Following in the footsteps of Christina Rossetti

I wish I could remember the first day,
first hour, first moment of your meeting me;
If bright or dim the season it might be;
Summer or Winter for aught I can say.
So, unrecorded it did slip away,
So blind was I to see and to foresee,
So dull to mark the budding of my tree
That would not blossom, yet, for many a May.

If only I could recollect it!
Such a day of days! I let it come and go
As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow.
It seemed to mean so little, meant so much!
If only now I could recall that touch,
First touch of hand in hand! - Did one but know!

Christina Rossetti 1830 - 1894

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My Reflecting on a Day Spent With You.

How warmly I remember that first day
first hour, first moment of you finding me
Never would I have imagined that our paths should cross
but there you were . . . charming me
Whether it was bright or dim escaped me
for I was so in awe of thee
It was a day in December, a Summer's day for me
but the bitter cold of Winter was still about thee
This day for me would not go unrecorded
nor its memory slip away
For so palpable was your effect on me . . .
Never was I blind to see or feel
the blossoming of my heart
For like the petals of a flower
my love would bloom for thee
And I did foresee that I could truly love thee . . .
You had captivated me
And by the Springtime
when your May trees were all in bud
The beauty of your words
had transported me to thee
I can remember for it was a day like no other
I would never let it go
For its memory stayed within my heart
etched there for eternity . . .
To walk in this place with you
was everything to me
Your handsome face, your smile
our warmest words exchanged
So sweet to have you close to me
To be in your presence
you meant so much to me . . .
I do recall that first touch
how could I forget?
As we walked side by side
our hands softly touched
Such a feeling of sweet, fleeting intimacy
And from that day you held my heart
and I knew it would always be yours . . .
I wished this day would never end
to be with you forever
To wander in your garden faire
and wile away the hours
To touch the leaves and flowers
just you and I, together . . .
But days like these are fleeting
and separation tears at my heart
Such a feeling of sadness and regret
when we two did part . . .

Poem by Dianne D. ♥

Image : Claude Monet - Water Lilies and Clouds

An Award from my Friend Little Lamb

Thank you for thinking of me Little Lamb and giving me this award!

In order for me to accept this award, I have to tell five things about myself and pick other bloggers to give this award to . . . I can think of many other bloggers to whom I would like to give this award but it seems they have received it already . . . but if anyone else would like to accept this, then please do, you are most welcome.

1. I love the changing colours, the textures, the fragrances that each new season brings us ... there is always something of beauty to see in the natural world or the garden. Each new season is a wonder in itself whether it is the freshness in the air, its soft rain and new growth of Spring, the warm, balmy days and nights of Summer with its colourful flowers and heady scents, the cool winds and warm colours of Autumn/Fall, with its lovely carpet of golden, hued leaves upon the ground and the frosty mornings and cold days and nights of Winter, with her magnificent sunsets.

2. I love spending time in my garden and derive a great deal of pleasure from tending my plants and watching them grow from small seeds and seedlings into their full potential of beauty as mature plants and trees and especially when I find a new plant emerging from the soil, something that has been brought to me, a gift from my little bird friends.

3. I love to visit art galleries and look at the beautiful subjects, rich colours and textures of the paintings and drawings that artists have created from their imagination and their great talents ...
I love most subjects that are painted but I think my favourites would be those of landscapes or nature.

4. I love visiting the library or book stores and sitting there with a whole lot of reference books on art and looking at the beautiful colour plates, Architecture and the wonders of many great houses and gardens throughout the centuries, History, especially English, Travel books and looking at photos of exotic locations and places I would like to visit and Botany books with their beautiful illustrations of plants and their structure.

5. I like to go for a drive in my car and discover new places, follow the road to where it takes me; in the past I have found some very beautiful places, such as beaches and lighthouses, old houses and their beautiful gardens, antique shops and galleries in quaint little townships, cafes and friendly people, beautiful landscapes, parks and trees, which I love to explore and admire.

There are some great old sandstone and convict made sandstock brick houses in the inner suburbs of Sydney to explore, I just like to wander around the streets looking at these lovely old terraced houses with their cast iron lace, verandah railings and decorative sandstone facades. These houses are owned by all kinds of people, some wealthy some not. Then you have some of the more historic buildings such as Government House, Vaucluse House, the Powerhouse Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales , Hyde Park, the Royal Botanic Gardens and further afield Old Government House at Parramatta ... plus so much more to take in and enjoy. . . these are places I love to visit and explore . . . ♥

Kissed by the Autumn Sunset

Two views of my Scribbley Gum, (Eucalyptus Haemostoma) , looking up into the canopy as the leaves and branches are bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

The leaves of Autumn turn to gold

in the light of the setting sun
Bathed in the glow of her final embers
in a sky of softest blue
In this light they shine and shimmer
golds of every hue . . .

Dianne D. ♥



Please enlarge images for a more detalied view

Summer has Gone ...

The leaves on the Mock Orange are starting to turn and soon the branches will be bare ...
the deep green of the Viburnum leaves have yet to change and that in itself will be subtle.

Just a small amount of rain will bring new growth to the Grevillea groundcover, the Dwarf Apple gum and the Coastal Rosemary.

The pale green variegated leaves of the Prostanthera Ovafolium take on an added softness of colour in Autumn, later some of the leaves will display a soft peach hue ... but their wonderful fragrance still lingers even in the cooler air.

The Persoonia welcomed a lengthy Autumn shower and rewarded me with this bright green, new growth.

The Banksia Marginata displays her brush like flower amongst the other plants in the garden surrounding the Eucalyptus Haemostoma/ Scribbley Gum.

More flowers on the Banksia. You can see that in Autumn when the sun is lower in the sky that the light changes the bright green foliage into a softer green as the plants ready themselves for the dormancy of the Winter to come.

The leaves on the Japanese Maple are changing and taking on their golden hue and will soon blow away in the Autumn winds and leave the branches bare.

Not many flowers in my garden at present but my Autumn Crocus always put on a happy display with their white petals and bright yellow stamens ... they seem to thrive on neglect and seem to kindly tolerate the weeds around them, which I have yet to remove.

Just two of my daily garden visitors eating grass seeds, I took this photo this afternoon, the rest of the group were yet to arrive ... they are Rainbow Lorikeets and have beautifully coloured feathers and a lovely song to sing. These two are males, the females are still beautiful but their feathers are not quite as colourful.

Summer has gone ... the days they grow shorter and the shadows grow longer as the Sun sits lower in her southern sky ... there is a feeling of coolness and quiet as the Earth prepares to rest.

If you wish to enlarge the images please left click on the photo ... ♥