Quilt update

Like a lot of people in blogland, I am enjoying doing not much at all this week. I have finished my second grandmother's flower garden flower and started crocheting a hat from this pattern. I have been staying up late and sleeping in, enjoying summer, practicing pin curling my hair, reading and reflecting on 2006.

There is so much to love about this time of year, lychees, mangoes, time with family, the Christmas spirit that seems to infect even the most cynical and all this time off from life.

Also my favorite Christmas present;

This lovely lady.

My mother found her for me in Roma. Part of me would like to know who she was and how she ended up in an op shop but another part of me is happy for her to remain a romantic mystery. Can you see me reflected in the glass - spooky.

Happy new year whoever you are, I hope you have a lovely night and 2007 brings you closer to your dreams.

Last books of 2006

Lemony Snicket: The Reptile Room and The Wide Window

While I still find these charming and delightful childrens books, they really are meant to be read by children (funnily enough). I love the detail of these books and really admire the efforts of the author to inspire an interest in correct use of the English language, however I think reading one book in the series would generally be enough for an adult. I will continue reading the books in this series when I have an hour or two to spare because I would like to finish what I have started and also my use of the English language could do with a little brush up (and to discover the fate of the Baudelaire orphans).

L.M. Montgomery: Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat

These two "childrens books" on the other hand, are not, I believe suitable only for children and quite a few people agree (ebay bidding for her books is fie-rce). Just when I think I cannot possibly love another one of L.M.'s heroines any more than the previous my heart is stolen all over again. I must admit it did take me a while to get into Pat but once I did I couldn't put her down, even though I didn't want her to end. Pat differs from Anne and Emily in her large loving family and lack of career ambition. Her ambition is to serve the people and home she loves. Pat's Jingle has the talent and romance of Emily's Teddy without the moods and pride and the fun and companionship of Anne's Gilbert without the teasing. Jingle is also the most loyal of any of the beaux and doesn't display any distrust despite suffering a great hurt from his absent mother. David Kirk lacks the bitterness and possesiveness of Dean Priest and Bets is a sweet chum all of her own (as all the chums are). Judy is a wonderfully developed character (are characters of L.M.'s not) and adds a wonderful element to the story.

While Dumbo feather, pass it on is not technically a book (it has been described as a mook, half magazine, half book), it is just as fulfilling and imformative as a book and I wasn't finished with it in fifteen minutes as I am with conventional magazines. Dumbo feather describe it best;

In each issue of Dumbo feather five remarkable individuals tell you their stories. Their backgrounds and dreams are as unique as they are but what unites them is their creativity, passion and integrity, and somewhere they found the courage to fly. In their own words they tell you how they discovered their passion, what inspires them, the lows as well as the highs on the journey and ultimately why they do what they do.

I initally bought this mook in an effort to be interesting but I think Dumbo feather will be making a regular appearance on my coffee table. Each story takes me a good half hour to read and I can only read story per sitting (I need some time to absorb and reflect before moving on). Every page could be framed (even the text only pages) and it is printed on 100% recycled paper using soy inks. The advertisements are few and minimalist and all in all it is just a wonderful publication. I am not in any way affiliated with Dumbo feather, I am just that impressed.

Christmas List

I am very, very boring this week so in the absence of anything better to post I am scraping the bottom of the barrel and listing what I want for Christmas (or sooner!).

I am dying to have a yellow pear necklace watch from Marc by Marc Jacobs. Dyyyyying.

I would also like a Holga and some film.

I want a large wide brimmed straw hat to protect my pasty face this summer.

A Clover pincushion ring would be nice.

Ohh, and some of those cute patterned flats all the kids are wearing these days.

My graduation ceremony is tomorrow so I have taken the rest of the week off work - yay! Hopefully next time I will have a more exciting post although I am not counting on it.

Broken Camera

I took my wee little Canon Ixus 40 to be repaired today. The optical zoom hasn't been working for quite some time and even though I am thinking about getting a larger digital camera, I would still like the convenience of a handbag camera. It should be repaired before Christmas, so in the mean time I am planning on reacquainting myself with slow photography.

Even though I love the convenience of digital photography, I also love the "thingness" and traditionalism of film photography (and no chance of deleting photos). It also goes with my recent philosophy of slow living. I have starting forgetting to take my mobile phone with me and am trying to reduce my television viewing. Even though recently I have found myself bored with television, I will keep it on anyway - for background noise. A habit of twenty or so years is hard to break!

In this noisy world I am starting to savour silence and stillness and long for simpler place or time (place might be the more realistic option). Maybe I should Marry a Farmer.

However, this is all a bit fanciful and hypocritical as I love the the inspiration and knowledge that comes from the internet and quite enjoy the many conveniences that modern technology affords.

Ode to Ono

This is a very silly little ditty I wrote for my dog. It is not a true ode (I have adopted this looser definition) nor does it follow the basic rules of the English language, but I had fun writing it and it used up half an hour of quiet time at work.








Before you came along
I was a person for cats
With their little pink paws
Chasing little toy rats

Now you have gone
And stolen my heart
I love you like a child
I hate when we part

Your face is full of expression
Happy, sad, excited, dismayed
And even though you cannot speak
I often know what you are trying to say

You are a constant joy
Even when sleeping
You whimper and run
I wonder what you're dreaming

Sometimes you eat my favourite shoes
Which makes me very sad
But only for a little while
At you, I can never stay mad

I love from your silky ears
To your curly little tail
You are such a handsome boy
To me, all other dogs pale

I am covered in bruises
Because you are a giant
But so sweet and timid
And rarely defiant

Your name is really Dane
But I call you Ono
Mama's a little crazy
But she loves you, you know


On a completely different note, I saw Borat last night - I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my entire life and certainly not at a movie. I thought I was going to be sick I was laughing so hard.

Watercolour

I tried (and failed dismally) to capture the way the purple Jacaranda flowers seemed to be on fire from the light of the translucent creamy yellow sunset on my drive home from work. That is why I am going to art school! It is so lovely to see natural beauty in this urbanised, polluted world.

This painting was my first foray in gouache. The background is painted in traditional watercolours and the Jacaranda tree is painted in diluted gouache. I was inspired to use these mediums by the watercolourists of the late 1800s to the early twentieth century. In particular, Ellis Rowan, Sydney Long and John R. Neill(Royal Illustrator of the Wizard of Oz books).

Yester Gallery has a good collection of Australian and English Watercolours and Paul Giambarba's 100 Years of Illustration is a beautiful and informative blog on 100 years of illustration (funnily enough).

I am constantly amazed by the detail and life in these watercolours and won't be able to emulate these artists in one hundred years, but hopefully by learning some techniques at art school I will improve and be better able to represent the beauty I see.