Green Patches

Recycled Greenpatches - Psalm 51

 

From February 2008 - Psalm 51.

Late Blog of The Week - The Cartoon Blog

Welcome to my Blog of The Week - 'late' this time, not  - thankfully - in the Precious Ramotswe, Alenxander Mcall-Smith sense, more in the 'unexpected diversion caused by fault at the telephone exchange and subsequent circuitous and ultimately time-wasting wanderings round the labyrinthine bowels of a certain provider's website and call centre system' sense of the word.  But that's another story, which, I hope, will not be set to run and run...

So, to BOTW: this time round, I chose what I call one of the 'Big Blogs,' Dave Walker's Cartoon Blog and his reflections on his struggles to maintain his creativity under pressure.  I've had a bit of a sea-change myself, lately, partly prompted by the examples of other people who've not been afraid to be seen to be vulnerable. (At times in the past, the dreaded words:"Now, I'd like us to turn to our neighbour and share..." has had me glancing at the door to locate  the nearest exit for the loo). Hence, I have a great deal of respect for those of us who have the courage to stand up and share their 'seagulls,' or in my case, 'seabirds.' Yes, I know the picture here shows a stork; there is a perfectly simple explanation for this here.

Seagulls, seabirds, storks; which gives me a chance to make an even more tenuous link: Wildgoose and tertiary and actor Paul Alexander's classic reflections on the work of the Holy Spirit: Chasing The Wildgoose which he originally wrote for Franciscan enquirers.

"In the Celtic tradition ‘the wild goose’ is the symbol for the Holy Spirit. The

 

wild goose is an enigmatic creature; once seen, never forgotten; once

 

heard, always remembered; here one moment, gone the next; fond of

 

desolate places and freedom; a romantic figure living a wild life; almost

 

impossible to follow, but once pursued, almost impossible to give up."

 

Keep your seagulls flying, Dave. They're an inspiration to us all. 

When I started this feature, I'd planned never to repeat a blogger, but, as it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday, I simply couldn't resist linking to Archdruid Eileen's Liturgy. 

                                                                                                                                                          aarrmen!

 

 

 

New Year - Journeying on

 

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

- TS Eliot – Little Gidding

 Belated New Year Greetings and advance Epiphany wishes from the Greenpatch Blog.  You'll have noticed that I've slipped out of my Christmas guise into something new.   In fact, any readers who've stuck around over the four year life of Greenpatches may have noticed that I've reverted to my original 'Hills' typepad design. That 'Little Gidding' quote is rather apt, when you think about it!

So  - to a new year.  Journeying and pilgrimage have played quite a part in Greenpatch life over the last year or so, both physically and spiritually and  this it looks to be even more the case in 2011.

Blogging has become rather sporadic for me of late.  The above picture points to the reason why - in part at least : whilst I've made the odd attempt at putting paint to paper previously, these last few months I've become ever more drawn into art journaling. I love it! I had thought of putting more of an arty  slant to GP; however, given my gifts of procrastination and spiritual fluttering about, I just know that it'll end up even less focussed than it's been up to now.  I talked early on about the different flavours I was going to use here; all good in their way, but Too Many Cooks and all that... And much of it is quite personal as well.  Greenpatches was orginally intended to  have a Franciscan/Greeny tinge, and it's best kept that way. Simplicity covers more than you think!

Of course, that won't stop me including the odd piece of creative meanderings - if my newish and definitely not Franciscan -spirited computer allows me to.