After a very busy and physical week I had a late start today for what is going to be a do-nothing day. The day is quiet and calm with grey skies completing the picture. I decided on my Ginger Quince Tea from TLeafT , full bodied sweet and spicy flavour on a Sencha Green Tea base. I chose my Picasso “Le Reve” teacup as the concept of deconstructed perception is certainly at the forefront today. My world is slightly out of kilter, exploding eggs and spills, cat blinking past me has resulted in a slightly surreal sense of the world.
I spent a lovely day yesterday with my sister-in-law Julie wandering around Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust. A lot of the Rhododendron’s weren’t yet in flower but we saw a number of beautiful white coloured flowers which contrasted beautifully with the green of native trees and foliage plants. Seeing the Azaleas in bloom and the use of Hostas gave my ideas of how I can plant out the lower lawn in shrubs.
There is a sense of peace and calm wandering through the green landscape, heart beat slows down even whilst walking the tracks and you breathe in the green so you can almost taste the air. The Japanese call it Shinrin-yoku a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." And there are researched health benefits of spending time under the canopy of a living forest. It is a primal response the unplugs our mind and body from the rapid pace of the modern world and spending that time in pleasant company is an additional bonus in raising the spirit.
I have made a really good start on the reclaimimg of my personal suburban wilderness and I have a lovely vegetable garden planted I am working down in the back area. I certainly won’t get all the clearance work finished in this last week of my leave but I am on top of the work. I have been working very hard and the work has been very physical which is really different from the way I spend my days at work where I use a lot of mental energy and engaging with people all day, every day so it is restorative to be mostly alone with just the cats and the garden.
Today’s words of beauty are from John O’Donohue
“Nature is full of hidden geometry and harmony, as is the human mind; and the creations of the mind that awaken or recreate this sense of pattern and order tend to awaken or unveil beauty. Symmetry satisfies us and coheres with our need for meaning and shelter in the world.” ― John O'Donohue, Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace
And
“There is an uncanny symmetry between the inner and the outer world. Each person is the sole inhabitant of their own inner world; no-one else can get in there to configure how things are seen. Each of us is responsible for how we see, and how we see determines what we see. Seeing is not merely a physical act: the heart of vision is shaped by the state of soul.” ― John O'Donohue, Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace
Blessings to all and may your inner and outer world achieve harmony in the upcoming week.
