Running to Catch UP again

 Taking a breath today, a day of recuperation! I knew I had scheduled a crazy schedule the past week. It has all be fun, but then just sitting down to visit you and say hello again has not fit into my schedule. 

On Friday my "live-in gardener" celebrated another anniversary with a beautiful dinner at my favorite Spanish tapas restaurant. The picture is our starters. The egg is sitting on top a sausage and bun. The bottom starter looks like dessert, but it was banana bread with fois gras on top, sprinkled with hazelnuts and two dots of strawberry puree. Very unusual, but very delicious. 

 

  

Then early Saturday morning we picked up daughter, Jill, and grandson, Desmond, and headed to a little local airport to sail away in a hot air balloon. Now my daughter said it was a dream come true. My grandson was scared, but ended up loving it. I had a slight trepidation until I got there and saw how well it was managed.

 

Standing in that basket, 2500 feet above the ground was magical. It was so quiet, it almost felt like a spiritual experience. Even the people in the basket said very little. It almost felt like we were floating into heaven. 

 

 

Then that afternoon my "live-in gardener" and I were out on the street for No Kings Day. My picture doesn't do justice or show how many people were there.

 

 

 

Sunday was Father's Day where we enjoyed fish and chips at a local British pub.

 

Monday I celebrated a friends birthday with pedicures for both of us.

 

 

Tuesday was time spent with a cousin and his wife.

 

And yesterday I got invited to a Bachlorette party. Have you ever gone to a Bachlorette party? It was fun to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of a friend. I had never been invited to a gathering to celebrate an upcoming wedding before. 

 

Since I was early to the party I had a few moments to stop at a favorite rose garden and enjoy some silence in the day. 

 

 

So today I am staying home and taking a breath. Here is the view from my patio at home. Oh! I still call my husband my "live-in gardener". I mean he hasn't quite been able to surrender to no gardening at all, as you can see on our patio there are about 25 pots of plants to tend and bird seed and water to put out for the birds.

 

 

And in between times I keep sipping tea. You know me, there is always a cup of tea.

 

Hope your week of transition from Spring to Summer is terrific.

 

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Pathways

 

“Pathways” by Rainer Maria Rilke

Understand, I’ll slip quietly
away from the noisy crowd
when I see the pale
stars rising, blooming, over the oaks.

I’ll pursue solitary pathways
through the pale twilit meadows,
with only this one dream:

You come too.

Join me as we wander roads less traveled, into the unknown. What will we find just beyond the bend in the road? What beauty lies there? Hold my hand and I will walk with you.

Sometimes the path is rocky, curved or straight, and sometimes it takes us through the dark night until we reach the light.

Wherever we travel, wherever we walk, let's walk together. Let's share the darkness and the light.

Happy sharing and walking with dear ones through life's ups and downs. Sometimes the road is less travels and sometimes it is a bit crowded. Keep walking and stop to take in the view. The view can be more beautiful as you notice what you notice.

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

 

As the sun went down over the river I danced in the moonlight.

 If you cannot find me, look for me in the warm breezes of a walk by the sea or laying on the mossy cushion in the woods, under the trees or looking to the sky on a full moon night, I will dance. Look no further than your own memories of a peaceful time, where the sun warms your body and you can giggle with delight. Hold hands and dance with nature in your soul.

Dream of sails billowing in the wind. Wrap yourself in JOY.

 With a walk by the sea, embrace the sounds of the waves as they rumble over rocks and sand. Feel the mist upon your face.

And always hold a song in your heart.
Focus on the glimmers of light in darkness and turmoil.

Sing!

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Good Friends & Tea

 

I love these Rose Is Rose comics that I have saved from long ago. YES! Good friends and an afternoon spent together over cups of tea is my favorite thing to do.

This week it was a teatime with a tea friend. What a treat it is each time we meet. Teatime friends are the best.

We sipped a new Darjeeling tea and nibbled on trout and egg salad sandwiches with dried fruit and scones. The scones are in the pink napkin, as they were fresh from the oven. 

 

 

Then earlier in the week my "live-in gardener" and I had to initiate our patio with teatime. We have a small garden of potted plants on the patio. There is one cherry tomato, one tea plant, and many flowers and herbs. The herbs are basil, thyme, and rosemary. Then there are a few bonsai in the background too. Well you didn't think we completely gave up the garden. Being on the ground floor it feels like we have a garden out our backdoor, as beyond the concrete slab there are plants that the landscapers take care. Now that is the way to have a garden and not have to do all the work.

What is your favorite way to spend time with a friend?

Hoping you find special times often to spend with dear friends.

 Sending love,

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

 My brown betty teapot shows up often for my morning tea time. It is both utilitarian and (I think) pretty. Of course I like a nice stripe and it does show it's stripes. It pours well and harbors my tea inside. The lid fits snugly on top. And brown goes with about any occasion celebrated at the tea table. It is a dependable, workhorse and I am thankful to have it to hold my tea.

 It's the little things of life that bring us joy and glimmers of light. My teapot is one of those things. 

 

“The Teapot”

That morning I heard water being poured into a teapot.
The sound was an ordinary, daily, cluffy sound.
But all at once, I knew you loved me.
An unheard-of thing, love audible in water falling.

(from “Talking into the Ear of a Donkey: Poems”, by Robert Bly, W. W. Norton & Company, 2011. )

 

I always make my own tea in the morning; but I wonder how it would feel to have someone rise early to make tea for me. Really I don't mind making my own tea. My recent experience of having a realtor working for me in selling my house, I was reminded of the care another person can give in the little things of life. He made the transition from one place to the other better. He softened the experience with kind words and gestures.  Then when it was over he brought a gift that touched our hearts. A painting of our house.

 

 Kind thoughts, words, or actions from another, whether it is making tea or a gift make life softer. Those small things are indeed like audible/visual love.

 Sending love,

Marilyn 

                                            

 

Springtime Flowers

 My favorite time of the year is springtime flower time. I just love the colors of springtime from the chartreuse greens of new leaves to the purple of a blooming iris.

Most often in the spring my "live-in gardener" and I visit  Schreiner's Iris garden near Salem, Oregon. 

I grew up with purple bearded irises in our garden; but each time I visit this garden I am once again amazed at the variety of colors.

Whomever plans this garden is so creative in pairing the irises with other plants. There were columbine, lupines, elder flowers, clematis, and many more plants; but the iris was the star of the show.

My traveling teacup is always in my car and ready for an adventure. It also loved following along in the iris garden. This teacup has traveled far and wide from these gardens to Pompeii, Italy. She likes to always be ready for an adventure.

And then on the same afternoon, not far from the iris gardens, we visited Adelman Peony Gardens. Two gardens in one springtime day was a delight.

We even found fairies dancing in the garden here.

 

 

And children enjoying the day. I thought they made the gardens even more beautiful. This snap of the camera was a surprise because the sun was so bright I couldn't see my phone screen. This is the only picture in this post from my phone. All the other pictures were taken on my little Canon.

A field of peonies is a beautiful thing to behold.

In the garden shop there was a display of all the peony varieties. It was hard to pick a favorite.

 I hope in your part of the world you are also enjoying the beauty of springtime and flowers.

Sending love,

Marilyn