I am delighted to have Noy back with us. This reads almost like a Fantasy, a very lush, almost surreal feel. Due to length I have edited the entry into sections. Please return tomorrow for the next installment. Nick Grimshawe

The Beautiful Summer Morning Diary of Noy -

“Four Seasons, A Petal In My Life”

Autumn started months ago, in which case - it’s almost at its end. But it is still capturing, a vivid montage of precious recollections. Fragmented hues and images of rustic leaves sprawled on the grounds, leaving different patterns of colours. Forming a thick carpet of amber and yellow and brown and and gold. You’re enchanted, in one with the surrounds, so peaceful, so quiet. You feel captured in a frame, hanged and swinging with the tempo of the cool wind seeping through the air. The flowers disappear and the birds had sought solace somewhere leaving no trace - leaving you with nothingness. Winter follows with its glistening white dust, forming an array of equally distributed frosty flakes. Your steaming breath freely flows forming ethereal shadows as it joins the magical chilly wind. The sleeping woodlands are silent, promising you with misty days ahead, short and cold, and somewhat indifferent. Yet, somehow, with affirmative enthusiasm and eagerness, you don’t dwell so much on this blanket of frost and decaying leaves. Suddenly the entire place is filled with movement. You know that Spring is coming. Shoots and buds are showing, ready for its yearly majestic display of scents and blooms. Birds seem to be more in harmony with nature, reaching out to the sky and singing to the tune of high-pitched orchestral hymns. Everything is filled with life and colours. You feel alive, singing, and dancing in full gear. Lakes and creeks, and brooks are once again in tune to your music. Daffodils and lilies, at the same time, are also in one with you - swaying … rejoicing. Then follows a warm breeze in the air, the days become bright and long and surrounds us with joy. The sky is clearer, grass is greener, trees are livelier, and the sun is beaming with golden smile. Yes, summer finishes the cycle again with grand festivity. With a promise, that the next seasons shall be offering the same exact contribution, with no partiality.

They were those captivating timeless seasons I immensely enjoyed. Most of which left a deep hollow in the heart … a big mark in the mind, a sacred space - No. 37 Amery Avenue, Blackburn. Chapters unfold: Archives of monumental pages, overlapping with different magnitudes, and, erratic heights, some in faint passing, whirlwind at times, often in subdued patterns. In whichever way, all were carefully put aside … with the hope of one day opening it once again, would re-align and marry the old thoughts with the new ones.

A lot of fond memories linger behind. From the outside, it’s just like one of those typical ordinary dwelling place. Yet, it commands a small dash of hierarchy: Simple yet elegant, regal but unpretentious. There is that feeling of spiritual high as you step in. Imposing, inviting… invoking. There are old eucalyptus trees in the front, in the sides, in the back: Pompous, high and proud. Crowded morning glories fill up the entrance yard which aimlessly try to overpower the unconventionally set cobblestones by the front entrance. Through the carport you go two steps higher which, is akin to an open theatre, showing off its delightful displays of huge potted citrus plants, pine and rubber trees. Two side gates (old but still mighty) - one is peacefully draped with white blooms of rhododendrons trees (at times threatened by the intrusive invasion of “lantanas”). The other gate is almost disappearing under two rhododendron trees (purple-colored and more mature). As you go through each side entrance, you feel like you’re entering an open church. There is that serene feeling of oneness with what’s behind those ancestral gates. It’s a huge backyard - not much of a garden in the real sense but it’s got its special touch… and magical charm. The entire back is fully covered with exotic native bushes, which sprawl twice as high as the surrounding fence. I don’t quite remember the name but I could still clearly see how majestic it looks from a distance. Once you get nearer, you feel like a little girl lost in the woods, you become an Alice in Wonderland. Like soldiers in the green land, they stand still and glisten. Pliant like bamboos, - swaying and stooping on occasions with praying-like gestures… meek and humble. A mural of abundance, its bountiful leaves are glossy and green, flamboyant and stern, in perfect unison - gliding with grace. It’s got a magic pull - so transcendental. You are flawlessly transfixed and in awe of how it gets through swiftly, transforming the inner-you from an ambivalent being into an immortal piece. How magical…yes, it is a sacred jungle, my fantasyland. It gives you a feeling of being lost, but not losing being there. The side fence is reinforced with extra lattices, which are fully adorned and governed by crawling ivy - not shy of imparting its bold statement … authority. Such dominance always gives me a secured feeling and freedom to express my private commune with nature, at the same time still enjoying its freeness.

Keep smiling ….. I am,

Noy :)

To Be Contiued…..