Head In The Clouds

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I'm told my head is often in the clouds.

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Usually, this is said in a fond way...but on occasion, it is clearly meant to bring me down to earth when I'm off in my own world of imagination. I do know the real world must be dealt with. Jobs, children, laundry...all must be addressed with a sense of responsibility and attention to detail. If pressed, I can truthfully lay claim to being conscientious in my roles of wife, mother and working woman.

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But it's also true that I'm fanciful, forgetful and easily distracted. I spend an inordinate amount of time gazing at clouds or lost in books...and I truly believe that daydreaming is essential to the soul.
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Balancing the dreamer in me with the competent adult has its challenges and I struggle to take care of both.

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I will happily

continue to nurture my family and pull my weight in the world. I am loved, needed and appreciated in what I do. My life is a good one.

But I cannot..will not..neglect the free spirit who still becomes breathless at the sight of snow, and gets absurdly lost in thought, even in the midst of crowds.

I need her too much..need her wonder and optimism, her childlike ability to get up again when she falls and continue on anticipating the best. She is the balance in my life.
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So if you catch me with that faraway look in my eyes, don't be overly concerned.

Give me a moment to dream, if you will..just a moment. I'll come back refreshed, recharged and ready to take on the busy world once more.

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I promise it will be worth the wait...

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All photos above are of the big skies of Africa.

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I'm linking this post to http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Stop by for a visit and a view of skies from all over the world!

A City Divided

A ‘Peace Line’ cuts the capital city of Northern Ireland in half. Euphemistically named, it is actually a series of twenty-six walls of brick and corrugated iron that separate the Catholic and Protestant communities in Belfast. It was built in the tumultuous years of religious and political strife known as the Troubles, but even today, gates in the walls are locked each evening and every weekend.

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Tour guides are quick to point out that it’s best to stay with one’s own, and take no risks going into areas where a welcome is not assured.
It is the familiar mantra of my childhood, made all the more chilling by decades of strife that have made this division worse, not better.

On a visit to my birth city three years ago, I was devastated to see the damage that’s been done in the name of liberation. In thirty plus years of civil war, the city has ceased to grow. Though my first time back in many years, I might have stepped off a bus anywhere and found my way to the town centre, so little has the city grown in size.

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The ravages of time are evident on every street. The ubiquitous Peace Line fences abruptly end streets, and
are boldly marked with sectarian graffiti.

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On a rain-soaked day, we drove past Divis Tower, situated by the fence that separates the opposing factions of the Falls Road and the Shankill Road. It is the sixth tallest building in Belfast...in the Seventies, the British Army occupied the top two floors. It was a hot spot during the Troubles, particulary after an Army sniper at the top shot and killed an IRA member on the ground below.

Ruin is to be found everywhere.

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The Crumlin Road Courthouse was designed by architect, Charlie Lanyon.

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A stunningly beautiful building, it closed its doors in 1998, and sits unused behind a tall fence topped with barbed wire.
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Everything about Belfast has been changed by the fighting. Today, it resembles nothing more than a war zone. Indeed, it brings to mind the Israeli Apartheid Wall between Israel and Palestinian West Bank, which has its own bloody history of confrontation. The similarities are patently obvious, and equally distressing. When will we start breaking down walls, not building more? When will human life become more important than religious differences or property lines? I don’t have an answer, but I know we must find one.

Israeli Apartheid Wall

http://mondediplo.com/2010/01/20palestine







Belfast Murals Wall

We are a planet in crisis. No longer do we have the luxury, or the promise, of pristine air and bountiful food for all. As a species, we are using up resources at a faster rate than they can be replenished. Greed and selfishness have become the driving forces that threaten our children’s futures, and put the whole world in peril. This is not a time to divide, but to unify. We are one family on earth, no matter which God we chose to follow,
and like a family, must trust one another and work together to heal our weary world. .

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At the end of our first day in Belfast, still reeling with shock at the desecration of my beloved city, we took a stroll along the banks of the River Lagan that I’d walked so often as a child. Here, little had changed. The beautiful green hills that Ireland is known for were freshly splashed with spring rain, and the pristine river was still home to the stately swans I had always admired. As if to remind us that beauty can thrive even in the midst
of horror, the sun peeked through the clouds and a glorious rainbow began to form in front of our eyes.

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I choose to see it is a sign of things to come, an acknowledgement that dreadful damage can be undone, and reason can prevail once more.

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For the sake of the world's future, I have to believe that I 'm right.

Friday Blessings

In spite of the problems and setbacks that mark our lives in these busy times, we have much to be grateful for. Too often, our appreciation is overshadowed by fear and doubt…we forget the wonders each day unfailingly presents to us in ways both large and small. I am making Friday a special day to count my blessings. Here are three things I am especially grateful for this week:
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1) A good friend: My longtime pal, and poet, Sherry Blue Sky, surprised me with a glorious box of treasures yesterday. It overflowed with books and cows, incense and soap, and a few very special Yorkie treats. We lost our beloved girl, Angel, not too long ago, though we will carry her in our hearts forever. Sherry was able to find a frame that read, ‘Little Angel’ and download a picture of our Angel to put into the frame. This is a friend who knows me heart and soul. For her presence in my life, I will always be grateful.

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2) A good dog: My little Schnoodle, Meeghan, is a furry ball of pure love! Her eyes shine with it every time she looks at me…we are devoted to each other. Everyone’s life is enriched by having animal friends, and I know I have hit the jackpot!

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1) A good book: Few things feed one’s inner fire like a book that inspires and challenges us. As a continent dear to my heart, I read much about Africa, especially where it concerns her children. Melissa Fay Greene has written a brilliant book about Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian widow who runs an unofficial orphanage for children left alone by the AIDS pandemic. It is not a comfortable read, but it is an important one. One small woman is making a huge difference in the world. What might we do?

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A good friend, a good dog and a good book…life is a blessing indeed!
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What are you grateful for?

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I offer a few links to explore..my other blog has travel pics of Africa and an essay on AIDS orphans: http://theimaginativetraveler.blogspot.com/

Sherry Blue Sky's poetry/memoir site is definitely worth a visit:
http://stardreamingwithsherrybluesky.blogspot.com/

Pixie, of 'Pixie's Pages', has a fun blog: http://pixiepages.blogspot.com/

And she offered a link to Rachel who posts a Happy List that inspired me to try my own take on the idea: http://blackeiffel.blogspot.com/

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Thanks to all you ladies for making blogland a magical place to visit!
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Africa's True Treasure

Africa is a continent of great contrast. There is unimaginable beauty in its sweeping landscapes and soft, golden air.. and heartrending poverty evidenced by round-bellied youngsters on roadsides who stoically wait with hand outstretched to each passer-by who might offer sustenance of one sort or another.

Those children whose families can afford uniforms and fees fare better, and are able to attend school. They exit their modest dwellings, white shirts impeccable and heads high, to walk long distances on dusty roads to their classrooms.

Many clutch containers: their first job of the day is to collect the kerosene needed to fuel lamps and cooking stoves.
They eye us curiously as we pass by in our safari trucks, and so often offer a smile that's wider than the sky.

That smile is what I wish for every child, the simple joy of a day with enough to eat, and the chance to build a better life through education. While such things are a given for most children in North America, this is not the case in Sub-Saharan Africa. I've written previously of how AIDS/HIV, corruption and war are crippling families and depriving children of a future.

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It is estimated that fifteen million orphans in Africa struggle daily to get by without parents or support systems.

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Fifteen million...

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These beautiful children are the true treasures of the African continent. I never tire of looking at their eager faces...the expectation of children everywhere that the world will bring them joy and fulfillment.

We must make this a world that offers every child that hope.

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I am not brilliant..I do not know how to stop the government corruption that keeps aid money from getting to the needy..or
how to help forgotten orphans in far-flung villages who have lost their parents and
grandparents to AIDS and poverty..but I know I must do something.
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I went to Africa as a tourist after years of
dreaming I might. I saw beauty that left me breathles, and fell in love with its many joys..but nothing touched my heart so deeply as its children.

Children are our future. Whether here or on the other side of the world, they are our greatest treasure and our richest resource.

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My hope is that every child's face may shine with health and the anticipation of good things to come, no matter where they happen to live.

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Surely that's not too much to ask...is it?
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Hearts Find Me Everywhere!

Of all the things I’ve collected over the years, hearts have never been one of them. I have always found red to be a jarring colour, and had relegated heart shapes to the territory of Valentine’s cards and inexpensive chocolate boxes. Never a motif I used in any kind of artwork, it was clear hearts were not for me.
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The Universe has decided to correct me on that! Wherever I go now, hearts find me, in spite of myself.

I came across my first heart rock in England a few years ago. I was visiting a cousin I had not seen since we were both children many decades in the past. In spite of the years and the geographical distance between us, I found myself completely at home with my cousin Michael. He was, quite simply, family, and I responded instinctively to that connection. He walked me down to the beach near his house and the first thing I came across was a tiny heart-shaped rock in the sand, just waiting for me to pick it up. Needless to say, it remains a favourite souvenir from that holiday.
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From then on, hearts began to find me regularly.

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A ripped leaf flattened onto a wall by pelting rain…
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A drawing in the sand, perhaps the work of a lovelorn teen…

A heart-shaped shell nestled into place, as if put there for ornamentation…






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And this past weekend, a busy holiday for us here in British Columbia, I walked on a beach filled with hundreds of people along the length of it, and this beauty appeared at my feet...a perfect speckled heart, unnoticed or ignored by the many people who must have passed by until I came near. It would seem it was meant to be mine!

Clearly, I must surrender to the wisdom of the Universe!

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Hearts find me everywhere…and then they follow me home.

Apparently, I do collect them, after all!
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My Second White Wednesday

For last week's White Wednesday, I posted photos of the christening gown we brought with us to Canada.

Also in the crate of treasures that crossed the ocean with us in 1958 was this lovely tablecloth, a bon voyage present from my Grandmother. Coming from Ireland, it is linen, of course...imprinted with the words 'Irish Linen Double Damask'
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It is a beautiful cloth. An intricate Celtic knot border winds around the edge, and many small scenes are woven into the body, including that of a weaver. Celtic crosses decorate each corner.

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Also worked into the cloth are the four provinces of Ireland: Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster..Ulster being Northern Ireland where I was born.

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It came with a set of eight napkins. When the cloth and napkins are freshly washed and starched, they are fit to grace any fine table.

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I do not get to use these linens as often as I would like. My prosaic menfolk fail to see its charm, and wonder aloud why I would make such work for myself, when paper napkins are perfectly fine!

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I am, therefore, happy to bring it out for display on this page. I hope it gives you as much pleasure to see it as it does me....

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Many thanks to Kathleen of 'Faded Charm" for hosting this event! To see more of White Wednesday, or to visit Kathleen's charming blog, please click on the link below....

http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
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No Entry!

 

  

Because we spent more time this weekend

in places we shoudn't be, I thought to repost this piece about our tendency to trespass!

I am quite unable to resist the lure of a "Do Not Enter" Sign.

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Whether it reads, "No Trespassing",
"Entry Prohibited" or "Access Denied", I see only an invitation, clear proof that something ahead is interesting enough for me to explore!

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I am not proud of my insubordination in thes matters, but recognize that curiosity will always get the best of me. A rebel husband is my ally in this area... together we've pushed the boundaries of what might be considered intrusive or even dangerous. An otherwise respectable middle-aged couple, we turn into mischievous children when confronted with the forbidden.
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.Few things are more alluring than abandoned buildings...to wander through the detritus of other peoples' lives...to imagine their home in its prime...and ponder the circumstances that left it to ruin. Barns emptied of livestock...doors hanging off the jamb...rooms that echo with silence...all are an irresistible draw to me.

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If I have my camera with me, all the better...pictures of deserted spaces speak volumes, and I will always want to listen to the stories they have to tell.

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I know I am not alone in my fascination with derelict buildings. What forbidden territory have you entered lately?

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Project Genesis 11

Be Your Own Entertainment!
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Seen above are just a few of my antique books.

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I find myself overloaded with electronic input: televisions that are left on all day, piped-in music everywhere from the elevator to the mall, and phones that ring at inappropriate times. And, contradictory though it seems as I sit here blogging, I believe even computers need to be turned off frequently, both for our own sake and for the sake of the planet. Here are five ways to entertain oneself without turning anything on, (except the imagination)!
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1) Read More: The whole world is yours in books, and uses no fuel to explore. As well as providing entertainment, reading about the ideas and solutions presented by others to shared problems will jumpstart your own innate brilliance. Of course, buying used books and passing them on to friends is the kindest way to read.

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2) Make art: We all have an artist in us waiting to be unleashed. Think back to childhood…did you love to draw or sculpt people out of clay? Become a child again and explore possibilities. Try creating with found objects only, and reuse what you have on hand. Even a cereal box can be the base for a work of art.

In this piece, 'Art is Life', everything I used is reclaimed material, even the canvas it's mounted on..

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3) Exercise more: This does not have to mean joining a fitness club or buying a new bike. A brisk, daily walk through your neighbourhood will freshen both body and soul. Be sure to carry a re-useable bag with you and pick up litter along the way. Once home, recycle what you can and take the rest to the appropriate discard site. Don’t forget to view everything as potential art material!
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4) Volunteer: This benefits both giver and receiver: it is a simple truth that helping others makes one feel good. Seniors’ homes are a good place to start. Read to someone whose sight is going. Take along the books you’re finished with and stock up their shelves. Refresh them frequently.
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5) Write letters: Writing is becoming a lost art in this era of electronic messaging. But remember the thrill you felt in the past upon receiving an envelope covered with bright stamps and the beautifully cursive flow of an address? Put your thoughts down on paper: tell someone what you love about them, or offer a schedule of visits to a shut-in. You can use recycled paper, or save your scraps and make your own. A library book will teach you how easy papermaking is.


I think I have kept every letter that was ever written to me!
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The possibilities are endless! Unplug yourself for a while. Embrace stillness. Find a quiet spot, and think about what stirred your youthful passion. What are you passionate about now, and how can that passion be used to benefit those around you, as well as yourself?
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I’m certain both you and the world will be richer for this contemplation....
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Many thanks to Suzan at Old Grey Mare for hosting this project! It is more important than ever that we work together to reduce, reuse and recycle. To see more ideas you can readily put into use, please visit

Project Genesis at the link below...


http://oldgreymareprimitives.blogspot.com/2010/06/project-genesis-7110.html