my life as an artist

A few years ago, the term 'extreme weather events' became part of our daily jargon. In hindsight, it seems like it all happened overnight, but in reality there has been a long gradual shift towards climate change and the worldwide repercussions that accompany it.

Many of us in the UK will be waking to another very cool, grey, autumnal feeling day. Here on our small island which is governed by fast moving weather patterns, unpredictable weather has always been par for the course. Ever since I can remember, the term four seasons in a day has been applied to the British climate. However, having said that, we only have to listen to the plight of farmers and observe the confusion of wildlife and plant form here and around the globe, to see that we have entered a new phase.

In observing our world, we see the beauty and symmetry in nature.

With the advent of the industrial revolution, we humans began to lose our connectedness with the natural world and at the same time we began to exploit the earth. We forgot our true place in the web of life.

I took this image on South Bank, London about three years ago, when we were experiencing a very hot period. I love the way water attracts we humans.

Another balmy summers day two years ago in a friends garden.

We are at a crossroad. In this instance the direction we take is of the utmost importance. We can bury our collective heads in the sand, or we can come together as an interconnected, interdependent human species and build a new relationship with our Earth and the Universe.

A new way of thinking and behaving is beginning to emerge, however, real change can only be made if we work together as a worldwide human coalition, no matter what nationality or creed.

Enjoying the sunshine on Brighton Pier this time three years ago.

Our bodies tell us so much. I was talking with a group on Monday evening who agreed that given the prolonged unseasonably cold weather we are experiencing in the UK, a sense of needing to hibernate is being experienced!

Of course, the sun will shine again, when we will sit in our gardens enjoying the sounds and sights of nature.....but when that happens, let's not be lulled into a sense of false security.

I can feel the warmth of the sun in this image.

'As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you and climate change is one of those exceptions. Al Gore.

May the hummingbirds be with you all in the week ahead.

A Bientôt

Last Thursday, on what was one of the more perfect weather days we have had in a long while, I met a friend with her eighteen month old child in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace.
Although I have known the mother for many years, it was the first time for me to meet Tristan......and oh what a happy little chappy he was

The sheer joy on Tristan's face reminded me of the innocence and unique quality of every single new born baby. I was also reminded of another baby I have been fortunate enough to paint during the past year.

One Monday when I turned up at the Boathouse Studio for a life painting session, I was delighted to see that the model was accompanied by her four week old baby. The baby's grandmother was also there so that she could take baby home when the painting session began. However, as I observed the baby taking milk from its mother, I asked if it would be possible for them to model together.

In the warmth of the studio and with the closeness of mother, mother and baby modelled during the morning and the afternoon sessions. Baby was totally content.

Given the intense observation involved, I was able to contemplate the mother/baby relationship in a way that I have not been able to do before.

In this case, the model was a completely comfortable and relaxed mother, and it was clear to see that her sense of calm and love was pouring into the child.

It made me think of the children who come into this world under very different circumstances. Children who are born into war zones....or to mothers trying to make their way with no money or support systems in place. Under such circumstances, the inevitable anxiety that young mothers experience will then be passed onto the newborn child, forming a shaky foundation block for life ahead.

I was reminded that a civilised society always nurtures and respects the most vulnerable....children and old people. Perhaps we need to re examine what this really means.

During the morning break...I got to cuddle the model, something I don't usually get to do! At this point Maiya was four weeks old.

Then to my surprise four months later, Tessa and Maiya turned up to the Boathouse Studio again. In this picture Maiya is five months old, and a complete delight

Not only had she begun to develop and grow, but her personality was beginning to shine through. It was clear that little Maiya felt very secure and content...

and she was already wanting to explore and roll on the floor.

Shortly after this session, Tessa and Maiya moved to S. America where they are now living in a commune. Maiya's grandmother came to visit me after they left, and although she was sad to see them go, she was also glad to know that Tessa and Maiya will be nurtured in a loving, communal environment.

I finish with the delightful thought that Maiya will grow up in the land of hummingbirds

A Bientôt

As an artist, I have always been aware of the power of visual imagery. I think in pictures, rather like a continuing slide show. As soon as a thought, memory, idea comes to mind, I see it as an image.

In this clever little picture we are reminded that each one of us sees the world in our own unique way, and what we see has a profound effect on what we do and how we feel.

It has been established that 90% of communication is non verbal. Flip through any newspaper or magazine and see what stops you. Other than a glaring headline it is usually an image. If you connect with the image, you are much more likely to read the content of the article. If you connect with a book cover/jacket, you are more likely to pick up and read the book.

This next frame shows how imagery enhances the written message. The words alone might be passed by, however, it is the clever image that has impact and gets our attention.

There has been a lot said recently about a campaign to prevent the theft of bicycles. Where the following image of angry eyes has been displayed in the area where bicycles are parked, the theft rate has dropped substantially.

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words................

So where I am going with all of this?

As we begin the 21st century, it seems that we are living our lives in and around boxes! Regardless of whether we live in Buckingham Palace or a one bedroom apartment, we live in a box. Most people then get into another box, car, train, bus, plane which takes them to their place of work box. Often the day is spent looking at a computer box, and then at the end of the day we return home by the same box that took us to work, to our original box to watch the tv box! Yes, there is a little humour in this, but for many people this is their reality.

More importantly are the images, all fighting for our attention, that are projected to us as we move from one box to another. These images impact our minds, and often determine how our mood and day will evolve. An image can soothe, or bring a sense of frustration, anger and stress to our lives.

The following two images soothe the mind and soul.

Just as the angry eyes displayed in the bicycle areas bring a sense of foreboding and prevent people from stealing.....so can the gentle eyes
shown in the following images, bring a sense of positive interconnectedness with our world.

I am particularly concerned for young people who are bombarded with unrealistic images of glitz and glamour. Somehow we need to replace the harsh garishness of these consumer driven images with others which bring a sense of hope and joy to life. Images that show a world which is attainable. Once again I come back to the world of colour and nature.

Given that everything is interconnected, we need to integrate more positive imagery into our daily lives. In the same way as consumer driven imagery has a subliminal effect, so would imagery which promotes a more gentle, integrated way of being.

I finish with a symbolic hummingbird. These magnificent tiny flying jewels reminds me of the natural beauty and unseen magic in our world.

A Bientôt

It has been a busy two weeks, a period where I have been reminded of the passage of time, and the importance of appreciating each and every precious moment.

As the well known Buddhist quote goes...'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.'

It took me quite a long time to understand what this really means. Once I recognised that I could learn from my past, rather than dwell in it...and that I could make useful plans for the future, rather than worry about it....I was given a much deeper appreciation of each and every moment.

As some of you may know, I was recently re-united with a dear friend from my past. We met at art college in 1962 and shared a flat together in Holland Park London, a place where today only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford to live! Maureen was also my bridesmaid in my first marriage in London.

This picture was taken in 1965, the year of my first marriage, in front of what was then the new Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, London. It shows three very young, hopeful creatives enjoying what really was an amazing time.

A year after this photograph was taken, on January 28th 1966, my first husband and I set sail on the United States Liner for a two year visit in the States. After arriving in New York we took a Greyhound bus all the way to Miami, where we were picked up by my husband's Uncle and then driven to Key West, Florida! It also happened that I was about two weeks pregnant when I left the UK, which meant that my son Jarrod was born in Florida not quite nine months later.!
Proof again, that None of us is ever creative enough to know how things will actually work out.......................'

Throughout this period, Maureen and I kept in touch through letter writing....however, by the time Jarrod was about a year old, my first marriage had ended and Jarrod and I were living in a little cottage, which at one time had been part of a Vanderbilt Estate at Harbour View Place, Staten Island, New York. There is so much to tell about this period, and I am actually in the process of writing it all down.

Moving to Staten Island was the beginning of an unlikely and fascinating chapter in my life. From 1968 until 1972, I made my living working on a trading desk at White, Weld and Co on Wall Street! I became a registered representative with the New York Stock Exchange, and commuted back and forth on the Staten Island Ferry. In 1972, I transferred to the White Weld Philadelphia office where I was to meet my second husband - the reason why I stayed much longer in the States than originally planned. It was also in 1973, exactly forty years ago, that I began work as a professional artist.

The timelessness of the ocean....

In the meantime, Maureen was a shoe designer and still enjoying the swinging sixties in London. Later, she was to move to Bristol where she continued a creative career. After meeting her husband, Maureen moved to Wimborne, Dorset where she continues to live. She has three beautiful sons who I met for the first time last week, and like most of us has had many twists and turns in her life. For the past twenty years Maureen's creativity has been focused on the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne. It is interesting, because at this time, Maureen has begun a new chapter in her life. She is painting again.

As the passage of time has brought extraordinary changes to all of our lives, this ancient window in a Dorset church has been sitting quietly throughout the centuries.

We tend to remember people as we last saw them.....and so when Maureen and I first met last October after a period of 47 years, we had to learn about one another's lives.
Within minutes of meeting, it was as if no time has gone by at all........but of course, so much has happened for both of us. Tangible evidence of this are Maureen's three sons and two daughters-in-law and her two beautiful grandchildren.

Maureen's grandchildren Gabriel and Gloria.

Maureen knew about the birth of my son Jarrod, but had no idea that I had a daughter, Christie....and so it goes.

The soothing presence of nature brings to our ever changing world a sense of continuity and hope. Poole Harbour from the Pubeck Hills, Dorset.

My Mother will be 90 on Saturday and so again my awareness of the passage of time is heightened. As my Mother recently said..."Oh how quickly the years have gone by" and of course they have, and they will continue to do so.......which is why it is so important to cherish every moment.

Worth Matravers - a lovely village in the Pubeck Hills, Dorset.....again offering a sense of timelessness.

I can't finish this post without mentioned the blog meet on South Bank a week ago last Saturday. Needless to say much fun was had by all. I know that Marion and Murphy will have spilled the beans about all of our antics

These magical hummingbirds remind me of the unseen magic in our world....They bring a sense of joy and beauty and yes timelessness.

A Bientôt

We are all born with a deep and powerful inclination towards a particular subject or way of being. However, as we move through life and often find ourselves fitting in with society's expectations, it is easy to forget or bury deep within us what our natural inclinations are.

Three years ago, I attended an Adlerian Summer School here in the UK. The Adlerian theory bases much of its understandings on the power of our early childhood recollections. Alfred Adler believed that by recognising and understanding these early recollections, we are able to examine the underlying patterns in our life, and indeed reconnect with the core of our personality and character.

At one point we were asked to make an illustration of our earliest recollection. I went back to my room and painted this little watercolour.

It shows me as a three year old child looking into the window of a cobbler's shop in Dovercourt, Essex. It was right after the war, and my Mother and I were living in Dovercourt while my father was still away in the Royal Navy. At that time in post war Britain, everything seemed dark, and so when I first saw the little carousel with its kaleidoscope of colour in the window of the cobbler's shop, even at that tender age, I knew I had found home

It clearly ignited my imagination so much, that I ran away from the garden where I was playing and found my way to the cobbler's shop. I remember the cobbler coming out and asking me for my name and address. I knew my name, but couldn't remember my address! However, my poor Mother, who was frantic, did eventually find me...still enjoying the glorious colours of the carousel.

When I made this sketch, I recognised immediately that it represented the core of who I am. Not only does it indicate my early inclination towards colour, but it also speaks of my love for adventure.

I chose to follow my path of colour and adventure, but what about those who have succumbed to the social pressures of conformity only to find a huge hole in their lives and souls.
How can any one of us, find that place within us which indicates what are true inclinations are?

First of all it's never to late....the following quote by Arnold Bennett says it so well:-

'The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day and the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.'

With many social pressures to conform and also the need to make a living in a world where we are all needing to adapt and change at a break neck speed, following our bliss to coin Joseph Campbell's quote, is not easy. There are no short cuts or quick fixes.

We need to reacquaint ourselves with ourselves! We need to listen to our intuition and look deep within. Remembering our earliest childhood recollection can be a beginning to this journey.

We need to find a way for our own particular inclination to flourish. If we can do this, our whole life and everybody connected to it, will benefit. We will begin to experience a sense of wellbeing both physically and emotionally. Because we have tapped into the very core of who we are, we will begin to feel a sense of bliss.

This post was triggered by a book recommended to me entitled 'Mastery' by Robert Greene. I highly recommend.

My next post will be two weeks from today, 24th April. Next week, I am visiting my art college friend, Maureen in Dorset, and we are hoping to get outside to do some painting, weather permitting

May the hummingbirds be with you.

A Bientôt

'Birds that live on a golden mountain reflect the colour of gold'. Tibetan proverb - from the book Buddhist Offerings.

How do we find in our own lives a golden mountain where we can reflect and bathe in the colour of gold?

How can we bring peace and tranquility into our lives as we move from one thing to another in a state of perpetual distraction?

When we are mindful of something, we bring our complete attention and focus to it on a moment to moment basis. This in turn allows us to acknowledge and accept each thought, feeling and sensation....

When our minds become completely absorbed in the task at hand, intense concentration sparks all kinds of ideas.

I began to learn about mindfulness about twenty-seven years ago when I went through a massive life change. Like all things, I learned by taking very small steps.

Instead of producing a painting for an end result, I began to revel in the moment by moment making of the painting.

I began to be mindful in the same manner with other activities, such as gardening, reading or walking in nature. .....and the more I did this, my sense of physical and mental well being grew.

The more I lived this way, I learned that it radiated out to all other areas of my life.....even during times of anxst and stress.

Last Friday I had the great pleasure to paint the portrait of a very special young man. A gifted composer/pianist who at twenty-two years old is already performing on the international stage.

We talked about what it is to focus on our work....and at the same time function in the real world.

We talked of the importance of being prepared, and how there are no separations between our work and the world around us. We agreed that everything we experience on a moment to moment basis, is indeed food for the creative process.

May the hummingbirds be with you for each precious moment of this day

A Bientôt

'Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.' Martin Luther King, Jr.

Twenty two years ago, I gave a workshop in the States with my friend Jane Hart, a psychotherapist and educator. The theme of the workshop was to explore how visual impact affected us.

We had several tables set up.....each one showing two exhibits. All the tables were covered with a cloth. The most memorable exhibit was the juxtaposition of a soft, baby blanket, with a gun! When these two items were revealed there was an audible gasp from the participants, and some were quite upset.

Something similar happened to me this week. I came across the following image in the newspaper....and the full impact and recognition of just how much our world has changed hit me.

As soon as I saw it my mind went back to 'Dixon of Dock Green' - For my non UK readers and indeed UK readers too young to remember....Dixon of Dock Green was the title of a television show, starring, Constable Dixon....a typical British Bobby (policeman) of the time.

As children we were taught a little ditty - 'If you want to know the time, ask a policeman' and that's exactly what we did. The police didn't carry weapons of any kind, and there was a non threatening atmosphere within society.

Time for a hummingbird, I think

Throughout the brief span that human beings have been upon this magnificent plant our relationship with the natural world has shifted.....and it would seem that during the past 30 years it has shifted at such speed that the challenge of facing change has become extraordinarily difficult.

'There is a clear consensus that the future now emerging will be extremely different from anything we have ever known in the past. It is a difference not of degree but of kind. There is no prior period of change that remotely resembles what humanity is about to experience. We have gone through revolutionary periods of change before, but none as powerful or as pregnant with the fraternal twins - peril and opportunity- as the ones that are beginning to unfold. Nor have we ever experienced so many revolutionary changes unfolding simultaneously and converging with one another' From Al Gore's book 'The Future'.

Sometimes it feels as if one morning we woke up to Dixon of Dock Green, and then the next morning we woke to what looks like armed aliens from another planet. However, this change didn't happen overnight, rather it happened in a much more insidious manner.

Another radical change in the UK, has been are paving over our front gardens! Now I realise to some that this might seem rather unimportant....and indeed for many a good idea...because this is where we park our cars. However, this seemingly innocuous happening has actually brought with it many negative ramifications.

A common site in any town or city in the UK today.

We Brits were known for our love of gardening and nature, and indeed up until relatively recently gardens were designed to attract, birds, bees, butterflies and all manner of insects. Through our gardens we understood the rhythms of nature. No matter whether a tiny terrace house or something much grander, our front gardens showed a respect for nature, and indeed in nurturing our gardens, our connection to the natural world.

On a practical level, when we pave over gardens we lose natural drainage, and as the climate changes and flooding becomes more and more of a regular event....lack of drainage becomes an ever more serious issue.

A typical cottage garden....planted to attract birds, bees and butterflies. This was my very little patch in Wales, however, it gave me and all the creatures that were attracted to it so much.

It seems to me that as we enter the technological revolution, and we move closer towards a global mind and consciousness, we need a profound shift in our thinking to convert our present consumer driven society into a simpler, more compassionate way of living and first and foremost we must regain our respect for the natural world.

Through the internet I hear and see more and more people around the world wanting to make a shift towards a more compassionate, simple way of living, however we cannot be
complacent otherwise the greed of the powers that be, will continue to organise our societies in ways that frankly, I don't want to imagine!

It seems that in order to face the challenge of change we need to abandon our earlier perceptions, and open our hearts and minds to something much more mysterious and awe inspiring.

A Bientôt

Last Friday, I was driven to Dorset to meet up with several others for a painting weekend. It was my first visit to Martinstown, a lovely Dorset village sitting in the heart of Thomas Hardy country, just seven miles from the coast at Weymouth and four miles from Dorchester. Although I had met three of the group before at the Roe Hampton arts club in London, I didn't really know any of the participants or where we were going to stay, thus the weekend was a Magical Mystery Tour, and a delightful one at that...........

St. Martins Church, virtually adjacent to the house where we stayed. - The early church and Manor, belonged to the Abbot of Abbotsbury.

Whenever a new group of people come together it takes time to settle and for common links to be revealed. Through painting, and particularly the spontaneous nature of watercolour, people are generally able to shed the mantle of day to day living more quickly, which allows for focus and an immersion into the creative process.

It wasn't long before a 'hummingbird' connection was revealed Indeed one of the group had grown up in Bolivia and another had lived in S. America....and so towards the end of the weekend, I demonstrated a more detailed method of watercolour painting using a hummingbird image as my model.

Given that our minds are conditioned by what we have been taught, rather than what we actually see or experience, most of the weekend focused on seeing our subject as a jigsaw puzzle of light and shade. By quickly indicating the dark/shadow areas of a subject, we create a map of the overall image.....allowing us to see differently.

The same principles apply regardless of the subject matter. In my hummingbird demonstration, I began by painting the eye. By seeking out the dark areas, the map of the eye is revealed, and because I am working in watercolour, dry white paper is kept for the highlights, which allows me to go back after the dark areas are dry to add colour.

No two people see the world in exactly the same way. Through our individual perception we organise, identify and interpret sensory information so that we can understand it......thus within any group of painters we always see different interpretations of the same subject, which of course is very exciting and definitely the case this weekend.

It also means that each person operates very differently. Understanding what works best for us, and bringing structure into our daily creative endeavour, no matter what the discipline, helps us to organise our thoughts. Without a simple structure, the ideas which abound within our mind can be scattered like seeds across a field. Some ideas will take root however many others will be lost. Always keep a sketch/notebook at hand to write down thoughts and ideas before they fly away.....

Discipline/structure equals Freedom......

I always learn when I teach, and this weekend was no exception. I particularly enjoyed working with a smaller group, and as is so often the case when painting....time flew by....

'Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Thomas Merton.

A Bientot.

'Given the fast pace of our lives today, and the fact that so many of us are plugged into technology of one kind or another, our collective senses are being deadened. With this comes a feeling of loss. A loss that in many ways we are unable to identify. As we constantly try to fill the ever widening void with more and more frenetic activity and stuff, our frustration levels grow.
Feeding our senses through the creative process, in all its many forms, can produce almost miraculous changes, which lead to a sense of well being and fulfilment.'
From my book 'The Apple Exercise'

How do we begin to find simplicity, focus and peace of mind amidst a world full of distractions and what often feels like chaos and confusion? How can we regain a renewed zest for life?

We can begin by seeking moments of quietness and focusing on one thing at a time........

We can take time out from a world which is ever increasingly viewing life through a portal.

My own experience as a working artist for forty years has left me with no doubt that the best way to re awaken our senses and to bring fulfilment into life is to pursue a creative activity each day. The universal language of creativity has no bounds...........

During the many occasions when I have given portrait and watercolour demonstrations, the level of focus from my audience, no matter what age, is palpable.

Note that as I paint the portrait, one of my favourite artists from Paris is drawing me,

and here are the people observing with total focus. They are as involved in the process as I am creating something like a group meditation.

Working with a group of high school students in S. Dakota, USA. Because they were focused, they learned from the experience....

Young children with their teacher in Northern France.

And here at the Mission Hill School in Boston, Massachusetts........

So why are these adults and children so focused? I believe it is because creativity in all its forms, taps into the very core of who we are.

Without the tangible evidence of creativity in our lives, deep levels of frustration are experienced, which is clearly being exhibited in today's world.

When I tutor workshops, I am very aware that it takes at least an hour for the participants to be fully present. They may well be there in the physical form, however, they also bring with them the chattering monkeys, those little voices in our brains that keep interrupting our flow of thinking.....I suggest that people spend the first half hour of the session scribbling, doodling, drawing on newspaper. After this period, people are fully present. With this simple act of making marks on newspaper, the Chattering Monkeys are released, which in turn allows people to focus.

Through the power of cyberspace and Art, I have connected with many wonderful creatives from around the world.....This little girl is part of the ArtReach Missions Programme in the Philippines. Note her total focus......

Koni Pascuel who founded ArtReach Mission in 2001 is an artist who believes that the best way to reach children and offer them possibilities for a life time of positive change is through the power of music, painting and all creative endeavours.

This is something that I believe we need to focus on more and more.....otherwise, we will produce generations of young people who will have lost their zest for life before they reach adulthood.....and that is the most terrible prospect of all.

To finish, magical hummingbirds symbolising our interconnectedness and the unseen magic in our world.

A Bientôt

'There is a clear consensus that the future now emerging will be extremely different from anything we have ever known in the past. It is a difference not of degree but of kind. There is no prior period of change that remotely resembles what humanity is about to experience. We have gone through revolutionary periods of change before, but none as powerful or as pregnant with the fraternal twins - peril and opportunity - as the ones that are beginning to unfold. Nor have we ever experienced so many revolutionary changes unfolding simultaneously and converging with one another.' From the book 'The Future' by Al Gore.

in the early eighties I began a series of work, inspired by the amazing rock formations on Isle-au-Haut, an island in the Penobscot Bay, Maine, USA. This large oil on canvas, was one of the first large paintings in the series. I was intrigued with the organic shapes and from the beginning could see the human form within the rocks.

When I returned to my studio in West Chester, Pennsylvania, I began to integrate the human form with the rock formations.....It was the beginning of my understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.

This large, oil on canvas, shows the male and female form integrated within the rocks. This particular painting holds great significance, because it is about the moment when we humans turn their backs on one another!

Thirty years on, I continue with this series of work and the quest to express the interconnectedness of all life through my paintings. More recently when visiting Lough Foyle, on the beautiful Inishowen Peninsular in Ireland, I was inspired by more rock formations. As life evolves, so have my paintings. Along with the human form, other symbolic imagery, like the hummingbird and swan, have been integrated into the work.

Then about a year ago, I saw a photograph of a mother and child who had been killed in a drug war shooting in Mexico. The Mother had her arm around the child....trying to protect her. For me this image was so powerful that I couldn't just turn the page and move on from it. I needed to give these two human beings the dignity they deserve, and on a symbolic level, acknowledge the millions of humans who are suffering in our world today.

Last Friday, I met a young, gifted, concert pianist, who had graciously invited me and a friend to hear him play in his London studio. We talked about the artist's quest to 'marry technical prowess with the intangible'. and the understanding that everything in life, no matter how seemingly mundane, contributes to our work.

'The music is not in the notes, but the silence in between'. Mozart

Mozart, brings me to my recent trip to Vienna. Today, I am able to move through Europe freely. However, I can remember as a child in post war Europe, being stopped at every country boarder by guards who would come onto the trains, check our passports and make sure that we were not carry any illegal goods. At that time, the Channel Tunnel was only a dream......and the concept of the world wide web and global warming, and all that goes with it, the stuff of science fiction.

We humans are naturally very territorial - a classic example of this was played out by a couple I knew in Wales. Although they lived in one of the most beautiful areas imaginable, they had been fighting with their neighbours for 25 years over a one meter boarder dispute! Over that 25 year period, they had wasted precious energy, spent an enormous amount of money on solicitors, and ultimately gained nothing! They had drawn negative lines around their narrow world.......

In a world where, the fraternal twins of peril and opportunity are rapidly unfolding, the hummingbird symbolises for me, hope, promise, opportunity and our interconnectedness.

'The Earth does not belong to man, - man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself'. Chief Seattle.

A Bientôt