Friday 6 May 2011

Lovely Lilacs and Meditative May

After all the excitement of the virtual launch of Dangerous Deceit on my Regency blog yesterday, I'm in relaxed meditative mode today - and probably need it! Isn't this the most gorgeous little flower card you've seen? It was delivered to me today and was sent by a lovely friend, Lorna, to wish me success with the book. It has really made my day.


Our weather up here in the west of Scotland hasn't been as warm as some parts of England recently, although we're not having the usual rain either. But I noticed our lilac tree was in full bloom and had to try and capture some of the flowers before they fade. I love the lilac colour among the green leaves and, although our tree could do with a good pruning one of these years, it still brightens up the uppermost corner of our garden which overlooks the hills beyond.


As to the meditation part - no I've not taken it up (yet!) - I find poetry and verse very relaxing, and I particularly like medieval and other early century writing when in that kind of mood.

The following is translated from the Latin, 12th century French verse of Marbod of Rennes (not by me!).

Meditation among Trees

Green turf amid silent trees and soft light airs
And a spring of running water in the grass,
They freshen a jaded mind, they give me back to myself,
They make me abide in myself.

10 comments:

Frances Garrood said...

Gorgeous card! You're sounding very sprightly from someone who was partying all day yesterdy, Rosemary. No hangover? Not even a tiny one?

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Frances - hm, well I was a bit wobbly when I got up. That's the great thing about those virtual drinks, they have no adverse effects!

Bill Kirton said...

Your post gives me an excuse to say that our (white) lilac is flowering for the first time in about 15 years and it's gorgeous. The problem was that it was shaded by a Rowan tree that just got bigger and bigger (as trees do) and, in the end, had to go. The lilac's responded to the sun. Now I have to prune it to get it back into a decent shape again. Nothing to do with writing or your Dangerous Deceit excesses, Rosemary, but marginally relevant.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks for leaving a comment, Bill. Your white lilac sounds beautiful - don't think I've ever seen one. Now there's a lot we could make out of that bit about the Rowan tree taking over and hiding the poor lilac, but my mind won't focus on it at the moment.

Sharon Sullivan-Craver said...

Hello Rosemary,
I love lilacs. They are my most favorite flower and even though they are short lived I enjoy them for the time they are in bloom. Thank you for sharing.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Sharon - thanks a lot for visiting and leaving a comment. Lilacs really are beautiful, aren't they. I think mine will be past their best very soon!

Anonymous said...

I love Lilac, but have to have my tree pruned so it won't flower as i discovered I have a major allergy to the pollen! Love the poem :O)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Madeleine - thank you for leaving a comment and following the blog. That's a shame about the lilac - and you've suddenly made me wonder. I've had a really bad sinus/chesty problem this last week and couldn't decide if it was a cold or allergy. Hope it's not the lilac!

K.C. Woolf said...

I love the smell of lilacs. Our neighbour has a purple one, and we have a tiny white one in our garden. They've finished blooming already, due to spring looking more like summer this year. ;-)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi K.C. - thanks for visiting! I can see mine fading as I type...