New leaves

I give thanks for a very enjoyable dream of being at a weekend workshop about incorporating Buddhist ideals in ordinary daily life. It was held in a big old country house/conference centre near here though that, and the people I was with who I seemed to know, were just figments of my imagination. I did meet someone there I did really know however, who it wouldn't be at all unlikely to come across in such a place and who I was most delighted to see, as I would be in real life as it's been more than a couple of years now and who knows when again... I give great thanks she's most unlikely to read my blog and feel beholden to oblige by turning up!

I give thanks for a picnic on a train in the rain today. On my own? Well, yeah...obviously! A bit sad? Well yeah, likewise...der! I did wonder if anyone might be up for doing anything more interesting but decided not to cause possible offence by any implication of lack of far better things to do, or make anyone feel awkward trying to work out the best way to say no. I give thanks for realising there are still opportunities to be loving and kind even when you're mostly preferred neither seen not heard... I give thanks for lots of metta practice with Imee Ooi, and I give thanks to Jan for taking the time to chat on line a while...

Usually this time of year I'm longing to be in a car going along country lanes with lush new full leaved hedgerows...so I give thanks for the lack of full leaved hedgerows to go with the lack of the car! I give thanks instead, in between the mizzle drizzle murkiness, of seeing the cold stalled colours of the late opening trees - the limes and yellows and almost oranges amongst the greens. For bluebells and primroses, two swans flying and two pairs of deer, plus several fields of magnetically unaligned cows!

I tend not to watch adverts. In the old days I'd go to the loo or put the kettle on; now, if it's recorded TV I fast forward it, and if it's live I pause it and then fast forward... but I was grovelling on the floor with a sewing without a pattern challenge and heard one by mistake and had to rewind to watch it yesterday. Thus I give thanks for a tall man beating up the wrong car for a certain well known high street spectacles store and making me laugh out loud...

Traditionally I don't have as many blog visitors when there's holidays... so if you've been reading the last few posts in real time well then I give thanks for you!