing to hold onto it forever
But knowing that this moment will soon fade
And with it my memory

Something new

The door was only opened a little
Tentative steps taken towards something new
Then quite unexpectantly
New opportunities came rushing in
Filling the space with creative energy

Guest stones

Robin by my four year old daughter

I saw a Robin on the fence
It was tweeting a lovely song


These lovely small stones are from my brother

White swan gliding on a murky waterway
Feathers bright against dark surface beneath you
You leave now the promise of food not realised
My memory of you, but a dream


Golds, reds and greens
Autumn's treasure trove is opened fully
The wind harassing fragile jewels
Hanging dearly to their homes

Roof Tops

Standing proud
Shoulder to shoulder
Four chimney stacks pierce the sky line

The warm hearth

The fire crackles and spits
Orange flames lick and dance
All is well with the world

Squirrel's journey

Scamper, scamper, scamper
A wave of grey bounds across the road
It's grey tail follows it's body's trajectory
Quick, quick little squirrel a car is coming!

Change

Despite our best intentions and resolutions
It is difficult to change
When our feet urge us down familiar and well- trodden paths

Winter's morning

Jack frost did a merry dance all over our garden while we slept
Covering everything in a blanket of white
It crunches underfoot
Sparkling and glistening like diamonds when the sun catches it

Icy Walk

A satisfying crunch
Icy puddle under wellied foot
Cracking and splintering
Sending icy shards skidding out in front

M&S Sale

A row of grey-haired gentlemen sit
Patiently
As their wives scrummage around for bargains

A good day for ducks

The day struggles to get light
Rain pounds outside
Making rivers of the road

Twelfth Night

The room is bare
A hint of pine lingers in the air
The twinkle and sparkle have gone
All packed away
Till Santa comes again.

Everyday Life

Back to school

Back to work

Back to the old routine

Trying to stay true

Above the herd mentality

Farewell Old Friend

Death knocked on my back door today
An unwelcome present, so still
Just sleeping?
Tenderly turned in my hand
A russet red breast
Farewell my friend
I'll miss your cheery presence in the garden
O pussycat, pussycat, what have you done?

Surprise

Oh

An egg!

Glancing into a bowl on the windowsill

A tiny little pale blue egg

All spotted and flecked with brown

With moss stuck to it's side

Picked up in the garden last summer

And forgotten about

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning

The day stretches out before us

What to do?

Two small children dance at the foot of the bed

Calling out for activity

I sink into the warm bed's embrace
and choose not to choose
for the moment

Time

We watch time as the minutes slowly move towards Midnight.

A New Year starts and carries with it potential, hope and aspirations.

The clock doesn't notice though and time marches on regardless.

My Small Stone

My friend Fiona over at Planting Words has come up with this international project, A River of Stones, which she started with her fiance Kaspa to encourage people to engage with the world through writing a short observational piece every day during January.  

I thought it was a great idea and a good way of kicking starting this blog - which quite frankly it needs!  It seems doubly apt as Fiona and her blogs inspired me to start this! So I'm going to try and give it a go and to give myself an extra challenge I'll attempt to give my small stone an existential feel if possible.  I hope you will check back to see how I am getting along!