Of Winged Things, by Caprilicious Jewellery

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”  ~Leonardo da Vinci

Hello people of the ether, I'm so pleased to make contact with you again today. I hope you've all been wrapped up warm as we are set for a wet and chilly winter- those of us in the UK certainly are.
It has already started snowing in parts of North America and that I think is one of the benefits of living alongside the North Atlantic Drift, the warm ocean current stretching from Florida to north-western Europe. As the warm waters of the drift flow toward western Europe it moderates our climate here in the UK, allowing for winters that are less cold than would be expected at our latitude. Without the North Atlantic Drift, many places in Europe and the United Kingdom would be as cold as Canada. Brrr!! Thank you Florida for keeping us warm (ish)! 
Even so, in such a tiny country there is a marked difference in the weather between the North and the South. This was brought home to me as I was in London for a couple of days at the beginning of the week, and up in Edinburgh at the end. Boy! Was it cold up there. There's a lot to be said for living in the balmy Midlands as I do - no surprises here. I went up to Edinburgh to a meeting, but managed to take some pictures and do a bit of sight seeing while I was there.

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Edinburgh is built in the most beautiful sandstone, but the buildings in the centre have got grimy with age and some of them look dark and forbidding, very Gothic. You get a feel for the grisly history of the place - a lot of blood has flown down those streets. Parts of the castle are from the 12th century. On this occasion, we had no time to go into the castle so we took a walk in the bracing cold wind around the periphery and serendipitously caught the most beautiful sunset. 
The city is built on an undulating hill and a walk that looks completely feasible on a map could in reality turn out to be a steep climb (read hike) up an almost vertical slope. Great for mountain goats, but not for those growing older with all the aches and pains that entails. Still, we managed a lot of walking, up and down the Royal Mile - the shops were a bit disappointing - unless one craves whisky, woolens, fudge, or tourist tat, with the odd Celtic Jeweller thrown in, we couldn't find anything to spend our money on - just as well, I thought, and boarded the train for the four hour journey back home. 
I wish I could've grown wings when I wandered around Edinburgh, life would have been so much easier!

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Birdie Necklace (More Birdie necklaces!!??)

I'm sorry, I changed my mind. I know I said I wouldn't make any more but I love making the little critters with tiny wings and flowers on their tails - this time I made them in various colours and put them together with beads I made earlier. I've been using a tutorial by Debbie Crothers to turn the beads extremely shiny - this involves zapping them with a very, very hot wallpaper stripper - it is most definitely not just a heat gun, this is more like a dragon snorting fire out of your fist, but the beads go beautifully shiny, get a glass like finish and are never sticky as they sometimes are with varnish.  

I sprinkled the necklaces liberally with a medley of agate beads, African glass and jade and produced a couple of colourful, fun pieces that can be worn both summer and winter. 

Last week I made the 'Empress', a beautiful necklace of green onyx and seed pearls with a micro pave connector. I made earrings to go with this necklace using diamante ear cuffs and butterflies with green onyx. I think they go beautifully together, what d'you think??

A Clamor of Winged Things, by Jef Littlejohn

​The calm of a frozen white
just barely gone….
when comes again, with warmth,
that buzz in nuisances.
Familiar irritant … diminutive clouds
in sputters and rumblings,
like an old Vespa
down a cobbled lane,
…… as earful, chaos
comes with Spring.

The cherry has burst into pink
and all is noise
‘bout its blossoming.
Unraveled strands of sunbeams
chase thru spreading limbs
gather into rays
as feathered things
awake. Unfurling green
trembles in play to flit and frisk
a tint on varied plumes
their array of chitter…a rapid pluck
to high-strung strings
on violins…. echos…
….a comic symphony
among the branches.

On silent glide
 in iridescent flutters
the butterflies ride….
delicate maneuvers flown
on clash of color
patterns take to air…. miniatures
in japanese rice paper kites.
Drone of wings on squadrons of bees
descend…. glint as isinglass
in blurred and hastened flight,
petals and pistils quake ….ecstatic
as pollen-hunters dart in ballet
….. an unrelenting hum.
​
As a confluence of gnats gather….
undulant puff in specks
as acrobats
–their hyper fuss form
in a gordian knot
against a pale green sky
outside my window.
Captivates…..
until sudden drizzle downs them all
…. drowns their song.

Curmudgeon, I
could not welcome more
those beneficial rains of Spring
and lift this cup in a gesture to
the silenced ……
clamor of winged things.

I found this little poem on a website that I visit randomly and thought I'd share - the link to the website is in the title, do take a look if the fancy takes you. 

That's me for this week, folks. Have a wonderful week and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then
​xx