Seeking a sense of calmness in nature, in simplicity and in accepting transience, I have chosen some images that bring to me a sense of grace.

Beauty can be found in basic and simple things that reflect weathering and impermanence. And in nature, we may find solace in tranquility and quietness, and in a sense of freedom from convention.
Perfection can seem like a precisely defined something to strive for, but being open to the ordinary and the natural we can respond to an aesthetic that embraces change, nuance and humility.

Awareness in nature’s unpretentious presence can help us find a sense of connection that may guide us through turbulent times.

I took these photos in our garden in different seasons over the past few years.














Posted by Carol

August 8, 2020 at 1:51 pm
So beautiful!!
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August 14, 2020 at 11:53 am
Thanks very much.
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July 12, 2020 at 3:49 am
Thank you, Carol. So very meditative and soothing. Don’t know what we’d do without nature! I can’t imagine folks who might be in lock-down in some small dwelling in a crowded urban setting. I’m afraid it would take a great deal of effort to create the same sort of grace we’re gifted when in natural settings.
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July 17, 2020 at 3:03 pm
Hi Gunta – sorry about the delay in replying. Not sure why I am finding it difficult to keep up with things. Perhaps partly because I am rather over-consuming news …
It can seem tone deaf to be blogging about finding solace in nature when I know so many people are locked down or afraid in crowded urban settings as you describe. Those of us with access to nature are just so fortunate. Gratitude for that is an insufficient response. There are so many issues that we grapple with, especially in these tragic times.
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July 17, 2020 at 8:01 pm
From an entirely self-preservation mode, I NEED to take a break from the horrible news now and again simply to keep a grip on my sanity. Otherwise I’d likely sink into depression. I had a hard time of it this morning after seeing some of the news of the evil things our Federal Gov’t is doing in the name of the evil politicians that are damned close to or have already taken over the government.
So… I’m working on some baby quail shots, but those are sad too because… nature in a eat or be eaten sort of way.
But don’t feel you need to apologize. I go through much the same sort of seesaw. There are times my mind seems to be a bouncing ball between horror and denial. 😦
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July 20, 2020 at 5:31 pm
I know what you mean about trying to stay sane and trying not to bounce between extremes, but coping seems to be a dynamic process with swings up and down. And also trying to be cerebral to control the emotion. It is made far more difficult when so-called leaders sink as low as many of them are doing. That is very depressing in addition to all the sadness.
So yes, we do need to find comfort in nature and elsewhere. Someone suggested to me two key words in these times – courage and kindness – I find it helpful to hang onto both as something to try to keep. Sending you best wishes, and courage and kindness too.
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July 11, 2020 at 10:16 am
Nature is very grounding. Astronomy in particular, I think.
Lovely photos. I hope you’re keeping well.
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July 11, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Thank you Adele. I suppose astronomy can be particularly grounding as it reminds us what a speck we are in space and time.
We are fine thanks, and I hope that you are keeping well too.
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July 11, 2020 at 8:49 am
Oh, this is such a refreshing, contemplative and yet energising post, reminding us to appreciate what we have round about us
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July 11, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Thank you Margaret. I think we can draw comfort and even energy – as you point out – from the nature we find around us.
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July 11, 2020 at 8:47 am
What a beautiful post. It was like reading a visual poem. Thank you
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July 11, 2020 at 7:14 pm
Thanks for the lovely comment Mariss.
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July 10, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Serenity and grace … thank you, Carol.
🙏
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July 11, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Thanks Sandra – sorely needed right now …
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July 10, 2020 at 10:41 am
Perfect, Carol. But also a twinge of nostalgia for me. So many of these images remind me of our Nairobi garden. Nice to think of even so. Gardens and memory-world seem the best places to be just now.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:20 pm
So true that we can find refuge in gardens and memory-world (a lovely way of describing that place) in these times. Interesting that my photos are reminiscent too of your former garden in Nairobi.
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July 10, 2020 at 10:22 am
Lovely, peace in nature 🙂
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July 11, 2020 at 3:18 pm
Thank you very much Edith. Ironically though with the hectic weather today it is not as peaceful as in the photographs!
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July 10, 2020 at 8:18 am
Captivating and marvelous pictures. Too good.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:15 pm
Thank you very much Kamal 🙂
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July 11, 2020 at 3:42 pm
Welcome Carol.
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July 10, 2020 at 7:16 am
Have you ever removed the wind chime from near your bird bath? I wondered whether it would affect bird response? (first pic).
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July 11, 2020 at 3:13 pm
Hi John, that is an interesting question, but the truth is that the wind chime is an old bamboo one my mother handed down to us and it doesn’t actually ‘chime’ anymore. In the recent gusty winds it makes a gentle knocking sound but the trees are noisier! But usually we don’t get enough wind to disturb it into making any sound.
The grindstone on the ground level was more for insects and frogs, and the birds have a choice of several other birdbaths that are elevated. However the thrushes seem to quite like the one on the ground.
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July 10, 2020 at 5:59 am
A perfect antidote to the turbulent times – yesterday’s wind storm had us buckling and bowing with the wind, contending with no power and battening down the hatches. Today has arrived beautifully calm (lots of blown in litter) along with your beautiful photographs and wise words. Such garden scenes help to ‘root’ one to the realities of life and encourage positive contemplation – wonderfully appropriate, thank you.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Thank you Anne – when I mentioned turbulent times that was metaphorical and before the buffeting winds hit us here too, about a day after you experienced them. And then we too had a calm and warm day before the cold front arrived today with rain, hail and power outages … and now the wind is getting back up again too.
Positive contemplation as you so nicely put it, is sorely needed now and indeed the garden can help with that as I hoped to capture in these images. Take care.
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July 10, 2020 at 4:29 am
A graceful set of photos, Carol. Your garden is such a lovely place and a source of inspiration, as a good garden should be.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:01 pm
Thank you Graham – I do see the garden as a kind of haven.
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July 10, 2020 at 3:41 am
So lovely…so serene.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Thank you Sandy.
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July 11, 2020 at 3:12 pm
My pleasure, Carol.
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July 10, 2020 at 3:38 am
Beautiful pics ❤️Thank you
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July 11, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Thank you Debs. Keep safe and warm this weekend xxx
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July 10, 2020 at 2:35 am
Dear Carol,
You have put it perfectly and the images from your garden add the sparkle!
xxx
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July 11, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Thank you Christeen xxx
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July 10, 2020 at 2:29 am
Do you ever spend time indoors, Carol? With a garden as beautiful, serene and full of life as yours the indoors could never have the same attraction.
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July 11, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Well on this cold and windy day with a dash of rain and a little hail, today I am only too happy to have an indoors to retreat into!
Keep warm this weekend!
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July 10, 2020 at 12:29 am
Lovely photos, easy to enjoy. Thank you.
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July 11, 2020 at 2:57 pm
Thank you so much Elaine.
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July 9, 2020 at 10:03 pm
Wonderful photos, Carol. Nature is a source of great solace, I’d be lost without it.
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July 11, 2020 at 2:46 pm
Thanks Eliza. I feel the same about nature.
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