Five on Friday: Catch Up & Summer Thoughts

" Hold summer in your hand, pour summer in a glass,

a tiny glass of course, the smallest tingling sip

for children; change the season in your veins

by raising glass to lip and tilting summer in. "

RAY BRADBURY

A few days ago when I started this blog post a most welcome rain was watering our parched corner of the earth. It rained for several days, and we were glad. This morning the sun is back. And summer has officially arrived. The air is cool and fresh, and the trees create a lush green leafy canopy over the neighbourhood. I can just see the tops of our new mock orange bushes—the bridal white blossoms giving pleasure as I look out my study window. The poor peonies got knocked about during the rains, so they have a disheveled wet hen look about them. Rick is deadheading the bedraggled blossoms as we speak. To be clear, I do not begrudge the rains for one tiny instant—it was so desperately needed. Other flowers will soon add the colour my eyes are longing for.

It's been a while since I've written a proper post - it's good to be back. I'm eager to visit your own blogs soon. I have enjoyed this break away from writing and being on social media. I admit being too addicted to my social media to take a complete break, but, I spent a lot less time than usual so it was good. Refreshing. Today's Five on Friday post is a little of this and that. I hope you enjoy the catch up with a few summer thoughts mixed in.

One - Miss Peace Rose

Sad news here. . .Miss Peace Rose died. As was usual, she began setting new leaf buds in the very early spring from her perch in the garage. As the days warmed, Rick would put the rose outside in the sun through the daytime, putting her back in the garage at night when it went below freezing. But our weather was so crazy mixed up this spring; first it was scorching hot (it felt like late summer) and then it got cold again. When the new buds died, we thought new ones would eventually form. But no, Peace Rose had caught the winter frost. It was a very sad day when we realized she really didn't make it.

Above you see Peace in her glory days - I'm grateful for the many photos we have of her. If you're interested, you'll find a few other poses HERE.

 

Two - Advice from Sophie Blackall

"If you are in a rut, if you feel overwhelmed by gloom,

if you are exhausted and uninspired and out of sorts,

you can make a list of Things to Look Forward To."

SOPHIE BLACKALL, Things To Look Forward To

my summer list

- iced coffees

- summer storms

- dawn's early light

- long, lazy twilights

- lace curtains wafting in the breeze

- chocolate dipped ice cream cones

- cheeping baby birds, mouths wide open

- reading a children's novel on a sunny afternoon

- dark clouds, rainbows, and sunshine together after a storm

- glasses of cold water after long walks

- happy dogs out for strolls

- children screeching and laughing at the water park

- hotdogs sizzling on the BBQ

- spontaneous picnics in the park

- wind whistling through the screen

- strolls through the Botanic Garden

- peaches and cream

-corn on the cob

Three - Prompts from a friend

Joy, a fellow writer and dear friend, sent me some mixer prompts she created for a recent family reunion. Memories started floating up as soon as I read them, I jotted them down.

Name your favourite place(s) on earth. Beside a cool mountain stream on a hot summer day; sitting on a verandah at dusk on a swing or rocking chair shooting the breeze with someone congenial; inside the covers of a storybook that takes me on a nice adventure; meandering through an English country garden; the library; a bookstore; a convivial café; my little cozy study with the big windows; home—wherever Rick is and where my books are. 

Tell me about something you have built, designed, or made. Years ago, I joined the local calligraphy society and learned not only beautiful lettering but the basics on how to make handmade books. For my mom and dad's fortieth wedding anniversary, I created a little keepsake book, hand lettering every page and stitching them together with jet black beads in the spine. It conveyed our congratulations,  memories, and messages from all the family, even the pets. A labour of love, I enjoyed working on it from start to finish. Mom still has the book among her treasures.

Tell me about a teacher you disliked. I can't say I actually disliked this teacher, but I did hold a negative picture of my Grade Two teacher for a long time. At that tender age, I already had an inkling that math would be the bane of my school years. After the lesson one day, we were given a sheet of problems to solve - adding and subtracting sums. It was the pesky number 9 in any problem that usually slowed me down. Most kids were done and could go for recess, everyone except me—who had to stay and finish my assignment. Mrs. P-- sat at her desk taking her little break, while I continued to struggle ON MY OWN. Trying to hurry, I surreptitiously used my fingers to figure things out. Teacher never asked what I found difficult, if there was something she could explain. Seven-year-old me was not impressed.... Just so you know, I don't hold it against her anymore.

 

Four - Quotes I like 

ON READING

"No person who can read is ever

successful at cleaning out an attic."

ANN LANDERS

LOOKING FOR THE GOOD

"There must be a silk purse

in here somewhere."

JULIA CAMERON, The Sound of Paper

ON CLEARING THE CLUTTER

"It is worthwhile to remember that space is the most

precious and also the most pleasing thing in a

house or room; and that even a small room becomes

spacious if it is not crowded with useless objects."

CHARLOTTE MASON

A WISH FOR YOU

"May you have eyes livened to wonder each day

at the countless tiny ways that Beauty breaks into

the broken world, and may you walk in their starlit joy." 

SARAH CLARKSON

Five - Current reading pile

Sometimes all it needs is a quick five minutes at the library to find a handful of appealing new books for my reading pile. At press time, I have already finished a couple, started another, the rest await their turn. Here's a wee peek for you: 

Dear Mrs. Bird

by AJ Pearce

"Find out what you're good at, Miss Lake,

and then get even better."

In this delightful debut novel, readers are introduced to young Emmeline (Emmy) Lake who aspires to be a lady war correspondent during WWII. Her dream is dashed when she finds herself doing the advice column in a London women's magazine. Warm and poignant, the storyline is about friendship, loyalty, and helping others...oh, and it's about love, too. I bonded with Emmy who, in her determined compassion and desire to help the people writing for advice, sometimes got herself in hot water. I found myself cheering for her as well as her friends and colleagues as they tried hard to keep their chins up during the London Blitz. I loved the sequel Yours Cheerfully and am now waiting for the third book Mrs. Porter Calling to arrive at the library—I'm first in the 'reserved' line, lucky me.

Unless

by Carol Shields

This novel by Canadian author Carol Shields is about author, wife, and mother Reta Winters as she struggles to come to terms with her nineteen-year-old daughter living on the streets of Toronto with a sign around her neck that says, Goodness. I'm in the middle of the story and really getting into it. Reta is forty-four, she feels so young to me, but I recognize her as she narrates what's on her mind. Things resonate on some level with me, even though I've never had a daughter, and especially not one who might have lived on the street. But I certainly can imagine her pain and feel empathy.  

 

Up until now I haven't read much of anything by Ms. Shields, and I wonder! how on earth I've overlooked this amazing writer all these years. One line from National Post on the back cover chides me: "(Carol Shields) is an alchemist who can somehow produce gold from the mundane. Not reading Shields is as much of a literary omission as overlooking Jane Austen". I am discovering that her beautiful writing draws me in the way Jane Austen's beloved novels do. I'm hoping to spend the summer catching up on some of her other works, both fiction and non-fiction.

The Forest of Wool and Steel

by Natsu Miyashita

The book was a Staff Picks recommendation. This Japanese tale that feels almost magical is about a school boy who meets the Master piano tuner one day. The experience isn't life-changing, it's life-making. So says the blurb on the cover. Young Tomura hears the hypnotic sound of the piano being tuned, and in his mind's eye is transported to the green, vibrant forests near his mountain village. I am captivated. I want to know the rest of the story.

Her First Palestinian

by Saeed Teebi

Another book also on the recommendations shelf was Toronto author Saeed Teebi's collection of short stories, in which his short story, Her First Palestinian, also the title of the book, was shortlisted in the CBC 2021 Short Story contest. Here's an excerpt from the publisher:  "Saeed Teebi's intense, engrossing stories plunge into the lives of characters grappling with their experiences as Palestinian immigrants to Canada. . . . taut and compelling (these) stories engage the immigrant experience and reflect the Palestinian diaspora with grace and insight." Always interested to hear the stories—and plight—of people of different cultures, I'm pulled into these tales and quickly become engaged with the characters - he's a good storyteller.

Summer Anthology

Melissa Harrison, Editor

With summer here, I'm eager to delve into the Summer edition of this four-season nature anthology collection. Once again, the editor Melissa Harrison has done a fine job of curating seasonal prose and poetry from a variety of authors spanning centuries to the present day. "Summer is a season of richness...In these long, warm days, languid and sensual, we reconnect with the natural world, revelling in light and scent and colour once more." I wrote about her Autumn anthology HERE.

Bonus

The Botanist's Sticker Anthology

by DK, Penguin Random House

I was thrilled to find this lovely book while on a short road trip to BC to visit family. In a most unlikely little bookstore in an ordinary little strip mall, hidden therein was this treasure. With over 200 pages, it holds a wonderful assortment of botanical stickers—such as vintage images and drawings of ornamental flowers, tropical ferns and orchids, woodland, desert, and aquatic flora, lettering, book plates, etc.

It's great for scrapbooking and decorating journals, envelopes, and whatever else you think needs jazzing up. The stickers are attached to the lovely green pages (below), and they can be repurposed once the stickers are removed. And the pink flower and daisies pages have page-size stickers—aren't they gorgeous? The book's a bit pricy, it's hardcover, but I think worth it for all the joy it's giving me, and the joy it hopefully gives someone who finds one on a birthday envelope. It was my holiday treat. Better than souvenir spoons or cups, wouldn't you say? 

❦

On that note, beautiful friends, I'm off.

Here's wishing you a pleasant weekend - I'll be back soon!

Brenda

Photo credits:

(Top) Summer Drink, Image by Nawalescape from Pixabay

(Prompts) Woman with bag, Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Other photos are mine - Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

Guest Blogging Elsewhere Today

"Far up in the deep blue sky,

Great white clouds are floating by;

All the world is dressed in green;

Many happy birds are seen,

Roses bright and sunshine clear

Show that lovely June is here."

F.G. SANDERS

   

Dear Beautiful Friends,

What a glorious June morning. It's calm, sunny, blue skies with birds filling our world with singing, whistles, and chirps. The air is sweet as there's no smoke—thankfully it's been clear here for a couple of weeks now, even though some fires still burn, alas, elsewhere in the province. 

Today, I am guest blogging over on InScribe. Chatting about Michelangelo the great sculptor and writing—musing about the interesting parallel between these two crafts. Click HERE to find my post Set the Writing Free. Hope you'll stop by.

I'll be back later in the month with a new blog post. In the meantime, I'm wishing you a beautiful day.

❦ Heart hugs,

Brenda

Photo credit: Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

A Postcard Hello...

   

Dear Beautiful Friends,

Hello from sunny Alberta.

 Popping in to say I am well and trust things are fine with you.

Spring has finally arrived - it seemed to take such a long time

for it to green out this year. It's very dry. May Day trees are now in bloom,

and I wait to catch their fragrance on the breeze—hopefully today. 

Not quite feeling the usual exuberant gleefulness of spring;

our province is experiencing unusual hot weather. It feels like

April flipped straight into mid-July. The heat

as well as the lack of moisture and lots of wind have created

conditions for wildfires. And they are springing up in many places.

Our provincial emergency alert app goes off several times a day

as a new fire starts.

Eerie...

So many communities on evacuation alert, with many families

scrambling to evacuate their homes. Some have already lost their homes.

So heartbreaking! It all creates an unease in the atmosphere

even though personally we aren't involved at this time.

Although we did bring up suitcases last week when one fire

sprung up not too far from us. Yikes! Thankfully it was contained

and hopefully it's now out. We think about what to grab

if we had to go in a hurry. To be a little prepared.

We try to keep calm and carry on.

Deep breath.

In the midst, we had the delight to watch the Royal Coronation

in the UK last weekend. An awe-spiring service with all the

historical pomp and ceremony. Rick and I had the opportunity to visit

Westminster Abbey during our trip to England in 2016. 

What fun to recognize certain spots because we'd been there in person.

Enjoyed watching guests arriving at the Abbey. Such a

lovely parade of stately regalia and elegant ensembles... and hats.

Great fun when cameras captured little Prince Louie—his older sister,

Princess Charlotte, appeared to keep an eye on him; wasn't it sweet

when they held hands as they came in!

We relish the moments we have.

Birds are nesting - yesterday I saw a female robin slip through the branches

of the neighbour's cedar tree by the garage. What a perfect spot

for a nest. Will keep our eyes on her comings and goings. 

A book I've enjoyed this week is Letter from New York

by Helene Hanff (author of 84, Charing Cross Road). It was first published

in 1992. It's a delightsome collection of what originally had been monthly

five-minute radio scripts for the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Broadcasts from

1978 to 1984. Miss Hanff entertained her listeners with a lively

glimpse of history, culture, and daily life in New York City where she lived

during the mid-20th century. I found it gently distracting, and soothing,

in the midst of what is going on these days.

❦

I miss you and think of you often.

The break away has been good. It has

allowed my mind to think about other needful things.

Spring is always a busy time, don't you find?

Don't know when I'll be back on a regular basis.  In the meantime,

I'll drop an occasional postcard to let you know I'm still here. Still well.

Still reasonably happy and staying grateful.

Sending you love and heart wishes for a beautiful day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Brenda

Photo credits:

Top: Katya-Guseva from Pixabay

Waiting for Spring: Grateful for Books and an Imagination

"The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her

loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."

HARRIET ANN JACOBS, as seen on brainyquote.com

Spring is still in its early stages in these parts - snow is gone in our garden but there are a few icy patches here and there in the area. We spotted the green nubs of the crocuses one day this week under the oak tree. The next morning we were disappointed to find they'd been nibbled off - guess Mr. Rabbit was waiting for them as eagerly as we were. While our world is still brown and we wait for the nights to stay above freezing, I hungrily gather images of the season from sources other than nature:

- poetry books with their sections on spring themes;

- nature books such as Nature Writing for Every Day of the Year (Jane McMorland Hunter), Spring Anthology (Melissa Harrison), and Emma Mitchell's nature diary The Wild Remedy;

- magazines filled with spring imagery and bright photography such as Country Life and Victoria;

- my blogging friends who live where spring arrives earlier and share their photos.

Even my own memories are pressed into service. I remember my siblings and I looking for pussy willows in the early spring when I was a girl. And while I wait, I use my imagination, what Wordsworth refers to as 'the inward eye which is the bliss of solitude'. And imagine daffodils dancing in the breezes. 

Today I feel so grateful for the gift of being alive. For the gift of observation as I watch the clouds building in the spring blue skies. I listen to the birds singing and wait for the song of the first robins to arrive in our area - haven't heard them yet. I watch the trees, squinting as we drive along forested edges on the highway for any noticeable changes to their dormant browns. Surely I see the faintest hint of green on the bare branches, or am I just wishful thinking?

I'm not impatient, but I am so leaning forward.

I turn to lines written by Dorothy Wordsworth, sister to William, from The Grasmere Journals (1802). As I read these lines, they make me feel alive with anticipation... and joy:

"When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow Park we saw a few daffodils close to the water-side. We fancied that the sea had floated the seeds ashore, and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and yet more; and at last, under the boughs of the trees, we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beautiful. They grew among the mossy stones about and above them; some rested their heads upon these stones, as upon a pillow, for weariness; and the rest tossed and reeled and danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind, that blew upon them over the lake; they looked so gay, ever glancing, ever changing ... There was here and there a little knot, and a few stragglers higher up."

 

   

I peek into Elizabeth von Arnim's delightful novel The Enchanted April (1922) and read this favourite passage. It's when Mrs. Wilkins opens the shutters on her first morning and looks out:

"All the radiance of April in Italy lay gathered together at her feet. The sun poured in on her . . . and underneath her window, at the bottom of the flower-starred grass slope from which the wall of the castle rose up, was a great cypress, cutting through the delicate blues and violets and rose-colours of the mountains and the sea like a great black sword.

She stared. Such beauty; and she there to see it. Such beauty; and she alive to feel it. Her face was bathed in light. Lovely scents came up to the window and caressed her. A tiny breeze gently lifted her hair. Far out in the bay a cluster of almost motionless fishing boats hovered like a flock of white birds on the tranquil sea. How beautiful, how beautiful. Not to have died before this . . . to have been allowed to see, breathe, feel this . . . She stared, her lips parted. Happy? Poor, ordinary, everyday word. But what could one say, how could one describe it? It was as though she could hardly stay inside herself, it was as though she were too small to hold so much of joy, it was as though she were washed through with light." 

Ahh. I feel that, as if I'm standing there by the window myself, letting the beauty wash over me. I think of that ancient line in Isaiah 6:3, 'The whole earth is full of His glory'—as I imagine that morning alongside Lottie Wilkins, I feel it to be true.

On another note, I am taking some time away from the blog to work on other writing projects. It's the middle of April, we're a quarter through the year, and I'm not anywhere near a quarter through my audacious writing project list for 2023. Plus, we are taking a short road trip to another province for my niece's college graduation next week. So I won't be around for the next while. I'll try not to be away too long. I'll think of you often. Until then... 

❦

Happy dreaming and my best wishes for a beautiful Spring,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Top: Image by Ralph from Pixabay

Middle and bottom: Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life, 2017

 

From Last April: Cup Our Hands, Open Our Hands, Scatter Love

"Always believe something

wonderful is about to happen."

UNKNOWN

Do you believe in divine nudges?

For several days I've been wondering what to share this weekend. Nothing really settled. Leafing through my blog archives, I wondered if something I'd written earlier would resonate, maybe be worth a revisit. It was on my mind when I woke in the wee hours last night. Trying to get back to sleep, I reached for a book on my bedside table - my copy of Common Prayer, A Liturgy for Common Radicals, hoping for something to soothe and settle my mind.

I flipped it open - a pencil star in the margin caught my eye. Reading the marked passage, I was startled to see it was the same quote I'd used in the archived post I read earlier. It felt like a nudge in my heart. A whisper from the Divine? Of all the pages I could have opened to in the book, it could have been pure chance, but perhaps it wasn't. For I do believe in Divine nudges. And so, in response, I invite you to revisit the post I wrote on another sleepless night. It's titled Cup Our Hands, Open Our Hands, Scatter Love. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

A note about Spring on this Easter Weekend. Our snow is nearly melted. Although there are still a few snow piles around, today I noticed tiny green nubs of crocuses pushing up beneath the oak tree. At last! A joyful sighting, indeed! Time to jostle our senses and startle our wonderment at being alive.

 

To those who celebrate Easter this weekend, I wish you peace and joy as we remember the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. To us all, love one another, pray for each other, celebrate life together.

❦

Wishing you a beautiful weekend,

Brenda

Photo credit:

Image by Buntysmom from Pixabay