Brave buds

How were the buds doing, I wondered? After all, just as they were opening, Auckland had its first snowfall in 72 years, and its 'coldest ever daily high' (which is an odd word, considering it was a low!)
Of course, we are softies here, and the cold that we are feeling is nothing like what people further south are experiencing.
All the same, I wondered how those delicate buds (being Auckland buds) were managing the icy blasts.

Oh, brave buds! They continue to unfurl, and open. Nature's rhythm is stronger than any vagaries of the weather, it seems. The energy of spring is with us; it's just that it's masquerading as winter for a few days.

Snowflakes in Auckland!

Yes, it's true! This afternoon the sun was swallowed up in the icy clouds above, and what began as rain suddenly softened into snow flakes.
Rain falls, but snowflakes tumble, float, and waft down from the sky.
Here beside the sea, the snow did not linger on the ground.
No photos were possible, for this ephemeral event.
And so all I can do is paint a word picture.
But I saw a sight I never thought to see in my lifetime: snow falling in Auckland!

Twigs

Not only are the leaf buds turning red, but also the twigs as trees return to life.

I imagine the life blood flowing through these twigs, preparing for a great outbreak of leaves.
Officially, it's not yet spring. But to me, when I notice the subtle signs that are everywhere, spring is surely here. As the Chinese proverb says,

Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by humans.

Buds opening

The same buds that I photographed just a few days ago and now peeling back their skins and showing their tender folded petals.

And while some trees are still quite dormant, others are popping out little leaf buds, red with new life.

It seems amazing that the bright green of a leaf is concealed inside such a red bud. Red and green are complementary colours. Artists learn to create a vibration by placing red and green next to each other. These buds must be vibrating with joy at their imminent release.

And Spring arose on the garden fair,

 Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

 And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

 rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

 ~Percy Bysshe Shelley, 'The Sensitive Plant'

Budding

I see buds everywhere, even in trees that look as if they are still winter-bare.
As I walked down the street, musing on this word 'Bud', I found a poem writing itself inside my head.

BUD

A perfect word

Let it be said

Enfolding U

From B/irth to D/eath.

Blessing for First Light

Here is an Irish blessing, spoken in our circle last night as we celebrated First Light and remembered the Celtic Brigid, goddess of inspiration, poetry and healing:

When the first light of sun —

Bless you

When the long day is done —

Bless you

In your smiles and your tears —

Bless you

Through each day of your years —

Bless you

Blessings to you all, wherever you are, and in whatever season.

Celebrating First Light

Tonight I'll be celebrating the festival of First Light. In this land of Aotearoa, the inanga (whitebait) are wriggling their way up the rivers.
We too will be listening to the new life that is young and wriggling inside after the hibernation of winter.

The yellow flowers will be set in the south, where in Celtic tradition we find the element of earth (reversed for our southern hemisphere). In the west lies water, signified tonight with this blue vessel and white sea shells. To the Celts, First Light, which is half-way between winter solstice and spring equinox, is the festival of the fire goddess Brigid, who is associated with creativity, poetry and healing.

Tonight the candles will be lit in honour of Brigid. And as an extra element, here is the Chinese goddess of compassion, Kuan Yin, for we will be invoking healing and compassion for absent friends, and all those in trouble at this time.
Kuan Yin is said to be 'She Who Sees and Hears the Cries of the World'.

This is a festival of gentleness, welcoming back the light, and letting it support the blossoming of hope.