A Pastoral Prescription

 When life is hard,
harsh, or heavy,
  I walk to unlock
 the simplicity,

softness, and light,
that is blocked 
from my heart.

When my soul is bare,
my mind a flurry of worry,
I am moved by my body
towards the hills 
 that surround me,
to walk.

 The meadow is medicine,
and is taken visually,
to alleviate the pain
of an achy psyche. 

But the mountains 
seem bitter; still,
I stop for a dose
of their snowy splendour,
in which I'm engrossed.

No strange side effects found
 in this pastoral prescription,
apart from the fruit bearing trees,
whose beauty can lead to addiction.

Getting my fix
of floral and fauna,
 (a preventative measure
against emotional trauma),
I make my way back to
the place framed by boughs,
 as I move my body
 to the space
where it's housed.
And I walk...

 Thanks for visiting!
Happy weekend!

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Comment Torment and Other Predicaments

Have you seen them??

They're 'faster than a speeding bullet'!

More powerful than a mere visit!

Able to leap from your dashboard

 to your blog without a single click!
 And if you've got copies in your inbox,
then consider yourself a lucky chick!

COMMENTS!

 They're everywhere, (supposedly),
so why haven't I seen them?

Here are the facts so far: a few weeks ago, I noticed a discrepancy between the comments in my inbox, (i.e., the ones that made it there safe and sound), and the ones on my dashboard, in 'Comments', under either 'Published', or 'Awaiting Moderation'.  Then, only last week, I discovered that some were appearing only on my blog! Chaos, I tell you! Pure madness! Many of you, I had read, were also frazzled, looking for those fickle and flighty words of others!
 

Of course, some comments also end up in Spam, which I check several times a day, both in Gmail, and Blogger. Amid all the confusion, I was suddenly struck by the scary realization that ever since I began blogging, almost three years this May, I most probably have failed to return visits, and thus, comments, to all of the considerate people whose lovely words I never saw because I was under the impression that they only showed up in Gmail! This really annoyed and upset me, since I make it a point to return every visit and comment that I receive; after all, it's only good manners. Of course, the reverse is also true; I may have left comments on your blogs that met the same awful fate, remaining invisible simply because you, too, did not know they were there, wherever 'there' happened to be at that time!

Another thing that likes to pop in and out of virtual reality is the Google Friend Connect gadget! Have you noticed? Keep a close eye on it, my friends; it's a feisty one! Case in point: yesterday, I received a very sweet email from a new reader telling me that she was looking forward to future visits, since she was now following me. When I went to the GFC gadget to click onto her ID snippet in order to follow her, too, it was nowhere in sight! It had disappeared into thin cyberspace air!

Clearly, 

it was time to put out an APB on GFC, which was MIA! And so, after a few expletives, not very ladylike phrases, I finally tracked down the culprit, which was incognito, taking cover under a new ad block programme I had recently installed, thus, I proceeded to disable its so-called protection for this page. Instantly, the gadget reappeared. I then made my way over to my new follower's blog, to carry out my mission, and guess what? Yup. Nada. Now, I know that some bloggers don't care for such a gadget, but I had a feeling that this person did, so I 'dittoed' the disabling for her blog, too, and sure enough, in the blink of an eye, 150 mini profile pics were peering out at me, until I joined them, to make a new, grand total of 151 in her GFC!

Above:

One comment that, surely,

 won't go unnoticed! 

So, my dear friends, if you have found that I have

not replied to your comments, or returned a visit

to your wonderful blogs, since I began this 

journal's journey, please accept my sincere

apology, for it was not intentional, but rather,

the handiwork of my publisher's technology!

Thanks for visiting!

All images: Google,

#1, #3, #5, from top,

composed by me 

in PicMonkey!

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Tiny, Sunny Superstars

My husband gathered these pretty anemones,
in the mountains of southern Crete, while
looking for wild greens a few days ago.
Look at that beautiful, (unedited!) colour.

I placed them on the counter in the upstairs

bathroom, to complement the collection of

pink and purple fragrances and bath salts.

 They are tiny, sunny superstars, aren't they?

The heady, slightly fruity scent of the white narcissus,

(Anemone narcissiflora), permeates the entire

 floor, making it a natural air freshener.

I made a pencil sketch of the bouquet in LunaPic, 
then added some cute, yellow hearts, and thought 
this playful portrait of pretties would make a 
charming and cheery greeting card for you,
my sweet friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

  

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Nostalgic, Romantic Me

 

Remember the century days when gazing into your

 sweetheart's eyes was so much more exciting than 

staring at your smartphone for the millionth time?

 Can you recall a time when chats took place in person, 

  when faces showed feelings and bodies talked,

before the smiley, emticon revolution?

Don't you miss the thrill of getting ready for that first real date,  

floating high in the sky, giddy with butterflies,

 in the arms of your true soul mate? 

 Mind you, meeting on Skype and FaceTime 

come pretty close, but real hugs in real-time,

 they have yet to host!

 

 

Unlike a star studded night, jasmine thick in the air,

 hands sweaty, head dizzy, knees weak - (who will dare 

to make that first move?) - and prove, with a kiss, 

that now, they've only got eyes for each other, and

  with hearts aflutter, all doubts they dismiss.

 And because I believe that music is the most 

expressive language of all, I hope you enjoy the fun

 and flirty duet below, and indulge my current mood

 for those sweet and innocent times long ago!

 'Small Talk'

music and lyrics by:

Richard Adler & Jerry Ross 

Performed by:

Nicholas Tsachakis & Poppy

Piano:

Anna Lisowski

                  

Click arrow to play

Thanks for visiting!

Happy weekend!

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Inspire Me Monday, Saturday Sparks,  Feathered Nest Friday, 

Simple & Sweet Fridays, Home Sweet Home, Friendship Friday,  

 The Art of Home-Making Mondays, 

 All images: Google