Why are endings always indigo?

Beginnings are lacquer red
fired hard in the kiln
of hot hope;
Middles, copper yellow
in sunshine,
sometimes oxidize green
with tears; but
Endings are always indigo
before we step
on the other shore.

['Life's Rainbow' by Sheila Banani]

In my meditation group we reflected on Banani's poem and the stages of life that it represents. And we had a long discussion about the word 'indigo'- the color of the stemen in the flower above. These were some of our thoughts -
It's where night and day meet.
Indigo is the quiet space between a breath.
I could lay down on indigo and it would support me; I'd be held safely.
I'm reminded of the complete quiet and stillness at Golden Bay, New Zealand in those few seconds just prior to sunrise.
What do you think?

Oops, forgot the credits for the photos. The first is by Andrew Boyd, the second had no credit, and the third by Joaquim Simoes. All came via Pixdaus.

I could become one of THOSE women...

You know…one of those women who surround themselves with cats and cat themed objects. It could happen. Easily. Pictured above is Princess, my ‘claytons’ cat. She visits me every morning for around half an hour, flirts, cuddles, chats away, and them disappears in a northerly direction only to appear again around 24 hours later. I think I may be addicted - there's craving, especially in that last half hour of waiting. Will she arrive, or heaven forbid, will this be one of those rare days when there's no sight of her? The day will not be quite as shiney. And always the whispering voice 'why not get one of your own?' followed quickly by 'a pet's a big committment...yes I know I've done it before...but...'. For, as we get older, we realise that to love is to agree to grieve, and we get that little bit more tentative about giving our heart away. It's as if we start to grieve the day we start to love as the thought of losing this precious being is uncomprehensible. It's the same as loving people. And who would want to do without that?

l to r 1. wabiMYsabi 2. Eyedeas 3. Radically Retro 4. plausive 5. Matou En Peluche 6. Keepsake Clocks 7. Dusty Dolls Vintage 8. See Spot Sew 9. Peachy Chic Boutique 10. Georgies Warehouse 11. Just Smashing Darling 12. The Bohemian Cats

Fabulous fibres...

above - Designer Don Pezzano - shop, web, blog

above left to right 1. Rob Jan 2. Knit Motorcycle 3. Hopscotch 4. The 7th Magpie 5. Pink Monkey Flower 6. Benconservato

Papier Mache Magic

Check out Papier Mache Magazine, with its arty inspiration for big and little people. Each new edition is available free to download for a couple of months or it’s only $3AUS to download earlier editions. And the craft of Papier Mache (or Paper Mache) is an art form in the hands of those artists featured below.

1. San Souci Studios 2. Rachael DiRenna 3. Artisan Maskers 4. Etco 5. grrlandog 6. Art Spell 7. Firuzan Goker 8. Woodyloo 9. Micapeeka