Priceless

A simple bouquet of flowers,

plastic-wrapped, propped up in a grocery-store bin,

$5.00 for the dozen.

Like a shimmering mirage

their colours stopped me in my tracks.

After a long Winter

and an even longer wait for Spring

to truly begin,

I was beginning to feel as if I

was trapped in a colourless desert.

I had no idea how much I needed them.

As usual,

it took my camera,

and my all-seeing macro lens,

To reveal the magnitude

of their magic and beauty.

$5.00 a dozen,

it seems incredible...

Because what these flowers have to offer is

- Priceless!

A Haunted Halloween

They say, that in the midnight hour,

on the Eve of Halloween

The disembodied have the power

To wander seen, unseen

Up the wizened oaks

And across the fairy stream

They glide through still

And solemn places

With pale, cold, mournful faces

To dream...

Wishing you a happy, h a u n t e d Halloween!

Text modified from Midnight and Moonshine by William Motherwell.

Singing The Blues

There's something special about the colour blue.

In my garden it's a fairly rare colour

so when I see it, I can't help but stop and stare.

The flowers in the first photo, a type of forget-me-not,

were given to me by my youngest son

when he was eight-years-old.

Twelve years later they continue to reseed themselves.

Every time I see their cheerful blue petals

I think of my son

and how sweet it was of him to think of me.

This blue cornflower isn't more than one inch in diameter

but its magnetic shade of blue

can catch my eye from across the yard.

My favourite shade of delphinium,

aptly named Sky Blue.

And the best shade of blue?

Nothing beats a blue sky on a hot summer's day.

Wonderful Weeds!

Common Knapweed...

The name hardly does it justice.

Centaurea, it's proper name,

suits it much better.

It sounds like a secret

and hints at a history of magic and mystery.

This weed casts a spell on me

every spring.

Its long ghostly fingers

and shimmering colours

catch my eye

and draw me in

closer

and closer.

Let The Fun Begin!

We're still waiting for the snow,

but I have no doubt

it will arrive

shortly.

How High Will You Fly?

Nature provides the perfect inspiration

for understanding, accepting and dealing with

life's gifts

and challenges.

Often, when I take a photo

the inspiration

or, what it means to me

just jumps right out.

Here's the original picture:

Quote by: Coco Chanel

Razzle Dazzle 'Em

When nature puts on a show

She holds nothing back

The curtains go up

The lights flick on

The stars appear,
"Ta Da!"

Center stage in full costume

Or peel off layer after layer

In a tantalizing

Slow reveal

Colours are chosen for maximun pow!

The result is spellbinding,
magical...

You do believe in magic don't you?

This is a perennial cornflower

Or as I like to call it:

The Razzle Dazzler