Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Saturday 1 October 2016

Grateful

©Brigitta Huegel


L' été c'est fini ..

©Brigitta Huegel


... and I feel thankful for such a lovely, lovely solitary summer! 

Here a part from George Herbert's poem 'The Flower


...And now in age I bud again, 
After so many deaths I live and write; 
I once more smell the dew and rain, 
And relish versing: O my only light, 
It cannot be 
That I am he 
On whom thy tempests fell all right. 



22 comments:

  1. Hi Brigitta, lovely sentiments and pictures. It's supposed to rain here tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. Everything has been so dusty and dirty . . . and for so long it seems. But it's nothing compared to the fogs of wars in Syria, Iraq, Lybia, Aghanistan and probably soon in some other places . . .
    We live in sad times. We need glimmers of hope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I was in Vienna, Gwil - forelast week-end of August - I enjoyed the warm weather; but today I thought of your remark when rain finally came to Berlin. And yes: the world needs hope.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Yes - I planted a tree into my garden in Hildesheim, long time ago, and it grew and gave us each year many fruits (different from apples, where you get mostly every two years fruits). I have a lot of quince-recipes now (and only few people who want to have the fruits for free).

      Delete
  3. Lovely drawings Britta and a very appropriate poem too. I think I might have a go at writing an ode to autumn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Elaine - I just draw a bit to look more concentrated at things.
      I would like to hear your ode to autumn, because I always appreciate your poetic texts, as you know.

      Delete
  4. I have fleecy tights underneath my shorts tonight. I am in denial about the end of summer. Lovely drawings of fruits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rachel. Denial is an option - and sometimes I think that even 'summer' does it - seems to come back in a moderate form.

      Delete
  5. I recognized the quince, but I've never seen the inside of one. What are the tan and cream colored objects nearby? They look like the nut of a tree native to Ohio, the buckeye.
    I have resorted to my cotton undershirt with wool lining, and it's not that cold. But, cold enough for the undershirt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are buckeyes - or chestnuts - Joanne, and the green open thing is the German version of a chestnut-hull, split open by falling down :-)
      In the evening a wool lined cotton trouser is a good option here when you still sit outside, with a candle in a restaurant.

      Delete
  6. The piece of the poem is a lovely sentiment. I also enjoyed the artwork.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Emma. The poem is really beautiful - to think that George Herbert was born in 1593 makes me think that his poem is remarkably "fresh".

      Delete
  7. Your drawings are lovely, and so is that poem. Mother Nature may finally be ready to declare. "L'ete c'est fini." Maybe. It was finally cool enough to sleep with the windows open last night, but it may just be a short tease. Warmer weather may return again next week for a last gasp of summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Susan - normally I just draw, colours are always a bit difficult. I heard from Geo. that the USA had long, long times of heat (and little water from rain). I like your "last gasp of summer"!

      Delete
  8. What lovely drawings and the first line of your verse just made my heart sing! "...and now in age I bud again..." My birthday is this coming Thursday and yesterday dear son and daughter-in-love shared such amazing news...the best birthday surprise ever! Can you guess? Our precious couple are to become first time parents in April! There is love, renewal, and hope at every age. Happy Autumn, dear Britta... enjoy your quince and chestnuts..there are gifts in every season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Susan! Oh, you got such a wonderful birthday surprise, and I am rejoicing with you! (I will put that wish on my wish list for my birthday in December - really). Yes - that is definitely the time to bud again - so touching, and so full of meaning and purpose; I'm so glad for you.

      Delete
  9. I find all your drawings here very pretty, Britta.
    I have a long-stemmed white rose on my balcony and it has three new buds...
    I am so grateful as well :)
    Greetings Maria x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Maria! Roses on the balcony are wonderful, because you are so near to them and have the opportunity to smell them more often - so enjoy! Greetings, Britta xx

      Delete
  10. Delightful drawings and Herbert lines, Brigitta. And California is finally cooling down a bit. Rain predicted sometime this week! It's good to feel the seasons move again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Geo., Herbert is a marvel. Movement is good, change too (though sometimes I could do with a bit less). I love the smell in the air when the first rain comes down and the dust is settling.

      Delete
  11. Lovely drawings. Are they yours? The title of your post reminds me of something I learned only recently about Hillary Clinton. In a town hall meeting earlier this year, a rabbi asked her, "How do you cultivate the ego, the ego that we all know you must have, a person must have to be the leader of the free world, and also the humility to recognize that we know that you can’t be expected to be wise about all the things that the president has to be responsible for?” She responded, citing the Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen. A friend had given her a book of his during a difficult time, and this lesson from the book has guided her ever since: "Practice the discipline of gratitude. Be grateful for your limitations, know that you have to reach out to have more people be with you to support you advise you. Listen to your critics, answer the questions, but at the end, be grateful."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Sue, thank you! Yes, I draw when I have enough time and am not too ambitious or critical :-) (At the moment I like the Urban Sketchers - they motivated me to draw outside).
      I hope so much that your support into which you put so much power will have the effect we wish! The quote is very interesting - because normally "ego" has a bad press. And yes: it needs discipline too to be grateful - but that pays off a hundred times.

      Delete