Artist

Alexander Averin

Friday 18 July 2008

Full Moons, Images and Words

Dear Diary,


An Irish Blessing for you:


May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.”




It's a Full Moon tonight





And now for the images:


The stairs in my wee cottage






The view from my kitchen window







Some lavender in my garden




Remember my mystery plant?


Verbascum




It grew





And the borage seeds grew too





The bench who lives by the river


The front garden and the river bridge




The dear old bike who lives by the old woodshed



The new willow arch on the river bridge




The sheep, they have gone now but here is a memory




Before I go I will leave you with a poem.

I told you I was reading Dannie Abse's book The Presence.

This is one of his poems. If one can be in love with a poem, I am in love with this one. I am ashamed to say I have only just discovered this man's writings and his use of language is an inspiration


Not Adlestrop


Not Adlestrop, no - besides the name
hardly matters. Nor did I languish in June heat.
Simply, I stood, too early, on the empty platform,
and the wrong train came in slowly, surprised, stopped.
Directly facing me, from a window,
a very, very pretty girl leaned out.

When I, all instinct,
stared at her, she, all instinct, inclined her head away
as if she'd divined the much married life in me,
or as if she might spot, up platform,
some unlikely familiar.

For my part, under the clock, I continued
my scrutiny with unmitigated pleasure.
And she knew it, she certainly knew it, and would
not glance at me in the silence of not Adlestrop.

Only when the train heaved noisily, only
when it jolted, when it slid away, only then,
daring and secure, she smiled back at my smile,
and I, daring and secure, waved back at her waving.
And so it was, all the way down the hurrying platform
as the train gathered atrocious speed
towards Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire.

Dannie Abse


I'm sure we've all been there haven't we?



And remember this quotation, as I am in photo-mode tonight:


Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop. ~Usman B. Asif

Bye for now,
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Cait

16 comments:

david mcmahon said...

Beautiful work, Cait.

I came here on Cowgirl's recommendation.

Frances said...

Hello Cait, I do like your new set up, but I also so liked it before, too. Maybe I am a bit change-challenged!

I took a peek at Liz's site to see more of her paintings, and would have like to leave her a message there, but ... I leave that message here. Beautiful tiny paintings of the very large (and so I have heard tell) very beautiful Irish landscape.

xo

CAMILLA said...

Oh Cait, everything soo beautiful, a lovely blog and thank you for introducing us to that wonderful Poem, had not heard of Poet before.

Lovely pictures of your cottage and gorgeous garden and plants.

I do love your new interior, not to change a thing I'd say, just miss the warmth of that beautiful Blue colour background which was before. Wish I was more brave in changing my interior.

xx

Anonymous said...

Really lovely new blog, Cait. Gorgeous pictures. How do you get your heather that colour? Mine is horrid.

CJ xx

Kitty said...

Lovely new blog layout - I like it a lot. And beautiful pics and paintings. That verbascum is beautiful, so stately, and I am really pleased the borage has flowerd for you, ours has run riot this year, it's everywhere, but full of gently buzzing bees, which is the point after all!

Sally Townsend said...

I like the new look Cait and I love the stairs to your house, they remind me of a cottage i used to live in. Let me know when you have mastered how to stretch your image across. x

Inthemud said...

What wonderful photos! Love the new style blog!!

Amazing Verbascum!!

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

Love the new blog and today's blog and the photographs - especially the Borage one . . .

Faith said...

Good new layout Cait, but I liked it before and the photos, poems, blessings etc are the essence of you and the most important bit. Love F XX

Exmoorjane said...

I am so slow - didn't even realise the format had changed as I was so entranced with the pics....so so lovely to catch such a wonderful glimpse of where you live (so very 'you')..... the poem is fabulous too and, yes, have been there! jxxxx

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post and poem.

Pipany said...

Just gorgeous Cait. Beautiful pictures and poem. Well done on the new set-up too. Wasn't the moon truly beautiful this month? xx

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I'm so glad yours is the last post I read before bed. Perfect. Perfect full moon photos, perfect garden photos, perfect sheep, perfect poem.
Thank you!

Irish Cottage Dreams said...

Hi ya Cait,

I am so glad you visted my blog. It
gave me a chance to come on over
to yours and discover a new fav
blog to visit :)
I also want to add that I like your pics,
art and poems. It is amazing how art
and words can be so moving.

Best wishes, Kimme

Milla said...

lovely, Cait, I do like the new look. Adorable pics - lovely clarity in that borage one (and KNEW it was a verbascum!!). Great to see your views, too, esp that groovy little bridge.

White O'Morn Cottage said...

Ok - I am the third Pam to comment here!
I love your posts and poems and pictures, i just popped over from Irish Cottage Dreams (Kimme is a real treasure) I am going back to see your older posts to see more of your cottage. Go raibh maith agat! ...Pam White O'Morn Cottage