Little things that mean so much

I watch
little birds flitting from tree to tree
bright plumage caught in winter sun
a delight to the eye

a joy to behold
in winter’s dying days
when bleakness reigns
and frost chills the bones.

I hear
merry chatter as they feed
on seeds and nuts
hanging freely from the bough

Little joys
Big with life
gladdening my heart
dispelling inner gloom

Thank you
Creator of all
for these
Your gifts of life.



For more photos of Whinlatter Forest Park in the Lake District see other posts here and:
Lake District Saga
Writing For Joy

Reflections

Sometimes reflections in water — lake, tarn, river — can be more lovely than the actual view we see on land.
Isn't this rather like memories? Unless what we recall is painful or meaningless, our memories are reshaped and coloured by time. I could list many things here but most are of a personal nature. These memories are my treasure, always available to be be retrieved and viewed at will. Like my growing store of photographs, there's a lot of them!
This photograph is a more recent one. We have a brilliant print of the same place but taken in summer-autumn when the trees are full of colour. But this one reflects the brilliant blue of the sky as well as mostly dull deciduous trees. And the ripples on the water, breaking up the evergreens, add texture and detail. Yes, just like life as we get older.


For lovely photographs visit Lake District Saga

Lots more photographs, walks, points of view, stories, at Writing For Joy

Short stories, reviews, thoughts, dress designs, and much more at Wrinkly Writers

Light on a hill that cannot be hidden

It may look like a lighthouse but the Hoad Monument is just that - a monument to a notable local personage. Sometimes it is lit up and it can be seen for miles.
'Let you light shine so that others may see your good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.'
We see celebrities lit up and standing for all to see, but how sad that their deeds are not always life enhancing for others — in fact, just the opposite. But it is their fans that put them on the pedestals. How sad.
There are so many good people who walk unnoticed among us. But every so often, one comes along and lifts our flagging spirits. What a blessing!
We too should be blessings to others, rather than forever seeking our own happiness and looking for it in the wrong places.

The end of the trail

We have been caravanning since our boys were quite young. Gradually they dropped off until we were off on our own with a comfy two-birth caravan. The caravan has provided us with many enjoyable holidays, which we will always remember. Lots of photos should we forget!
Now the time has come to give up the van and think of other ways to get a good break. Here is our lovely van, with autumn leaves drifting over it like confetti! As we enter the winter of our lives we are very thankful for the pleasure it has given us, and hope that it will serve another couple in the way it has pleasured us.

Confusion

It is November — autumn. The yellow roses are at the best they have been all year. A few of the others are holding on but they have already done their work of giving joy through the eye of the beholder.

Glorious colours of autumn enrich us day by day. My yellow rose is a touch of summer lingering in all its beauty and fragrance.