Thursday 12 May 2016

The Observationist



 
 

 
 




Any ideas CT?
 
 
Three women sitting in the garden having a cup of tea. The sun is shining after a dull start to the day, and the air is still and warm with just a whisper of a breeze. The conversation is flowing freely, and there is laughter. There are conspiratorial conversations, and ribald jokes. One person is not fully engaged in the process. Her eyes are darting here and there. She is distracted by glimpses of little things with wings. Her attention is elsewhere. She misses whole passages of chat, and is gently mocked for her sudden jumping up and out of her chair to inspect something in the grass.
 
She grabs her camera to make a record of things she sees. She isn't able to capture it all, but doesn't mind. It is the experience that she relishes the most. The being there when it happens. She is thrilled that it is happening in her humble plot. She wonders what else might be crawling and flying and wriggling and walking through. She feels a pure joy that comes with connecting with something other; the bee, the butterfly, the slowworm, the frog, the bird.
 
She cannot put a name to everything that she sees. But she feels that the seeing, the noticing, is the most crucial bit. It's the acknowledgement to herself that it was there. That she saw it all is the bit that makes her insides swell with the wonder of it all. It brings colour and drama and depth to her life, and she is forever grateful to it. When she is frazzled and worn down to a nub, she can look out of the window and be calmed and restored at the life witnessed outside.
 
.....
 
Thank you for your wonderfully generous comments on my last post.
Welcome all those new to here.
A smile and a wave to you all.
I shall be away for about a week.
Love and kisses.
 
Leanne xx
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


14 comments:

  1. I'm as easily amused as I am distracted. My mind is always somewhere else. I hope you have a good time away, whatever you're planning to do. :)

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  2. Love this post, isn't nature uplifting, glad it makes you feel better x

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  3. Black bee might be a female hairy footed flower bee??? Some great, and HUUUGE!, macro shots there

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  4. I am very easily distracted too and have been mocked many a time for trying to take a photo of a cloud or sunset. Your appreciation of nature is a wonder to behold and I'm so glad it makes you happy. xx

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  5. Yes, I completely understand about the distraction and the connecting with little things with legs and wings. Reminds me of a page of Kipper the Dog's calendar, I shall look and see if I can find it. He likes to lie in the grass and watch the small creatures as well. Your flowers are doing so well. I'm relying on blueberry flowers and apple blossom for bee-watching at the moment. I shall pop back later and see what CT's verdict is. CJ xx

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  6. Have a wonderful week away Leanne! I really enjoyed your photos, I am now itching to go outside and be astonished by all the beautiful creatures and flowers. xx

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  7. have a good week lovely lady x

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  8. Wonderful photos. I think you always see more through the lens of a camera. Hope the time away is for something enjoyable.

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  9. Beautiful photos. Enjoy your week away with, I hope, many more wonderful opportunities to observe. xx

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  10. I was talking to a friend on my phone while out for a walk a few months ago. I glanced over at the lake and saw the most amazing cloud formation in the sky at the far end of the lake. So amazing I hung up on her so could use my phone to take a picture (it's the picture currently in my blog header). I did phone her back and apologize afterwards. :-)

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  11. Lovely pics. Your words made me smile – I often walk my dog with a friend who comes along for the exercise (not having a dog) and tolerates my 'look at THAT' and 'Wow, see this' and 'Listen, can you hear...'. (I secretly thank the boyfriend I had in my 20s who was a naturalist and taught me all I know.) Have a lovely time, whatever you're up to. Sam x

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  12. ah, i can absolutely relate. and i agree, it's the noticing that has the magic to it. xo

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  13. You're a woman after my own heart ;-). I assume you mean the bee rather than the flutter (holly blue, just in case). I think your bee is probably one of the Andrena species although it's hard to tell from the pic. They are a family of mining bees so check your lawn for small mounds of soil beside a hole. You may be able to see the bee in the hole. They are great for lawns as they aerate the earth. Xxx

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  14. I've just found your blog and this post, absolutely lovely really loved this. I will just say however that I don't think you are distracted I think you are fully integrated with what matters in life. We become distracted from all that wonder when we pay too much attention to chit chat, gossip and the minutiae of life and miss the wonder under our noses.

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