Patina (pat'ne) n. [Fr. It., orig., tarnish] 1. a fine crust of film on bronze or copper usually green or greenish-blue, formed by natural oxidation and often valued as being ornamental. - New World Dictionary of the American Language 2nd ed.
For those of us who hunt for antique treasures, we often place a high value on an object the longer it has gracefully aged over time
having been doused with the patina
photo 1
of the Divine process of nature
photo 2
drop by drop
photo 3
year after year
photo 4
for the making of legends.
"Ornamental" in appearance, but a bedrock of wisdom deep below the surface
the patina of age is but a beautiful twinkle of hope to behold
photo 5
a surface upon which an underlying strength waits for us to compose the unforgettable history of our lives
no matter how small we think it may be.
It is what legends are made of.
DISAPPOINTMENT
HOPE
PERSEVERANCE
VICTORY
and the COURAGE to be YOURSELF and to leave the natural glow of that beautiful patina of age
Add Glitter to Pictures
speak volumes.
WE are the most valuable treasures of all, to be discovered and valued for the weathered strength of our time on earth. What legends are you going to leave behind?
Thank you to Regan from A Fairytale of Photos for permission to use her photos. Photos 1-5 are her own work. Please visit her HERE and see the incredible magic of her photography skills!
Images of Judy Dench, Jamie Lee Curtis and Helen Mirren from MSN.com
95 comments:
Oh dearest, this is very suitable for me right now, because I am acquiring the unmistakable patina of which you speak, only mine is unmistakably gray and not blue. But I take hope and comfort in your words that underneath lies the stuff from which legends are made and go on long after us.
Beautifully written post.
Love
Ruben
exquisitely and most beautifully written!
I loved photo one, like the patina could be poured over an object and age it just...like...that.
Wonderfully inspiring post! The images the beautifully written words... a great reminder that we only get better in time ...XO, HHL
Oh Anita, you are so dear to me. This post is incredibly inspiring. Your writing style is superb. Your choice of photos, exquisite. Thanks for the words and the link to that site. I admire good photography, and hers is excellent. Patina...yes...I'm getting some of that too (and yes, gracefully indeed - I hope).
Bonjour Anita,
Well said and beautifully illustrated with such lovely images. WIll check out this site.
Now...off to savour every moment as life's patina slowly creeps in. Hopefully bringing with it the stuff of legends and a whole lot of wisdom!
Bon soir,
Mimi
My Dear Anita
As always, beautifully written my friend.. Truly inspiring... I love the images.
Enjoy your day!
Penny
I must say when I see this patine, I don't see an aging person...I see someone timeless, "intemporal", in Portuguese...
Lovely post, Anita ;-) Accurate point of vue ;-)
By the way, I love Dame Judy Dench ;-)
I just can't say how much better you have made me feel by this eloquent and beautiful post! I'm having a huge birthday this year and for me at least, it's truly monumental and yes....those signs of age and agelessness are creeping in. I do have a secret twinkle and a great hope for what the rest of my years will bring. Viewing the beauty of woman I so admire makes me feel so much better. I love your music too, an all time favorite from the movie Legend.
xoxo, paulette
You have a talent for visual storytelling! I love that you added the music from the movie "Legend". An elegant and poignant post....
Dear Anita, that is really something to think about! The courage to be ourselves - how important that is! The courage to stand up for what we believe is right in a given situation - no matter how it will affect us! To dare to be the one we know in our hearts that we are! How wonderful to meet people that have lived their whole life like this - that is the kind of journal I want to write! Thanks for a wonderful post!!! xo Kristin
Anita....Love your post! I love how you put all those thoughts and feelings into words and pics and of course the music! I just acquired another layer to my patina last week with celebrating a birthday and you made me feel pretty good about it!~xoxo Patti
Regan is so talented, I love her! Gorgeous photos! I also love that you posted Helen Mirren, she is one of my all-time FAVORITES, adore her! I too am getting a bit of a patina, you made me feel better about it! Can't wait to see your home in Belle Inspiration! XO!
Your post on age and agelessness was wonderful! I loved the pics and how you expressed yourself. Magical!
Micki
Hi Anita,
Beautiful honoring to the maturity and the wisdom and experience that they come with the years. I have liked your words and the images that accompany them.
Big hugs to you from Asturias,
Cecilia
Do you know the name of the place in which your father was born?
Thank you so much for reminding us all that aging can be appreciated rather than denigrated. A beautiful patina shows on both objects and well worn souls. This truly made my day.
Thanks for popping by my blog. Peace to you.
Oh yes, Dame Judi Dench is a particular favorite of mine. She is as lovely with the patina of age as she ever was in her youth.
Oh dear Anita...how very beautiful...showing us the patina of age, especially the hair...how sensational does Dame Judi look...absolutely beautiful, along with the other gals!!! Here's to all those gorgeous locks...Dzintra♥x
wow, your post has inspire me to do something I have been long postponing....how lovely those women look in their natural hair... this is the right thing for me now!!! thank you so, so much!!!!!
cariños,
maria cecilia
my, my, my...you are an amazing women of so many talents...you paint the most beautiful pictures with your sharp little pencil...and your images are the icing on this masterful piece of cake...
......D*E*L*I*C*I*O*U*S......
another crazy day...am looking forward to my fluffy feather pillow.
My husband left today for the Okanagan, where he will meet up with both of our children and my mother...I have a few more things to put in order, before I can join them...can't wait!
Another trip to the big city tomorrow, to fill up the shop, before I scoot away...
Oh dearest I loved this sweet cuppa so very much. Thank you for love you leave for me daily, dearest. ...have a cheery day today and I will see you tomorrow.
...xoxo...Rosie
Hi, Dear-
wonderful photos and I love your thoughts...
I love old things. Old houses- furnitures- really great. They lived sometimes longer, than I am on the world. I love that! The energy of the past is still in all these things.
Humans, getting older are special- we call them wise... Older people are calm- that´s why little children love them.
A wonderful story-
I wish you a happy weekend-
we have holiday- I enjoy it!
A big hug- Ines
Anita, what a well composed and beautiful post again. This blue Patina is soooooo pretty - and yes, it is the special energy an object has aquired over lifetime, that makes it precious - just like the beautiful women you show. I love seeing pretty older women - it gives me hope!
Quelle magnifique façon de vivre pleinement, une leçon d'espérance.
Quand je vois la beauté de ces visages lumineux, je me dis que c'est un don de bien vieillir ...
J'ai le même âge qu'Hélen Mirren, c'est rassurant !!!
Bisous ma belle Anita.
Marie-Ange
Oh thank you so much dearest!!! I have only recently gone my white colour recently...you see mine came quite early and after so many years colouring my hairdresser encouraged me...NOw a lot of people think I colour it that way!
Truly a liberating thing to do...thank you again for the most inspirational of posts...Dzintra♥x
Anita,
Such a lovely post. I love it when women get older and enjoy the way they look, because beneath the patina is so much wisdom and grace.
Karen
La personne qui se trouve au trésor de la beauté d'un ressort vide, la peur du passage du temps.
And may you have a very blessed day dear Anita...and thank you for coming over to visit me just before the weekend...Cheers, Dzintra♥x
Hello dear heart!
I come to you in my well loved granny nightgown and a cup of coffee.
Yesterday I danced with some old women with amazing patina...ancient women with beautiful laugh lines. All over age 90! We danced to Kenny G. The highlight of my day was seeing them push past their fear and get up out of their chairs and dance. Of course, I gave them permission to sit and move...but no...they got up and danced!
I love how you make everyone feel so loved at the end of every post...including little ol' me. Granny nightgown or not...I know I'm loved by you.
Once again, awesome post! I love visiting your blog, anticipating what good things I'll find.
You're a great writer, by the way!
Best wishes from one blogger to another,
~Zabrinah
Thank you and have a BEAUTIFUL weekend!!! xoxo Kristin
Oh So True!!! Thanks for sharing these beautiful images and words of wisdom. : )
M.L.
Ohhhh! You are the unclickable Anita from Rosie's :) Found you by accident!
Je suis faim, from all the searching I did to find you :) But it was fun!
Knock Knock! Home yet? Please stop by my blog when you have time, I have a little something for you.
Bisous! Penny
Oh you are just so sweet Anita!! heee... Thanks dear friend for your kind words.. You are a bright light in my life...
Oh no, I think Bebe has had enough air travel for a bit.. She will be taking her next adventure in the good ol USA!
Bisous! Penny
Hello Anita,
I was born in Asturias in the North of Spain where the king Pelayo lived. At this moment I am spending there my holidays visiting my family.
Hope that you'll have a lovely summer weekend,
Bisous,
Cecilia
Oh dearest...I am off to pack my bags...I am soooo excited to see my babies!!!!!...A few more things to look after and I am out the door. Will be gone until Tuesday...I think...Might sneak one more day with mom when everyone goes home...We'll see.{ won't take my laptop, as I will be busy with my family...so, will miss our daily cuppas for a few days.}
And, I totally understand your need for a pretty floor...soon, it will all be finish and you will be able to sit back and enjoy all the beauty with Ruben by your side.
Off to pack a few goodies...have a wonderful weekend...love Rosie
Wonderful words (and so true)! Wish in this society of mixed and not-so-mixed messages that we could remember just how valuable we are and should continue to be regardless of whether we 'measure up' to what others say we should. Thanks for this reminder!
And a wonderful weekend to you!
Kirsten (and thanks for always visiting!)
I collect very old things... I love the patina on everything from silver to wood and the layers of history create a surface that changes with light and angle of view the way new surfaces cannot. In Japan there is a wonderful phrase that is used when describing lacquer that is applied in layers of 2 to three colors...black red and cream... the phrase is "time is the artist" because as the objects are used, layers are exposed creating a pattern where there was once only one shiny color. Not unlike people, wouldn't you say?
Every wrinkle and every gray hair is a medal. It is our proof of a rite of passage into maturity and shouldn't be shunned, but embraced.
xoxo
Nancy
Amazing post Anita. I am blessed by the words you have written here.
I love to see it when women allow themselves to age gracefully and beautifully as the women here in your post. I am inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis and her natural beauty. Sometimes when I look in the mirror at this 55 year old face I wonder who is looking back...and then I realize, it is a woman who has lived a full and sometimes heartbreaking life (and had too much sun in the garden), but lived through it all and have been abundantly blessed because of it. I have earned my patina and look forward to more.
hugs
Yes. Ditto to all of the above comments. It is indeed a strange world we live in, where it is considered a negative thing to grow old. After all that IS the 'nature of this beast' we call human beings. To imagine we can or should look like a 20 - 30 year old when we are instead, 50 - 60, is such a silly concept.
Thankyou for your 'lovely way' of saying things.
Wow what a beautiful blog you have, I love reading it and watch your beautiful pictures.
Your choise of foto's are exquisite, When I look at your foto they are so ful of magic.
Greetings from Belgium
Liliane
My dear Anita, I was very busy this week. I am sorry to be so absentee.
I like all the blue, I like all the women of your post.
I send you a mail later and I explain!
I kiss you.
Anita, what beautiful words and so inpsiring and ones that really make me ponder these creative thoughts on lifes patina.
Beautiful thought-provoking photos.
And those actresses have that glorious patina of time, with a sparkle in their eyes. I saw an older movie that had Meryl Streep in it as a very young woman, and it so lacked the vibrancy she has now. And she seems so very much more beautiful and full of life now. Your post made me think of it...
Thank you for writing this.
It is wonderful.
~ Violet
Oh dear you are such a poet! I just love your perpective on things,life and love. I will write you a note now... just got back from the market !T.
Wonderfully post!
This post is incredibly inspiring.
Happy weekend !
Hugs amiga.
Dearest Anita - thank you so much for your sweet comment, so nice to see your face. Yes, we all have our wild bull moments i guess - and being in harmony with oneself and the world is something that comes with a lot of practice. And it sure ads beauty to the patina we may aquire. I'm working on it - and i'm sure you've come a long way - sometimes a bit of wildness is needed though, to deal with the wild world ;)
Hope you have a relaxed weekend - ah, days without a schedule can be such a luxury. I think, we creative minds would go crazy without it! Bisou, M.
Bonjour Anita, je connais votre patine est belle dans votre visage. J'aime la patine sur le pot français
xx
Dore
Translate...
Hello Anita, I know your patina is beautiful in your face. I love the patina on the French pot
xx
Dore
Bonjour Anita,
You always have the most beautiful way of combining your eloquent words to imagery...and this one hits home for me. I see the wrinkles appearing, but now seem to fear them less thanks to you! It's what's inside that glows- and I need to keep reminding myself of that. Or you need to keep reminding me- either way works for me! I hope you are doing well. No news here, just stressed out cleaning and hardly any showings at all. No definitive date on when JJ goes to FL yet so here we are hanging.......... but things could be worse right! It's always a nice escape from the 'craziness' visiting you here! love you! xoxo
Beautiful photos letting my hair go white...love it! I looove patina! treasures Thank you for sharing.
This is so beautiful! Thank you for brightening my day (or evening, but I'm pretty sure the glow will stick around tomorrow too)
xoxo
what a beautiful post Anita... I love the way you write your blog posts. Your patina is just gorgeous! xoxo Heather
Anita, de belles femmes comme vous en faire une joie de vieillir avec.
Votre ami.
Bisous et câlins
xoxo
Dore'
I love the look of patina. You have great examples here of women who are aging gracefully.
Blessings~
Gwen
Thanks so much for using my photos!! Made my day <3 xoxo
this is so interesting! i've only known patina as the name of that restaurant group :-)
Ah......the patina of age.....happens to all of us and should be cherished and polished like a bright shiny penny, How else does one go from being smart to wise, dear friend????
Beautiful post.
Xo
Jo
Hi sweet friend...beautiful thoughts today!!!
When do you head back to school...we have teacher week the last week of August and our students start Sept.7th..
So I still have 3 more weeks to enjoy.
Enjoy your days filling them with JOY
Hugs my sweet friend. xoxoxoo
Hi Anita,
Love the photos!!
I cover my patina every month.
Wish I didn't have to.
Have a great week,
Rosemary
So very well written... And complemented with such apt pics... I loved the first pic the most..
Good morning! I have
been floating along in
the Pac NW with NO internet
for three days {and not by
choice; by problems with
Qwest}! It's so lovely
to be able to visit, again.
You KNOW how I feel about
this subject and I love
how you have made me actually
WANT patina with your choice
of these lovely ladies to
showcase. Although we can't
reverse the hour-glass, we
can shift our way of thinking.
THANK YOU for the reminder....
and in your very special and
gentle way. Lovely images,
my friend. YOUR patina is
absolutely brilliant and
matches your sweet spirit.
Big hugs to you, today!
xx Suzanne
Dearest Anita, just found Rattus' blog and instantly loved it! You're so lucky to have such a good companion to share your special world. Aw, what would be be without our loved ones! I'm living with my husband and two big sons - 17 and 20 - so you can imagine it sometimes feels like in a students community - VERY lively! But i do love them all a lot - the perfect house is something for a bit later ;)
.. just discovered your amazing and beautiful blog.
Already a follower.
Looking forward to reading through your past posts.
A tres bientot
Chere Anita,
Je vous remercie pour votre gentilesse et vos chaleureux commentaires. Moi aussi, je suis ravie d'avoir fait votre connaissance.
Votre blog est magnifique, sublime et ravissant.
A tres bientot, chere amie.
Bonjour ma belle~
thank you for your concern! I'm sorry for my recent absence, I've been very busy getting the children ready for school and enjoying the last days of summer with them. I'm also getting myself ready for school. Summer flew by entirely too soon.
How are you? I'm certain you're getting ready as well.
Wishing you a beautiful week, dearest!
xoxo, B
Hi there
Lovely pictures....thoughts and words of wisdom. This was a very thought provoking post and one we should keep tucked away especially for those particular days we may look at this personally...love the patina look...
have a wonderful day
Judi
Dear Antia,
As always, a visit here always adds something so special to my day. Your writting is to me is like a painting. Beautiful post and I will think of it with each new gray I find!Inspiring as always and beautifully written. You are a gem!
xo
Debi
Anita, such a lovely post...words that evoke many feelings...I love the art of aging gracefully.
Beautiful!
Hugs,
Margaret B
Greetings My Dear,
I'M HOME!! and how wonderful to get a HUG from my dear Anita...you are so dear to leave me little messages to welcome me home.
Had a FABULOUS couple of days with family...will post a few snappies on Friday Pretties. Weather was beautiful, Food was delectable, and Respite was in full supply.
How have you been my dear? Is your eye all cleared up? Have you been dreaming up wonder filled surprises for those little people you will soon be enjoying?...I know you have. Your creative mind NEVER sleeps.
Well, must get things organized and get on with my day...
Wishing you a JOYOUS DAY DEAREST...love Rosie
Maturity & Beauty amazing strengths that together form a priceless bond!...Thanks for reminding us!
What a beautiful post! I love to see women who age gracefully and beautifully.
There are a couple of women at my church who are in their eighties and are the most beautiful women that I know. Their inner beauty shines through.
Have a wonderful Tuesday Rosie!
Joyce
This is grace defined! Thanks for this beautiful post. I loved it. You give a gift with every post. Blessings.
Encore de merveilleuse paroles de sagesse et d'optimisme pour nous les femmmes ,illustées,comme à l'accoutumée ,par un choix de photos étonnantes et totalement appropriées!Tu deviens toi meme une légende !Vive les femmes libres du XXI eme siècle!
val
Left you a wee email dearest
.........love Rosie.......
A very beautiful post to come home to...Did I tell you that I decited to let the gray take over..Its doing its best..and I am happy with it ! My hair is awesome..And so are YOU..
Big hug...T.D and M M
This is such a beautiful post and it's true that most things take on more beauty with age. I think that's why we love them so much. they are rich in history and have many things to teach us. Some women and men also grow much more graceful and pretty with age. You have such a wonderful way of writing. Your posts are always an inspiration. Thank you.
Oh my darling,
I just hit the "mother load"!!!!
I checked my email because you mentioned you had left me a note...OK, I found a treasure chest of cuppas from you dear...Oh such beautiful notes..THANK YOU DEAREST! and yes I will totally send you a snappie or two. I feel terrible that I didn't check earlier...dearest, I am sooo sorry. I will say, what a lovely half hour I just spent with you ...Ahhhhh....
....wonderful...
Had a very busy day at the shop today...was filling in for one of my lovely ladies, who could not make it in. It was CrAzY today...not sure if it was the weather or because we have a little summer sale on, but what a lovely collection of ladies came to visit...I adore this part of my job.
Thank you again for your friendship, you are so dear to me. I feel so blessed to have gotten to know you...have a restful sleep and a joyous day tomorrow...hugs my dear...love Rosie
What an uplifting blog, thanks for your comments on my blog, I love the idea on your Hot off The Press blog, might have ago at that, and of course the header of the lovely
WFT.
See Yea George xxx and Jan
How I missed this I will never know! Makes me look at my "patina" in a whole different light! Thank you! Cathy
I am a fan of Judy and Helen. That is beautifully ageing. Never thought of age a s a patina, you are wright.. great post.. Thanks
you made my day.. yvonne
What a dear you are! Thank you for always sharing the most encouraging words with me, and being such a wonderful inspiration. Your words are the window to YOUR soul, and such a sweet soul you possess. Your Friend, Kate
Dear, dear Judi Dench, how I do love her so.
My long, long hair is taking on slivers of silver strands, and I love them... I actually wish there were more!
Hello my dear...
Well, how was today?Did you get things organized and looking "put back together" again...Fret Not Dearest, things are going to get CRAZY, that is all part of the reno.
Embrace it, things have to get worse before they get BEAUTIFUL.
So today was full of running around like a WiLd WoMaN and ended with a lovely cuppa and great conversation
.......Ahhhh.............
Must do a little trip to the BIG city for a few trinkets tomorrow.
Have alot of loose ends to tie up before Sunday...as this is when I fly out to Edmonton, Alberta for a buying show. Lizzy will pick me up at the airport and we shall have a GLORIOUS little girls weekend.
So off to get a few more things done before bed...have a lovely day tomorrow...until then...smile on. ...love Rosie...
Beautiful and so well said! Our faces tell a story...You say it SO Well!
Hugs mon amie :)
Bon week end.
Frenchy
Hello Anita~I've just strolled in for my first visit through my new friend Rosie's encouragement...I'm soo happy I did. I've enjoyed taking a peek around. Your blog is so beautifully inviting...simply magical! We share similar tastes for so many of the same creative elements.
I loved the sweet way you chose the beauty of *patina* to describe this particular season of my life.
It's wonderful how inspiring blog friends as yourself can be, that's why I love returning the gesture.
My mothers maiden name is Rivera and I saw that it's your name too. The Rivera's in my family reside in Southern California.
I've never met anyone with the name outside of California, so this is a pleasant surprise.
I've bookmarked you in my faves.
I look forward to coming by your charming blog again.
Come by for a cuppa and a chat. Your company would be nice.
Sweet wishes,
Sara
Your blog is beautiful.. where have I been. Love your post. xooxLaura
Such a beautiful post ma chere!! I love every word of it! I would much rather see the lines of wisdom and laughter and life experiences than a vision of taut smooth facade that has lost all character and all life. There really is such a thing as aging gracefully and it's up to us to try to do it sensibly. Thank you for such a great inspiration to be myself today my sweet darling Anita!!
And thank you so much for your prayers for little Marie, she needs them desperately!!
Sorry I haven't visited... things have been crazy and I'm in training classes for my job also so my brain is exhausted at the end of the day right now.
Lots of love & hugs to you dear one, Sherry
Hello dear Anita...thank you for popping in...You know, I was thinking of you while doing this post on the Cauliflower Soup...soon you will have the cooler weather which will be perfect for this...Perhaps with a touch of Blue Cheese!!! I am really looking forward to the warm weather now...Enjoy your weekend...and of course we must have a Cheers...Dzintra♥x
Dearest Anita,
Surely, I'll be lost in the crowd which is only right and just. You simply stun me with your inspired creativity, your beautiful writing, your perfect choices of objets and people to express an idea and make it poetic.
I hope we're still friends, because I value our Taurus kinship. I know I haven't been around much these days -- it's complicated -- but it's not because I don't appreciate your magnificent work.
xoxo,
Tish
P.S.: Please note avoidance of French words except for "objet" because I'm terrified to make a mistake (!)
Tears filled my eyes reading your words. The pictures, as always are beautiful. More importantly I'm am working on leaving a legend behind. Thanks you for being so inspiring.
Jamie Lee Curtis is my hero. I read an interview with her in a magazine where she posed in her briefs to show how saggy she was, and how she wasn't ashamed of gravity's work. What a peach!
Lovely pictures, and another lovely visit...
God's most beautiful blessings on you, Anita!
Oh sweet one...thank you for all your sweet comments ....you are my little angel..what a blessing it is to know you.
And look at you with 92 comments! Everyone loves you..and so they should!
xoxoxo
The beautiful patina of age...I like it!
I'm going to say one more thing about tic & toc, as it applies to teaching and writing. The secret is to give just enough of to make a student/reader want to find out more (I know that is what you do when you teach!). It is thrilling when people read you or listen to you and tell you it made them want to know more and that they had to look into the topic afterwards... making it their own. It makes it worth all the effort.
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