I took a little trek up Mt Work awhile ago on a Sunday for some exercise, to see if it was was still the same as I recalled it and to experience and enjoy the beauty and magnificence that is there.  I had been there once before. On another website I read that the elevation is 2238 feet or 682 metres. For sure there are quite a few steps to the Summit.

Location: Mount Work Park, Saanich, Victoria, Vancouver Island BC  A 536-hectare Mount Work Regional Park bordering on Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, situated in the Highlands area of the Saanich Peninsula.

Along the way I met several groups of people including some young bucks huffing, puffing and sweating the climb up. Although I would describe myself in better condition this time than I was when I climbed it before, it surely did not feel like it! It is quite a steady climb up and up.  A few spots level off and you go down a bit and that makes you think you have already reached the top but keep on going as that is just to fool you into thinking you have made it there.   I managed to get off the beaten track for awhile and that was interesting and a bit exhausting as I worked myself back to the path.  As if the climb itself was not enough.

Here is a clue to let you know you have finally reached the summit.  It even comes with it’s own naked tree.  I figure that is appropriate to keep it company way up there.

Near the summit are many naked trees, aka Arbutus trees. I call them naked trees because most of them are as they lose their bark and underneath.  They are so soft and smooth to the touch.  From Wikipedia:

Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.

These trees meander all over the place and are quite exotic and some even erotic.  Well hey, naked limbs all over the place.  This reminds me of one of my poems entitled My Friend. Similarities exist between the two but this was written from a different place and time quite a few years ago.

The view from way up near the summit is truly spectacular. It is well worth the trek up the mountain. You feel (the) spirit in all things and being part of it all and all there is.

Yes, the scenery around here is majestic, spectacular and varied from mountains, rain forest, mild climate and the sea. Is there any wonder I feel blessed to live in such a wonderful place!  That really is not a question at all.

May you be so blessed today and everyday.

Eugene

Sometimes and that could many times, relationships do not make sense.  That applies in a logical way for the most part.  I could have presented the song and video on that called “It’s Complicated.“

So in the previous post I mentioned something about the clutter etc so.  That brings me to another song, The Fool On The Hill.  Not going to aim that to anyone in particular.     Well perhaps myself mostly.

I suppose most of us can relate to that, now and then.  Of course this does little to explain relationships never mind the Meaning of Life.  I think Monty Python did a bit on that worth repeating.  If you happen to listen to this to the end you may want to add the current state of things going on to Mother Earth and what is being done to her and to the sea.

When humanity is considered in context of all there is, we seem to be such a speck of dust in comparison. Still that speck of dust can kick up a real storm at times. Imagine if mankind used that focus and energy in creating peace, love and helping each other in the world.  Instead of doing all the stuff that is going on, which I won’t present here.

Well I guess we need a bit more of this in our lives.  I wish you all the love in the world like this song, Songbird, Melanie Doane and Jim Cuddy.

Back to this little speck of dust I go. While it may seem significant, I would rather see it as something more so and express my gratitude for my camera and for the beauty it captures.  Like this little gem I call A Little Honey In The Making.

Wishing you much love, peace, happiness, good health and good fortune.  Let your spirit shine and your manifestations be great.

Namaste.

Eugene

Sometimes I talk to God and sometimes God answers quickly, sometimes it seems like it takes forever or not at all.  Well I recently asked for something and it came quite quickly.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

What was it you may ask?  Sure you may ask. The answer is not important for the purposes of this post. That is my story and I am sticking to it. I have had things manifest in the past almost instantly so it is possible, very possible.

That is one reason I say to remain open to all possibility. You may also want to keep your fingers and toes crossed but I warn you that can result in permanent injury if you do that for too long, that also goes for holding your breath.

Fast forward backwards to near the end of last month I checked my horoscope, which I rarely do and this is what it said:

If you’re feeling somewhat pessimistic when it comes to love, you shouldn’t be — things are just about to change. However, if you want to take advantage of these great new opportunities, you need to toss out all the junk that’s been cluttering your heart (and mind). Stop obsessing about the past! Everything that happened was meant to bring you to this moment, with your open and giving heart intact.

Hot damn that looks mighty fine I thought.  Calm down please.  Moving right along again you really never know when the goods will arrive.  It is all a timing thing.  The Universe will deliver.  Time and space mean nothing to the Universe.  No-Thing. Notta. Well No-Thing does not really mean notta but it seemed to fit here so in it goes.

Of course they are also talking about the monkey-mind and clutter too. OMG. Do not go near the clutter, I mutter, and sometimes shudder!

Perhaps I really should have checked with my non-resident psychic friend in Kelowna on this. Then again, she is overworked and underpaid so perhaps not to push the envelope.  Her words, not mine. I think she is doing fine.

Speaking of Kelowna, yes I was and still am.  I have another dear girl friend there who has had some challenges. Hey don’t we all at times.

She graciously put me up while I attended my daughter’s wedding there in 2006.  I recently put her onto the book Practicing The Power of Now, well there is a link somewhere on the right hand side of the blog I believe.

Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from The Power of Now

Oh I think that is it, above.  I tried to do it before but it did not work.

in any case, I’ve talked to a few people of late about the book.  Well worth the read, it was for me and helped me immensely.  Quite the transformational book.

Ok, back to the series on relationships or at least the mention of them, of which I stress I am not an expert. Not everyone is for everyone but I do believe there is someone for everyone.  The trick is to find them and, yes, God can be called on to perform that miracle, and believe me it sometimes does take a miracle for many of us.

What is he rambling on about now you may ask? Well, I am not back to the Give Me Sympathy post! Let us move forward, please.  Thank you.  Hmm. That reminds me of Pacifika and the video I posted last July. I cannot find it here.  Where did it go? Darn, that is a pain when things go away like that.

Now getting back to the love is all there is theme, one of the early feelings about that subject was provided by The Beatles and the song If I Fell:

For me this is very simple, yet quite profound as were quite a few of their songs.  Yes and I am still pissed over John Lennon’s untimely death.

Ok, as long as we are talking about God, Love, Death, Life, Spirituality and good looks, I must present you with one of the better looking non-persons with attitude I ran into recently.

Without further ado then I present you with this handsome dude.  Unfortunately he is better looking than his mate.  Just don’t let on that you know that though. 

Ok folks that is it for today. I got a few more pics but will save them for another day. Even more of that quacky quacked up dude.  Keep those comments of gratitude coming.  Ok, I will go first again. I am grateful for the Sun that came out again today, in between the drops of rain.

Have yourself a loving, peaceful, prosperous and healthy day.

Eugene

I received this quote from deeshan.com’s Meditation Tip Of The Day:

Your feelings are your truth. What is best for you is what is true for you. Thoughts are not feelings; rather, they are ideas of how you “should” feel. When thoughts and feelings get confused, truth becomes clouded, lost.
….Neale Donald Walsch

The mind which is sometimes referred to as the monkey-mind can get in the way of our truth for sure.  I do not ascribe to the philosophy of any guru yet I take from them what makes sense to me. This also ties into beliefs, as most things do.  Beliefs are powerful things that can bring us to blissful or dis-blissful states. What we believe at the core level tends to come true for us.

I cannot claim to be an expert on relationships. To do so would not be honest and one essential component for a successful relationship I believe is honesty. Along with honesty I would add that commitment is also part and parcel of this.  Without both the relationship is destined to fall apart at some point. I know this well.

Lack of commitment appears to be part of the modern way of doing life. I refer to this as the Big Mac effect, instant gratification or we move on to something else damn quick. There is little staying power. The grass is always greener, waiting for the “right” person comes along so I will stick with this one until that happens.

You cannot make someone love you no matter how much you love them and if you do and they do not commit then the game is over, not on. I know this well also. You can influence someone with energy although this is usually not advised and takes a great deal of your energy. You must always be respectful of the other persons higher good and that may or may not include you.  So best not to mess with this. I know this too.

Everyone deserves to love and be loved without all the games that go on. As the song goes, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love”. Well not the kind of love most of us are looking for. Lots of “rich” folks out there I reckon protecting their assets so much with so many conditions attached that they are not open to love even if it is staring them in the face.

As we operate within the truth mode that involves being honest and committing we find that most of the rest of it will fall into place.  Becoming more aware of this and ourselves and we go off the path we get instant karma feedback letting us know that something is wrong.

This is even more evident if we are in tune with the energies involved.  Energy is another enormous and powerful subject and largely misunderstood or ignored. Ignore these warnings and the relationship is toast.  It also ties in with honesty and commitment.

This brings me to a series of videos by Sean Stephenson.  I will post part one of four below and if you are interested in learning more just double click on the first part and it will take you to YouTube and you can see the rest there.  Since this deals with love, sex, our needs, attraction etc. it is more for the adult crowd.

Make Love Not War

How To Create A Deep Attraction.

Of course all of this ties into our beliefs and belief systems.  This topic on beliefs is huge and many of the gurus out there will bring this subject up because it is such a powerful subject and has an enormous effect and affect on us. Many beliefs can be changed and I recognize that in itself is a belief.  The ones we want to change are the ones that are not serving us well.

Of course, as you know, well is a deep subject and I have dug myself deep into this one, have I not?

Sorry that is bad! Well hey, I can be bad or I can be good.  Depends upon the mood, the time of day or night and other criteria.

Bad or not onwards and upwards we go.

Enjoy your day or night wherever you may be.

With love and peace,

Eugene

PS Hey I did not even get to discuss Practicing The Power of Now!

Sometimes it is easy to lose focus and fall into the “why me?” way of thinking.  Of course we are caught up in what we sometimes think as life rather than the reality that we have created for ourselves.  We lose perspective.

What can we do about this?  How can we make a dramatic shift?  For sure it can be done and sometimes it is just as easy as using 6 words to accomplish that feat.  Ok, what are those “magic” words you may ask?   Simply, they are

“In five years, will this matter?

Sean Stephenson has some ideas and tips on how you can make that shift and put things into perspective, how we relate to others and how they relate to us.

If you are looking for ways to improve your life and are searching for a way to put things in perspective, have a look at this video.  It is well worth it, IMO.

Many have more serious health, economic, political, mental and physical conditions than we have. I am all for expressing gratitude and appreciation for what we have in life.

Wishing you much love, peace, good health and prosperity.  You deserve it!

What are you grateful for today.  Whatever that is, please feel free to make a comment here to express it.  It is good to write it down, journal it or  tell someone about it.

I will start it off.  I am grateful for my Fuji point and click camera.  It has given me much joy and has produced many photos for me.  It is magical!

Eugene

I have been quite lax in posting here although I do have some things to say and some photos to come.

A few things came to me today that are excellent reminders that giving thanks is something to do on a daily basis.  Take the time if you will to view a couple of short videos. It is well worth the time.

What is Important To You?

This is a short video that I feel is important enough to share. It really brings home what is truly important in your life. Here is a great example of Expressing Appreciation for what we have.

What’s For Dinner?

Needing a short reminder just how good we have it?

This will give anyone pause to give thanks I imagine.
Plate of fried chicken — the Berlin Film Festival first place video.

Lydia is back posting on her Serenity Blog and posted about Thanksgiving.  Good stuff.

These videos and such are good reminders about just how precious life is and that can be taken away from us in an instant in a physical sense and of course there is the time factor that just seems to fly by and more so as we get older.

About a month ago I went to the store and the Olympic torch came running by so I stopped to take a few picture. The torch is travelling across Canada on its way to the 2010 Vancouver and Whistler Olympic Games right here in beautiful British Columbia.

Ok, will see if I can be back sooner to post something else.

Cheers,

Gene

Indeed I have been lax in posting here and it is not from lack of information or photos etc.  The timing just has not seemed right when the thoughts come to me.  I will start with a quote and follow it up with a few other things, thoughts, poetry etc.

Some interesting material in the MillionaireX1, daily quotes and inspiration, this one came from the daily quotes from MX1.

There is much truth in this saying:

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it,
or who said it, no matter if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reason
and your own common sense.
-Buddha

I have been enjoying many of the quotes as well as the inspirational messages.

Many of us seek outside ourselves for the solutions to our challenges.  This can often lead us astray. The main source comes from within and many of our answers, if not all, are there for us to uncover and discover.  It is wise to be guided by our own counsel. As Wayne Dyer puts it “If you want to follow your passion, be independent of the good opinion of others.”

Some poetry for you, if you would like to read it, starting here and more by following I Am With You, below:

I Am With You

I believe this gift will, at times, to you, signify
That this dream, as you call it, will last
A dream can a reality be, it’s all within the eye
To see, or not, and deeper still we travel beyond the past

Speaking of gifts, this one is natural, and following up the previous post about my friend, “the naked one”, here is a photo exposed and very soft to the touch. No it is not Pamela Anderson but she and it is from this very island, Vancouver Island. That is as far as I will go on that subject.  At least for now. Whew!

These are magnificent and awesome trees called arbutus around here. The bark peels off naturally. A true wonder of nature.

Before I go for now, I just wanted to mention to check out Lydia’s post on Manufacturing Personal Reality.  I have this belief that we create it all.  We can get hung up on the words and terminology but the essence is in there no matter what we choose to call it.

Ok will move on out of here for now, may you be blessed with good health,wealth, love and all that you truly desire.

Cheers,

Eugene

Well this was a somewhat painful experience that turned into pleasure, later on. Don’t worry if you do not like the black and red stuff I have a poem about some knickers later on to share with you.

Those blackberry thorns attacked me quite good I reckon.  Nasty and very thorny and eager to attach themselves to your skin and watch you try to pull back and they go deeper into your skin.  So multiple scratches abound and that had some cleaning up to do.  Did I say RED? The blackberry season is a bit late this year so many are still not ripe. When you pick them green, they stay green.  Only way to pick them is very black and ripe.  The blackberry plants are all over this island so picking is free.

The later on came after I made low sugar uncooked freezer blackberry jam, the taste and flavor is tailor made to die for, of course.  I substitute a bit of honey for sugar and then it only takes 1 cup of sugar plus half a cup of honey to go with 4 cups of berries.  Much healthier than regular jam which has a high content of sugar of at least 4 or 5 cups of sugar.  Keeps up to a year in the freezer.

Goes great with my buttermilk, oatmeal, spelt pancakes and topped with fresh blueberries and perhaps a little bit of organic maple syrup.  Oops I forgot to take a picture of them.  They are all gone.

I do have a picture or two of the blackberry bushes and thorns.  The picture is a bit of an illusion.  The thorns come first. The best comes last and well worth the wait and pain.  No pain no gain, as they say. Whoever they may be!  Did I mention that I like blackberries?

Ok, so moving on to another realm entirely.   I did a few poems recently, yes there are lots already posted here, you just have to search near the top of this blog for the link to them and follow near the bottom of those pages for the subpages to discover more poems.  Don’t worry I will post the links here for the new ones.

So without further ado here are the most recent poems.

Mommy Dearest

The Shadows of Your Mind

Jump Up Now

What, if anything, do they have with blackberries? Well mostly nothing I suppose.  I do not have a blackberry but I do have blackberries, do you? Just do not spill these blackberries on a white article of clothes.  It will stain it right good I reckon.

Now as I recall it took me a long time to go and get those blackberries about 45 minutes there and back on foot.  In the morning it was cool and cloudy but by the time I went it was very hot.  So I had to wear shorts so that is one reason for the massive attack on my person.

Anyway, on the way back I had to stop in at Starbucks for a cool one. I waited a long time in line.  The guy in front of me kept letting in “his people”, two in front of him then another couple, then a lady who was totally engrossed into ordering a whack of stuff.  So I am so parched by then I can hardly stand up any longer.

I had been thinking on the way there that on July 31st I had gone to Starbucks to pick up a free drink they were giving away card holders, a viviano strawberry banana smoothie.  As I recall I was quite parched that day also. When I get in line they say they cannot make it because they are out of bananas and I should go to a different store near where I had just been before coming there. I was not going to walk back.

So to continue on the blackberry story at the other Starbucks,  the guy ahead of me could see me drooping and feeling a bit guilty now, asked me what I wanted and then he bought me a vende mocha frappuccino. Wow, instant manifestation.   This also reminded me also of the post on manifestation by Lydia on her new blog Serenity Chat.  She asked “Can manifestations really be helpful?”  Damn right I reckon!  Without a doubt maestro.

Anyway my viviano turned into a frappuccino.  So that is close enough for me!

Enjoy your day or night wherever you may be.

Eugene

Some time ago, I posted 10 Minutes To Creating Whatever You Want In Life. That is a simple step by step way to do it and I had success with doing this daily.  It really works.

Some will say that it is too simple. Well simplicity is the key as is repetition, over and over again along with a desire to do so.  I imagine you have heard about The Secret and the Law of Attraction.  All of this is part of an overall philosophy.  You can adapt any of this to use to create what you want in life.  Or do nothing.  YOU and only you, DECIDE.

I believe there are no gurus and you are the one to take the initiative to create the life you want. That includes no sitting on the mountain top.  Sure you can meditate and become involved in a spiritual journey.  Ultimately it is you who decides what that journey will be, and even if you listen to someone else, they cannot live it.  They may come along for the ride but it is your journey.

Along the same philosophy is something called Mind Movies.  Mind Movies can be made to assist you in creating what you want.   I was introduced to this sometime last year.  It is an interesting concept.  Check out the movie and get 6 Free Mind Movies now.  Use them daily for at least 30 days and longer is what I suggest you do.  Hey, it is FREE, what have you got to lose?  Sometimes the best things in life are free.  You can easily fit 5 or 10 minutes into your day.  Just decide to do so.

I mentioned that for the Canada Day celebrations in Victoria, BC one of the performing groups was Pacifika, Pacifikamusic and they were really good and well received by the large crowd on hand.  I did a pictorial video of them, the crowd and some scenes.  Here is the result.  I hope you like it:

This is the first, my first, YouTube – ing creation so it is a bit rusty and I could not quite manage to get the shot I wanted above. I showed this to one of my daughters and she said “Those are great shots! I like the music- it’s so relaxing ”  And my granddaughter said “Cool”.  My other daughter said “I got the pictorial vids.. they looked great. Nice to see Victoria through your eyes.”

A little bit of fireworks at the end.  I did another pictorial video on the fireworks but have not uploaded it, not sure I will.  Here is one photo of the fireworks:

Some of the pictures came out quite psychedelic, purely by accident of course.

Back to Pacifika, a lot of fireworks there!. The lead singer is Silvana Kane, originally from Peru who landed in Quebec and did not know the language and is now living in Vancouver.  Awesome, sexy,vibrant,sensual and a definite crowd pleasing performance.  Oops losing my train of thought again.  I cannot figure out why.

One last picture and has become a favorite of mine, not quite sure why.

Anyway, it was a great day celebrating Canada Day here in Victoria, BC.  Got to love this place, everyday I am grateful for just being, and being here.

Cheers,

Eugene

aka Gene

At the end of May I went looking for something and could not find what I was looking for.  Actually I was a day late but did not realize it until later.  But do not tell anyone!  Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.   Hey, it happens.

So instead of heading back home I decided to explore a bit and came across the Galloping Goose Trail and I started to walk north up island way away from downtown.  I later reversed that direction and proceeded to go downtown to the Blue Bridge area.

Well as I walked north I came across an interesting over/under pass. The underpass was part of the trail that passed under The Gorge.  I noticed something from a distance that I did not know was there.

I could see that something looked like it was painted on the underpass wall and ceiling.  I approached to get a closer look and hey, I was walking that way anyway.  People walk and cycle the Galloping Goose Trail for many miles or kilometers as we use the metric system for the official measurement.

I went under the underpass and discovered an amazing sight.  It was completely painted from one side to the other and across the top.

Of course I could not capture it all in one shot nor three or four shots so I just took several pictures and this one shows the artist.

Quite a surprise and I was delighted to have discovered this on this day I was looking for something else entirely.  Goes to show that sometimes there is a reason for things to happen even if we do not know what that reason is.

So off I went towards downtown and this trail lead me to the Blue Bridge which is being replaced soon.  Many are upset as they really like the old blue bridge which was originally designed in 1920 but has gone through changes over the years.

So all in all it turned out to be a great day in Victoria, BC, which is usually does, BTW.  I am all for appreciating what what mother earth, this island, Vancouver Island and the land provides us.  It truly is a land treasure and with all the water around, a sea treasure as well.

Cheers,

Gene