41. Woodpigeon feather

Waterlily in the Samhain pool

The grey feather lay on the grass, perfect and velvety-smooth as if it had just floated down from the bird. I am fairly sure it is from a woodpigeon, a common bird in the Gardens. I picked it up and went looking for somewhere to photograph it. I was in irritable humour, having allowed myself to be annoyed about something small and then making matters worse by getting annoyed with myself for being annoyed. Such is life.

I walked into the Samhain garden to look at the gorgeous waterlilies that have just started blooming. Pink lilies and white lilies, like Irish versions of the lotus flower with its Buddhist associations of enlightenment and purity.

Leaf woman with woodpigeon feather

I was drawn to the island and placed the feather on the hand of the leaf-woman sculpture. She rests all summer long, holding that wintry sense of returning to the earth. I realised it is the summer solstice today and how easy it is to be caught in the upward, outward, high energy of summer and lose a sense of balance. My pigeon feather looked comfortable here, snuggled in to the sleeping form. Air meeting earth, lightness meeting solidity, summer meeting winter, creating balance. My mood eased.

The Samhain pool with water lilies