Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, 

with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us

~ Hal Borland ~


*

GOD JUL ~ YULETIDE

 &

Happy Winter Solstice ~ The Return of The Sun

   

~ Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles, (England) ~
Video made by K.D Records, 'Markodole' 

At Rest, however, in the Middle of Everything, is The Sun 

~

 Nicolaus Copernicus   (1473 - 1543)

To the Loved Ones in our Hearts:

 

Rise

 

Breathing in the night 

There's nothing else I'm needing now 

The wind is at my side 

And so are you 

And together we will rise 

Above all these words and promises we couldn't keep 

Together we will fly 

Above it all now 

But sometimes we will fall 

From the night

But it shines on us tonight 

And together we will rise 

Together we will rise, we will rise

 

And surely it's a sign now 

That everything's in tune to some kind of higher plan 

Yeah, surely it's a sign 

That you were right 

And there's this secret line 

That we've been denied

And we're crossing it tonight 

And together we will rise, yeah 

Together we will rise, we will rise 

But sometimes we will fall 

From the light

But it shines on us tonight 

And together we will rise 

Past this light

And we'll cross it here tonight 

And together we will rise 

Together we will rise, we will rise

~ The Frames, Ireland ~

  ~ Mise-en-Scène ~

~ Sugar Kelp - Laminaria Saccharina ~

 ~ The good old Two-Strokes ~

Olle Hemmingsson's Trio, Sweden:  

~ Sweet Georgia Brown & Traktor ~ 

/ 

There's a story the Gypsies know is true 

That when your love wears golden earrings,

 He belongs to you...



From the song 'Golden Earrings' ~ Sung by Peggy Lee

cityforest

mountainsea

*

silence

The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes

 ~ Marcel Proust ~

Lighthouse

Leave a light on in the wild

'Cause I'm coming in, a little blind

Dreaming of a lighthouse in the woods

Shining a little light to bring us back home

When to find you in the backyard?

Hiding behind our busy lives

Dreaming of a lighthouse in the woods

To help us get back into the world

'Cause I know I've seen you before

Won't you shine a little light on us now?

Won't you shine a little light in your own backyard?

Won't you shine a little light in your own backyard?

Dreaming of a lighthouse in the woods

~ Patrick Watson, Canada ~

Sharing the Same Passion: A fellow Sea Glass Hunter & His Beautiful Finds

~ YouTube video made and owned by the collector himself  ~

Fun Fact:

 

Inukshuk ~ Meaning:'In the likeness of a human','someone was here' and 'you are on the right path'. Inukshuks are man-made landmarks of stone used by the peoples of the Arctic region of North America to point out the right directions along highways, lakes and in the wilderness. The Inukshuks guided people across the frozen tundra and helped them to handle the different hardships that they encountered there.

An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock or several rocks balanced on top of each other, round boulders or flat. They are built from whatever stones that are at hand and often sculptured to look like a human. Each one is unique. The arrangement of stones indicates the purpose of the marker. The directions of arms or legs could indicate the direction of an open channel for navigation, or a valley for passage through the mountains. An inukshuk without arms, or with antlers affixed to it, would act as a marker for a cache of food.

If you are curious of how an inukshuk looks like then chech them out on 'google images'.

Challenge:

Build your very own one day! :):)

 Twelve steps in to your backyard

through tall green grass, and into the world
Ain't it feelin right
Ain't it feelin nice
in your own backyard
in your own backyard

Through dirty winding road, around your feet
that carries me along
and into the beat
Didn't need to go so far 

to find what you were thirsting for 

Didn't need to go so far
to find what you were looking for

Because it was always beside
just right behind

right of your hand
you just didn't know

it was in your own backyard

Twelve steps in to your backyard
Just twelve steps in to your backyard
Twelve steps in to your backyard
Twelve steps in to your backyard
Twelve steps in to your backyard
Twelve steps in to your backyard

*

~ Patrick Watson, Canada ~

 

~ Le Moine et le Poisson ~ 

*

Michaël Dudok de Wit

+

=

 

This one has been varnished a couple of times for protection and a smooth surface

~

PS:

.

To the filatelists, who might have choked on their good coffee when seeing the photos above: To your consolation no collectible stamps were harmed or injured in any way during this experiment. These old beauties came from a very cheap lot and they all had various damages to them before they were glued on to the boxes :) 

~  Ramson Pesto Recipe  ~

- 2-3 litres freshly picked and washed ramsons

- Extra virgin olive oil (amount to prefered consistence)

- Parmesan (amount to prefered taste)

- Pine nuts (amount to prefered taste)

- Sea salt flakes to taste

Mix everything in a blender and fill a lidded jar with your finished pesto - Enjoy!

Ramsons ~ Allium Ursinum (you smell them before you see them :) 
 

Spring and early Summer is the time of the year to pick Ramsons (also called Bear's garlic because the bears treasure it so much and feast upon it whenever they have the chance - hence the Latin name)  This ancient, wild growing garlic makes a delicious addition to any salad, soup, cheese and/or bread. It also goes very well with fish, bird and meat. Ramsons can be eaten just as they are, they can be dried and used as spice and you can also make lovely Ramsons pestos. The choices are many and above all; very, very tasty! :)

Ramsons contain over ten times more Vitamin C than lemons. It is antiseptic, it boosts your blood circulation and strengthens your immune system too. No wonder the bears are so strong! :):)

*

Fun fact: Apparently the Native American word shikaakwa or chi-ga-ga, meaning 'wild onion' or 'wild garlic', has given the name to the largest city in the US state of Illinois; Chicago

*

We All travel The Milky Way together, Trees and Men... 

~ John Muir, Scribner's Monthly, November 1878 ~

Patrick Watson ~ Wooden Arms

 ~  The Long & Merry Mountain Walk  ~

I

Signing in at the first Mountain top

II

III

We’re sailing in a strange boat

Heading for a strange shore

We’re sailing in a strange boat

Heading for a strange shore

Carrying the strangest cargo

That was ever hauled aboard

We’re sailing on a strange sea

Blown by a strange wind

We’re sailing on a strange sea

Blown by a strange wind

Carrying the strangest crew

That ever sinned

We’re riding in a strange car

We’re followin’ a strange star

We’re climbing on the strangest ladder

That was ever there to climb

We’re living in a strange time

Working for a strange goal

We’re living in a strange time

Working for a strange goal

We’re turning flesh and body

Into soul

~  The Waterboys  ~

Darn, where did I put my black eyeliner..?? Aaarghh!

Make a Jewelry Organizer in 1-2-3:

1)  Find a wooden foot saved from an old leaning chair, like this one here,  or something else with a little weight to it that can be used as a steady base. If you (or your neighbour ;) have the right drilling equipment you can also use a rock as a base. Drill a hole into the centre of the top - the hole should fit the thickness of the pole you want to use - and...

 

2) ....glue a steel bar of preferred lenght and thickness into it.

3)  Then find a wooden stick of preferred thickness and shape (it doesn't have to be straight, it can just as well be 'wavy' or 'curly' :). Cut it to the size that you want and strip off the bark (if there are any), sandpaper it smoothly and apply some linseed oil or beeswax, if you like. Drill a hole in the midle - not all the way through - only just half way or maximum two thirds through the wood. Mount the stick on top of the steel bar with some glue. Leave it to dry for a while...

Et Voila! :)

The last Voyage

~

~ Love  ~  Curiosity  ~  Respect ~

That is all that really matters in life

As the Sun sank below my Forest

~

Dos Gardenias...

Dos gardenias para ti

con ellas quiero decir

te quiero, te adoro, mi vida

Ponles toda tu atencion

porque son tu corazon y el mio...
 ... 
Two gardenias for you
With them I mean to say
"I love you, I adore you, my love"
Give them all of your attention
Because they represent your heart and mine...
 ...
~  By Isolina Carrillo  ~

Daniel Santos ~ Dos Gardenias

http://lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.com

And The Bird whispered in Her Ear...

         

...The Secrets of The Sand

 ~

Lean back and sing along: ~ It'll Shine When it Shines ~

The ol' cat on the roof

He could stand a little push

'Cause he's got nine good lives to live

But like my Mama said

You only live 'til your dead

And you got to give and give and give

There's a pebble in the pond

Rollin' on and on

Makin' waves and tides and ripples and rain

There's a leaf in the wind

That don't know where to end

Chasin' days and ways and wishes and dreams

Seems like everyone is out lookin' for the sun

Singin' rain and pain on he who hesitates

But it'll shine when it shines

You might think I'm wastin' time

But I'm just a good ol' boy that's learned to wait

Whippoorwill's in the dawn

Pretty soon he'll be gone

And he's got one good song to sing

But like my Daddy said

It's in your heart not your head

And you got to sing and sing and sing

There's a window in the wall

Lookin' out on it all

Leavin' fears and tears and troubles alone

There's a fire in the stove

Keepin' out the cold

Warmin' wine and winters and babies and homes

Seems like everyone is out lookin' for the sun

Singin' rain and pain on he who hesitates

But it'll shine when it shines

You might think I'm wastin' time

But I'm just a good ol' boy that's learned to wait

Yes, I'm just a good ol' boy that's learned to wait

~ The Ozark Mountain Daredevils ~

June 2011: To build a Simple Wooden Shelter I

You will need: Young saplings coming from bushes or trees that are elastic/easily bends; like hazel, willow or maple - appr. 40-50 pieces.The saplings should not be more than 2 cm thick at the cutting end of the stem/trunk or else they will be difficult to bend properly. A knife, thin ropes or straps to tie the saplings together and a long, straight crow bar to make holes in the ground.

Find a nice, flat and dry - and of course legal ;) - spot to raise your wooden hut. Measure the preferable size and mark the holes, appr. 30 cm deep, in which the saplings are to be put into the ground. Use even numbers of 20-30 saplings (depending on how big you want your hut). That means 20-30 holes with appr. 40 cm gaps between each one.

For the saplings and hut to last longer you need to strip off the bark with a knife. Remember: this will be a whole lot easier to do from late spring to early summer due to the fresh and smooth sap between the wood and the bark! To make the root-ends of the saplings even more moist and water proof you can coal blacken them just slightly on the outside by holding and twisting them over an open fire.

Put the saplings into the holes with the root-end (the thickest end) first. One facing it's match on the opposite side like shown in the picture.

When all your saplings are put into the ground you bend two and two towards one another to form arcs. Tie them together with ropes and/or straps.

By now you are half way in building the frame of your wooden hut! :)

The rest of your saplings are to be fastened horizontally around the arcs like shown in the picture.

The late, dark evening finally caught up with us. However, just a few more staples around the back and the top and the framework of the hut is done, wohoo!:)

Next you will need something to cover your wooden hut to keep out the bad weather and bugs. You can use branches, turf or moss, a plastic cover (always remember to bring it back home with you!) or like we did; use some old button tent covers that can be bought very cheap from an army retail.

Always remember to rest and enjoy (in) your beautiful creations! :)

A little more work with the cover and we're almost ready to move in!

To be continued...