Beautiful Forest

forest

Lost in the forest…

Lost in the forest, I broke off a dark twig
and lifted its whisper to my thirsty lips:
maybe it was the voice of the rain crying,
a cracked bell, or a torn heart.

Something from far off it seemed
deep and secret to me, hidden by the earth,
a shout muffled by huge autumns,
by the moist half-open darkness of the leaves.

Wakening from the dreaming forest there, the hazel-sprig
sang under my tongue, its drifting fragrance
climbed up through my conscious mind

as if suddenly the roots I had left behind
cried out to me, the land I had lost with my childhood—
and I stopped, wounded by the wandering scent. 

by Pablo Neruda 

Beautiful Renovated Castle

This redeemed castle is stunning, I could live here.
Creativity, renovation and conservation at its absolute
best. Beautifully detailed and crafted.
Kudos to architectural firm Witherford Watson Mann
for winning the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize, an annual award
recognizing the best in British architecture, for their
refurbishment of the 12th Century Astley Castle
in Warwickshire, England.

The medieval walls remain standing, gashes and all.
The renewed detailed construction of brick, concrete
and wood sits entirely within the ancient footprint,
visually enriched by the Castle’s imperfect remains.
As the architects explain, “The house is animated by
slashes of sunlight on stone walls and views over the
ancient landscape. At the dining table, you look out
from twelfth and twenty-first century construction
to fifteenth and seventeenth century walls –
the dialogue across the centuries frames
conversations between friends.”
A deserved recognition indeed.

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Beautiful Film

I’m a movie fanatic and this film is a must see! I picked it
randomly tonight and WOW, what a gem. Don’t miss it.
But I have to warn you, bring a box of kleenex. I had no idea
it was such a tear jerker yet it was so uplifting as well.
An ode to family.

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