“careful mama the blackberries are guarded by thorns”

Our home is surrounded by big beautiful blackberry bushes loaded with…you guessed it…blackberries. I have had great intentions over the last week or so to go out and pick them by the basket full. I even made a trip into town to buy the perfect little vintage baskets that we could use when the time came. In my mind I had pictured a grand outing complete with coordinating outfits for the Youngins and of course a camera to capture all those glorious moments.

While waiting for just the right day and the perfect time to venture out to make it all happen, we stumbled into that moment much by accident. (This moment, I have to say…did look a bit different then what I had originally planned;) Mucking about in our grubby old play clothes we noticed some low growing blackberry vines which held plenty of berries ripe for the pickin’…So pick we did. As we were grazing along the kids asked if I had something to put extra berries in for later. Remembering my precious vintage baskets…and “the plan” I frantically ran into the house and grabbed them along with my camera so I didn’t miss a single photo opportunity. (That was a close one;)

When I returned ready to capture this “thrown together” perfectly imperfect moment something inside me told me to just pause…and breath it all in. My mind was quickly filled with sentiment as I inhaled that sweet familiar smell of sun drenched wild blackberries. My thoughts turned to Laurel Hill Drive…the old country road to my childhood home. I have so many beautiful carefree memories of that magical place…or perhaps it was the time that was magical. I loved being that wild forest child that took each moment as it came and embraced it for what it was. I got lost in the magic of the moment…and not in its planning.

Deep in thought  I hadn’t noticed the blackberry vine that had wrapped around my ankle. My son with a large stick (also known as a sword;) calls out in a very knightly voice… “Careful Mama…The blackberries are guarded by thorns.” and there it was…We found it…The magic of a purely unplanned moment….and we embraced it!

In between sword fights and rescuing the Blackberry Princess we did get a few blackberries into those ever so “important” vintage baskets…and as you can see…I was also able to capture a few of those truly glorious moments on film.