It is physical, yet ethereal, and so laden with meaning.
It IS in the eye of the beholder, a thing of beauty IS a joy forever. And as Confucius said,
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
But I love, and live by, Emily Dickinson wise observation,
Beauty is not caused. It is.
And I saw it in every moment of my birthday and our Silver Wedding anniversary celebrations last week - enjoy!
Birthday pics
Sue spoilt me with these fun cakes
I've saved this decoration
Coffee and cake with Sue in a local teashop
Roses on the table
Birthday bunting handmade by Johanna
Meet Aloysius - my pressie from hubby :)
A calla lily in my birthday bouquet
Hydrangea plant from Tina
Family dinner: Sam (18), Nick (hubby), Jon (brother), Esther (16), Dad, me
Our gorgeous kids
Dad, me, Jon - guess who blinked at just the wrong time??
Anniversary photos
Nick and I spent the day here - shopping with birthday and anniversary money and wandering the gardens, it was cloudy but warm...
Synchronized fountains
Mr Mallard
Spalding is England's tulip capital
Odd one out - it's my favourite photo :)
Loved the zen garden...
Sculpture from old car exhausts
Fountains made from what??
Leaping metal salmon
All I could think about as we wandered around was my word for last week - Abundance - and, of course, this week's Word is self-evident in every photo!
I wonder what Beauty means to you... do tell...
gorgeous gorgeous photos claire, so glad you had such a wonderful birthday time and all those treats too! I LOVE those cakes...yum!
ReplyDeleteWhat beauty-ful birthday and silver anniversary celebrations you had.
ReplyDeleteHave a beauty filled week too ~ FlowerLady
Oh wow, I absolutely love all the flower photos - especially the flowers in a teapot! I do that too. This post is really beautiful cause it's so happy, cheery, and FLOWERY. What gorgeous gardens, and in a lovely time of year too.
ReplyDeleteWell it looks like you managed to celebrate in style both your significant birthday and your wedding anniversary - how nice of the Queen to give you a Bank holiday weekend to add to the fun! I am in Bali at the moment and I see beauty all around me. For me beauty is often most spectacular in nature, imagine doing yoga overlooking the rice paddy fields with the sun rising...I also love to find beauty in people’s personalities. I am fortunate to have many beautiful people in me life, and your big celebrations seem to show this is true also for you.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have an equally beautiful & zen week ahead!
Wren x
Claire, many, many congratulations on your 50th birthday AND your silver wedding! What a truly happy post, and I so enjoyed reading it all and looking at your gorgeous photos. Beauty exudes from every one - from the love in your faces (what a wonderful family!) and from the stunning surroundings and those lovely tulips.
ReplyDeleteYou have had a serious trial in your life, but looking at these pictures I can see how you have triumphed over it all - your own personal beauty says it all.
Beauty? What God sees when He looks at His children through the lens of His Son Jesus.
Shoshi