Inspired by writer friend KirstyS, I thought today I might start something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now.  I suspect I’m a bit late starting for 2012 however now seemed as good a time as any to create my own River of Stones.  I’m not sure I will blog them every day, but I will no doubt release a few of them into the wild from the pages of this blog.

The first one is very personal and truly merits its position as the first of my stones.

There are some things in life that are flare brightly and light our world with all the possibilities of their beauty and yet before we know it, the day takes them when it fades to night and they are gone from us.

Nothing sums this up for me better than the ipomoea  (Morning Glory) unfurling its blossoms in the early morning  to greet us with as we hurry off on our way and which by night time, will already have faded away as we return, tired and worn from the worries and burdens of the day. They are a reminder for me of the importance of stopping to savour the moment because it will never come again and all too soon it is gone from our grasp.

Short lived, these blossoms are every bit as glorious as their name promises. The Heavenly Blue (above) which I grew  every year in New York has fared less well here in Stone and although I have managed to grow a different variety (below), I miss the buzz of the hummingbirds, so fleetingly brilliant in their iridescent plumage, darting in and out of the flowers as they came to feed on the nectar —like my own personal constant gardeners.

This morning, the blossoms (far left below)were already well developed under skies full of big-bellied rain clouds and indeed by this evening they had curled in on themselves, leaving only the impression of their presence and yet despite the brevity of their life, they were indeed no less beautiful.

A heartbeat

a fleeting moment

of transcient life,

a vanishing point

of fading light;

evanescence.