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Another layer of snow fell last night and it’s still cccccolddd out there.
These beautiful blooms at the Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands remind me that spring is just six weeks. 🙂
Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy
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©Dorothy Chiotti … Aimwell CreativeWorks 2015
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Outside the Keukenhof, aka the “Garden of Europe.”
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Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy 🙂
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Copyright Aimwell CreativeWorks 2013
Today a reflection after a rather dismal yesterday. A long, uncomfortable day that saw me collapsed in my leather recliner in the family room without even the energy to process a sip of water. An episode with adrenal fatigue will do that.
And, as you might imagine, I had not the energy nor focus to work at the computer either so no Monday blog post. 😦
Oh well, today is another day. Feeling much better but taking things in stride I’ve decided to post something that simply reminds me of hope, new life, spring colour yet to come and the importance of “being” instead of “doing.”
Now, as I gaze through the kitchen window, I see tulip shoots, from bulbs newly planted last fall, pushing through our heavily mulched beds. Soon they will paint the garden with their coloured vibrancy. It’s encouraging to see new life where only a short while ago all was frozen and dormant.
As well, the swan in this image is a gentle reminder to “be” instead of “do.”
Have you ever noticed how birds and animals are beautiful just because they are? We don’t expect a swan to do anything to be beautiful. It just is.
The art of “being” in this world is threatened by our incessant need to be “doing.” From my observation this is not healthy for us as individuals nor for the planet. My engagement with adrenal stress has been a serious, and unpleasant, wake-up call to stop “doing” and start “being.” I simply cannot “do” everything or accomplish as much in a day as I used to, and I’m finding I’m okay with this.
If I may, I’d like to make a suggestion … don’t wait for a nasty wake-up call to set in motion the process of “being.” Take some time to see what distractions, unnecessary activities and worries you can eliminate from your life. Focus on what’s really important and let the rest go.
Reflect upon the swan … and just be.
Thank for visiting …
Dorothy 🙂
Copyright Aimwell Enterprises 2012
I’m looking out my kitchen window. The ground is covered in heavy snow which has been melting gradually as the temperature edges above zero. The forecast for this evening and into tomorrow is for heavy rains and winds gusting up to 90 km/h. I need a reminder of spring.
So, once again I return to my extensive file of Keukenhof Garden images to see what inspires me and select this colourful gem filled with cheerful tulips and graced by an elegant swan.
Swans remind me of my mother who, while working in Europe as a young opera singer in the late 1960s, fell in love with them. Because of this affection she has for swans I feel drawn to photograph them wherever I travel  — I guess partly so she can enjoy seeing them through my eyes and partly, I suppose, so she’ll know that for at least as long as it took me to take the photograph I was thinking of her.
Copyright Aimwell Enterprises 2012
It’s snowing here in Southern Ontario. The white fluffy stuff is coating everything and sticking around this time. We’ve had an odd winter.
Before heading out into the snowy fray I wanted to post this colourful image taken at the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens in Holland two years ago.
It reminds me that spring is just eight weeks away and that soon we’ll be able to enjoy our own newly landscaped garden and the vari-coloured bulb flowers we’ve planted there.
I can hardly wait …
Copyright Aimwell Enterprises 2012
It’s the dead of winter, yet there is no snow on the ground and temperatures are unseasonably mild. Still, it’s looking pretty grey outside, so my mind wanders to spring and the promise of vibrant colour and fragrance such as that epitomized by the world’s largest flower garden, the Keukenhof near Lisse, Holland.
In May 2010 we had the opportunity to visit this stunning 32 hectare park, also known as the Garden of Europe, which features every imaginable variety and colour of spring flower, including tulip (my personal favourite), crocus and hyacinth. Millions of bulbs are planted annually. It offers a feast for the eyes.
The Keukenhof is open to the public for eight weeks only each spring.
Copyright Aimwell Enterprises 2012
Eyes to Heart 