September 27, 2006

Overwhelming Beauty All Around


Succulent Planters
Originally uploaded by Poundstone.

• Trees beginning to turn colors - marking one year in the place we live and Sophie's first Fall

• Werner Herzog's film "The White Diamond" - the music, the long looks at unexpected details in amazing landscapes, the way the people who live in Guyana see the beauty they're surrounded by...that Werner Herzog is using his considerable powers to make a film like *this* makes my heart surge with joy. Is that enough of a recommendation?

• Finding dozens of shiny, mahogany chestnuts in the street a block away from my house (any tips on what to do with these little jewels?)

• More films: Little Miss Sunshine, The Chorus, Tony Takitani, Mass Games

• These succulents (above) ready for their photo opportunity on our neighbors' porch

• After months of not doing it, finally cutting roses and hydrangeas from our plants and bringing them inside

• Finishing Carol Drinkwater's "The Olive Farm." I loved her in the role of James Herriot's wife on "All Creatures Great and Small. I looked her up recently to find that she's written three books about renovating a dilapidated olive farm in the south of France with her husband; "The Olive Farm" is the first in the series. The book should have had some serious editing help, but the storyline is mostly there, and it's easy to get carried away by her rapture for the place: the olive, flowering almond and orange trees; the ever-changing view of the "Med," happy dogs and geckos and foxes running around; a crystal clear pool to dip into; whitewashed walls of a writing room; blue shutters and red geraniums outside the front door....etc.

• Amazing light here the last few days - warm, bright, promising...

2 comments:

Katrine K said...

Oh, I really find these succulents beautiful..and the chestnuts, what to do with them? Just keep them to look at, they are jewerly for our eyes..

Swirly said...

There is something special about the light these days - the sky has been particularly bright down here in CA as well. Lovely list...