The Sun Will Shine Again Nanny McPhee!  

Posted by Heidi in

the view from my front door

This morning I found myself wondering about Nanny McPhee. (She’s the Mary Poppins-like character depicted by Emma Thompson under a lot of heavy make-up, complete with one large tooth straining against a disapproving lip topped by a hard-to-look-at hairy mole.) I found the first movie charming (I find that my kids are too old for the sequel out soon. Or now. Whatever.) and loved the idea that, as soon as the children she came to help learned their lesson (as I said, Mary Poppins-style), her youth and beauty returned, one magically disappearing hairy mole at a time. Her beauty restored, she knows it’s time to leave that particular family and go on her merry way.



What got me thinking was the process in reverse, the process that lets her know another family is out there in need of her services. I imagine it goes something like this: first, her brow wrinkles and the hair knits itself together into one solid mass sadly in need of a tweezing. The nose spreads, develops red veins and takes on the properties of the bulbous. The gnarly tooth that once knew its place begins to once again protrude and the mole that sometimes betokens beauty takes on a life of its own and sprouts hair like weeds. How depressing it must be to see herself age and become, well . . . ugly. Worse, yet, it means her life on the coast of some sun drenched villa in Italy she shares with a handsome and dashing man (or so I imagine) is about to be interrupted (yet again) and a return to dreary England to whip some brats into shape is about to begin (yet again).



It must feel awful.


Which is exactly how the end of summer vacation--the end of long, sunny, unstructured days, of walking outside in bare feet of an evening, of roses and jasmine and heliotrope perfuming the air, of velvety petals to fold between my lips--the end of that carefree existence, feels to me. Time for cold, dark, painful (both physical and emotional) days and weeks and months to begin. This is why, once the leaves on the Liquid Amber tree begin to turn red, I tend to run around in a bit of a panic, snapping photos of whatever I think might capture a bit of sunshine for me to pore over come winter.

With camera in hand, I attempt to bottle the sun.




Sun shining on the leaves . . .


Warming the petals . . .




Setting glass to glowing . . .




As well as the sky . . .




Sunlight pooling in the crevices . . .



And drenching me from the inside out . . .


click here to read about the above bench which I made with my own two hands and a very spiffy electric screwdriver.
Click HERE for a wonderful book giveaway (including a copy of Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind) over at The Chocolate Chip Waffle!!!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 at Monday, August 23, 2010 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

22 wise, witty and wonderful comments

I never thought about Nanny McPhee in reverse, but I certainly know what you are feeling about the summer. Your photos are wonderful! I love your yard--such a special little getaway place for you, I imagine.

August 23, 2010 at 7:22 PM

I know how you feel. School starts on Thurs. and I feel like I'm trying to run around and make the most of the last few moments I have with my babies.

August 23, 2010 at 8:03 PM

The end of summer is rather depressing. But I do love the cool, fall days.

August 23, 2010 at 8:07 PM

My yard is anything but a getaway. It is tame enough, but that is about it. I wish I had more of a talent and interest in that.

Love NP because I love Emma T. She really doesn't want to do many things she doesn't write herself anymore. She is a genius.

August 23, 2010 at 9:19 PM

Your bottled sun is divine! Just beautiful! I have never seen Nanny McPhee. Must watch out for it now. :)

August 24, 2010 at 12:06 AM

Beautiful pictures. I'm very sad to see summer disappearing!

And I've always been a little wary of Nanny McPhee. Maybe I haven't learned the lesson yet:)

August 24, 2010 at 7:23 AM

I loved all those pictures. You seem to surround yourself in beauty.

I TOO am dreading winter. It will come to me sooner then you. It is like a prison sentence here.
I MUST find some hobbies/interests, to carry me through that time

August 24, 2010 at 9:57 AM

How beautiful, Heidi!

I haven't seen Nanny McPhee yet. Better head to Netflix. . .

August 24, 2010 at 12:42 PM

I think that I could just sit there in your yard for a few hours and finally find the meaning of life... it just looks so inviting and peaceful.

and I love Nanny McPhee... I'm hoping that I can at least convince the youngest few to see it with me (once it hits the cheap theatres)

August 24, 2010 at 8:53 PM

I think I shall think about this one.

August 25, 2010 at 8:37 AM

"With camera in hand, I attempt to bottle the sun."

That quote will stay with me a very long time, as well as your gorgeous pics. So eloquent, so much beauty.

PS: Nanny McPhee is quite the character, isn't she? I'm looking forward to the sequel.

August 25, 2010 at 10:27 PM

This is a gorgeous post. The photos and the way you make them come alive with your words...simply delicious.

I was downright depressed today. The switch from summer to structure is hard for me this year -- perhaps harder than it's ever been.

August 26, 2010 at 12:19 AM

Gorgeous photos!

I LUB Nanny McPhee so much!

Shucks. I hope this winter isn't too dreary!

August 26, 2010 at 8:27 AM

I love this post. Everything about it. The words. The images. The photos. The writer.

Totally cool.

August 28, 2010 at 6:51 PM

Wow!!! THat was a well said post. YOu said everything I feel about summer ending!

August 30, 2010 at 2:33 PM

So that's why I still have moles and crooked teeth -- I have kids to fix! :)

I love that photo at the top. So evocative.

August 31, 2010 at 12:23 PM

Heidi--it was so fun to hear from you today!! Thanks for dropping by my blog.

I love this post. I have similar feelings about the summer coming to and end. I mean I love that it isn't so hot here, but I miss having my kids home and sleeping in and being able to leave town on vacation etc. I always get depressed when school starts.

As for your pictures--they are all beautiful but the ones of the roses are amazing! Thanks for sharing them.

August 31, 2010 at 6:17 PM

I love winter, myself, but I think any time I need a dose of "sunlight," I'll just find this post again! Gorgeous.

September 1, 2010 at 10:10 AM

Your garden is beautiful, Heidi. If I were in your neighborhood, I would be stopping by to look and enjoy and marvel.

Have a great weekend!

September 2, 2010 at 8:43 AM

I actually yearn for autumn and winter. Summer means oppressive heat and muchly feared bees and wasps. I miss the structure of the rest of the year and while there is much of Summer that I love, I prefer coziness to open spaces, and crackling fires and the smell of baking to basking in the sun.

But after reading this incredibly eloquent post I feel a sadness settling in, and an appreciation for these last days of summer that I hadn't before...

Simply beautiful.

September 2, 2010 at 2:37 PM

I love the whole dang post!! Love Nancy McPhee, love the garden, love your yard, love your analogy, love the bench, and love you too! (you should pop in at my house sometime, we have the best ever weather in the winter, it makes the blasted summer heat worth every sweat. you are welcome anytime :)
xoxo

September 2, 2010 at 7:10 PM

I was so entranced by the photos -- or rather, by the sort of life or perspective on life that the person taking them must have. Someone must really have their soul grounded and centered, I found myself thinking, if they are able to create and sustain such a tasteful, elegant set of surroundings. Kudos, Heidi. It makes me want to write poetry.

September 4, 2010 at 9:59 PM

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