Blogtober Days 16-17 - Unexpected

I have been busy trying to finish off a piece of writing this week so it's been a bit rush, rush, rush. I had a letter to post yesterday and so flashed quickly into an op-shop ("I don't really have time for this, but...") as I was walking back to the car from the post office. I was delighted to find a number of balls of Icelandic wool (Alafoss Lopi - have you ever used it?). It's so lovely and unprocessed looking (and feeling). At first I wondered if Alafoss was Icelandic for alpaca but it seems to just be the brand name!

Also some gorgeous little crocheted doilies, just right for framing in embroidery hoops...

And this great crocheted wall hanging. So cute! Love a flying and unexpectedly fruitful thrifting stop!

I am in no way religious in the conventional sense and I don't subscribe to any of the organised religions. Yet I have found unexpected enjoyment in listening to some gospel music this week, especially as sung by the American singer Allison Krauss. I love the purity and simplicity of sound. You might recognise this song from the Daylesford ad if you are local or from the movie O Brother Where Art Thou. So peaceful. Enjoy your weekend.

Nature

The spiritual views which I subscribe to primarily implore a love of nature. But nature is making itself very hard to love at the moment. The countryside is burnt black, people are dead, homes are destroyed, the relief of good, heavy, soaking rain just won’t come and even on our own little urban patch, the garden is alternatively a sickly yellow, a burnt brown or a bleached-out white. The sun has left its angry imprint everywhere. Many spiritual belief systems reverence nature but this has a flip-side which many adherents today fail or choose not to observe. Nature, as much as it can calm and nurture, can also be furious and destructive. Against its might, we can ultimately present little resistance. And its might, when roused by decades of various forms of environmental abuse, is mighty indeed.