Bird Break

Find some quiet, private time.  Allow yourself to slow down and relax.  Find nature, meditate, or do nothing.  Take a mental break.  You'll gain the benefits of a quiet mind.

Tom Giaquinto

Sometimes you just need to breathe and be in the moment.

Bird watching does that for me.

And it's the only time I use my Canon which has a fantastic zoom.

Unfortunately, I never remember to look at or even post all the pictures I take.  I enjoy the moment and then go about my business and the pictures are forgotten.

I haven't posted since Friday (due to the fact that I'm packing and organizing for our trip to the States), so thought this would be an excellent opportunity to take a little break and share some of those photos with you.  That way you can do a little armchair birdwatching.

 Mynas (below) are sometimes considered pests but I love listening to their amazing birdsong.  They have quite the repertoire which gives them the amazing ability to mimic language and sounds.

 This past week our temperature soared to about 125 degrees.  My poor scented geranium bit the dust some time back, but this little dove on the left didn't mind as it made the perfect perch.  Common purslane is growing freely in the same pot and makes a nice snack for the birds.

It's close to midnight here so time for me to call it a night.

Hope you find some time for you own mental break today.

Best wishes,

Five on Friday: Crochet and a Bonus Recipe

Cheers to a brand new month.  Here's hoping July is much better than June which was filled with so much heartache.

This week has been filled with lots of crochet.

Since last Friday I've made several potholders.

A couple of succulents using this pattern from Pretty Providence and some more rock covers.

More dreamcatchers.

And today I finished up 6 gift bags for kids.

Last night, I tried a new veggie burger recipe.

You can find the recipe here on One Green Planet.

I've not had a whole lot of success with veggie burgers in the past, so cut the recipe in half just in case it didn't turn out.  I did, however, leave the chickpea flour at 1/4 cup and since I didn't have jalapeno, I added fresh cilantro instead.

They turned out absolutely perfectly.  I quickly mixed up a spicy tahini sauce and served the burgers on top of tomato slices with roasted potatoes on the side.  I will definitely be making these again.

Please visit Amy at Love Made My Home for more Five on Friday participants.

Best wishes,

Release

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. 

Agatha Christie

Today the funerals for Wink at A Creative Being and my youngest son's former Middle School teacher are being held.  Wink suffered from severe depression and took her own life.  Sharon died from complications of malaria.  Both unexpected.  Both gone too soon.

Standard Mandala, pattern by A Creative Being.

Mandalas represent wholeness and are believed to be a cosmic diagram of life and our connection to the infinite.  In celestial circles they represent earth, sun and moon; and in conceptual circles they represent friends, family and community.

I crocheted the colorful mandala in memory of Wink using one of her patterns.

It will be sent to Kathryn at A Crochet Concupiscence in California who has organized a project (#mandalasformarinke) to raise awareness about depression.

My cousin's wife took her own life in the early 80's leaving behind two young boys so I am well aware of the devastating consequences of loss to depression.

Crafters in the Instagram and blogging community have joined together to support the cause.

We will see two full moons this month.  The second will be on July 31st.  Those who follow astrological themes believe that the two weeks after a full moon, during it's waning phase, is a time for release.

"Choose your thoughts carefully.  Keep what brings you peace, release what brings you suffering.  And know that happiness is just a thought away."

Nishan Panwar

Have a blessed day,