Sweyne’s How ~ the tomb of the man who gave Swansea its name

There are many hidden treasures and lost history, dotted amid bracken and heather and in valleys where no one but wild ponies venture. I found this one, supposedly the tomb of the ancient founder of the city of Swansea, lichened and mellow in Welsh sunshine, with the aid of an OS map and a husband [...]

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Heyokah Blues ~ or the Cost of Being the Clown-Guardians of Society

Heyokah blues “When everyone thinks something is good, it becomes evil”- Lao Tzu, Chinese sage, fourth century BC Lest anyone think I am being pretentious quoting Lao Tzu, I should explain I found this quote at the start ofa very enjoyable pulp fiction read, Kingdom by Tom Martin. I’ve been involved in certain aspects of [...]

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The Cherry Tree ~ or how God might see things

The Cherry Tree I see the cherry tree Bare of leaves, Twigs a tangle of algae’d wood And buds tight coppery knots Tipping each twig with points of light. I see it covered in bloom Double pink flowers like candy floss Dripping confetti onto overgrown grass. Newly opened leaves gleam bronze Fluttering in early summer [...]

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Pearls Before Swine ~or Why You Can Lead A Horse To Water But You Can’t Make It Drink

Pearls before Swine ~ or why you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink! In my daily job of being a teacher of English as a foreign language, I long for the summer when we get the hordes of invading students from all over the world and the chance to [...]

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Meditating With Aromatics ~ A Unique Interactive Project That Grows

Meditating with Aromatics ~ a unique interactive project that grows Over the last year I have published a number of meditations that use fragrance as a starting point and the intention has been to write an entire book of them. After much thought I decided that I would start by making the meditations available during [...]

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The Light of the World by Holman Hunt

I’ve always loved the pre-Raphaelite painters with their richness of colour, texture and mythic themes, not to mention that I would have made a perfect model for them. Holman Hunt’s most famous painting, The Light of the World, is a feast of richness and mystery. The figure is assumed to be Jesus, a very English [...]

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Guesting elsewhere today ~ the grit at the heart of the pearl

Today I have been given a rather wonderful guest posting at Thea Atkinson’s blog. Go and read. I am rather proud of this one… http://theaatkinson.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/mid-may-guest-blogger-at-gonzoink-vivienne-tuffnell/

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Doorways ~ an open and shut case?

This one? or this one: “Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take towards the door we never opened into the rose garden. My words echo thus in your mind. But to what purpose  disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose leaves I do not know.” T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton [...]

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Ties that Bind ~ a poem about love

Ties that bind What are the ties that bind us? Perhaps for some, like Marley’s chains, They are forged link by link Of heavy frozen steel To weigh down butterfly wings And hearts that would be away, As sure as nail through foot Would anchor us to earth. The ties that bind should rather be [...]

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A yearning for freedom and a burning desire for fairness ~ a dangerous combination?

A yearning for freedom and a burning desire for fairness ~ a dangerous combination? Many years ago now, a dear friend said to me, “You have a strong desire to  express your freedom,” and I didn’t know what he meant. I’m still not entirely sure now. In the West we have more personal freedoms than [...]

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