Yin and Yang

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Officially, according to wikipedia – “” meaning “dark and light”, is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other.”"

Good grief, I have just realised how mundane it all is – have now resorted to using an esoterical concept to pretty up my life. A complicated, whirlpool and upside down mixer of good and bad and push and pull all inexorably bound by the evil, self perpetuating world of busy! Sometimes it is (what I would imagine) a insect feels trapped in a glass jar, feebly beating its wings against its impenetrable prison with no hope of ever being released. On other days, an eagle riding high on a swirling thermal – majestic, untouchable and in complete control.

So, the yin and the yang ………………….

 

“A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed… It feels an impulsion… this is the place to go now.  But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.”  ~Richard Bach

Monochrome

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My sadly neglected blog remains in limbo as despite a transfusion of mountain air, I remain unable to write anything of any use – to me or the world for that matter. My ability to wax lyrical about life and living remains on pause so for now, photographs. Ever since the acquisition of my nikon, the whole black and white thing piques my interest but without the colour factor, the choice of subject matter gets a little more complicated.

     

Death Becomes Her

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My best friend and a work colleague both lost their mums over the past three months. As a result, what is normally a topic banished to the recesses of my mind has been much more prominent of late.

I’m very fortunate to still have both my parents and thus harbor no illusions of having any answers related to loss and grieving. In both these cases mental and physical illness was rife and their passing was a blessing – I would imagine for them and most definitely for their loved ones!

Yet again, nature becomes my point of reference. While walking the river on our last weekend break, a fallen tree caught my eye. With DH’s warning of “watch for sun bathing snakes” ringing in my ears, my camera and I went to investigate (DH couldn’t be separated from his ciabatta and “monitored” progress from a grassy bank).

A most fantastical display of plant life had sprung forth from their dying host. A veritable forest of fungi and traces of numerous bugs dashing about but I resisted temptation to break away some of the bark for a closer look. You can justimagine the headline in the local Insect News ….. “Monstrous alien invader destroys numerous homes in unprovoked raid”

Observations from my office window

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Staring thoughtfully (note not idly) out the window this morning and contemplating my lot in the universe over a steaming mug of tea, a creamy appendage caught my eye. Our offices have a little balcony that overlooks one of the parking lots and after much twisting and jiggling the door gave way and I was able to view it in more detail. Normally a rather dull brown, a mundane palm seed frond had morphed into a quirky piece of art.

    

A little later in the day, the changing light gave it a slightly different look ………

    

“The secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life, and in elevating them to art.”
William Morris

Reality Check

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I am really busy – life at the moment is a whirling hodge-podge of work at the office, work at home, eat and a sprinkling of sleep. The cliche’d rollercoaster, merry-go-round, hampster wheel, treadmill were never more appropriate! DH is in the same leaking canoe and we pass the hours ensconced at a desk in front of a computer.

Two nights ago, I was to be found perched on our bed with my laptop trying to reconcile a client’s unadulterated abomination of a general ledger. The night was crystal clear and the attraction of my study had lost its appeal hence my migration to cosier climates. On the television was a BBC documentary about a group of wounded soldiers preparing to mount an unaided expedition to the North Pole. The range of injuries was diabolical and despite my best intentions to focus on why one and one wasn’t making two I was drawn to their enthralling story. Their courage, determination and positivity was quite spectacular, especially in the face of incredible odds.

I looked at their faces and it was as though I had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Here I was, complaining about how stressed I was, how much I had to do, how jolly unfair life was in general – reality check! Before I could talk myself out of it, there was hot chocolate in a thermos, blankets under my arm and a very reluctant DH in hand. To be honest, the thought of smacking him with the thermos was in the forefront of my mind because of the repeat commentary “I don’t have the time for this”. We sat on the patio, toasty and comfortable and the heavens provided the light. We talked and we laughed (quietly, it was late and we have neighbours) and just for a while there was him and me.

 
“One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

PS: I see in the last two weeks all I have managed to do is still be busy  – perhaps it’s time I actually listened to myself instead of just writing it down!

The flower of human rights – an unlikely combination

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There is a public holiday in South Africa today – Human Rights Day. A worthy celebration if ever there was one – the right to sustenance, employment, political freedom, safety, quality of life etc

Yet, (despite being especially proud of our piece of the planet) I look with a jaundiced eye at our own failings and those around the world – war, famine, poverty, discrimation, intolerance and while heaping praise on everybody that continues to fight the good fight and struggle uphill, unceasingly, I’m a little uncelebratory today!

Instead, on a selfish note, I’ve turned my focus back to our time away. The KZN Drakensberg is not known for its floral splendour – the harsh conditions are not condusive to blowsy splendour yet if you look a little closer you will find beauty in the smallest detail ….

I think DH was beginning to wonder if my knees were giving out as everytime he turned around I was on my knees peering at something in the veld.

In black and white

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~ Thousands of tired,  nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the  mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; that mountain parks and  reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers,  but as fountains of life. ~ John  Muir
So, fitting somewhere in that gene pool, we fled to the mountains for a long weekend at Castleburn Lake. We walked, we hiked, we ate, we drank, we talked – in the fresh air and the sunshine. Yes, we worked – not quite at the level of zen disengagement (yet). I took photographs, a lot of photographs – the joys of digital.
Trying out the whole “theme” idea this week – this first picture was taken while crossing an open field next to the river (luxuriously full after the good summer rains). In colour it was a fairly run of the mill collapsed tree, in black and white somewhat apocalyptic
A little further along the “singing” waters was the remains on a tree that had literally been taken out by, what must have been, a humungous lightning strike!
     
Somehow this black and white is almost better in colour – if that makes sense.
PS. Apologies for the bunched up post but WordPress doesn’t seem to want to give me any spacing between paragraphs and pictures!

Sunday – in the garden

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The sunlight is soft, cuddling my feet with it’s gentle touch

The swallows are wheeling high in the endless sky,

A pernicious breeze is herding the clouds, snapping at their heels as they waft through an azure field of dreams

The smell of freshly hewn grass fills my nostrils

Silence in my head

My heart is still

Waiting,

Waiting for what?

The knock of reality?

The reality of committment, responsibility, work, the infinite “to-do list”

A most un-welcome interloper in my perfect world!

The wind’s changing now, whipping the tree tops, bending the branches to its will

The sky is dark, angry,

The white whisps a mish-mash of charcoal menace,

There’s a storm coming.