View allAll Photos Tagged Nurturing
Story. A Seed, the Earth, a Tree, the Sunlight, the Songbirds, and Man
A small seed fell to the earth. After a great rain blew by, the seed grew a tender sprout and its roots delved slowly into the soil below. The sprout grew tall in time, braving winds cruel and rain deep, seeing the changing of the seasons as the moon waxed and waned. In the summer, the earth brought forth gifts of water so that the sprout could endure the scorching heat. And because of the earth, the sprout did not feel the heat and thus it survived the heat of summer. When winter fell, the earth enveloped the sprout in its warm embrace and they clutched one another tightly. And because of the warmth of the earth, the sprout survived the bitter cold, passing unharmed through the wintry gales and snowfall of the season. Sheltered by the earth, the sprout grew brave and was happy. It grew tall and proud from the selfless nurturing the earth provided. The sprout grew happily. It sang as the rain splashed down and it danced and swayed as the wind blew. And thus, the sprout and the earth depend on one another …
Years passed, and the sprout was now a towering tree. It had grown stout branches tipped with countless leaves and stood strong upon the earth. The tree’s roots dug into the earth as they had before, but they now plunged deep into the soil below. What had once protected the sprout was now the foundation for the mighty tree.
A ray of sunlight shone down on the tree and the trunk shook. The tree reached out its branches wide and drew deeply from the light. The earth below breathed in rhythm with the tree, and the earth felt renewed, and just then, a fresh breeze blew among the branches, and the tree trembled in delight, bursting with energy. And thus, the tree and the sunlight depend on one another …
People sat in the cool shade of the tree and they basked in the brisk, fragrant air. The air cleansed their hearts and lungs, and it cleansed the blood within. The people no longer felt weary or burdened. And thus, the people and the tree depend on one another …
A flock of songbirds chirped as they alighted on the branches of the tree. Perhaps they were evading some foe, or they were breeding and raising their young, or maybe they were just taking a short rest. And thus, the birds and the tree depend on one another …
The roots of the tree, twisted and tangled, dug deep into the earth. Its trunk sheltered the earth from the wind and rain and it stretched out its great branches and protected the earth below it, and the tree did this because the earth is its mother. They live together, depend on one another, and they shall never dwell apart …
…………
All of the things I just talked about are things you have seen before, like seeds, you know about this, right? A seed growing into a tree might not be a process you see in detail, but you know that it is a fact, right? (Yes.) You know about the earth and the sunlight, right? The image of songbirds perching in a tree is a thing all people have seen, right? (Yes.) And people cooling off in the shade of a tree, you’ve all seen that, right? (We have seen that.) So what feeling do you get when you see all these examples in one image? (Harmony.) Do all the examples that exist in this image come from God? (Yes.) As they come from God, God knows the value and significance of these several examples existing together on the earth. When God created all things, He had a plan for each item, and each thing He created shows His intentions and He imbues life in them. He created the living environment for mankind, which is discussed in the story we just heard. It discussed the interdependence the seed and the earth have; the earth nourishes the seed and the seed is bound to the earth. The relationship between these two was predetermined by God from the very beginning, right? (Yes.) The tree, the sunlight, the songbirds, and man in this image, are they an example of the living environment that God created for mankind? (Yes.) First, can the tree leave the earth? (No.) Can the tree be without sunlight? (No.) Then what was God’s purpose for creating the tree, can we say that it was just for the earth? Can we say that it was just for the songbirds? Can we say that it was just for the people? (No.) What is the relationship between them? The relationship between them is one of interdependence wherein they cannot be separated. The earth, the tree, the sunlight, the songbirds, and the people rely on one another for existence and they nurture one another. The tree protects the earth while the earth nurtures the tree; the sunlight provides for the tree, while the tree creates fresh air from the sunlight and helps soothe the earth from the heat of the sunlight. Who benefits from this in the end? Mankind benefits from this, right? (Yes.) And this is one of the principles behind why God made the living environment for mankind and one of the primary purposes for it. Even though this is a simple picture, we can see God’s wisdom and His intentions. Mankind cannot live without the earth, or without trees, or without the songbirds and sunlight, right? Even though it was a story, it is a microcosm of God’s creation of the universe and His bestowal of the living environment upon man.
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They nurture a more confident rodent in Glasgow. It'll be the Irn Bru. Unless it thought I was a tree ...
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We just had a long weekend here in the UK, yesterday was a public holiday and for me even longer as I had Friday off as well. I spent all of that time working in the garden, a DIY project to extend the decking area and create more space for plants/trees and flowers. It all sounds very nice and I'm sure it will be but I'm knackered !! :-) (so I'm catching up from my busy weekend)
Here is a shot from my garden, these very small flowers look really nice up close.
I have had a couple of mails asking for more South African landscapes, I'm struggling to keep up with processing them :-) but I will post a few more this week... promise :-))
Explore #23 and Front Page
Hawker Beechcraft CT-156 Harvard II, 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School. This unit is part of NFTC (NATO Flying Training in Canada). The CT-156 is equivalent to the T-6A Texan II used by the U.S. Air Force, but looks much prettier in the dark blue.
Devotees on their way to celebrate Mami Wata (Benin).
The Mami Wata ("Mother Water") is a significant figure in West African Vodoun. She is a prominent water spirit venerated across various African cultures and in the African diaspora.
Mami Wata serves as a multifaceted symbol in African spirituality.
She is revered as a nurturing mother, a provider of wealth, and a healer of ailments.
Conversely, she is also seen as a seductive temptress, embodying risks and challenges.
This duality makes her a powerful figure, representing the unpredictable nature of water and the complexities of life.
During the Voodoo festival, devotees, often dressed in white, gather along the shores of the sea to pay homage to her.
The ceremonies involve singing, dancing, and rituals aimed at honoring the sea goddess.
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A brief spell of mist a little while back and I knew exactly where to go. Having shot this handheld previously, I wanted to get back with the tripod to see if I could improve anything. A lower iso would be be a good start. I also used a slightly wider angle on the 35-70 lens instead of the 85mm last time. This helped get the two distant trees 'inside' the curve of the foreground one. I love the characters these wind blown trees have, and hope that comes across in the photograph.
Gaia is the personification of Earth according to Greek Mythology. She heals, nurtures and supports all life on this planet, and ultimately all life and health depend on Her.
You can't see the entire tree on this picture, but I thought it was awesome that although it had fallen down it was still very ALIVE. The trunk actually curves back up to showcase its beautiful crown.
I have a new website!! YAY! Go check it out!!! www.omalix.com
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**Ignore the fact that flickr sharpening kind of messed this one up. :-S
River Fal
Fluß Fal
Trelissick Garden (Cornish: Lowarth Trelesyk) is a garden in the ownership of the National Trust at Feock, near Truro, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Trelissick Garden lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Almost a third of Cornwall has AONB designation, with the same status and protection as a National Park.
The garden has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1955 when it was donated by Ida Copeland following the death of her son Geoffrey. A stained glass memorial bearing the Copeland Crest remains to this effect in Feock parish church. The house and garden had formerly been owned and developed by the Daniell family, which had made its fortune in the 18th Century Cornish copper mining industry.
Many of the species that flourish in the mild Cornish air, including the rhododendrons and azaleas which are now such a feature of the garden, were planted by the Copelands including hydrangeas, camellias and flowering cherries, and exotics such as the ginkgo and various species of palm. They also ensured that the blossoms they nurtured had a wider, if unknowing audience. Mr Ronald Copeland was chairman and later managing director of his family's business, the Spode china factory. Flowers grown at Trelissick were used as models for those painted on ware produced at the works.
The Copeland family crest, a horse's head, now decorates the weathervane on the turret of the stable block, making a pair with the Gilbert squirrels on the Victorian Gothic water tower, an echo of the family who lived here in the second half of the 19th century (their ancestor, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, was lost at sea in his tiny ship Squirrel after discovering Newfoundland).
The garden is noted for its rare shrubs. It offers a large park, woodland walks, views over the estuary of the River Fal and Falmouth.
Trelissick Garden is the home of the National Plant Collections of photinias and azaras.
(Wikipedia)
Trelissick Garden ist ein Garten in Cornwall mit subtropischem und fernöstlichem Bewuchs. Der Garten liegt in Feock, einem Ortsteil von Truro, ca. 4 Meilen nördlich der Stadt Falmouth oberhalb des Fal River und der Carrick Roads. Seine Fläche beträgt ca. 10 Hektar. Der kornische Name Trelissicks bedeutet Haus des Klanführers.
Im Gegensatz zu den einige Meilen südwestlich liegenden Gärten Trebah und Glendurgan ist Trelissick kein Schluchtgarten, sondern hat den Charakter eines Landschaftsparks. Der Garten besteht aus zwei Teilen, die von einer schmalen Straße durchschnitten werden, die zur Autofähre über den Fal führt. Verbunden werden die beiden Gartenteile durch eine kleine Holzbrücke. Dank des durch den Golfstrom milden kornischen Klimas ist es möglich, in Trelissick neben heimischen Arten eine große Anzahl subtropischer und fernöstlicher Gewächse ganzjährig im Freiland zu kultivieren. So finden sich in Trelissick u. a. Yuccas, Taschentuchbäume und Baumfarn und – für das südliche Cornwall selbstverständlich – Rhododendron. Im späten Frühjahr und Frühsommer leuchtet Trelissick in allen Farben der Rhododendrenblüten. Ein besonderes Schmuckstück ist die chinesische Zeder auf der zentralen Rasenfläche des Gartens. Der „Parsley Garden“, der alte Haus- und Kräutergarten am Eingang des Anwesens, wird ebenfalls noch bewirtschaftet und kann besichtigt werden.
Die englische Porzellanfabrikantin Ida Copeland erbte Trelissick 1937. Zwischen 1937 und 1955 ließ sie den ursprünglichen Landschaftspark umgestalten, so dass der Garten einen mehr subtropischen und fernöstlichen Charakter erhielt. Im Jahr 1955 übertrugen die Copelands Trelissick dem National Trust, der es der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich machte und in den folgenden Jahren die Bepflanzung erweiterte und veränderte. Dabei wurde auch Wert auf eine Bepflanzung mit spät blühenden Rhododendren und Hortensien gelegt, um die Blütezeit zu verlängern.
Trelissick beherbergt die nationale Britische Sammlung von Photinien und Azaras. Ebenfalls befindet sich hier die Porzellansammlung der Familie Copeland („Copeland China Collection“), die besichtigt werden kann.
(Wikipedia)
Here in Week 6 of Be Still 52 I spent more time experimenting with side light...this time with bright afternoon light on the porch from the left and using a black foam core on the right. I am definitely out of my comfort zone using Kim's "darkmood" LR preset but I am happy with the results after a little tweaking and it has nurtured my creativity:) For props, I raided the garden shed but ended up with removing many of the props....simple was definitely best.
Kronene i Håvet is a group of royal monograms in a rock wall on Kongsberg. In June 1704, the then King Frederik IV visited Kongsberg, and started a custom that is alive to this day; to carve the royal monograms into "Håvet". King Frederik also carved monograms from previous royal visits. The first monogram on the mountain side obviously belongs to Christian IV who in 1624 wanted to take a closer look at the newly discovered silver deposits and then founded Kongsberg. Then follow Frederik III and Christian V. After Frederik IV, Christian VI and his queen Sofie Magdalene, as the only queen, follow Frederik V, Oscar I, Oscar II, Haakon VII, Olav V and finally Harald V.
Under alle monogrammene står denne inskripsjonen:
HER HVOR VILDSOM ØRK HAR VÆRET,
OG SIG GRUMME DYR HAR NÆRET
NU ET GUDS SKAT-KAMMER FINDES
HVOR DEN ÆDLE SØLV-ERTZ VINDES.
NORGE DERVED STAAR I BLOMSTER
KONGEN OGSAA HAR INDKOMSTER
SEX (FIRE) KONGER HAR ERFARET
HVAD FOR SKAT HER ER BEVARET.
Direct translation is -
Below all the monograms is this inscription:
HERE WHERE WILD DESERT HAS BEEN,
AND THOSE CRUEL ANIMALS HAVE NURTURED
NOW A GOD'S TREASURE CHAMBER EXISTS
WHERE THE PRECIOUS SILVER-ERTZ IS WIND.
NORWAY IS THEREFORE STANDING IN BLOOM
THE KING ALSO HAS INCOME
SIX (FOUR) KINGS HAVE EXPERIENCED
WHAT TREASURE IS PRESERVED HERE.
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15" x 10" - glass, unglazed porcelain, iridescent ceramic and dinnerware, on a hand built substrate.
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According to Erikson, a psychologist famous for identifying 8 stages of human development that considers all ages of life, the psychosocial challenge for someone my age becomes centered on“the need to create or nurture things that will outlast the individual.” That could be anything f...
"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family. - Virginia Satir
Another from the archives - red fox & kits photographed in May 2009.
Have a great Thursday.....and as always, thanks for your visits :-) View On Black
Mother Giraffe nurturing her calf. This is a commission piece I built late last year. Hope you like it.
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