Mono Monday: Wings

"An Angel in the House"

How sweet it were, if without feeble fright, 
Or dying of the dreadful beauteous sight, 
An angel came to us, and we could bear 
To see him issue from the silent air 
At evening in our room, and bend on ours 
His divine eyes, and bring us from his bowers 
News of dear friends, and children who have never 
Been dead indeed,--as we shall know forever. 
Alas! we think not what we daily see 
About our hearths,--angels that are to be, 
Or may be if they will, and we prepare 
Their souls and ours to meet in happy air;-- 
A child, a friend, a wife whose soft heart sings 
In unison with ours, breeding its future wings.

Published in The London Journal  in 1834 by Leigh Hunt (1784 - 1859)


My main achievement of the day was to saw off some dead branches from an ageing Ceanothus tree in Mum's garden.  I've never wielded a saw before, but grew up watching Dad (who was a trained carpenter) so already had more than half an idea of how to use one properly.  I don't think the Ceanothus will last too much longer as it's been here since the house was built 14 years ago.  I had one in my own garden in Chesham for about 15 years, which was pretty good going as they tend to live fast and die young.  You're not supposed to prune them or cut off old wood, but I just couldn't bear to look at the brown and shrivelled leaves on the dead bits a moment longer.  My reward was a delicious (but small) cup of hot chocolate in one of the local garden centres this afternoon - a weekly treat in the middle of my efforts to lose the weight I gained over the past two or three years.  So far 6lb has come off, and still counting...