Unboxed

190 Replies

Spring opens like a long-lost jewellery box.
From its musty, darkened depths, spill
gems of every hue: sunshine topaz; dewy pearls;
sapphires, sunrise pink or celestial blue; amethyst
of heartsease.

In the lingering light, my smile returns,
my soul stretches from the shadows, warm
again.

I choose pearl strands.
Gentle blossoms to bejewel old bark.

 

© silkannthreades

190 thoughts on “Unboxed”

  1. daniellajoe

    It is always refreshing visiting with you, we are technically in autumn but we are way down south so everything remains the same 🙂 but I love visiting up north for all the beautiful colors….nice garden.. 🙂

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  2. Steve Gingold

    Although I have made an uneasy peace with winter, it is the only time I can photograph abstract ice patterns and chaotic frozen waterfalls, I always long for the delightful warmth of spring and the rebirth of plants and the delightful sights smells that come with the emergence of spring flowers. As we approach autumn, my second favorite season, your lovely words have reminded of my first.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      An uneasy peace with winter! I am working on that. 🙂 I know I will find something to love about autumn when it comes but for now I don’t want to let go of spring. It’s exhilarating.

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  3. Leya

    Beautiful poetry about a beautiful time of the year! I hope your strength will return now and the warm winds of colour will cheer you up. Here we are approaching autumn fast – the birches has already thin golden coins in their hair.

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  4. Virginia Duran

    Beautiful blossoms! How is back home? How is your family? How is the construction of Christchurch’s church? finished? what do you think of it?

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      The Christchurch Cathedral hasn’t been rebuilt yet. The Anglican church is still using the Cardboard Transitional Cathedral. However there are new buildings in town. I rather like the new bus interchange. https://ccdu.govt.nz/projects-and-precincts/bus-interchange The only thing that would be better would be a light rail system which apparently we are not going to get. 😦 We are okay, thank you, Virginia. I am glad to have the dreadful flu behind me.

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  5. tableofcolors

    Beautiful blossoms…our blossoms here in the Nordic are fading fast, replaced with colors of yellow and orange. Beautiful as well…but it will be a while before spring arrives again. Enjoy your well-deserved spring, as it is refreshing and brings new energy and life.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Yes, the flowering of the blossom and the flowering of the poetry were very well coordinated. Sometimes we are not so coordinated, which is why we have typos and zappos. 😀

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      That’s wonderful to know! Are you following the Rugby World Cup? The Springboks had some spring taken out of their steps. 😦 But England got off to a flying start.

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  10. Mrs. P

    Yay, for Spring! I love how new growth and blooming flowers can wash away the dreary days of winter…nature’s life infusion…a reminder of the simple joys. It’s also my favorite season. I always thought it was because my birthday was in Spring and I thought that was something we shared in common…until I realized just now, yours is in the fall.

    Winter is a good time to do organizing projects…it helps to pass away the dreary days. A good book is another and perhaps more enjoyable way, too! So hurry up and finish your chores lest you be distracted by all the lovely sights, sounds and smells that abound and abandon your project when you are so close to the end.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Oh Mrs P, how did you know I came so close to abandoning my project today? Half way through sorting a box, it suddenly seemed all too much. So I closed the box (with a shove 😉 ) and left the room. A little time gazing at the rain blessing my garden, and I recovered my calm. Tomorrow I will return to sorting. 🙂

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      1. Mrs. P

        I’m a teacher! I know what spring does to the mind…it has that faraway telltale sign that beckons you to abandon whatever you are doing and come outside. 😀 😀

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Ah yes! You have reminded me of trying to study for exams whilst outside spring is springing and the weather is grand. It’s so hard to concentrate. Exams really should be in winter time!

  14. Tish Farrell

    I’d been thinking about you. And thank you for this spring offering, even as we’re definitely into autumn at this end of the planet. One thing I was going to say to you was have you read Anthony Fleisher’s Okavango Gods? The main character is a boy called Pula, son of rainmaker.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I am still here! But slightly overwhelmed by my big spring clean project. Despite weeks of work on it, everywhere I look I still see accumulations which need attention. 😦 I haven’t read any of Anthony Fleischer’s books. The only book I remember reading about Botswana was by Bessie Head, ‘When Rain Clouds Gather”. Well, the only book, besides the Alexander McCall Smith series on a certain lady detective. 😉

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      So many unexpected delights, Tiny, some as simple and enchanting as the birds splashing in the bird bath. ( No salt marsh here. Just a bowl of water and a garden of worms to keep them happy. 😉 )

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  16. sheridegrom - From the literary and legislative trenches.

    Stunning, you always manage to take my breath away. Your poetry matched with the exquisite photography of your flowers. Ann, you are an amazing artist. I come home to your blog time and time again and find peace and comfort. I’m preparing my soil for fall plantings and you are enjoying the sights of spring. My 2 favorite seasons of the year: spring and autumn. Well, I also love winter and except for the extreme heat, summer has it’s pleasures.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I don’t know which are my favourite seasons; perhaps spring and summer because I love the light and warmer days. Did I tell you I have a new clematis to plant? The same one which is featured in my header. I do hope it thrives.

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        3. Gallivanta Post author

          A moon garden would be delightful. My garden is as easy care as I can make it but that is mainly because I don’t want to have to worry about watering it when conditions are dry. And they are expected to be dry again this summer.

        4. sheridegrom - From the literary and legislative trenches.

          I’ve been researching white clematis ever since you said you were going to plant one. They are indeed beautiful. A white clematis or even 2 would help make a beautiful backdrop for a moon garden. I already have 2 climbing white roses in the garden I’m thinking of using. We are really dry at the present time. We don’t have restrictions on water use but I try to do my part to conserve.

  17. Sheryl

    The poem beautifully conveys all the possibilities encompassed by the arrival of spring. As we head into fall here, it poignantly reminds me of how I felt last spring, and how I’ll feel again in another six months or so. 🙂

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Unintentional. I didn’t realise I had done it until your comment! Something else I didn’t realise until after I had written my poem of jewels and gems and blossoms ~ gem is from Latin gemma, meaning ‘bud, jewel’. You would know that, of course. 😉

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      1. Steve Schwartzman

        The development of Latin gemma into Spanish yema is interesting, not phonetically, which is normal, but semantically, because the word has added to the original ‘bud, shoot’ the senses ‘fingertip,’ ‘yolk of an egg,’ and ‘candy made from the yolk of an egg.’

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Yes, spring is happening, but it follows its own timetable, and I am never quite sure what that is. 🙂 I learned the other day that so did each locality of New Zealand until the establishment of standard time in 1868. Apparently the NZ Govt was the first in the world to implement standard time nationwide. But it took until the 1920s and the establishment of radio time pips before the whole country was properly time coordinated. Interesting that less than a hundred years ago, neither season nor person was ruled by clocks!

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        2. Steve Schwartzman

          And the article you linked to proved equally interesting. One line that caught my attention was: “And in Hokitika in the 1860s the telegraph office closed whenever the boss chose, ‘for there is no public time in Hokitika’”. I’m wondering if I can infer a spirit of individuality in Hokitika that coincides with the distinctive driftwood sculptures we saw on the beach there.

  24. KerryCan

    Hey–haven’t heard from you in awhile–it sounds like you feeling content and optimistic. I love your words and descriptions here–the warmth and joy are evident!

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      It was lovely to get my head out of the clutter for a while, and breathe deeply of spring. I have done most of the item sorting, and am now left with the paper files…UGH. I feel obliged to sort through each one, though really there’s probably no need. I don’t even know why we’ve kept most of them!

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      1. April

        I go through periods of time I don’t feel like speaking. Not that I’m depressed, but just contemplating….it’s kind of the same with WordPress. I enjoy reading all the wonderful posts, but just don’t feel like talking…..I’m listening and hearing.

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Yes, exactly so. On the rare occasions that I get to an art gallery or a museum exhibition, I am happy just to contemplate and not say anything at all. It’s nice to be able to do that with online activities too.

  29. lisadorenfest

    A beautiful ‘Ode to Spring’ Ann! I wish I had your talent with words. Nothing stirs my soul like the first blossoms of spring…except for the open ocean. I hope that the season will continue to inspire you.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Lisa we have another beautiful day today. I am loving it but I would also love to be breathing deeply of the ocean air of the South Pacific. August/September; the time of the Trade Winds….. sweet memories. 🙂

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  30. shoreacres

    There’s nothing I loved more as a child than being allowed to explore my mother’s jewelry box. In fact, I still have some of the pieces that most delighted me. Bright and sparkly always has been one of my greatest joys, which I suppose is why I liked sparklers as a child, fireworks now, and the stars, always.

    I’m so glad you’re finally moving into spring, and am anticipating your photos of the blooming jewels you’ll have. We finally had a frontal passage, and though “cold front” isn’t quite right (it’s not yet time to open the windows), the humidity is down, and so are the temperatures. If I can get my chores done,I’m taking tomorrow to get out and about — by myself, this time, so I can dawdle and explore as I choose.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      How lovely it is to dawdle. 🙂 Much more relaxing than gallivanting. I really must engage in more dawdling…when the chores are done!
      I, too, remember the fun of exploring my mother’s jewelry box. She had (still has) a beautiful wooden box which belonged to her grandmother. I think the box may have originally been a sewing box It was full of treasures, and each item had a story. When I visited my mother recently she was keen for us to look at the contents of the box but we didn’t have time. Something to look forward to next time.

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      1. Steve Schwartzman

        In Austin, too, the temperature this morning was a little cooler than it had been on summer mornings till now. Mid-September here is the traditional time for that cooling down, and it came right on schedule this year.

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Does the cooler weather mean you will be out longer on photographic expeditions? I remember walking my children to school in the pleasant coolness of September mornings in White Plains, NY.

        2. Steve Schwartzman

          I looked up the weather forecast for White Plains today and found a low of 60°F = 17°C and a high of 28°F = 82°C. By contrast, Austin’s forecast for today is a low of 73°F = 23°F and a high of 91°F = 33°C. Austin has cooled a little compared to the heat of summer, but we’re still a weeks away from the relative cool of White Plains. I can’t say that my outdoor photo sessions in the weeks ahead will last longer (they might), but they’ll surely be more comfortable and I’ll gradually come home with my clothing less heavy with sweat.

        3. Gallivanta Post author

          Ha! The high in my front yard today was 17C! Thinking of other September mornings, and walking my children to school, I checked Cairo temperatures. Almost the same minimum as Austin but the high was about 39C. Nowadays I find it hard to believe that I managed to cope with temps of 38 plus.

  31. diannegray

    This is absolutely beautiful. Strangely enough I found one of my old jewelry boxes last week when I was cleaning out the shed. It was full of my (and my mothers) pearls! 😀

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Ah, your story makes me smile, Dianne. Did you bring out the pearls and let them breathe? I am sure they would enjoy being around your neck as you sit at your writing desk in the early morning. 😉

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  33. Su Leslie

    This is beautiful. I’ve been enjoying watching my plum trees begin to blossom this week, and then with yesterday’s sunshine, I too felt my soul stretch. Sadly, it’s grey and rainy again today and it’s curling back up a bit. 🙂

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      In the time it has taken me to respond to your comment, the plum tree across the road from me has blossomed. They really are beautiful, aren’t they? Do yours bear loads of fruit? Hope the sunshine has returned to you. Today was glorious here.

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Hmmm….plums trees always seem quite hardy to me, judging by the number of plum trees available for foraging in my neighbourhood! Do you remember that glorious story Jam by Margaret Mahy?

        2. Su Leslie

          I don’t know ‘Jam’ but having googled it, I think I’ll buy copies to send to my nephew and niece –since the boy-child is too old. We have lots of plum trees in the neighbourhood that are prolific, including a reserve that was an orchard so there is an informal agreement that anyone in the neighbourhood can go and harvest some of the fruit. My share usually ends up in jam that gets distributed around the place. I keep hoping that our trees will come through with some fruit, but not so far 😦

        3. Gallivanta Post author

          I don’t know how old your trees are but my nectarine took 4 years to do anything sensible and my apricot is taking longer. Good that you have plenty of alternative plum sources. And I am pleased to know that Jam is still available. I think my children were a little bemused by the story because in their very early days they didn’t encounter plum trees.

        1. Gallivanta Post author

          I am glad I took time out yesterday to sit under the michelia tree and enjoy the garden, because today it is raining. (which is great for the seeds I planted yesterday!) I am happy to see your posts on Facebook. 🙂

        2. Wendy L. Macdonald

          We just came in from a walk in the rain. It’s getting dark earlier now. Autumn has already begun to pull the drapes closed. So glad your newly planted seeds were watered by nature. I love it when that happens. 🙂

  37. dtaylor401

    Long-lost jewel box – I, too, love the re-emergence of spring’s treasures. Almost unbelievable in their stunning beauty. And somehow, after a long winter, we forget – hence the value of a “bejeweled” poem like yours. Everytime I see a crocus emerge from the still cold ground, it’s like the first time.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      It really is like the first time, isn’t it! Sadly, though, I haven’t seen any of my crocuses this year. Instead I have had varieties of daffodils pop up which I haven’t seen in years. That was a surprise.

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  38. Mary

    A wonderful poem Gallivanta – hear the Spring in your words and tone, with the beautiful flowers showing their lovely colors. Happy Saturday to you and that the warmth continues to fill your soul.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Mary, our beautiful spring weather is continuing. Tomorrow we will risk some planting although usually it is best to wait until late October, by which time there is little danger of frost. We will be planting blue flax and buckwheat. If it flourishes, the insects will love it. In the meantime they feast on the lovely purple phacelia and the fruit tree blossom.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Enjoy the last of the summer, Jo. We will enjoy spring in the meantime and wait patiently for your release of summer. Hope the weather is perfect for the wedding in Poland.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I haven’t had colourful and flowery hug before. Most enjoyable, thank you. 🙂 Today I sat in the shade and scent of the michelia tree, and looked at the blue sky, and did some knitting. Little Jack sprawled frog-like on the warm grass. He was so still a lady bird crawled into his beard. 😀

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Oh no, not the dreary dreich! I am glad I could add some colour and cheer to your day. This past week I was watching TV reports on the Queen in Scotland. The weather didn’t look the best but she looked jewel-like in her turquoise blues. She brought a smile to my day.

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      1. leapingtracks

        Isn’t she just so marvellous! I am a huge fan. Although I have never met her in person, we have been lucky enough to attend three garden parties (two at Buckingham Palace and one at Holyrood), and attend the State Opening of Parliament, so we have been in quite close proximity to her – enough to see her at work as it were, and she is amazing, as is the Duke of Edinburgh of course.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Carol, I read my words with the voice in my mind, and I listen attentively to that voice, but I rarely remember to read my words out loud. Thank you for doing so and thereby reminding me to do the same.

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      1. womanseyeview

        Hope it was as lovely to you as to me. Reading out loud the things that move me was something I used to do more when I was younger and it’s a pleasure I’ve recently happily rediscovered.

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  48. Joanne Jamis Cain

    How wonderful. Spring has sprung for you and the leaves are falling from the trees here. Honestly, I am ready for cooler temperatures and good sleeping nights! But I am glad to have you for a friend so I can see your sunny climate and flowers for the next six months. 🙂

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I hope we can oblige with sun and flowers. And I am glad you are getting better sleeping nights with cooler temps. I love waking up to natural light in spring and summer. At the end of the month we start daylight saving time. I am looking forward to that.

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  49. Jill's Scene

    “My soul stretches”. Yes, that is what it feels like. You’ve voiced my very same experience, Gallivanta. I’m so relieved to be able to stretch rather than huddle and shiver.

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    2. Aggie

      Here, it is the first pleasantly cool, not hot, morning. Feels good, yet reminds that “huddle and shiver” time is approaching.

      G, while gemstones are a part of nature too, I prefer your gems.

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      1. Gallivanta Post author

        Aww that’s sweet of you to say so Aggie. I don’t mind a little chill but it’s the lack of light which really starts to wear me down. Enjoy the last of the summer; store up the goodness. 🙂 You will need strength for the days ahead.

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        1. Aggie

          What latitude are you at, and is your winter rainy/cloudy? We are at 33.5, and get reasonable sun through the winter. That’s something to keep in mind if we move.

        2. Gallivanta Post author

          Every site gives me a different reading so let’s try this one 43°33’S. I think this means that our North American counterparts would be Oregon, Idaho, Iowa, South Dakota.
          Wisconsin etc. The northern most parts of New Zealand would be closer to you in latitude. Our winter is a real mixture but is when we get the most rain. According to this site http://www.christchurch.climatemps.com/sunlight.php Christchurch is sunny 45.4% of daylight hours. The remaining 54.6% of daylight hours are likely cloudy or with shade, haze or low sun intensity.

        3. Aggie

          Thank you for all that detail. I have never lived that far from the equator, but am pretty sure that I would miss the sunshine terribly.

        4. Gallivanta Post author

          I am sure you would. One of the silliest aspects of fewer sunshine hours is that when we do get sunshine, we feel compelled to do the laundry so that it can dry in the sun. We forget to enjoy the sun because we are washing!

        5. Aggie

          I am one who thinks that line dried clothes and linens are one of the finer things in life, so I’d be doing the same. Ha, but Lou and I don’t feel compelled to change clothes and sheets often, so our laundry load is small.

        6. Gallivanta Post author

          Hooray for small laundry loads. I am working on that, and learning the art of sponge cleaning and airing clothes.Materials matter too eg woollen socks stay cleaner longer than other socks. Oh, and like you I do prefer line dried clothes. 🙂

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