yearning for spring

purple and pink, four tulips stand up straight in the stone vase.  a fifth stretches its head towards the lacy curtain.

gray blue mist hovers under smoldering sunset.  a single frosted tree in the middle of an empty field.

come look!

morning sun catches the blue glass vase on the shelf, sending a variegated strip of blue light down the corridor.
it's nice to notice these things, it's also nice to be shown them.

waiting for the night bus

moonlit frost on glass
shadow branches on frost
etchings on etchings

not paying attention

a handful of chocolates
gone
I didn't even taste them

breakfast

wooden spoon glides through creamy white porridge

after midnight

Bright pink gloves
green sponge
soapy bubbles


I unwind after a long day

washing up
only washing up
nothing more

chores

dead coriander plant
unwashed dishes
dripping tap.
so many things to do!
what a joy
to be here
and be able to.

washing up

frost filters the morning sun
cluster of yellow petals
- carnations bought before Christmas -
glow gently in a white window pane frame

suncatcher

Dew drops on white blossoms
catch the morning light.
Bejewelled tee branches
sparkle in the wind
filling my imagination
with their shimmering song.

Choose your stone!

To my dear readers,

As you may have noticed, January has come and gone in a cascade of small stones. If you've been involved in the small stones project as well, I hope you've enjoyed as much as I have the sounds of the shifting river of stones as it has flowed past us every day and has carried us along. It's been such a wonderful experience reading everyone's observations this past month. Being invited into another person's moment of stillness, of observation is powerful and touching. Something about a small stone draws you in. You know that it was written in order to capture
that feeling, that brief moment of clarity that eludes us most of our lives. Fleeting and profound.

So I can't say thank you enough to Fiona and Kaspa, what a wonderful project! Thank you.

And to my dear readers, people who have actually read my blog and clicked to follow it....I can't tell you how touched I am. Thank you for reading, for commenting. It's meant so much to me. Your support has spurred me on.

You may or may not already know that Fiona and Kaspa are asking for submissions of people's stones to be made into a collection (wow!). I'll be choosing my own favourites to submit, but I'd quite like to know what you think! Reply as a comment to this email, let me know your favourite stone(s). What can I say, I'm curious what you think :)

touch the earth

At midnight I stopped
and was still

exhaled the old day
and inhaled the new

wind stirred the branches
and I heard it

transformation

with enough heat
the wax turns clear

without the flame
it returns to its natural state

opaque

saturday morning

nature's unfamiliar alarm clock wakes me from my slumber
what's that?
sunshine

knuckles that crack in the cold
turn angry red in the hot bath

professionalism

sleepless nights
hang heavy under his eyes
i want to ask
but we play our roles
...too well...

the sunrise reflects off the church windows, turning them into sheets of rose quartz.

monday

my hands work in blind, trusting tandem
rough scratch of match on box
a feeble blue light sparks and dies

again

the wooden tip flares to life in a hiss of sulfur
touched to wick, the darkness is dispelled
and the day begins

sunday morning

church bells ring out over the village
the gong sounds outside the shrine room
"let those with ears now show their faith"

just noticing

the softness of black fur under my hand as the cat seeks my affection.