June – the Serenity edition.
June – you cast your spell
dappled greys through sunlit days
frost upon your breath
chill winds bring the winter solstice
earth tilts, turns
a ballerina in slow motion.
We rug up. It is a time of cold feet and cold houses. But in the car, we turn the heater up high as the fog wraps us in its embrace.
I have an urge to take black and white photos. I hurry. The mist is dissipating rapidly.
I am fast, but the town is still half asleep. The mood is gentle. Liquid amber.
Heaven is a sunny spot, friendship and good coffee.
The river nestles in a valley, protected from the chill winds.
At peace. Deserted, not desolate.
Except for the white-faced heron who glides serenely through the shallow waters.
As day drifts into night, there is warmth in companionship.
This is my response to The Changing Seasons monthly photo challenge hosted by Su Leslie of Zimmerbitch and the Lens-Artists Challenge — Serenity.
Kind Regards.
Tracy.
This is a very beautiful post, Tracy – eloquent in words and pictures. Love these lines. They put us right in the moment: ‘We rug up. It is a time of cold feet and cold houses. But in the car, we turn the heater up high as the fog wraps us in its embrace.’
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Thank you very much, Tish. ❤ It sent me right back to that moment too. 🙂
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This is just gorgeous! You transformed a Canberra winter into something so enticing! ❤️
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Haha. Still looks cold though, doesn’t it? I love the river in winter.
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Yes does look cold but beautiful. Lovely pics.
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Thank you, Dawn.
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Very lovely snaps 🙂
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Thank you, Hammad.
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I felt serene just reading this and lingering over the photos!
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Thank you, Liz. I felt so calm too when I was out there, but glad to get inside afterward for a nice warming cup of coffee.
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‘We rug up.’ We are in the 90’s (so dying with the heat) but your phrase is so wonderful. Great post, Tracy.
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Thank you, Lois. Is that a phrase used in ‘merica? It is a very old one, and probably not used by the youth of today. 🙂
You must be steaming in all that heat. I like the dry heat but not hot and humid.
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No, no–we don’t use that phrase here in ‘merica….but, I might use in when it gets cold. I rather like it. Our heat is not dry; it is very humid. I avoid listening for the humidity and heat index. If you weren’t hot before, you will be when you hear those numbers.
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🙂
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Beautiful photos and beautiful thoughts.
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So lovely! I could hear your voice in the words, a very soothing journey you took us on.
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Thank you, Heather. We have had four seasons in a month. It has been divine.
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Beautiful images and thoughts for your June.
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Thank you. I’m so pleased you enjoyed them. There is nothing like a river flowing through a beautiful forest to calm the mind. 🙂
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A beautiful sequence Tracy, I love the Winter light and mist in your images 💜 ‘We rug up’ is so evocative of heading out into this freshness, ready for adventure 🙂🐾💖🐾 xxx
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Haha. It is, Xenia. That is exactly what we did. Thank you. 🙂
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Beautiful photos. Bear and I are counting the days until our autumn comes, trying to put a good face on it.
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Thank you, Martha. It is much milder than normal here. It just seems cold because I’m trying to use less electricity. Which of course means that most of the time, it is warmer outside than it is inside. It is a good incentive to go out walking. I dread the summer, shut up in our cave house.
Poor Bear. Lucky she has her holes. However, with Teddy sitting on her all the time, she is probably finding it difficult to cool down.
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Soon we’ll be able to walk beside the river, assuming the water has receded. It’s a shady, breezy walk even at 2 pm. I want to go to the mountains, but the bears are very low in elevation right now because of the slowly melting snowpack and the long winter so I don’t want to go alone. My friends are not dependable. They say they want to go but they never do want to go. Oh well. 🙂
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Your friends might be a bit wary of the bears too at the moment. I would be. 🙂
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Maybe, but I think they’re very absorbed in the things they love. ❤
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An excellent combination of challenges Tracy. Loved the foggy images, one can hear the quiet
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Thank you, Tina. The quiet is very serene. Also, thank you for the prompt word. It helped focus my mind. 🙂
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What can I possibly add Tracy. I’m nodding agreement with all the expressions of love for this post.you’ve caught beautifully my experience of mid-winter too.
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Thanks Su. I noticed the similarity in our photos when I saw your post. Good thing I didn’t include my market photos, lol.
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Ditto to all the above. I can’t get enough reflections in my life 🙂
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Thank you, Suzanne. The reflections are so meditative, aren’t they?
I’ve been enjoying your beautiful photos too. I’ve left some comments but I think they must have gone to spam.
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Oh okay, I will check.
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That is very strange as you are not in my spam folder or in the Pending folder. Not sure what has happened as I certainly acknowledge everyone with a comment unless they are spam or similar!
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Weird. Doesn’t matter. Just said I liked all your photos very much, including the ones of your Australian trips. 🙂
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It does matter. Could you write another comment so I can check it goes through.
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I posted a comment on your latest post, Suzanne. Perhaps it is worse than I thought and my comments are just going off into the ether!
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Such a beautiful, and moving, collection of images, Tracy!
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Thank you, Dries. We’ve had some lovely short trips close to home. I’ve got a bird post coming up too.
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I’m looking forward to it, Tracy – your birds have the most exotic names!
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I think that about your birds too, Dries.
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Are the photos taken in Canberra? They looks so serene and quiet, although I guess there are areas of Canberra that could qualify for those descriptions. I can only agree with what everyone else has said, Tracy: it’s an evocative and calming post.
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A combination of Yass and Canberra photos, Jane. The afternoon river photos are on the Murrumbidgee at a part of the river I haven’t been to before.
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What a nice post of poetry and photos. It’s so interesting to imagine a chilly and frosty June. Thank you for this glimpse into what June is like on the other side of the world!
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You’re very welcome. Thanks for visiting.
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Terrific post! The poem and the photos blend perfectly.
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Thank you, Ann. After seeing winter posts from the northern hemisphere, I decided I really should stop complaining about our winters. And how can one complain in such beautiful surrounds. 🙂
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Personally, I think we all get to complain about the things that bother us, so no worries there. I mean face it, there’s always someone who is dealing with something worse than we are, but that doesn’t make our lives any easier. And once we get it out of our system, then it’s so much easier to appreciate what we do have….
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Yes, a sympathetic ear always helps. 🙂
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Liquid amber indeed–so lovely!
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Thank you, Rebecca. Glad you enjoyed a few moments in my part of the world. 🙂
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You’re just entering winter in Australia and here it’s become summer. Topsy turvy world. I agree that black and white photos carry an emotional charge that can’t be conveyed by color – maybe too much riot in color. However, my absolute favorite photo is the one of the river with all the boulders reflected in the water. The color is so subtle and the mood nearly ghostly, things to come, things already passed.
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Thank you, Sharon. That photo of the boulders wouldn’t have been nearly as nice in black and white. It was extraordinarily still and quiet. Even the birds were quiet. It gives me a shiver just thinking about it. 🙂
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beautiful gallery of winter snaps! Crisp note yet warm in mood!
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Hello Makiko, welcome back. Thank you for the comment. Kind regards. Tracy.
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Thank you Tracy for the warm words. 🙂
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You’re welcome, Makiko. 🙂
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What a serene and beautiful post, Tracy! Your words and photos are knitting a mesmerizing symphony – love it!
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Thank you, Sarah. My nights were crazy with the song challenge so I needed a bit of down time during the day. So glad you liked the post, Sarah.
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I would apologize for having caused your nights being crazy but I enjoyed your song choices too much. 😉
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🙂
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