IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING

'Rest by the Bank of the Ruisseau' 1872 - Alfred Sisley

(1839 - 1899)

This is one of my favourite Impressionist paintings; what a lovely cool place to rest and ponder ones thoughts and dreams...under the shade of leafy trees, amongst the many beautiful greens of the plants and grasses, imagine their sweet fragrance as it floats on the air. To listen to the water as it flows gently by, its mirror surface only being interrupted by the ripple of some small insect or occasional curious fish.

Alfred Sisley was a French landscape painter, born of English parents in Paris, France.
He was one of the founders of the Impressionist School of Painting along with Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

LACE CURTAIN IRISH for LIL LAMB

Whilst searching for a lovely image for your special post Lil Lamb I came upon this lovely painting, its title being Lace Curtain Irish. You can find more information about the title by visiting the website. The artist Liza Morado has most kindly given me permission to post the painting on my blog. I have provided a link to her website Lace Curtain Liza where you will be delighted to find more of her beautiful art, go take a look, you will be pleased if you do.
Thank you again Liza. :-)

LIL LAMB - EVERYONES' FRIEND

Of all the lambs
I have ever known
I would like Lil Lamb
for my very own

She is a very sweet gal
and innocent
She would make the greatest friend
I'm sure of that

I would be her shepherdess
and protect her flock
Keep /t. and Lon away
with a heavy lock

I have a grassy meadow
where she can graze
And invite Seymour and Dolly
where they can relax and laze

No mint sauce or BBQ's here
just a nice place to be
and forget about /t.

She is a lamb
of many talents
Office skills, you name it
she can do it

She can drive a car
and take a photo
Her favourite subject
a double rainbow

She's been to Indiana
in a hot sports car
Stopped off to see Boney
but she went too far

Missed his driveway
by a country mile
Should have given her a map
or flashed his big ol' smile

She has travelled very far
to the North Pole
And even had hot chocolate
with Santa Claus

Don't quite know
how she got back
guess she hitched a ride
On Rudolph's back

But back here with us
she's safe and sound
Gosh its a privilege
to have her around.

Poem by Dianne

MY GARDEN OF LOVE - A NICE PLACE TO WANDER

A little more green foliage, lily and fern

The garden outside the window

The view from my kitchen window with some treasured objects on the window sill

Some more random plantings

More of my wilderness garden

AS A WOMAN THINKETH

Whilst visiting 'Nature Diary' the journal of my friend Colonel Brandon last evening I came across a thoughtful comment made by one of his many followers, the author Jan Lundy, her blog being 'Awake is Good' . I was fascinated by the comment she made and decided to visit her blog and see what else she had to say. I am so pleased that I did for it is uplifting for the soul and there is a wealth of knowledge for women to ponder regarding self awareness, spirituality, empowerment and the pursuit of personal growth and happiness. In her post Ms.Lundy shared some quotes from the book 'As a Woman Thinketh', written by author Dorothy J Hulst; I decided to do some more research and found more notable quotes which I would like to share with you now. I will have to read this book as I think it will be beneficial on my own journey of self discovery and personal growth.

"A woman's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild..."

"Just as a gardener cultivates her plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits she requires, so may a woman tend the garden of her mind..."

"A woman only begins to be a woman when she ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates her life. And as she adapts her mind to that regulating factor, she ceases to accuse others as the cause of her condition, and builds herself up in strong and noble thoughts."

"Woman is made or unmade by herself; in the armory of her thoughts, she destroys herself; she also fashions the tools with which she builds for herself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace."

THE APHORISM, "As a woman thinketh in her heart so is she," not only embraces the whole of a woman's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of her life. A woman is literally' what she thinks', her character being the complete sum of all her thoughts.
As the plant springs forth from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a woman springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies egually to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a woman garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of her own husbandry.

Painting 'Women in the Garden', Claude Monet, 1866

WE NEED MORE LOVE IN THE WORLD

Skywriting at Balmoral beach, Balmoral, Middle Harbour Sydney

A little more love in the world is what we need

The Beautiful Balmoral Beach

EARTHS SONG

Whilst searching for myself at dawn
I was thrice blessed this very morn
For I found a flower I thought had gone
there amongst the weeds it shone
its white petals will soon be gone
I promise you I will take more care
so that when I look next summer
you will still be there

I listened to the songs of birds
and thought about my wasted words
Magpies warbling just past the dawn
a lovely way to greet the morn
A fledgling chick calls for its Mum
both reunited in the morning sun

Walking barefoot on sweetest grass
water bubbling in my path
Running in between my toes
thoughts of childhood
Forget my woes
Winding my way through leafy bowers
such a lovely way to spend the hours
Finding new shoots along the way
welcomed blessings is all I can say

And now has come a balmy breeze
it moves with music through the trees
The leaves are dancing to a rustling tune
and in the sky I see the moon
Birds are singing their evening song
frogs and crickets in unison
All around a pulsing sound
I feel the coolness of the ground

The air is filled with the scent of flowers
How I love these dusky hours
All this set against a sky of blue
ever deepening in every hue
Once again thoughts of you

And in the distance an owls call
still many sounds at night fall
Listen quietly to the chorus of all
For it is the Earths song after all.

Poem by Dianne

Photo: Calla lily and Variegated Prostanthera Ovalifolia (my garden)

TO BUILD A HOME - THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA

I love this song, still a little sad but to me it is beautiful and romantic and brings forth images of two people who were in love. Two who shared this house of which he speaks, their lives through love and adversity and now I feel their dreams have turned to dust. The seeds of the tree which they planted together and watched grow, the tree which held them together through the hard times and now they have to leave. And it has a special meaning for me as I have this ongoing affinity with the grandeur and beauty of trees. The video was made by a fellow who calls himself 'Yellow Sphere', not the greatest of videos but I feel the sincerity was there. Please watch the video until the very end.

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home

And I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From me
From you
And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

I'm in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sown by the colour of green
Ground had arose in past its knees

By the cracks of its skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held on me
I held on as tightly as you held on me

And I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From me
From you
And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust...


Official lyrics from TCO website

TIL KINGDOM COME - COLDPLAY

Still my heart and hold my tongue
I feel my time
My time has come
Let me in
Unlock the door
I never felt this way before

And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummer begins to drum
I don't know which way I'm going
I don't know which way I've come

Hold my head inside your hands
I need someone who understands
I need someone, someone who hears
For you I've waited all these years
For you I'd wait til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me

In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
I wouldn't change a single thing
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don't know which way I'm going
I don't know what I've become

For you I'd wait til kingdom come
Until my days, my days are done
Just say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me

Music : Coldplay
Video: Excerpts from "Romeo & Juliet" 1996

FIX YOU - COLDPLAY

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

MY SHELL

Marc Chagall - Three Candles

Time for me to return
to my shell where I can heal

a place for the broken hearted
a place where dreams seem real

a place where there is still hope
and no-one can hurt me there

maybe I should have stayed
for at least what I felt seemed real...