A Bargain Of Beauty

A baker's-dozen........... pots of blooming Tulips. 
All had been marked down to a mere $1.25 a pot.
Each individual pot holds three huge bulbs, all waiting to be planted in the warm, fertile soil of Spring.

Thoughts Of Home

The Manor Farm

 

 

The rock-like mud unfroze a little, and rills

Ran and sparkled down each side of the road

Under the catkins wagging in the hedge.

But earth would have her sleep out, spite of the sun;

Nor did I value that thin glilding beam

More than a pretty February thing

Till I came down to the old Manor Farm,

And church and yew-tree opposite, in age

Its equals and in size. The church and yew

And farmhouse slept in a Sunday silentness.

The air raised not a straw. The steep farm roof,

With tiles duskily glowing, entertained

The mid-day sun; and up and down the roof

White pigeons nestled. There was no sound but one.

Three cart-horses were looking over a gate

Drowsily through their forelocks, swishing their tails

Against a fly, a solitary fly.

The Winter's cheek flushed as if he had drained

Spring, Summer, and Autumn at a draught

And smiled quietly. But 'twas not Winter—

Rather a season of bliss unchangeable

Awakened from farm and church where it had lain

Safe under tile and thatch for ages since

This England, Old already, was called Merry.


Edward Thomas 1878

 

 

Cottage Love

The cottage homes of England
   By thousands on her plains,
They are smiling o'er the silvery brooks,
   And round the hamlet-fanes.
Thro' glowing orchards forth they peep,
   Each from its nook of leaves,
And fearless there the lowly sleep,
   As the bird beneath the eaves

~ Felicia Hermans  1793 -1835
  

Contentment

Sunshine has returned, and the last of the lingering snow is now melting.
I was content to sit and watch the falling snow from a window view.
There were days in my working years, when I wasn't afforded such luxury.
Oliver cat and Tom-Tilly are happy to once again bask in the afternoon sun, their little world as they know it, returned to normal.

 

 

 

Winter Days

The heavens have opened, and rain is falling by the bucket loads.

This is the better part of our weather, tomorrow snow...….

I'm not looking forward to the chaos and mayhem it creates especially on the roads, for those of us more fortunate who can stay home and look out of the window, beauty abounds. 

 

 

Zen

Oliver cat practicing his new yoga pose.

Winter days can afford the luxury of personal growth.

 

 

" I have lived with several Zen masters...….all of them cats."

 

Eckhart Tolle ~ The Power of Now : A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

 

Winter Nesting

I'm a candle-burner.
No matter what season of the year, you'll find candles burning in my home.
I'm drawn like a moth to the flame, they comfort me, console me, wrap me in their warm glow.
Nothing says "Welcome Home" better than the soft glow of a burning spiced-candle.
Winter days have set in, we've already had our share of sadness in this new year, I'm hoping for brighter days ahead.

Doc Martin Season 8 Episode 1 preview

To help break up the monotony of long winter nights, our local PBS affiliate is treating its viewing audience to new seasons of beloved favorite shows.
Doc Martin Season 8 aired this past Thursday, I'm already hooked.
Thank you Public Broadcasting Corporation, and our local Nashville Public Television.
Check your local schedule for times and dates.

Done And Dusted

 

We've ate, drank and made merry.

Over-indulged in all the traditions of the season that makes this magical celebration.......magical.

Laughter was in abundance.

  

The gatherings are over, the house is tidied.

Time to enjoy a few hours of quiet, a nice pot of tea and a mince pie or two.

I hope your Christmas was just as lovely.

Farewell, Mr. President

A Life Nobly Lived.

                                                  George H. W. Bush (1924) - (2018)
                                            41st President of the United States of America.


                                                                " Mission Completed "
                                                                       Godspeed