SEAS OF CHANGE!-------GREGALE BREWING!!

This is the view through our window this morning---and we have to go out!-------O. K. we made it and I even took more pictures on the way before things get too bad.
One of the things about living in Malta---some would say one of the exciting things----is the acute unpredictability of the weather.One moment we are bathed in the glow of a brilliant blue sky and sapphire sea,next comes the howling wind and menacing waves and the RAIN! Our flat faces north , looking out to sea so there isn't much protection!
            During these quite turbulent winter days It's difficult to remember those hazy summer scenes, the time when ofcourse everyone is complaining of too much heat.--- So meantime, ----we enter the scene with positivism, complete with the inevitable woolly hat, and we NEVER (well almost never) forget that umbrella!! 

Weather is a great metaphor for life.-  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ---Pepper Giardino.

P.S. These are the latest---taken just now by Joe.----No more today.- we're inside now with our hot ginger drink!

                                                 
                                                    
                                                      


    

SUNSHINE GIRL----.TODAY'S PAINTING.

Today is a grey day so I think we need a little sunshine and colour! Sunshine Girl is in some ways a fun painting but on another level she is more expressionist in that she symbolises for me those qualities that I see as essential ingredients of true life and living:------colour lightness brightness warmth love humour joie de vivre vitality exuberance simplicity and a sense of feeling free!----Sunshine Girl is all of these,she sends out peaceful, positive vibes, and really I see her as an embodiment of what I would like to be.
                                  Mo.


Sunshine Girl-Acrylic on stretched canvas----24"x24"                           

ONLY THE GOOD VIBES!

 Today's painting---Light Vibrations.-Acrylic on stretched canvas-12"x12"

We set off for this morning's walk in the cold, the dark and the rain! Not an inspiring beginning for a  positive thinking blogger. Nevertheless we plodded on staunchly. greeting everyone we passed with a warm smile:again not an easy thing if getting out of bed at 6-00 has been a bit of a struggle!I have to say though that the effort has been so worthwhile!
 At the start of last year we made a consciously sustained effort to do this simple thing,and we have been so blessed by the development. Along the way we have seen the growth of a relaxed camaraderie, an easy, spontaneous  time of meeting and greeting  friends, who have turned that morning exercise into a warm moment, no matter what the weather has offered.So hopefully this year we will continue---- and do you know, however dramatic I sound,--- I honestly believe that if we can just keep nurturing and sending out those positive vibes,  life  can be a happier  experience for everyone, and quite definitely the world can be a happier  place ! Don't we need this?
                                                                                        Mo.

'Peace starts with a smile.'----Mother Teresa.

OASIS SATURDAY MORNINGS.

Some of you have asked the best time to drop in to The Oasis  and I feel that saturday morning each week is good. I work there most mornings other than sunday and you are welcome then, but because of the erratic weather  I haven't given definite times: so each saturday from 10-00 am ---1200 we will now be there (in reasonable weather!!)----Feel free to drop in for a chat and drink if the mood takes you- friends, fellow bloggers etc.

    
                                         Maureen.

A DEFINITELY HOT DRINK DAY!

It  may not snow here in Malta(or rarely,) but we certainly have the wind! Today a strong westerly-offering me no encouragement as I poked my nose out early this morning assessing the situation for our walk.Definitely a woolly hat day- no doubt about it! Ofcourse we braved the elements like troopers, negotiating the watch-tower with its whirlwind scenario, along the coast buffeted and lifted as we moved along,the sea already giving us menacing looks.
             The coffee shop at last, and that well deserved cappuccino! As usual the relaxed conversation lifted the spirits, but then the return journey-oh no! -----We made it, and really it wasn't so bad.------The bad news is we 've just heard that tomorrow looks like being worse, and the rain is coming too!- Oh well----definitely a HOT drinks day! How about some of the pomegranate  liqueur, or even a  little Sambuca?

A beauty born of wildness,- a restless spirit that offers me no peace.
                                                                                    Mo.

HOW I MISS IT----- SNOW!

The pictures here were sent by readers to The Northern Echo newspaper, based in  England - a lovely selection for those snowy days that they are experiencing.

I know it causes chaos but how I miss that first fall of snow! The stillness, the peace

 the purity, all these for me have an unsurpassed magic that  has never failed to inspire me with a sense of wonder and delight.Here in Malta  the better winter days are filled with the intense, beautiful blue of sea and sky, one melting into the other, an infinite sense of space,- yet still my heart longs for that first snowy fall.

Timeless moment,soul searingly exquisite,---a glimpse of Eternity.

                                                                                Mo.

       

HOT SPICY AND HEALTHY----GINGER DRINK.

Good News!--- We enjoy using herbs and spices and this ginger drink is a real winter warmer.Great for the digestion the immune system and the circulation,and hopefully is warding off those winter sniffles! You can ofcourse adjust the ingredients to suit your taste:----we like it hot! ----Makes enough for two and is so good!

Blend the following:-

One large juicy lemon.

Two cloves garlic -chopped

One inch chunk of fresh root ginger- chopped

Dessertspoon of pure honey.

Enough water for two cups.

Heat and drink piping hot---add more honey if you like.

Food is an important part of a balanced diet.---Fran Lebowitz.

WINTER WARMTH.

Today's Painting --- Heart of the Flame ---acrylic on stretched canvas 12"x12"

How I hate taking down the Christmas decorations! For a while I really miss the glow, the colour, the whole ambience. The scene looks a bit bleak! I know I should be moving on into the new year with zest, but just for a few days it's always the same. So now I try to spice up the atmosphere with the colours and little touches that lift my spirits!--- Red and burnt orange come into play with paintings and cushions and the mellow glow of candles is vital. Even though we've had some lovely sunny days here, still those dark evenings need the warmth of candlelight to give a cosy feeling.;Light , colour and warmth for me are woven into my being and without themI just don't feel alive!

Maybe it's because I'm Aries, of the Fire sign and the colour red; whatever the reason , for the next few months I know I need to colour my world in this way.

P.S. I'm also working on some spicy meal ideas,(healthy ofcourse)---and some warming drinks for those cold days!

P.P.S.---How could I forget my meditation sessions,- they give warmth to heart and soul.

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Better to light a candle than curse the dark.---Chinese Proverb.

END OF CHRISTMAS---THE EPIPHANY.

So with the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem the Christmas season comes to an end.Such an important feast though, with its symbolic opening out to all people so that the whole human family is able to share in the love, light and peace of this beautiful Happening .

Sorry for the next piece but I couldn't resist it!----An extract from a Christmas poem written when I was seven, and kept lovingly by my mother for years.----

---He lies asleep in stable bare, with ox and ass to warm him there.

The shepherds are the first to see Jesus on his mother's knee,

And Wise Men come to worship Him, welcoming the Baby- King.

There was an accompanying crayon drawing (sadly lost!) with all the characters very colourfully dressed, and, to the amusement of the class teacher a VERY large electric light bulb replacing the star, and dangling perilously down from the stable roof determined to reach EVERYONE with its far reaching , dazzling rays.----I was so proud of this drawing!

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.---

Baha u llah.

WHERE DO I GO NOW?

A Mandala .

Into The Deep.----watercolour on cotton .

Christmas time has been active and so lovely, but I feel that I need to spend some days now slowing down just a little and finding the space to regain a more even rhythm ,refresh the spirit and move into this year with a sense of renewed vigour.Time to reflect lightly but deeply, asking for guidance and inspiration,and wishing to live life as fully ,meaningfully ,lovingly and happily as possible in the days ahead.

'Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.'----Hans Margalius.

LIGHT REFLECTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Light Reflections----acrylic on stretched canvas 24" x24"

After exchanging more New Year greetings in the coffee shop this morning, the conversation touched on the theme of hope.Now that the excitement of the festive activities are over I feel that we are often left with a sense of anti -climax.Christmas draws us with its sense of wonder, and as New Year approaches a sense of anticipation,- expectancy is there hovering in the air.---We long for the wonderful,- the magical!---The so often hum drum days that follow leave a let down feeling, sharpened by the wintry days.

Sometimes it takes quite an effort to let hope enter the scene at this point, yet for me it's a vital factor and I feel goes so much hand in hand with it's companions faith and love,--- the trio that make life meaningful .---My prayer for us all at the start of this new year is that these three beautiful gifts nurture us always, keeping us positively and peacefully moving on our journey into a fulfilment of our own unique potential and so that happiness we are all deeply longing for.

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.----George Iles.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.

So 'HAPPY NEW YEAR' TO EVERYONE!'----Family, friends, fellow bloggers,everyone in this big, wide world, ---I wish us all real Peace.

We had a visit from Marvic yesterday, as always bringing her lovely Christmas gift. Always unusual, enlightened, and something to enjoy through the years, this time it is a litle Nativity/ Family Scene, hand- made in Peru. ----Lovely for New Year too,:-Peru the home of the Incas, with its ancient Sacred Paths and the Master Path leading to a renewal and re-awakening of our 'real self'----who we really are.---I hope to keep its little candle alight regularly this year, wishing for us all to experience this beautiful re-awakening, and so our fulfilment and peace.

NEW YEAR'S EVE.

We've had quite a bit of activity this week, and also enjoyment, but always on New Year's Eve we try to make space for a gentle reflective moment.Time to offer a silent prayer for all the blessings that the year has brought;---all the happy times, the glimpses of joy and beauty, the company of friends.---Time to offer too a prayer of faith and hope; a prayer that wishes 2010 to be a New Year of real newness, freshness, life in fullness,----a life born out of a love and peace that motivates us all to help rebuild a beautiful New World for everyone.

'CHRISTMAS ROSE'.

I know the legendary Christmas Rose is white, but ours is red.It burst into bloom outside the studio on Christmas Day, and this morning Joe took a picture. How simple colourful and beautiful, and for us a symbol of the Love, Peace and Promise of this lovely time of the year.

CHRISTMAS PEACE.

How fitting that for Christmas week and the feast of The Holy Family this morning radiated peace and stillness. The blue of the sky melted into the sea, and all was dusted with a silver sheen.---So simple, so breathtaking, so beautiful!

We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature----grows in silence: see the stars the moon and the sun how they move in silence.---We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Mother Teresa.

CHRISTMAS AT THE COFFEE SHOP.

Our morning walks are always brightened by our visits to-the local coffee shop, and Christmas has been a particularly bright time. The little place greets us cheerily and Joe is always ready with our special cappuccino. He has a passion for all things Sicilian , many he has collected over the years on his visits so naturally his Christmas decorations reflect this. They are lovingly polished and displayed, and much appreciated by those who visit the shop, attracted by its warmth and welcoming ambience.---Thankyou Joe, Mary and the girls.----Happy Christmas!

CHRISTMAS DAY.

It's Christmas Morning, and a beautiful, -almost summer-like day here. We've been to early Mass, enjoyed being with friends at the coffee shop,and we have delivered the Christmas cherries. Now we're off to the studio to light a candle in front of the Nativity Scene .

So ----HAPPY CHRISTMAS to everyone!

May the Baby of Bethlehem warm your heart with the light of His Love today and always.----xxx

ChRISTMAS EVE BLESSINGS.

We've had a lovely Christmas Eve, moving from coffee shop, to studio and then back to the flat, happily enjoying the company of friends,and exchanging gifts. This evening though,- time to be a bit still before tomorrow.I always feel at peace on Christmas Eve; for me there is an almost tangible sense of the mysterious,the magical, ---a stillness, a hush, that never fails to move me deeply. So tonight I'm drinking in this peace, and wishing with all my heart that it continues to fall gently on us all, and on a world that is so much in need of it!-----God Bless!

MORE BITS AND PIECES OF CHRISTMAS .

I know that I move quite definitely into the sentimental at Christmas, but isn't that a lovely way to be? Suddenly I feel happier and Life takes on a deeper meaning. Anyway I can't be without our little Christmas collection,- those momentos, keepsakes, -those so familiar things that are an integral part of the scene , many appearing year after year, even if a bit battered and worn by now. The favourite bauble, the little glass tree, the glittery Christmas cushion, the Nativity Scene with the Baby just a little the worse for wear! So too I love the sense of Christmas cheer and celebration that comes with the festive food and drink----(moderation ofcourse!)

Most of all I love to bathe in the warmth that the spirit of Love radiates; the companionship, the bonhomie, the sharing and caring, the warm greetings sent from family and friends not with us.----- See Margo's Nativity card -a lovely example. -----And so a little medley of some more of the simple things I love at Christmas!

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Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale.

TODAY'S PAINTING----IN THE SNOW.

In the Snow----mixed media on 100% cotton watercolour paper.---see website.

Oh it has been snowing in England, but here in Malta -not a flake. How I miss those snowy moments! For me snow is one of the wonderful joys of Christmas adding a dimension that nothing can replace.

I remember as a child waking during the night to sense the stillness, feel the unique cold /warmth and just know that in the morning there would be a snowy carpet outside.

One of my loveliest memories is of one Christmas Eve long ago in Scotland. As we made our journey over the tiny bridge on our way to Midnight Mass, soft snow flakes began falling against a dark backdrop of velvet and stars. Church bells broke the silence----and in that never to be forgotten moment moment a perfect aura of magic enveloped us.

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this isn't enchantment then where is it to be found?

J .B.Priestley.

BITS AND PIECES OF CHRISTMAS.

How I love them!---Those bits and pieces that add to the colour, bring back memories of childhood, and draw our dear ones so much closer, bound together in a glow of love and light. There's the little wooden Astu rocking horse and toy soldier, the glass Christmas tree, the Russian Icon that belonged to my parents, the olive wood Nativity Scene from Bethlehem, the garland for the door,the golden bells and candles, and of course the tiny angel who sits at the top of the tree when we can get her to balance!--- Oh I could go on---and on---I somehow don't want to stop! Everything is ready though, and we are simply bathing in the warmth now, absorbing that Spirit of Peace and that so rare,precious feeling that everything is alright with the world.

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred,and we are better throughout the year for having in spirit become a child again at Christmas time.

Laura Ingalls Wilder.