resting my eyes

after all that pink .  .  .

[native camp]

[the lookout]

[amaroo]

by stephanie laine

have a beautiful weekend !

.

two days off school
with a flu that had to be entertained
so the thing to do, she thought,
was a pink castle for her friend's birthday.

she painted doors and towers and trees
and stuck beads on toothpicks
we folded a staircase
and made two princess puppets
amazing how an old box and some kitchen tubes
can give a child's imagination flight.

only now she wants one too .  .  .











.

with the new weather
i find i'm reaching out
for our whites and blues


but the clouds are not yet done
expecting rain later in the week

have a beautiful one!

.

how can somebody who doesn't know you know you so well?

+

how can she give her time to make you something timeless?


i am so grateful to her for the beauty and the warmth
+ for answering by who she is.








.

they are here
the first swallows
looking to mend old nests and build new ones

we saw them on our bicycle ride
to the churchyard
this somehow makes spring official.








.

you don't have to believe me

but that's jupiter and venus
against an indigo sky
just past the olive tree
without a tripod



+

that's a couch potato

(although less + less, to be fair)

.

a birthday still life with:

pink candle by a.
un dimanche a paris brownie log cake from k.
(who made it back with a night to spare)
wild damascene roses from grandfather

one lucky me








.

.

.

on a whim we drove up to the snow this afternoon
it's still thick and deep, it's so cold
and we're halfway through march
fresh snowfall is forecast for tomorrow
and in the next few days.

it was beautiful, the way up and then back down.






.

coming to terms with some sad news
the purples in the garden always help

especially the tiny wild irises that return
briefly under the olive tree every year,
each flower staying open for just one day.








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two clay garlands

a long one with small discs; a short one with large ones

they must be halfway north by now. 

i loved the time-out from normal life to make them 

+ the thought that someone far away might like to look at them.

.

just when i thought
i was ready to let go of winter .  .      .








[shootfactory]
[jurgza]

.

enjoying

the pithiest, ugliest and most delicious citrus
pomelo from a friend's parents' garden
bitter and big as a meal




+

                                                                                                                                                             getting my hands dusty.








.

'dreamt. made. loved.'
by marta

a spring (+ early birthday) gift to self !





+

a church in ramallah
with dainty bunting
defying harsh realities








.

we did go to the garden centre
+ to the toy shop to look for a present.


guess where she was happiest
+ wanted to buy everything pink .  .    .







update: just to tell you there is hope for us yet. she was utterly indifferent in the toy shop and even walked out to sit on a bench.

.

while waiting for a reluctant spring

a beautiful green parcel is sustaining me
with colour-coded tea and chocolate
and all the hues of a new friendship

'thank you' just doesn't cover it,
my dear v


+


not quite kew gardens, i know
but it's still good to see our yellow + red
tomato seedlings straining for the light.

now a. 'needs' to go to the garden centre
to buy strawberry plants and look at the cacti.











.

smells / spices / stories from ramallah, brought back by k. did you know you could buy illy espresso coffee and dark lindt chocolate at any old grocer there? (just in case you were harbouring the same preconceptions as me)


za'atar in the tiny bowl is made with thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac and toasted sesame seeds. you dip the bread in olive oil and then in the herb mixture and then you can't stop until it runs out.








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