Friends In My Garden: A Cute Little Snowdrop

The following poem was written for one of my granddaughters when she was about four years old. Many other grannies bought my book because they had their own little snowdrop – a sweet child with blonde hair and that entrancing giggle we hear from a happy little girl. Mine is now in her twenties, a charming young woman, she still fills my heart with joy when she comes to visit my garden.

If you are fortunate to have a Snowdrop in your garden of friends and family I hope you enjoy this poem and that you will pass it on to your own Snowdrop even if she is no longer little.

A Cute Little Snowdrop

A Tinkerbell laugh

an ‘Aren’t I beautiful?’ grin.

Pretty petals

soft and light

purest white

little snowdrop

shakes her head

shimmers her leaves

twirling and dancing on tippy toe

swaying and bowing in the breeze.

Dalmatian Cruise: Zadar

A panoramic image of the sea, the sky and the city of Zadar.

After taking those amazing photos of the sunrise, (scroll down to them if you missed that post) we retreated inside the cabin for breakfast – fruit, yoghurt, eggs, bacon, sausage and tomato plus a pot of tea for Sue and a pot of coffee for me – enough for a family of four served to each of us, by our very obliging butler. By the time we finished breakfast and got dressed, our ship was approaching land, so we went back to our balcony to take more photos.

Zadar is now part of Croatia but in the past it belonged to Rome, to Venice and to Italy after WW1. It was heavily bombed by the Germans in 1944 and became part of Yugoslavia when Tito moved in later that year.

From our position at sea

Plenty of building activity in the new part of the city

we could see that today Zadar is a bustling modern city with lots of tall buildings and in the distance, the mountains create an interesting backdrop. I had the impression that the people of Zadar enjoy water sports in summer and skiing in winter.

Continue reading→

Favourite Fragrance Day

Roses from my garden

Apparently today is a day for discussing our favourite fragrance, so I’m putting my ideas down here and hope to get feedback from those of you for whom a memory is evoked by a particular fragrance. The sense of smell is supposed to be the strongest for bringing back things in our emotional memories.

I think everyone likes the smell of roses. I have chosen several old-fashioned varieties because they do have a perfume, but are not too strong.

Those of you who have read my piece some time ago on Eucalypt Leaves, might recall that I was grabbed by that smell when feeling homesick in London.

Continue reading→

Dalmatian Cruise: Off the coast of Zadar Croatia

5.50 am

5.52 am

Up very early (for me) on our second morning, the 11th May 2016, I captured the sunrise as we headed for Zadar in Croatia.

5.53am

5.55am

If I wasn’t taking these photos I wouldn’t believe the way the sky changed from moment to moment.

Continue reading→

Dalmation Cruise: Koper, Slovenia

Celebrity Constellation towers above other ships in Koper’s harbour

Koper in Slovenia was our first port of call on the Dalmatian cruise. The local guide, who also worked as a teacher, complained about everything to do with capitalism and democracy, claiming that life was better for everyone under the communist regime. She appeared to have little pride in her country, except for the importance of the port as the entrance to much of central Europe.

We had difficulty understanding how her life was better under communism as she worked with her family, digging salt from the marshes, from the age of seven. She obviously had had a tough life and when we walked into

Continue reading→

Friends In My Garden: Wings Of Turquoise

Like the other poem which I have posted today, this was written for a friend who had been in pain, emotionally and physically. I wanted to depict a woman who was once artistic, creative, talented in many ways, but who was trapped in a marriage of violence and humiliation. It applies to any women and girls who are beaten and made to feel inadequate or worse, by men who bully them. To see such women blossom once freed from that sort of environment, gives joy to my soul and theirs. Please pass this on to anyone you think might benefit from and appreciate it. The words are mine but the message is for everyone. As always, I would love to receive your comments, especially if this poem gives courage to someone you know.

Wings Of Turquoise

Is this the same bird I once knew,

a dove beige pale and sadness grey

of shrivelled soul

caged in fear

feathers pecked

and head held low

to hide her pain?

Now she glides on wings of turquoise

golden tipped

a shout of sunshine in her laugh

her eyes sing ‘Joie de vivre.’

Fly high my friend

now free now strong

love your life

delight in your dreams

soar on winds of happiness.

Friends In My Garden: Chestnut Tree

Today I have gone back to my book of poetry, ‘Friends In My Garden,’ for a poem that deals with family and friends who were grieving. ‘Chestnut Tree’ applies to men who suddenly lose a child, sometimes through death, but it could also be through family breakdown or some other kind of separation, hence the ‘branch in youthful bloom.’ The men for whom I wrote this struggled on never really recovering from that loss but hiding their grief, grateful for any moment of happiness that came their way. It’s a sad poem. I offer it to you to pass on if you wish. My poems were written to be shared and many readers told me of their gratitude for my ability to put into words the things they wanted to say but didn’t know how.

CHESTNUT TREE

Braced

upright

his strong side

fronts the world.

Once the chestnut tree stood firm

thinking nought could shatter him

but look to the scar he bares

where ripped from his heart

a branch in youthful blossom

crashed to the ground

one winter’s night.

His days now greet the morning mist

relished is each ray of sunshine.

Friends In My Garden: Zinnia

When I was writing poems for my book, ‘Friends In My Garden,’ I had a few young female friends for whom this one was suitable. The sort of people who never seem to tire and who make you laugh whenever you are with them. I’m sure you all know and love someone like my

Zinnia

Exuberant is Zinnia

full of zest and vigour

radiating merriment

she paints a smile on passing lips

this zippy zany flower.

Goodbye Venice, Hello Celebrity Constellation

The 9th May was a good day to be leaving Venice.

Time to leave the luxurious Hotel Bauer

Over breakfast,with most guests huddled in the main dining room instead of the balcony, we looked out at grey skies and choppy water in the canal, feeling a little sad because our chances of a future trip to Venice were slim. At the same time we were excited about the next chapter in our holiday – the cruise down the Dalmatian coast and parts of Italy.

Gondolas busy despite the cold and rain.

The private water taxi for our departure from the hotel was disappointing after that initial trip but we were glad of another opportunity to photograph gondolas and the buildings that could not belong anywhere else in the world.

Celebrity Constellation was moored in what looked like an industrial harbour, away from the glamourous part of Venice. We arrived by car (arranged again through the very helpful concierge) and told to leave our cases with hundreds of others, which was a bit disconcerting as anyone could walk in and help themselves.

Continue reading→