Beauty in the ordinary

Seeing the beauty in the everyday things around us is easier said than done, especially when we've had weeks of relentless rain and gale-force winds. But beauty is not always as we imagine- like in a painting or even a small flower, sometimes it's as simple as an old stone wall full of moss and lichen or a weathered shed door with rusted handle, sometimes it's the scenery that we take for granted around us or the canopy of trees that form a dappled shade below. Wherever we look there is always beauty to be found in the most ordinary of places – beauty to be found in the quality of light just after the rain or beauty to be found in the stillness of an early morn.

There is a vitality of greenery this year – certainly one added benefit from the abundance of rain we've had to endure. The trees on the hillside, so lush with so many different shades of green that you are suddenly drawn to the textures; the Creeping Jenny with bright yellowy foliage spreading and filling out in every direction- always a wonderful complement to any neighbouring plant.

Down at the beach l love the shades of the rocks and could stand for ages watching as the waves lap gently over and around them. For me, it's the light- the quality of light that makes everything come alive!

There is nothing more beautiful than a kind spirit – a gentleness and empathy that shines out from the inside. Treating others the way you would wish to be treated – this beauty manifests itself in all sorts of ways – through words and deeds – neighbourly gestures and so on. Sadly however not everyone reciprocates in the same manner, some people hold back and have a coldness inside. I have told my oldest son to not just go for the looks in a girl but to see the beauty that lies beneath – a prerequisite for any of my daughter-in-laws to be – lol.

And lets not forget the most wonderful of moments- sharing and caring. The holding of hands with your partner, the hug from your children or grandchild, a caring word from a friend – that is beauty to warm the cockles of your heart!

So these are the moments in my life that l try to focus on- especially when things are not always easy.

I am drawn to the people who care and to my family who love me.

Love, life and the everyday beauty of things.

I wish you all the very best of weekends and will get round to visiting soon. Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes.

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee,

the small child, and the smiling faces.

Smell the rain, and feel the wind..." Ashley Smith