Kwan Yin, by Caprilicious Jewellery

Hello folks, how are you today? The sun is shining, the lark is on the wing - I've never understood what that means, surely they got it wrong - a lark should be on two wings, shouldn't it?
​Anyway, I digress, the lark is on the wing, heading for the sun that is shining, and the garden is beginning to smile at us once more. When my lace cap hydrangeas bloom, all's well with the world.  The plant was three times it's size but had to be cut back when we needed a new fence. Mike had been training the neighbour's ivy over the fence, the idea of something for nothing being irresistible to him.  After a while, it grew so unwieldy that one day on a whim, much like women when they decide to cut their hair short, he cut it all down only to find that the fence was rotten underneath. The ivy had sucked it dry and slowly replaced it with aerial roots. So, no ivy, no boundary fence, and eventually, no lace cap hydrangea. I was not best pleased.

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Kwan Yin

I love the beautiful, benevolent, Goddess of Mercy. She is so graceful and gentle in the face, One of the stories surrounding Quan Yin is that she was a Buddhist who through great love and sacrifice during life, had earned the right to enter Nirvana after death. However, while standing before the Pearly Gates (the Buddhist equivalent of), she heard a cry of anguish from the earth below. She renounced her reward of bliss eternal but in its place found immortality in the hearts of the suffering. 

The statue is from my garden - I saw it in the garden centre and had to have it. Fortunately my indulgent hubby agreed to bring it home, although it isn't his favourite thing to have around the house, as he's not into religious symbolism. I had to reassure him that I loved her beauty and wasn't going soft in the head.

You're welcome to read more about her in The Legend of Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy.

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​I continue to love the lady and pick up most things I find with her face on them - fortunately rare in the UK. If I lived in China it might be quite another story - thank goodness for that, my house is cluttered enough, as it is.

The pendant is carved from a piece of soft wood, with Chinese lettering burnt into the back. With the addition of petals of bamboo coral and Tibetan beads inlaid with coral, turquoise and lapis the necklace is bright and beautiful.  The pendant came with a silken tassel and I left that on.

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Take a look at these peonies - this is their third year in this pot and they are very happy here.
​I'll have to call it a night now. I'm going to grab a few Zeds as I am working all weekend.
Have a wonderful weekend and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then
​xx

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