The rhythm and ritual in a garden.

The buds, flowers and bird movements are the norms in a garden. It happens each day in all seasons of the year. 

It occurred to me yesterday, how much I am present to others in the orbit of my contacts.

It was while listening to the ups and downs of a family who have health related challenges and job related stress, I had a closer view of the disturbed rhythm in that life family. It was an occasion to feel sensitised about the rhythm we are called to live-mindfully of others. 

The buds, flowers and birds make a garden a place of hospitality! It is when we create space and attention for others, we become neighbours to others. 

The news of a family who lost their adult son in an accident at sea and a senior friend who is now in residential care after a stroke, disturbed Anna and me this week, as we have had regular contacts with these two families for several years. 

Anna's school friend who visited us from the United States of America, during this week brought news of people feeling displaced from their comfort level by the short sighted and partisan views of the current president of the USA towards the immigrants resident in the USA for years! 

I heard the member of parliament from Manipur speaking sorrowfully in the Parliament, about how the ethnic violence in that state left hundreds homeless and children having had to discontinue schooling. He was helplessly calling the attention of the central government to intervene.

The rhythm and ritual of life was to live neighbour friendly! But I wonder if leaderships of some nations are carried away by their own prospects and prosperity! I feel that parents too get preoccupied by their own pursuit and prospects that children get displaced from their orbit of attention!

The nature still follows its rhythm and rituals of being present to bring their gifts for us. I suspect that humans seek more for themselves and less and less for the welfare of their neighbours!

The Christmas is a season of giving and remembering others!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Birds, Spider and Flowers

 

The garden around our cottage is in its scenic confluence at this time of the year. The weather too is favourable for plant life. The gathering of birds in the feeding station adds to the variety in the garden!

The serene silence of the garden and the reciprocal bird calls provide a good contrasting experience. 

The silence and the refreshing interruption !

It is when one can be silent inwardly, the sounds can reach us fully in their myriads of meaning. 

The silence prepares the soul to receive the sounds and calls of birds to receive an awakening message. 

The feeding station is becoming a place of comfort for birds. The birds do  not chase away new visitors. There is a communal harmony. 

The political world is in turmoil globally. The human language used by the political leadership is of suspicion and division. The language of nature is wellness, fullness and cohesion. 

The news in the media is one of many disappointments; but the garden is a reminder of new life, growth, giving, caring and flourishing! 

The garden is announcing the message of Christmas season- a Giving God became present in human form at Bethlehem ! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A song in the air!

It was the song call of a Magpie Robin that turned my attention to the gate of our cottage, where Daphne was seen looking upward. Seeing Daphne still and looking up, I could spot the Magpie robin perched on a tall coconut palm, singing its carol! Its calls were long and tuneful with short pauses in between.  The tuneful singing continued for twenty minutes, till it flew away to a distance beyond my vision. 

Tuneful bird calls are the habit of male Magpie robins. Its calls are for other birds, perhaps seeking for pairing! 

What intrigued me is the uninterrupted singing!

Its habit of singing is part of its morning rhythm!

Doing good can be a rhythm, worth pursuing! That was the message that resonated within me!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The effect of climate change!

The cashew fruits normally appear by March-April, but it seems early this year. 

A clear indication of weather changes affecting the rhythm of the plant life! 

The nutmeg trees are bare without fruits, which is unlike the usual pattern!

Our attention to the care of the environment needs more sensitive responses! 

Is it not strange to hear the president of the United States asking people to return to fossil fuel as the source of energy when people were turning to electricity powered automobiles! The president's language is not of a statesman committed to the health of people and environment !

Its looks like we have short sight for an immediate personal gain!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo )

Endearing meal time !

 

It is not common to notice Barbets feeding together and engage in communication! They feed privately and are less communicative. But here he last five photographs show a language of togetherness and engagement. 

The meal times are such occasions to stay in touch with each other. Giving attention to listen and interact would make meal times refreshing. 

I recall how in a family table in a home,  at supper,  each person takes turn to tell an experience or an event or a story ! Listening to the narratives I felt included in the family ambience.  

I recall the yeas of a similar practice at supper time when our children were younger, when they had lot to say about school experiences. It was also practice to read a story that children would benefit form, while we were still at the table after finishing the meal. Often that led to the family prayer time!

A meal time is an occasion to feel near to each other and have endearing conversations. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Small but special !

 

The Rose aphids, a variety of ants which feed on coloured sweet petals are in our garden. They suck the asap and deplete the buds of their capacity to blossom! They infest the bud when the calyx is about to give way to the opening flower. 

I read a description about rose aphids being most opportunistic. They have good sense of odour and identify some special flowers which have sweet sap. 

There is a wide variety of these ants who find other flowers before they are open. 

I noticed a Handmaiden moth on the leaf of a rose bush. I find these sights interesting as the garden becomes a place of discoveries and new experiences. This moth is seen in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Sikkim according to Wikipedia. 

I remember a senior friend telling me when I was beginning to take photos of flowers about thirty years ago,  that, 'It is not enough to see the flower, but allow the flower to see you' ! 

That comment was  about looking at a flower to feel surprised, because there is something more than what catches the eye as the first impression. 

Looking to see beyond the obvious !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Movement readiness !

The Barbet above was perched in a guava tree in our front garden overlooking the feeding station. It moved 360 degrees in its perch during a brief halt at this flight station. 

What was captivating was its look, body posture and varying alertness or attentiveness to what it saw or heard in the environment. Its processing of the environment was intense and sharp. Barbets by species carry a timid disposition. They have well developed self defending skills. They are brisk to respond with quick flight responses. They hide in the foliage and remain well camouflaged when feeling threatened. 

The above photos give a narration of the personal habit of a Barbet in planning its strategy. 

What interests me about bird behaviour is the response they communicate in their body posture to every form of environmental event. It is what they process with their eyes and ears, which they externalise in the body language. The body language is about readiness to act. 

They are always movement ready!

I checked on my movements for a week to keep a track of my activity rhythm during about 16 hours of the day. The steps taken according to the health data from the phone was in the range of 3000 to 6000 steps with an average distance walked in a a day during a week being 2.6 kilometres. The week before that was only an average of 2 kilometres. It was during that week, I noticed blood sugar level variations which brought some concern. Since there were more movements, the blood sugar level got stabilised in the subsequent week. 

It was during this encounter with my own movement pattern, I got to think more about the larger dimension of movement. All movements are transitions. From sitting at the desk when I move out of the room, what I encounter is the lawn, garden, plants, flowers and bird movements in the garden. There is another orientation which brings change in visual and auditory stimuli. There is a transition from intensity of attention to a dispersal of attention to bring the mind to a different level of engagement. The physiological changes in the body through movement and change of activity bring a good interlude to the routine of the day. It helped me to realise that movements in between are necessary to undo the prolonged sitting habit. Walking while at work between places is different from a leisurely walk with no task before.  A short walk of five minutes every two to three hours is a healthy practice to bring a different rhythm to the body and mind. 

The movements of a Barbet and its body language alerted me about how it moved volitionally. The agility of its body is on account of movements. 

Having in between times for movements is a healthy practice to remain alert and to overcome the monotony and stress of sameness !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)