Like A Kid In A Candy Store

I find that when someone is visiting me, I take the time to notice things in my own city that I never really saw before. My sister came to visit from America, and we dandered the streets of Glasgow finding all sorts of interesting things, one of our favourites being a sweet shop on the West End.

It had everything we imagined a sweet shop would have (and, of course, a number of things we hadn't imagined).

Everything was beautifully wrapped...

...And even the price tags were pleasant and friendly, with little love hearts on.

There was an old fashioned gumball machine (including, I must confess, a hand-written sign explaining it didn't work, and please not to try to use it; but the sign took a quick holiday to enable the gumball machine's moment of fame in a photograph)...

...and pink stripy wallpaper.

The nicest thing about it all was that being the grown-up, responsible persons we were, my sister and I didn't have to just ooooh and aaaaaah over all the sweets...we could buy whatever we wanted.

So we did.

Enjoy life!

Karen

What's In A Kiss

A kiss is the shortest distance between two.
~ Henny Youngman

Is not a kiss the very autograph of love?
~Henry Finck

If you are ever in doubt as to whether or not you should kiss a pretty girl, always give her the benefit of a doubt.
~ Thomas Carlyle

Teach not thy lip such scorn, for it was made
For kissing, not for such contempt.
~William Shakespeare



One kind kiss before we part,
Drop a tear and bid adieu;
Though we sever, my fond heart
Till we meet shall pant for you.
~ Robert Dodsley

You may conquer with the sword, but you are conquered by a kiss.
~ Daniel Heinsius

A kiss makes the heart young again and wipes out the years.
~Rupert Brooke

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
~ The Bible, Song of Solomon

A kiss, and all was said.
~Victor Hugo

Karen

Ice and Frost

There is nothing like those wintry beauties, ice and frost. They have a remarkable ability to alert us to the brightness of colour…

…cause brittle tree branches to stand out stark against the light…


…and make a simple bridge a storyland.

Then the mist comes down, and things appear a bit more ghostly…

…so we share the beauty with people, and the mist swirls about and creates a perfect backdrop for them…

…and the snowy bridge becomes a place to dance.

Enjoy the beauty of winter.

Karen

God Bless America

Well, it’s coming close to the American Thanksgiving holiday, which (although I reside under the reign of the country from which my ancestors sailed away), I still celebrate.


So here is my tribute to the flag of that country, and my thanks for those who sacrificed their lives for what it represents.

“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light…

…what so proudly we hailed...

...at the twilight’s last gleaming…

…whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight…


…O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming…

…And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there…


..O say does that star spangled banner yet wave…


…O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”


Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen

Autumn, Winter, Summer, Spring?

I love the seasons.

Even more, I love looking back at them.

And I can’t quite decide which season lends itself best to a wedding. Because every season has its beauty, and its remembrance:

The steadiness of summer, and the daylight that stretches long across the fields…

The multitude of colours that is autumn, and the variance of those colours on just one or two themes…

In the depth of winter, the beginnings of buds that will flourish soon…


…And spring. Oh, spring. There is such a wild exuberance in spring, flinging about its blossoms and flowers with abandon. There is abundance on the trees, and abundance spread about on the ground. Pink confetti, created by the hand of God.

And yet in spite of the gorgeous confetti, and spring’s flinging on of wedding-day garments that make you catch your breath, my vote would still lean towards autumn’s richness and glory.

But what’s your season?

Karen

Let The Rain Fall Down

Few people really want rain to pour down in sheets on their wedding day. But like anything else at a wedding, even rain can make things beautiful.

Like the droplets of rain on the wedding car…

…the camaraderie of the chauffeur and videographer under a brolly…

…a little wind to whip the veil around…

…and a little laughter at the craziness of it all.


So let the rain fall down! Because when you are holding your hat with your left hand and your umbrella with your right and bending your head to walk into the church, you’ll meet the groom at the door and say (as I did), “Isn’t it some day?”, the groom will respond with a great grin, “It’s the most beautiful day in the world!”

And you know, I think he’s right.

Karen

Get Your Groove On

Everyone loves a good dance tune.

It doesn’t matter if you can dance (and who decides, anyway?). It’s a wedding! The dance floor is another great opportunity to catch some of those hilarious moments…

…and faces…

…and moves.

And every once in a while, one of those "awwww" moments.

So go on, get your dancin' shoes on!

Because this photographer is going to make sure that everyone remembers those shoes - long after you've kicked them off.

Karen