Smile Awhile

It's catching. Even for me, your original dyed in the wool Eeyore. I logged on just now to find Chris Goan's smiles waiting in my in-box:  photo montage and poetry celebrating   timeless beauty and life in its fullness. Real people, wrinkles and all; genuine smiles rather than the cheesy, perfect airbrushed and photoshopped grins the media bombards us with. It makes me want to...yes...smile. ...Memories of my Grannie quoting that old rhyme: 

Smile awhile, And while you smile, Another smiles, And soon there's miles and miles, Of smiles, And life's worth while, Because you smile.

Forever Autumn - Top Ten Favourite Autumn Songs

The Jeff Wayne/Justin Hayward hit  "Forever Autumn" was playing when I switched on the radio this morning. How that takes me back...  How many other autumn themed songs or poems can I remember, I wonder? Here's my list, so far; what would feature on yours?

1. "Forever Autumn," Jeff Wayne

2. "Autumn Leaves," Eva Cassidy version

3. "Still, Facing Autumn," Stewart Henderson

4. "Ode to Autumn," Keats

Season of mists...

CSF Compton Durville, Autumn 2009

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

                                           - Keats 

                                     

Recycled Blogroll: The Passionate Transitory

Approaching Hadrian's Wall Walk: Durham-Iona Pilgrimage April 2011

For the poets amongst you - thanks to Pilgrimpace for highlighting a new site: The Passionate Transitory, new online poems about life, landscape, travel and pilgrimage.

Summertime Ramblings

So you thought Summertime had been and gone, did you? Not so: here's another found poem.  I got rather carried away with the glitter gel pens on this one, although they don't show up on the scan. 

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..."

Inkpen Common Nature Reserve this morning

No ponies to be seen, though GP dog did fall into a boggy puddle!

Greenpatch dog sets off down the long and winding road to find out

What is a permissive footpath?

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both..."

Summer IS icumen in - Found Poem

Another Found Poem,  inspired by Quinn Creative's book, Raw Art Journaling. I'm not sure it's complete yet; who knows -  officially, Summer still has three months to run!

Spiritual stargazers discovering wonders
Speak out Summer puzzles.

Weather

Spotted during  our Durham-Iona pilgrimage 2011, Tibbieshiels, St Mary's Loch

Weather

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

  - author unknown

Spring - It's a Wonderful World

                                           
We're awaiting the promised snow here. No sign of it yet; there's a slight nip in the air, but somehow I don't think I'll be dusting down the toboggan and stocking up on carrots just yet.

But in case I'm wrong, here's a reminder of sunnier times: a 'found poem' I made last week; funnily enough a day or so before the trip to sunny Salisbury.

Words were 'found' courtesy of the National Trust and The Big Issue and this is what  they said to me:

Wonder to Enjoy

Remember this, in microcosm, early April adventure.
Start Spring.
The journey is just the start of the artist at work:
Raindrops bouncing off leaves
energy caught on lens; the tightrope walk
striving for conectedness,
lifting the lid...
Spring - 
Keeping faith,
shared growth;
A Work to wonder at...