Thursday Tales: Words

Sly, elusive words… 

we seek to control them, even as we know their path is their own to forge.

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 We stretch…we strain…we struggle to grasp the perfect phrase that will say what’s in our hearts.

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 Putting pen to paper we must make each letter shine with a light of its own to illuminate imagined worlds.

 Within our mind’s dark corners, we are relentless in our search for inspiration and truth.

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We persist in this endless pursuit because every once in a while, words fall to our page like stars...every once in a while we are able to bring forth a moment in time that took root in our souls and begged for a life of its own. In this release, we become the writers we had hoped to be...

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I am linking to Thursday Tales where we build a tale around a photo prompt. For more stories check out the TT page...

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http://talesthursday.blogspot.com/

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Today's photo -The Writer- is courtesy of Daniel Hayman at the link below.

http://dhayman85.deviantart.com/art/the-writer-167322662

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A Love Limerick

A romantic young fellow named Will

Loved a sweet girl so badly he’d kill.

Her husband he shot,

But she would love him not,

And now poor Will is all alone still!
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 I'm linking up to three sites today.

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Poets United Thursday Think Tank prompt is 'love'. You will definitely find more love on this page...

http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/03/thursday-think-tank-42-love.html#more

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And do check out Theme Thursday, where we're asked to contribute something silly today...

http://themethursday.blogspot.com/

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I also heartily advise you to head over to Mad Kane's site. It is with her inspiring prompt that I have penned my first limerick...

http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/2010/05/12/romance-limerick/

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Succinctly Yours

In this age of technology and online chats, it remains a special joy to plop into a comfy chair and visit a friend in person….

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Sit awhile, dear one…

tell me what moves your heart and

what can make you cry.

Two souls with voices

mingled in both joy and tears,

meeting face to face.

Sit just a while…

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Photo courtesy of Grandma's Goulash

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With Susan at Microfiction Monday on a well-deserved break, Grandma’s Goulash generously invites us to Succinctly Yours, a meme that supplies a photo prompt and bids us tell a story around it in 140 characters or words. A further challenge is offered with a word prompt to work into the piece. Though I did not use today’s word, I offer this 140-character piece. Check out the link below for more fun writes…

http://grandmas-goulash.info/category/succinctly-yours/

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Mt. Kenya Shadow Shots

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Heading north from Nairobi, the first stopover on our African safari was Mt. Kenya’s rustic Mountain Lodge, nestled in the lush highlands of Kenya. 

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Upon arrival, we were offered an afternoon walk through the shadowy woods, with firm instructions to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants tucked into boots. It seemed a curious request on this balmy, sun-filled day, but we eagerly changed and got underway.

Following our guide into  the forest, the wisdom of his advice soon became clear… mosquitoes fluttered around us, and tiny ants swarmed in great numbers over our feet. Though small, these siafu have huge pincers that inflict great pain upon reaching bare skin!

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Insects were not our only threat, evidenced by the pair of armed guards who accompanied us, rifles slung over their shoulders and fingers at the ready.

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We grew accustomed to their presence on walkabout throughout East Africa, one always at the lead, one taking the rear. The guards protect tourists from possible animal attacks, and are considered vital in the control of poachers whose ruthless greed is swiftly and inexorably reducing the herds of African wildlife to alarmingly low numbers.

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No danger found us in the woods that day. Instead, we passed into a clearing to find afternoon tea awaiting us!

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Fine china cups filled with steaming hot tea, thin crisp biscuits and a welcome lack of insect life capped off this first taste of Africa with unique and unforgettable style.

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I suspect I will never again take afternoon tea that could top this one!

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I'm linking this post to Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by the gracious Tracy at 'Hey Harriet'. For more shadowy photos, do check out the link below...

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.http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

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Valley Skies

 Because I posted photos yesterday that were taken in Utah after a rainfall, I thought to include shots of the rich blue skies that greeted us on our drive toward Monument Valley, before the rain began.

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It was spectacular to ride through this endless, wide valley and watch that big sky fill with clouds that soon tossed long, dark shadows across the golden fields.

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I could not take my eyes off the clouds...the sky-lover in me had found heaven, and wanted to record every mercurial shift and shadow that magically transformed this incredible landscape.
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The clouds grew thicker by the minute and I kept shooting, each new frame etching ever deper into my soul the complete joy I found in this beautiful piece of the world...

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You might like to check out the results here:

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http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/11/stormy-utah-skies.html

and here

http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2011/03/desert-weekend-reflections.html

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To view skies from all over the world on Skywatch Friday, click onto the link below and enjoy…

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http://skyley.blogspot.com/
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Desert Reflections

To my great delight, we had daily storms on our road trip to Utah last year. They would arrive suddenly and pass just as quickly, leaving behind rivulets of water rushing down the arroyos to form small pools where none usually lay.

Eagerly, I would take as many shots as I could before the hot sun dried the soil and turned it to soft red dust once more...

  

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I'm linking this post to Weekend Reflections, hosted by James at Newton Daily Photo.

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Drop by for a visit...you'll be glad you did...

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http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

African Windows and Doors

Ensconced in the warm and cozy homes we take for granted in our North American lifestyle, it is easy to forget that neither safety nor comfort are a given for a vast majority of the world’s citizens.

Nairobi





Nowhere has the line between the haves and have-nots been so clearly drawn for me as it was on a trip to Kenya several years ago.  Our safari tour found us lodged each night in beautiful surroundings, with turquoise pools to splash in, and so sumptuous a dinner buffet laid out that we could scarcely make a dent in it.

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On route to the next lodge in the mornings, we watched schoolchildren and adults emerge from their small houses, impeccably dressed for the day in uniforms and bright shirts. A steady stream of people made their way along each side of the road, often walking long distances to work or class.

Their daily struggle to get by requires ingenuity and tenacity.

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Outside the city, youngsters carried home jars of kerosene for use in the family cooking pots. Adults set up their sewing machines and shops outdoors…others led donkeys to aid in bringing home precious water...

and at every corner, groups of men gathered together...clear indication of a fractured economy that does not guarantee a job for everyone.

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I came home with renewed appreciation for what I have, and a desire to share some of that goodness with those who must make do with so little.
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I will return to Africa, this I know, but not to take...next time it will be my turn to give.

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I am linking this post to Mary T’s ‘Window Views…and Doors Too.’ Drop by her wonderful page to see more…

http://windowviews2.blogspot.com/

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The Immigrant Experience

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Cameras played little part in my childhood. This is a rare, early photo of me with my brother Martin in Belfast.

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I came to Canada as a child, caught up in the wave of hopefuls who fled Great Britain in the difficult years following WWII in search of a better life. Like many, circumstance forced me to adapt to a culture very different from my own. Such a move required courage and determination, and I lacked both at the start. Strange sights and sounds overwhelmed me. I longed to go back home, sure that I could never be happy here. Time proved me wrong and I adjusted to Canadian society with relative ease, building a good life among people who accepted me as one of their own. Even as a child, I recognized that my smooth integration differed markedly from that of other newcomers, particularly those whose ethnicity spoke out in the colour of their skin. I came to understand that the elitism facilitating my assimilation made sure others would remain forever on the outside, no matter how long they might live in their adoptive country.
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Bigotry darkened my childhood from birth. As Protestants in Northern Ireland, my parents charged me to spurn Catholics...they were not our 'kind'. Exposed to Canada’s diverse range of cultural groups, my father's ire was simply re-directed. One day, after listening to a vitriolic tirade about foreigners taking over the country, I reminded him timorously that we were not born here either. My father responded with raised eyebrows and imperialistic indignation, “Why, you cannot compare us to outsiders. After all, we're white..and we're British!” I understood that his specious logic was the only justification needed to vilify real foreigners. Helplessness silenced me, even as I sensed an uncomfortable truth behind the arrogant words. I could not deny that my fair skin and Irish background influenced people to welcome me warmly. My old-world ways matched their preconceived notions and granted me easy access to where others were denied admittance.

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While many emigrants struggled to be understood, my Gaelic lilt guaranteed an instant smile. Given unaccustomed foods like hamburgers and pizza, the fact that I cut them up neatly with a knife and fork made adults beam approval at my manners. I never had to deal with disparaging remarks about what I ate or how the scent of that food lingered on my clothes. Although this high level of acceptance helped me adjust to my altered life, being singled out embarrassed me. I wished only to belong. With haste, I swapped my school blazer for flip-flops and became so fluent in the local vernacular that I looked and sounded exactly like my Canadian playmates. I knew this was not the case for those whose customs were more difficult to merge. Although I abandoned much to fit in, others gave up more for a smaller return.
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I no longer stand silent in the face of exclusion based on stereotyping of any kind. If I measure someone's worth, it will be based on an individual’s contribution to society, not on a race or creed. In conversation, I seek words of tolerance and inclusion, regardless of accent. I am part of a cycle greater than my own life. This planet is my home and every inhabitant on it my brother or sister, forever linked to me by bonds of responsibility and compassion. I want to hear the stories they tell and embrace the differences that have shaped our diverse lives. Each one of us must reject apathy and actively make this a world wherein mercy and equality are the birthright of all people.

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That change begins with me.

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Ireland's Call

 I am homesick for Ireland today...something in the still morning air is nudging at my soul and urging my thoughts homeward...

In the past, I have shared tales of my childhood in Belfast, and of the Troubles which, with time and terror, tore my much-loved city in half.

But today, only sweetness is calling me back from across the sea, to that small green island whose rolling hills of yore and singular beauty never fail to enchant.

I close my eyes and can smell the meadows hung with mist, hear the waves crashing onto shore...and I give myself over to the true sense of peace that only comes from

being home.

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I have little cause for discontentment...my life

in Canada is a good one...I am blessed with comfort, safety, and the boundless love of family and friends who cherish me as dearly as I cherish them. I am fortunate indeed...

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But some days...this day...the girl who was whisked away through no choice of her own, remembers that other life and yearns to bridge the gap forged wide by a lifetime's separation.

   

Just for today...this girl's heart longs only for its first home...
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I am linking to Theme Thursday's prompt of 'Luck' at the link below, for I am lucky indeed that my heart has found twin homes in both Ireland and Canada!
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http://themethursday.blogspot.com/
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You might also enjoy these previous posts:
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 Irish Belleek China

http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-white-wednesday.html
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Irish Linen Tablecloth
http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-second-white-wednesday.html
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Camera Critters: Serengeti Lions

For Camera Critters last week, I posted photos of a lumbering animal not always considered beautiful. My fondness for contrast led me to choose this series of shots for today...

for surely, there are few animals as magnificent, graceful and wondrous as the African lion.

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Crossing from Kenya into Tanzania, our drive took us past a tall cluster of rocks where

a young pair of lions basked in the sun-baked afternoon.

The male's youth showed in his short mane that had not yet come into its own, but already he was embracing his role in the pride. Adult males sleep for up to twenty hours a day, leaving the tasks of both childrearing and hunting to the females, rousing themselves only to feed first on the game dragged home to them. 

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Clearly, the pair had fed recently...the male soon dozed off in spite of our truck parked a short distance away with us looking on in fascination.

True to form, the female remained watchful, keeping a careful eye on us even as she scanned the wide open plain around their raised pedestal....her vigilance a guarantee that no threat or possibility would escape notice...

I used my telephoto lens for these shots, since the lions' perch was a distance away. from the rutted road.

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Keeping a distance is paramount. We must always remain mindful to tread carefully and respectfully in this fragile environment which we are priviliged to explore.

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This is their home...has always been their home. We may only peer in briefly from the edges, leaving all as we found it and taking out nothing but memories.

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And the memories are like no other. I write this post on a gray muddy day half a world away from the African continent...yet I need only close my eyes to feel that sultry sun soak into my skin as a young lion's golden head nods ever lower, until at last, he succumbs to sleep...

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I'm linking this to Misty Dawn's wonderful Camera Critters! To see more critters from around the world, check out the link below...

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 http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/