As many of you know I was looking forward to Bloggers Bash in London last weekend. Many wonderful posts from other bloggers are circulating but not from me alas. Following so many warm and excited comments on my last Writer Q & A post I wanted to explain my lack of news about the party.

Sadly my father-in-law passed away towards the end of last week. Sadness, shock and sense of unreality took hold of our family. Not only that but immediate practicalities need to be sorted and we are in the midst of this. I was so sorry not to be able to attend the Bloggers Bash, I really missed not meeting everyone. Unfortunately I was a couple of hundred miles away…

Please understand I will be slightly quieter on the blogging front for the next couple of weeks and for this reason too I have switched off the comments for this post.

Below is a poem by my friend Thalia Gust – one which I hadn’t seen until today. Its peace, tranquility and depth is just perfect for those times in all our lives and for lives gone. Thank you.

Dancing Leaves                                        

Light as feathers they danced,

autumn leaves from the trees.

All gold, brown and red. Such a happy dance,

it seemed.

Like death was not sad at all.

***

Can’t say I’m advanced enough, to see,

That I could meet death with the beauty, 

of leaves.

We have eternal souls, consciousness,

Body of mystery, perfection. Treasured.

The vessel of experiences, light and dark.

***

This morning, the trees have given

A beautiful lesson to me.

Maybe one day I will learn to see death,

With the ease and the light of the leaf.

© Thalia Gust

Note: The rose bush photographs are those of one bought for us by my father-in-law two years ago. He couldn’t resist the name – ‘Queen of Sweden’! I have never seen it bloom the way it is this year.