POEM FOR TODAY-----'FOR MALTA.'

Aerial View of Malta and megalithic temple Hagar Qim.

I am British and I have lived in Malta for some years now. My poem is perhaps a summing up of my feelings about and for this little island:-

For Malta.

Small rock, honey-hued, circled with sapphire,

set mid East and West and winds of change;

History, Domination, deep in your soul.

Strategic, vulnerable, you cry for freedom.

Malta-your birthright is freedom!

Life, Spirit, Identity,

resonate from temples and churches.

Hear the pleas of Mother Earth- your mother.

Mother, keep close to your little one,

show it the way.

Maureen Hughes.

DOVE OF PEACE.

Acrylic on stretched canvas----24x48 inches. ---€500

Believe Me.

We really should be flying you know!

We should soar to the heavens each day,

finding new life in the realm of light.

Drenched with dew of morning as it rises in the air

soaking in the sunshine'till we flood each pore

we saturate senses with beautiful light.

We should rise to the heavens, float in space,

feel free and happy and full of life.

We should be as we wish to be ,we should be as we are.

We are Love, we are Light, we are Stardust.-

Believe me!

Maureen Hughes

Jellyfish Invaders.

Harmless?!

A gentle southerly breeze, an inviting sea , but what's that lurking close by? A few brave adventurers are nonchalantly enjoying their morning swim, unpeturbed by the growing consternation around them as people rapidly remove themselves from the water. ---I think we'll skip our exercise today!!----

Later in the day Cikko our old fisherman friend assures us that this species is not harmful or poisonous: they are scavengers coming to feed on the fish. Truly though, I just don't like the look of them !I think we'll take an afternoon walk for the next few days!

TODAY'S PAINTING----SUNSHINE GIRL.

Sunshine Girl----Textured acrylic on stretched canvas---€250

I'm working at the moment with my figurative paintings. In the studio I'm trying to create a balance between the abstract and more physical forms; I really enjoy working at both and I feel at present to concentrate on larger pieces .Thank goodness the studio is providing me with much more space than I've had, so the sense of freedom to spread out and not worry about the mess is wonderful!

Freedom as a concept and actuality has become increasingly important to me.I look around to see an escalating bureaucracy that is trying to erode the individual right to choose, and I find this sinister.I have always held a deep belief in the unique value of each human being, and feel sure that we each have a duty to preserve this .

So I approach my painting and poetry in this free way.I hope they are a true expression of myself, my soul, my spirit. They are a celebration of all that I feel is beautiful in life, my perception of reality in a very simple way.

I always feel drawn to the sun as a source of energy, vitality, colour, vibrancy and the joy of living,---infact the source of all life. I just don't feel that I can die if the sun is shining! So 'Sunshine Girl' represents for me all of these aspects--- It's a happy painting, one that I hope will uplift and offer a sense of optimism and peace.

No matter how dark the night, somehow the sun rises and all shadows are chased away.
David Matthew.

For what is it to die but to stand in the sun and melt into he wind?
Kahlil Gibran.

RIVER SWALE---RICHMOND, YORKSHIRE.

The River Swale.

We live at present in Malta, and the view we have from the window is the beautiful Mediterranean. It's a fascinating sea at all times, changing through the seasons from bright deep blue in summer, to wild foamy green in winter.Yet I know that Joe feels deeply in his heart that there can be nothing to better the clear river water of his home town, and the view of the sparkling waterfall beyond his window.

Many happy hours were spent there in childhood , many memories linger;--- the friends, the recreation, the sporting activities, the sense of peace and freedom, the rhythmic pace,the beautiful green countryside, and at the centre , a gentle, loving home life.---A childhood indeed to treasure and remember with gratitude.

Sweet childish days that were as long as twenty days are now.

William Wordsworth.

MEXICAN GIRL ON STOOL.

Mexican Girl on Stool----Textured acrylic on stretched canvas 21x36 inches----€590

It's quite a while since I've done a painting with a Mexican theme . For some reason they always prove popular.Maybe it's because Mexico 's atmosphere resonates with a pervasive haunting quality: ---The colour, the vibrancy, the music, the sense of rhythm, and the food with its colourful spicy creativity.A country steeped in history, with pyramids, Teotihuacan, -one of the worlds largest cities 2000 years ago.--- and ofcourse the Aztecs. So despite the poverty and suffering , and even the swine flu, the spirit of life and living is the drawing power that seems to have a fascination for so many, dominating with a powerful ethos and creating an unextinguishable ambience.

TODAY'S PAINTING----DAISIES.

Daisies.----textured acrylic on stretched canvas-- 12x8 inches---€ 100

Honestly it has been a very busy week, and sadly I have neglected my blog!

I really admire those fellow bloggers who, in the midst of the daily disruptions,crises and imminent chaos, stay composed, and unruffled. It takes a bit of extra activity and some unexpected happenings to throw me into a disoriented state! How I long for some magic potion to transport me to a state of blissful serenity, where I float through each day impervious to anything that tries to upset my balance, and treat each unexpected moment as an adventure! Ah well!----- and already I can see that next week is going to be busy!!

I try to take one day at a time-but sometimes several days attack me at once.

Jennifer Yane.

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

Bertrand Russell.