'Healing Moments'----Audio clip for Relaxation/ Meditation

Stress and anxiety seem so much a part of Life today, so my work at the moment  concentrates on this aspect through simple Holistic Therapy. The audio tapes really need a quiet moment in the day to appreciate fully since they involve deep relaxation through visualisation and guided imagery.
 However if you feel like listening for a few minutes, and you can find a quiet time,

here is a short audio clip:-

OH NO!-------JELLYFISH!!

Down to the sea this morning and from a distance the water looks so inviting. Clear, blue, pristine.But oh no! As we draw near the despondency on peoples' faces becomes clear too.Ofcourse there is the usual line standing looking accusingly into the water,- and who can fail to know the problem now.----JELLYFISH!

How dare they interfere with a beautiful morning's swimming? But they do.

Only the brave or foolish venture in now.Or maybe those who swear by vinegar to soothe and heal.As for me, I have experienced their nasty whiplash on several occasions, so this morning I  hand over to the more courageous.

It's back home to a cool shower, a cappuccino, and a firm reminder that by tomorrow they will have vanished.

The problem ofcourse is a lingering fear, which if one is not careful can quickly develop into acute anxiety neurosis and ruin those blissful morning swims.--- No definitely not! 

      

YOUTUBE AT LAST!

At last----success with Youtube. It always frustrates me trying to put something up,
this time it worked!
                                             

EARLY MORNING AND ITS MAGIC-----

We are still in the grip of this terrible heatwave. For me ,the days are long, hot, humid and sticky,dragging on unbearably until after sunset. It is a fraction cooler then, -but oh those nights as the damp descends!
Thank God we are next to the sea for early morning coolness,- a life-saver for me.

Grab the towel before sunrise,creep out quietly and head for the little bay. So peaceful! Nobody in sight, a few boats lying tranquilly in still clear water. Morning mist giving way to sun peeping over rooftops,  sky turning softly blue.A blessed peace!

The water cool, fresh,welcoming. I swim a little, breathing deeply, then float for a while feeling deep gratitude.Music wafts quietly over the water,soothing, delightful,----this must be Heaven.

A few fishermen arrive on the pier, it's time to go!----I swim a little longer,lingering, delaying the moment, but it has to be faced. Off now to face the day,basking still in the glow, already dreaming of tomorrow----early----early!
                      

TOO MUCH FEAR-----

FEAR FEAR AND MORE FEAR! It seems to me that this is one of today's main slogans.People  really seem to be quite paranoid most of the time.I appreciate that  we are caught up in a society full of pressure from an accelarated life-style where  money so often seems the priority,  and people have lost the simple art of living together in a caring, sharing way. So  much closedness! Doors closed and locked, cars locked,people locked up inside themselves in a paralysis of fear and suspicion, all trust has vanished.Surely we can't call this life and living.

Ofcourse I don't have the answer, but living in an increasingly bureaucratised society, where rules and regulations are the order of the day, and no named person seems in charge or responsible, does not appear to be working. Individual responsibility is minimal, people become enslaved or apathetic, and fear increases.

Many people are conscientiously trying to work at this positively, with a blend of firmness,  compassion,opening out to Life and others in a way that goes beyond selfishness and ego-centredness. I try too, then to my dismay fear snatches me into its grip in a chilling way.How often I struggle to move beyond a fear that  know to be irrational,and concentrate on the good and lovely things in Life, because I know there are many.I try to forget about myself and move out to others, and this certainly helps.

I am more and more convinced though, that at this stage in the world we all need extra help.If only we could all really believe in a loving Supernatural Being who has an organic Plan:who although he has given Humanity free will, knows that deep down it really wants what is best, so he is ready to show it what that means.Perhaps he has in store a final momentum of life -giving energy, that can only be used with love because it is its very source. Perhaps he will offer it and people will respond. They will work with him freely to help restore the world.People as they should be, the world as it should be, love light peace and power prevailing , -----Fear has disappeared.

WHAT LIES BENEATH?

'UNDERWATER' acrylic on canvas.

I was inspired to paint this several years ago in early summer after gazing at the sea scene below our apartment. The water translucent in blues and greens, then moments of clarity drawing me into a still, mysterious depth.How I long to penetrate this depth, move to the very centre,beyond the mystery.

 It's the same with people.We move through Life,in an interaction with others, so often skimming the surface, seeing only the veneer, the superficial.How seldom do we try to move beyond into the hidden depth of the other in , touch on the very core of being,and really see what lies beneath.

Here we might discover something wonderful; a common bond, an empathy, a reality that lifts us to a new level of living,drawing on a source of energy that lets us all live life as Life. 

PALM TREES AND PINEAPPLES.

Ii has often struck me how similar pineapples are to palm trees.Yesterday when they trimmed the trees across the way from us the similarity was very apparent.

I find however that the two are not related in any other way. Pineapples are apparently Bromeliads and grow from berries.- So you live and learn!

These trees don't offer such welcome shade now, hopefully they will soon grow again.I  think  not before this heatwave ends unfortunately!

ONE DAY AT A TIME------

Somehow it seems to me that Life has lost its natural rhythm and so its balance. People move now at such a pace, constantly seeming under pressure,-stress and anxiety are major problems, and often relaxation itself becomes over organised, manipulated into the weekly programme if possible, and so loses its meaning and function. We seem to have lost the ability to live fully in the present and relish each beautiful moment .
   This old song has, I think,a simple, common sense way of putting it.-It topped the charts in the seventies when Lena returned to the stage.

                                    

GOLDEN BAY----THE OLEANDER WAY.

The road  to Golden Bay is lined with Oleander trees. Beautiful in pinks and white and making a shady canopy on the way to the beach, they are so welcome.

 Intriguing archways invite you to look beyond.

Prickly pears are abundant, the fruit not quite ripe.Aloe vera and fig trees are prolific too.

And now the beach itself.Sparking blue sea and that golden sand,inviting and welcoming.We are ready for a swim, a rest, then maybe we'll end the afternoon with a cappuccino at the little beach cafe.-----Simply a lovely summer day!

LOOKING FOR A SHADY SPOT.

The heatwave coninues, and we are all melting. The tourists love the sun but they too find themselves looking for the shade.Floppy hats have become the order of the day.

It's wonderful if you can have a leisurely dip then relax under a  bright sun umbrella.

 








Even the youngsters are
looking for a shady place.

How about a late afternoon ride,perhaps  out along the coast road into the sunset, then cooled by a gentle evening breeze?











As for me,-tonight I will pull the sofa to the open balcony doors, lie there looking at a starlit sky,and listening to the water lapping on the sides of the boats  in the bay below. I'll  fall asleep and dream of a tomorrow lying in a hammock slung between shady trees,a good book and glass of chilled wine to keep me company. ----Sweet dreams!