Today I went to the opening of a unique exhibition
at The National Gallery in London!

Of course I was sitting in our local Victoria Cinema.
How wonderful is that!

My life is so rich with this sharing from the other side of the world.
The New York operas, The LondonNational Theatre plays
and now art from The National Gallery.

On the way home I took some pics of what caught my eye.

The neighbourhood oak..
the overgrown garden in my street
with the morning glories gone wonderfully rampant..
it's flowers that look as though they are made from
delicate silken fabric:
and my neighbour's beautiful bougainvillia that blooms all year
and finally
her hydrangeas
slowly drying in the sun.

How can I not live a grateful life!

We've had a weather bomb.
It made the journey from Australia to Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Wild sou-westers
and lots of rain.

I am protected by a small hill
and hardly noticed the weather at all.

Everyone who knows me
knows my mantra is

'it never rains on me'

and somehow dancing along with the weather
means the weather never bothers me.

I wonder does it bother the bees?

Do you have a favourite Cinema?

Mine is The Lido.
It takes me 12 minutes to walk from my home
to The Lido.
The Lido is stylish
and they serve lovely coffee
and delicious edibles.
It does not smell of popcorn.

Sometimes I pop in to see a movie alone.
That always feel slightly like an adventure.

Other times I go along with friends
and that feels like a special occasion.

Recently I have seen
The Artist
and
Hugo.
Two excellent movies.

The regular Met. Opera movies from New York
are among the favourite things my friends and I do.

Thank you The Lido
for making our movie going such a pleasure!

old and misshapen
I happen to believe
this is a listening tree..

he never speaks
but he listens

there he is
down at the lake..

always ready to listen
and if I'm very still and quiet..
wisdom's there.
I'm hoping by spending time with this listening tree I will learn to become
a listening tree too.

I got the idea of a listening tree from Sister Macrina  (May 2011)
who found a listening tree in her monastery grounds.

Summer is nearly over..

signs of Autumn

blue skies and flowers
but leaves are changing colour
and beginning to fall.

The mystery of a flower;
 the wonder of colour
and
heart shaped leaf messages from the universe.
It all takes my breath away!

White Butterfly season.. lover of brassicas!

look at you.. perfect
ethereal butterfly

pest in my garden

Do you doodle while conversing on the phone?
This is my doodle page
after a lovely conversation
with my wonderful daughter-in-law.
Sharing books read and movies enjoyed.

A visual diary of a happy conversation.


The girl in the middle is a memory from
another blog..
I cannot remember whose.

a gentle rain
revives my summer garden

a glass of rose wine
and a friend to lunch
revives my soul

With love..

Thinking of fellow Kiwis today
in Christchurch.
The garden City
that fell
a year ago
when Papatuanuku
stretched and moved
and shocked us all..rch

I love Moleskines.
This is a favourite Moleskine .
It is inspired by the beautiful Emakimono Scrolls of ancient Japan.

I am having fun keeping a visual diary in this Japanese Album.

My blogger is still playing up.'
I think I need a Computer Geek to rescue me.
I can write above the first photo
and then the pop-up appears.
Sometimes it pops up when I am halfway through a sentence.

I feel very picked upon!

If I met
a green and handsome
frog
I'd know immediately what to do
but
there are no frogs in my life
just now
just pesky pop up
messages
and
I
haven't a clue
what to do
about
THEM!

Hello my blog friends.
So long I know.
First Blogspot is still being difficult and will not let
me write where I wish.
Then I succumbed to a chest infection that has laid me low
for over three weeks.
I am on another course of antibiotics
and hoping it will soon be over.
All in all
I just gave up on the computer.
It is summer here in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
I have enjoyed the coolness of summer rains
and the greeness all around me.
I love this painting by Jo Gallagher.
These are the hills I know so well
and the summer grasses that now grow on the roadsides.
A spell of sickness can be a blessing,
with quiet time for reading
and listening to Leonard Cohen's latest song gift..
"Old Ideas"
Such a poet and mystic

Josie and me in London... 2011

Josie and I wandered in the beautiful Kensington Gardens.
We had both been her before and knew what to expect.

What on earth though,
is this large black construction, like a huge box,
with a simple opening in its north and south walls?
Of course we have to find out more.

What a surprise inside.
An enclosed garden
and a place to sit and contemplate,
or chat to friends at the small tables under the inner roof
around the perimeter.

There is something so enchanting about this surprising inner garden,
open to the rain and sun.

The Twelth Day of Christmas..
so I removed the baubles
and took my wee tree back upstairs..

The birds will remain.
They represent wishes for
my family and friends.

May 2012
be extra specially significant for you..

I've been having issues with postings on my blog.  I became so frustrated I decided to have a break, and went off in a huff!

I plan to come back one day.  This is to say hi to Blogging friends and to say I'mm keeping an eye on you!   I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and wish you every blessing for the New Year.

I've been re-listening to a radio panel with two of my favourite New Zealand writers, Dr Glenn Colquhoun and Kate de Goldi.  I thought I would share it with you as a New Year gift from NZ.  

Catch you soon.  xoxo