Secrets of a Butterfly

Diamonds in the grass

   The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day

runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measure

It is the same life that shoots in joy, through the dust of the earth

 in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers

Rabindranath Tagore

This is a new series of posts i'm starting today called Dew stars - Diamonds in the grass, and which i hope to add to regularly....let me explain... its to do with quotes that touch my heart, and maybe will yours too? To me these are little strings of words that take on that special touch of magic,so that they speak to the heart and uplift the spirit in our everyday life. Like rare gems or diamonds really.

They are a comfort and a help when sometimes things around us, or within us! get a little too much. A light shinning, that can remind us to take a moment and breathe, and reconnect with that part of us that feels peace even amidst the choas.

A quote, or a line from a song or speech,is just something very small but it can have a big effect on our re-finding balance and coming back to some harmony. Its a way that our own spirit calls to us or sends us a message within our everyday lives. like finding a white feather and feeling its a sign our angels are watching out for us that day, certain words can move us also. these too are a way that our angels or our soul helps us out,giving a sign to keep us strong right when we need one,and helping us feel we are not alone upon our path.

Its amazing that words spoken or written so eloquently from the heart, by the famous or the ordinary among us, can have that soothing effect in times of need. To me its as if they carry a vibration beyond their mere appearance upon the page. And its that too that i hope to share here, as i build upon this first post and form a little collection.

These are words that come from the writer's soul,little sparkling moments,that twinkle and catch our attention.

This is what dew upon the lawn in our back garden used to look like to me when i peeked out my window early in the morning as the sun was rising. Often it was my only sight of the outside world for many months or years,my only way to see nature and remember there was a world out there i was still a part of. And so you can imagine it really touched my heart when i was at a low ebb,to see those twinkling lights,like stars-and i kept my courage.

 As i saw the light catching the droplets of dew upon the green blades, making little diamonds in the grass, i felt a certain moment of comfort and strangely less alone. I live in a city so we have no stars to see at nightfall. In a way these sparkles within the grass,especially amongst the stillness of an early morning, replaced that feeling you get when you stare up at the constellations in the deep vastness of a nights sky. You know that experience which gives a sense of a connection to something bigger than yourself. And so it came to be that i secretly named them my DEW STARS. And now i seek to find some gems, some diamond droplets,that will sparkle just like that dew,and give a moment of comfort. This time though its in the form of words! i hope you'll like them,k xx

Sweet Alix

      

The lovely Alix over at The Cherry blossom Girl,(above and below) has done a great post called Q&A where she's answered questions that people posted/wanted to know about her likes & dislikes,career,childhood and her life in France. The collage above is from Alix's blog i hope she won't mind me sharing it with you. Tis to give you a taster, as i love her styling so much i can't help but want to tell you all about it. If you happen to follow her blog too then you'' enjoy the Q&A post,as you find out more about the girl behind those brilliant photos. Her posts are all different themes,magical,whimsical,often out in nature or old country houses.They are so fresh and i don't know where she keeps coming up with her ideas from! till next time Love always LOVE kat!

 

Comforting and colourful

 

 A collage of pics from my new favourite book! Easy elegance  by Atlanta Bartlett & Polly Wreford

 Its full of beautiful advice on creating a comforting, relaxed living environment with style.

If you buy just one home book this year make it this one and it won't disappoint.

 Previously Atlanta's book The relaxed home was my favourite, but this tops it. I think its the mix of images that just work so well and that different styles are covered under a generalised theme. They are...comfort, simplicity, function and individuality. with 5 facets to each look we are guided to choose which suits us best.

 From the clean lines of Modern Elegance, the cosy comfort of Country Elegance, the quirky appeal of Retro Elegance, the soft sensuality of Feminine Elegance. They all sound so scrumptious don't they! Its bohemian style yes,quirky,and thrift markety too,but there is a touch more elegance to it than just that, as the title very fittingly sums up. kat x

Every day moments of gratitude

 

Spring is blossoming and i took this picture the other day it feels fresh,simple and delicate.

      I heard from Holly about the new kindred wallpapers today, another inspiring range of art to set as your desktop wallpaper the only diffuculty is which to choose first! There are some beautiful notelets by Ez to print off and gratitude lists by Holly too.

 These come at just the right moment to print off and place on my pinboard,as i have been remembering to keep my gratitude journal again as a way of helping my heart for where i'm at right now. It feels good. I recommend Sarah Ban Breathnach's A Day book of Comfort and Joy,where i and so many others first came across the wonder of Gratitude Journal keeping. At the end of the day listing 5 things a day you are grateful for. It focuses your energy on what you have, not what you lack. The benefits to the soul are many and uniquely,magically, just right for wherever you're at and whatever you're needing to see, feel, or realise(in an a-ha moment as Oprah would say) to help you at that time. I watched a lovely interview with Sarah(her voice is so restful) that Oprah did for her Soul Series radio show, it was avaliable for free on I-tunes along with some with other authors too. To read a letter by Sarah on Simple Abundance and explore her website click here
with peace Kat

In memory of my Grandma

I havent been able to blog for what seems like ages, as i have been too poorly. The flu i had thought i was getting over at the funeral for Granda, developed into a sinus infection and i couldnt get up for weeks or be online. But i was thinking of you all out there and hoping you werent thinking i was just ignoring you. I think i got so ill because of the stress i had been under for quite some months towards the end of 08, and though i am much better now with stress, the condition i have means that it does still effect me more than average and i have more exhaustion.

We have also had another bereavement as my Grandma passed away on the 4th of March almost a month after Granda. This time it was more of a shock, as she had been quite well for her 84 years,and we had been planning her move to a care home, as i spoke about in my last post. She was rushed into intensive care suddenly as a chest infection effected her breathing. Over the coming days she couldnt recover from what had quite quickly become pneumonia. She had been struggling to cope since losing her husband,(of 62years) but was trying hard to adjust with everyone's help and reassurance, and was looking forward to seeing my cousin's new baby, expected in the summer.

 As a family it has been alot to go through.For my mam to lose both her parents so close together has been alot for her to handle as you can no doubt imagine,and we have all had to support each other as best we can. Last week, I was just about over the infection and able to make it to part of the funeral, despite being quite weak as i hadnt been out since the previous one. Family gatherings are not things i am used to yet. The funerals have been the first ones i've been well enough to get to since the early 90's. It was good to see my cousins and to get to talk about our grandparents i think helps with the grief. I took some old photos along too and everyone was looking at them and remembering them in their own way. The collage picture above was done by debbie for the funeral order of service,and this picture was on the back,its of their wedding day in 1946.

  My Granparents lived very nearby and we were close as a family. There was a long spell in the 90's when i was too ill to go and see them, or for them to visit me for longer than a minute or two, so there are some 'gaps' in our shared lives and histories. But i am so glad that i was able to see them more in these recent years when i have been improving. For them to know that i was getting better helped them too. So those shared memories, along with ones from my early childhood are very precious. I hope to post some photos of those times maybe in the coming days.

I am looking forward to catching up on all your blogs and leaving comments again, though i don't think i will be in front of the computer as much. Having the enforced break has shown me i need to build in more time for 'reality', for quiet time to recoup, and to have focus on helping my body's physical recovery. With spring coming into flower i hope very much to be outdoors. Its been a long time this winter, but i'd like to have some sunshine and see more nature again. I need it for my health as well as my heart. Thanks for thinking of me and for your heartfelt comments. Keep in touch, always, Kathryn x