Haiku - Japanese Poetry

 The snow disappeared as quickly as it came, several times.  More is forecast for over the weekend but it isn't likely to last long thankfully.  Nothing stops Mother Nature so even this terrible cold snap and the intermittent snow has not stopped the unfurling of the rhubarb and the growth of the mint starting back on its journey.  Daffodils are also starting to show their beautiful trumpets.  It has been a slow start but Spring is beginning  to make an appearance, teasing us with a promise of so much to come.  I have finally made a start on some seeds.  I love this time of year when our little cottage is filled with seed trays on every window surface, giving us hope of some tasty salads for the Summer and dried herbs and sauces for the Winter.

I celebrated my birthday yesterday, such a wonderful day where I was spoilt.  We did manage to go to town and had lunch at the Crown Hotel, it was such a treat to be able to eat out and enjoy food that I had not had to cook.  We had a family gathering via the computer and once again I am so thankful for this amazing technology.  I was also blessed with lots of cards and gifts and was thoroughly spoilt.  I just love the handmade cards the Grandchildren make and the progress they have made each year with there drawing and writing skills.

Gerard and I have had so much with Haiku, a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 short lines that do not rhyme using 5/7/5 syllables, 17 syllables in total.  When we first started this little adventure together we had remembered it wrong and was writing the poem using 5/7/5 words not syllables.  I had started to record some of them and had fun with watercolours.  

An artist I am not but I have enjoyed the process.  These are some of the poems written wrongly using the word format not syllables but I decided to keep them as they are part of the journey.  The fun is in the journey taken and not necessarily the end result.  It has been an unusual adventure, playing with words but one that I have enjoyed and will continue.

My daughter has just started a blog recording some of her travels, it does make for a good read.  Here is the link should you want to visit www.thatmumtravellife.com let her know I sent you.  She calls herself Tor but she will always be Victoria to us.  Its a nice way to record some of the amazing days out they have with those gorgeous boys and is an honest review regarding finances too.

Hope all is well with you and that you are safe, well and enjoying life.  There are times when this pandemic and the restrictions imposed have been tedious to say the least but the separation from family has been so hard to bear.  I yearn to be able to plan a trip to catch up with them all and whilst I am so thankful for technology and the joys its brings its not quite the same as seeing them in person.  The sad death of Prince Philip and the wonderful tributes made to him highlighted how short our lives are.  Such a special man that will not get  the state funeral that he so richly deserves.  We need to remember to make every minute count and enjoy what we have making as many memories as we can along the way.

See you soon.