Birds Of A Feather

A RECENT GIFT from a thoughtful friend made me smile. I love the idea of flight and the cedar eagle feather carved and painted by Vancouver Salish artist, Len McKay, reminds me of how easily my imagination can take wing.

A creative thought floats like a feather ... light, free and minus the baggage. It can lift me up over city streets, rolling hills, wind tossed seas and into the billowy clouds. My flights of fancy know no bounds.

Beautiful moments don't last forever, however. Even the camouflaging bird (above) came down to earth to forage for food.

Although I've yet to see birds in the bath (above) during my Crescent Beach walks, I suspect they do land there because we all enjoy bathing and sometimes singing in the showers.

From the busy bird below (painted by my daughter when she was small) to the cedar feather and thoughts about flying, ideas are free flowing and life is incrementally changing so never as wooden or stuck in a frame as it appears.

Later in the week I joined my daughter in Vancouver for a mother/daughter hair day. I've always loved the differing shades and flow of her hair which was the major inspiration for Penelope Puddle's unruly locks.

On our way to lunch we saw the unique representation of Nike the ancient Greek Goddess of Victory (below) by Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis.

Presented to the City of Vancouver to commemorate the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the winged statue regally stands amid skyscrapers.

We also peeked into a high-end furniture store and saw ornamental peacocks (above) sporting feathers that I hoped were synthetic.

When we returned to my daughter's apartment it was clear to me that we both love antique artifacts, pretty flowers and lights brimming with extra sparkle.

People around the globe have more in common than not. Everyone wants to feel safe and cozy in their homes and treated with respect during their travels.

We are all birds of a feather, indeed, especially my daughter and I since we both agree there's something quite magical about a reliable and resilient umbrella.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Impatient For A Better World

"They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds." This Mexican proverb, possibly rooted in writings by Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos, expresses how some things in life simply cannot be repressed.

Vigils for innocent men murdered at a Quebec City mosque, women's marches and spontaneous peaceful protests show how ordinary people are sowing seeds of compassion.

When people rise up and resist hatred, hopeful outcomes feel possible and signs of spring fill the air.

Unsettled thoughts escape into backyard gardens post the bitter political season nearby that made winter seem endless. Now it's time for new buds to break through the ground.

The camellia (first photo, top) bloomed throughout fall and winter but most flowers vanished like the snowdrop (left) to suddenly reappear.

Even this firmly planted rock is heralding spring.

Plumes of pampas grass (above) produced the seeds that breezes blow. Seeds fly and float and land in nurturing places. Free from boundaries and whisked along on their haphazard journey they could flower anywhere.

The first plants to arrive are usually the impatients (above). Their eagerness for better weather pales in comparison to our eagerness for a gentler kinder world. As usual ... a few steps backward before going forward again.

The iris (below) was quietly coming alive when it was hit by a surprise snowfall this weekend. Winter CAN fool you but spring will not be denied.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

The "Spring" inscription on the rock (pictured above) is why I am also linking to SIGNS, SIGNS.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms