At my desk

That's me in the picture at my desk, working on my computer, and pausing to look out of the window in front of me. Well, not quite. I'm not that young, nor that slim, nor that cute... except in my mind, of course...hehhe... And when I was the same age as the youth in the picture there was no such thing as a desktop or laptop computer, or many other things, come to that. But I do pause from time to time from my work at my computer to look out of the window ahead of me. That much is true. Though i don't stuff my hands in my pockets!

This morning when I paused from my work to look out of my study window it was grey and gloomy outside, and I knew it was cold too, the scattered patches of frost testified to that. But it was also snowing. A light sprinkling of snowflakes that were falling sideways blown by the breeze. But it didn’t last very long. In fact it wasn't really proper snow, it was more like sleet. In less than an hour it had come to an end and there was just a light dusting here and there which I knew was not going to be there for long. And by late afternoon there was no evidence that it had been there. The grey sky was still there though. And the wind. And the cold.

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It's on dark days like this that I often find myself daydreaming. Funnily enough I seldom daydream when the weather is fine and the sun is out - that's a sure turnoff. But when it's dull and dreary like today or, even better, when it's raining or sleeting or snowing, my mind begins to wander as I stare out of the window at the wintry scene outside. There's nothing like grey and grim weather to get the creative juices welling up, assuming one has any, of course. So here I sit at my desk on just such a day and waiting for inspiration to flow into me and creativity to flow out... I only hope it won't be a long wait!

The above pic was taken in a more clement season some while back and gives a more faithful image of the view from my study-cum-office window. Below is the garden and beyond that is a park. Not a bad view, eh? It has a calming effect on me and helps me work. It also helps me write this blog when I can spare a moment. It is my window on the world, you might say.

Through the Woods

There is a long and winding path that wends its way through an enchanted wood below a canopy of green foliage and pockets of blue sky. It is said that for those who do not wish to come under the spell of these woods, they do well to keep their steps to this narrow path and their gaze fixed ahead...

"...for the feet may wander and the eyes may stray, and they should not even think to venture on this path save in the full light of day. Though, where this path leads to, strangely no-one can say, not even those who have gone that selfsame way.

"They may claim with not a shadow of doubt, to have taken that path, the very same, but somehow it seems, at some point did stray, for when from the wood they came out, they were back where they started, of that there was not the slightest of doubt!

"But of the few who have ventured by night on this path, little is known and less is said, for none returned and none were found, not one soul came back from that unhallowed ground!"

Love in the Rain

Well now, what lovelier scene of human affection can one imagine than this? Made all the lovelier, and more poignant, by the rain, which as we know is no respecter of human emotion. A young couple expressing their love for each other and getting soaked to the skin doing so. The rain gives added vibrancy to almost any scene or image, be it joyful, sad, funny or just plain ordinary. Imagine this same scene minus the rain. The magical effect of the rain on the car lights and their dazzling reflections in the puddles would be absent. The resolve of the lovers to express their love in the face of stormy weather adds a thrill to the whole tableau that would otherwise be missing. And their increasingly sodden clothes and hair would not sound a note of stoicism for the cause of true love were it not for the pouring rain.

You're young, in love, and in the rain... and feeling great to be alive. So let it rain, who cares? And the wetter you get the more in love you feel and the more you want to carry on hugging and kissing the object of your affection. The rain seems to conspire in your madness and pours down all the heavier in celebration of your love. And somehow, as though the rain affords you some veil of privacy from prying eyes, you forget you're in the middle of a public place with people all around able to observe your outpouring of passion and you kiss on.. and on.. and on. So kiss away, young lovers, and let the rain be your orchestra and your glorious backdrop. This may be a moment you remember for the rest of your lives.

I personally love rain. I like watching it when it's heavy, and see how it transforms everything around, and I like to be in it, whether I'm walking in the street, subject to the shelter afforded by a brolly (oh yes!), or strolling around the garden with just a pair of boxer shorts as 'protection', temperature permitting of course, and feeling the cool rain on my bare skin. Once when I was holidaying in a tropical country, as the rain started to come down, I took the opportunity to make use of the hotel's outdoor swimming-pool. As the rain intensified into a full-blown storm, so did my pleasure and delight as I swam about the pool feeling the flurry of raindrops peppering my bare skin. I flung my head back and opened my mouth, trying to gulp some of the heaven-sent water down. Eveyone else thought I was quite mad but I loved every minute of it and would do it again if I had the chance.

Island of Your Dreams

I am a fair isle of natural beauty and wondrous enchantment, a green oasis set in a vast ocean. I am clothed in a dense tropical forest which reaches down as far as the shore. There golden sandy beaches stretch for most of my length. I am bathed by warm ocean waters that glisten and sparkle in the afternoon sun. It would be fair to say that I sit in a sea of tranquillity, in an ocean of calm, in an earthly paradise that exists... somewhere out there.

The rain that falls on me is plentiful and it is usually heavy, driving in from the sea and sweeping down in sheets across my length and breadth. It may last for an hour or for a day, but when it is over I feel thoroughly cleansed and reborn. More importantly, it has made me into what I am today, a verdant jewel lush with vegetation. It has filled my forest with life of many forms and colours and of many sounds and songs.

The blue waters that bathe my shores are smooth and crystal-clear and I delight in their warm and gentle caress, in their soothing sibilant murmur. But there are times when, driven by strong offshore winds, they form tall waves that come roaring in, racing up the beach and slamming into anything in their path. And there are times when this coincides with one of the many rainstorms that lash me, and then I am buffeted by wind and drenched by rain, but I never fail to stand my ground.

Yet for all that, I am truly blessed with the best that nature can bestow... sunshine in abundance, waters that cradle me in their gentle embrace, rainfall to satisfy all my flora and fauna, beaches that form a golden girdle around me, a forest that pulses with life and is my beating heart, and... and this is vital to my well-being - a total absence of humankind! Now tell me, what more could an island like me ask for?