Days
A place of charm and quiet beauty
When I was painting, teatime was the time for a walk up the hill to my favourite park – I would sit on the stone bench where people come and sit and chat. This wonderful park has grass for the children to kick a football into a net and trees and bushes where they climb and hide. I have been right round the park and come back to sit on the stone bench and another person to chat to – then I walk home down a different quieter road.
The sublime in nature
On the bus journey from the coast in Peru, a huge boulder had landed on the road. It looked impossible to pass with a steep mountainside on one side and a deep precipice on the other side. The bus driver decided there was no alternative but to edge the bus round past the boulder on the precipice side with all of us inside. I have never felt nearer to death. When we got back to Lima we saw in the paper photos of the rocks which had come down from the mountains. Now the television is my gateway into the sublime: ‘Wonders of the Universe’, ‘The Planets’, ‘Blue Planet.
Organic feast
Having organic food means never getting tired of having the same menu each week. It is very easy cooking because it is all so tasty keeping it simple. No need for elaborate recipes. All the food at home is organic (almost all). So, people ask as a joke – ‘Is this organic?’ knowing the answer will be ‘Yes’!
Clever ways
Looking out of the window, it is good to know there are millions of activities going on here in this piece of ground – all the life forms working in very clever ways. Lichens and mosses have taken up residence on the stone. Light pours down on grass and leaves. The trees seem to know their cycle of transformation. By the magical powers of enzymes, tadpoles have changed into frogs, to the fascination of children and scientists alike!
Home of birds and us
The birds love trees. It is where they have their home. Trees are our neighbours and have roots. The birds are free. The clouds come and go. Houses are the opposite of clouds – they stay put. Like trees, houses give us shelter. Some of the clouds are trails made by aeroplanes. An amazing sky of trails taking shape and dissolving.
