FocalHeart

Photographer & Urban Naturalist

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Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddhism, Personal musings, Yoga

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a 90 year old Vietnamese Zen Master. He is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings. To my opinion, he is one of the greatest teacher of our time…

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February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 Noémie Tagged anger, anxiety, buddhism, compassion, Thich Nhat Hanh Leave a comment

All images and texts are copyright © FocalHeart 2013-2019, unless credited otherwise. If you want to use any of my content, please make sure I am credited and drop me an email focalheart(at)gmail(dot)com or leave a comment. Thanks ♥ ♥ ♥

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Tara on her way back from the vet :) Thank you everyone for your kind words and best wishes for her. She had a check up & blood tests and the vet is very happy with the results. Her thyroid meds seem to be working very well and regular intake of #lionsmanemushroom is helping her post stroke recovery. The vet said that she was doing very well for her age. . We have always said that she was an armoured tank dog, may it lasts for many, many more years to come :) . Thank you everyone :) . #portraitphotography #dogportrait #dogsofinstagram #poststroke #olddog #thankyoueveryone #photography #ilovemydog

We found this bee on the side of a busy road earlier on today and we took her home, carrying her the 3.2 miles walk back home. She is in the living room now, but despite the snacks and rest, she is not doing well. One of her rear leg is injured and it seems to affect her balance. Her wings seem fine though so I’m hoping that she will still be able to fly... fingers crossed. . . . #bee #macrophotography #photography #animalportrait #wildlifephotography #wildlife #savethebees #portrait

A few weeks ago our older dog had a #stroke . Tara is around 13 years old and has been with us for the last 12 years, through good and bad times. During her stroke she started to sway as the world around her started to spin and she felt dizzy. Her gaze seemed so far away. That night we had to watch over her as the first few hours are critical after a stroke. . She slept a lot and was slower for the next following days. Her post stroke self doesn’t chase balls as much as she used to and she has become a bit unpredictable on walks. She goes off in her own world sometimes. . Yesterday she decided to leave the trail we were on to go across a big field on her own, and as she has lost her hearing, there is not much I can do when she chooses to go off trail and explore. I usually keep on walking, hoping she will soon realise and choose to catch up with me. . She is due to go to the vet tomorrow, to check her thyroid levels and for a post stroke check up. When your dog get a bit older, trips to the vet are bit more unnerving, and as she ages, we sometimes have to think about the inevitable day when we will have to say goodbye. . I took this picture of her yesterday, after she came back from her solo field excursion. I tried to depict her experience: what her stroke felt like and what her post stroke life sometimes feels like as an elderly lady. . This picture is of and for Tara, to the many years ahead! . . . #photography #olddog #poststroke #fineartsphotography #dog #walking

A photoshoot with a model. It took me ages to have the courage to post this picture. I keep looking at it and the thought of sharing it makes me feel uncomfortable. I suppose it reveals a different side of me. Perhaps it’s too personal for me to be comfortable with it, I don’t know. . But the fact it makes me feel uncomfortable to share it is precisely the reason why I am sharing it 🙈 . . . #photography #fineart #fineartphotography #portraitphotography #photoshoot #model #escape #womensphotography

I love seeing #herons . They are not hard to spot, they like to hang around back garden ponds and snatch a few frogs. They are also sometimes mistaken for "pterodactyls" by young children - Real pterodactyls, although not dinosaurs, were flying reptiles in the age of dinosaurs. They are usually portrayed as large, slow, flying animals with wings of skin stretched between elongated little fingers and the body. The shape of the heron in flight is indeed similar but what is the most striking to me is to watch them hunt. They are so still and can be mistaken for a garden ornament... . There are quite a lot of herons in and around my town - as we have quite a few ponds, big and small. I photographed this #heron at #weirwoodreservoir in #sussex last week. So elegant and graceful! . . . #birds #birds🐦 #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #heroninflight #birdwatching #bird_lovers #bird #springwatch2019 #bbcspringwatch2019 #bbcspringwatch #bwphotograpy #bw #photography

Here are some colours to brighten up your day, in case it’s raining as much as it’s raining here where you are... These are the colours of an Italian sunset in #veniceitaly in 1908 which was clearly not a rainy day like today, in the South East of England. . I think that like with most things the hardest part is to get started or in this case get out there, in the weather. Once out in the rain, we often realise it’s not that bad after all and even feel refreshing. The key is to have the right clothing on, so you don’t get soaked through - unlike me. I have this habit of getting caught in the down pour in a cardigan... as I knit my own clothes and often don’t bother knitting hoods on my cardigans and I wear them all year around 🙈 . The birds are still out and about visiting the feeders, despite the rain. I am admiring and pondering on the water repellent properties and the natural engineering genius of their feathers as I’m sat there, watching them while #knitting the heel of a #sock . The colourway is inspired by the painting The Grand Canal from the #claudemonet series of 6 paintings called Santa Maria Della Salute. It represents a beautiful Italian sunset on the Grand Canal in Venice. Monet painted it in 1908. Doesn’t seem to be any litters in it back then as the water looks so pristine and clean... . will we ever be able to see such clean waterways in our lifetime? . . . #knitting #birdwatching #sockknitting #sockknitter #santamariadellasalute #venice #knittersofinstagram #rainyday #iknitmyownclothes #knittingphotography #colours #colourscheme #colourways #colourpop #sunsetcolours #thegrandcanal #sockstagram

Our #coot chick in our local pond, where he hatched very recently. It saddens me to watch a baby swimming amongst human litters, so I do my best to pick them all up and dispose of them appropriately. . The water in the pond doesn’t look great. It’s a thick green soup with patches of rainbow pools in it - yes the very pond where I retrieved a car battery from last week 🙄 . I think we all need to be more involved with our local wildlife and the habitats we have scarcely left for them. Litter picking, leaving food leftovers and water out for the furry ones, bird seeds and baths for the feathered ones, some water and a spoonful of sugar for the tired bees, and cleaning all plastic containers out of hedges and ponds, especially plastic carrier bags which can be lethal to wildlife. . I once retrieved a leaky Mennen deodorant spray from a pond in the forest. The whole place stunk of artificial perfumes and it contaminated the pond. I know that if you are reading this, you’d never do such stupid thing, but I’m asking everyone on here to get involved and clear all the human litters - whatever they are - from wild places, out of respect for the residents and to create a global conservation effort everywhere. Thank you! . I’d love to hear about your initiatives in the comments and/or please tag me in your feed, to make sure I don’t miss it as I would love to know what others are doing out there to protect their local wildlife :) . . . #birds_of_ig #moorhen #babybird #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #localwildlife #getinvolved #wildlifeconservation #weneedyou #birds #birds_nature #bird_watchers_daily #birdlover #localpond #photography #naturephotography #naturalist

Meet Mister #mallard - photo 1 and Mrs Mallard - photo 2 - from my local pond. Mallards are very common and often overlooked but I find them fascinating. Their markings, vibrant colours and social behaviours are such a joy to watch :) . . . #birds_of_ig #ducksofinstagram #ducks #ducksunlimited #ducksofig #ducksofinsta #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #wildbirds #birds #birdsofinstagram #animalportraits #wildducks #bird_watchers_daily #birds_nature #lovenature #birdwatch #womanphotographer #documentaryphotography

#eveninglight on my bedroom wall. #lightsandshadows

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