Tag: Gill Henwood

Through a mist, I am known

Tarn Hows, Lake district,Cumbria. Photographed by Gill Henwood in the early morning mist.

Sun through mist,
November.

As through a glass,
darkly,
one day we shall see
face to face.

Meanwhile,
I am known.

(Musing on

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part;
but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Poem and photographs. by Gill,open up the opportunity to weave your own thoughts into the experience of the mist shrouding Tarn Hows, one of the beauty spots of the Lake District. St Paul is painting a picture of love and its fulfillment in the Love of God. Our understanding of love, as powerful as it may be,is but a view through the mist in comparison to the brightness of God’s love for us. It may be that, circumstances in our lives might not suggest a brighter vision right now. Our world in many places is shrouded with mist and darkness. The photos suggest a way through as the scenes are charged with expectancy and promise. You might see a deeper joy about to reveal itself to you. Whatever you make of these photos and Gill’s words, please try and take to heart the line, ‘I am known’.
You are known to God. That knowledge is expressed in God’s arms around you; God’s love for you.
No matter how you see it or feel it, it is real.

[poem & photos by Gill Henwood.]

Beech in Autumn

Beech Tree, Lake District, photographed by Gill Henwood

My friend Gill has sent me this wonderfully autumnal photo and poem.

Beech in Autumn

Fallen beech leaves,
copper shining with rain,
carpeting the grey slate with burnished glow
of the changing season

As the tree sheds her leaves after another year,
her bare skeleton speaks of hope and renewal:
that one day, after the cold frosts, bitter winds and ice,
warmth and buds of growth will come again,
anew, afresh.

She is over a century old.
She bears witness this Samhain, All Hallows, All Saints,
Remembering.

[Gill Henwood]

Hawthorn Jewels

My friend, Gill Henwood, has sent me photos of a Hawthorn bush on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, in all its autumn finery. It is too delicious not to share it.

The Woodland Trust says that the Hawthorn has great value to wildlife.
“Common hawthorn can support hundreds of other species. It is the foodplant for caterpillars of moths, including the hawthorn, orchard ermine, pear leaf blister, rhomboid tortrix, light emerald, lackey, vapourer, fruitlet-mining tortrix, small eggar and lappet moths. Its flowers are eaten by dormice and provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects. The haws are rich in antioxidants and are eaten by migrating birds, such as redwings, fieldfares and thrushes, as well as small mammals.
The dense, thorny foliage makes fantastic nesting shelter for many species of bird.”

Autumn dripping leaves of weary gold
Exits quietly, fading through the trees.
Hawthorn shakes her cloak of ruby fire.
Naked to the woods and twisting breeze…..
… Winter’s breath now lingers in the air.

[From a poem by, Karen Neary, Winter Song . Copyright © Karen Neary.
The full poem and others by her are to be found on the website, Poetrysoup

PoetrySoup.comhttps://www.poetrysoup.com/poems

[Mr G]

Autumn webs

Autumn is the season for spiders both inside the house and also in the countryside and garden.

Not everyone is a fan of spiders and there are many species, from tiny mites to large, slightly threatening ones. Only a very few tend to bite human beings. According to the Natural History Museum, only about 12 species have been recorded as inflicting a bite on humans and of those only three have left an unpleasant or painful sensation. As there are over 650 types of spider the risks are minimal. Mind, if you insist on picking them up they will defend themselves!

The evidence of spiders in our gardens and in the fields can be found on a low misty morning when the ground is strewn with gossamer webs, highlighted by frost. These can be found often in their hundreds. This is the work of one species particularly – the Common sheetweb spider or to give its posh name, Linyphia triangularis. It’s a very common species and its presence easily seen – the name sheetweb – may provide a clue!

This Sunday, many in the UK will be keeping Animal Welfare Sunday. Perhaps we could spare a thought and a prayer for these tiny creatures of God’s creation, often overlooked or avoided. I suspect that he had a lot of fun making them!

My friend, Gill Henwood, has captured this in photos she has taken in the Lake District, so here’s a couple.

[Mr G 28.9.2023]