Unravelling - separating & clarifying the elements

paintings above by virgo paraiso; below by mikel glass. all via beinArt

[extract below from The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith, 2010. i've read all his books and particularly enjoy the meditative quality of those set in botswana.]

Mma Ramotswe thought about this. Having the right approach to life was a great gift in this life. Her father, the late Obed Ramotswe, had always had the right approach to life - she was sure of that. And for a moment, as she sat there with her friend, with the late-afternoon sun slanting in through the window, she thought about how she owed her father so much. He had taught her almost everything she knew about how to lead a good life, and the lessons she had learned from him were as fresh today as they ever had been. Do not complain about your life. Do not blame others for things that you have brought upon yourself. Be content with who you are and where you are, and do whatever you can do to bring to others such contentment, and joy, and understanding that you have managed to find yourself.

She closed her eyes. You can do that in the company of an old friend - you can close your eyes and think of the land that gave you life and breath, and of all the reasons why you are glad that you are there, with the people you know, with the people you love.

un•rav•el

transitive verb unraveled -•eled or unravelled -•elled, unraveling -•el•ing or unravelling -•el•ling

1a. to undo or ravel the knitted fabric of
1b. to separate (entangled threads)
2. to separate and clarify the elements of (something mysterious or baffling); solve

intransitive verb

1. to become unraveled

A personal update: I’m in the process of selling my place here in Brisbane and moving closer to family/friends ‘up the mountain’. As you can imagine there’s much culling of possessions and general cleaning. Who knows how long the selling process will take. It’s mid winter here and the market is slow. But that’s fine; it’s just the way it is. I’ll post some photos of this place in a couple of days. There's also a bit of separating and clarifying in my thinking going on as well. Tis lovely. My best wishes to you all. Be kind to yourself.

Just Imagine Living In A Shell Revisited...

just imagine living inside a sea shell with your love just imagine catching a glimpse of the moon rising over the sea at twilight and later lifting your eyes to a sky full of stars diamonds strewn on black velvet just imagine being cocooned in curves taking a bath in a hollow under a shell fountain just imagine going to sleep to the sound of the ocean’s breath waking to the same sound and glimpsing azure through a curved space feeling the gentle caress of the sea breeze on your skin just imagine the touch of your lover's hand in yours as you go padding out in bare feet past the private pool and down to the sand feeling it between your toes just imagine knowing that this sand has travelled and been shaped for eternity just imagine pausing to examine gifts of shells and corals

Conch Shell House, Isla Mujeres, Mexico via Unusual Architecture

just imagine your love discovering this crown and placing it gently upon your head

Mermaid Wedding Crown from Faerie Majikk [visit etsy.com and search for shell tiara for similar]

and these sandals upon your feet

Beach Wedding Sandals by Princess Allure

and just imagine looking down and discovering this little creature

Hand Sculpted Mermaid by Dust of Enchantment [visit etsy.com and search for mermaid art doll for more little treasures]

..........just imagine

1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 via Country Living 2. Vintage Glass Domes with shells, coral, and mermaids in my bathroom. 3. Lights made by Carol Lasitter and with instructions at Beautiful Details 5. Shell Wreath from Black Star 5 on Flickr 6. Shell Encrusted Florida Vintage Condiment Set on Etsy from Carmen and Ginger 9. Seashell Cross on Etsy from Sandis Shellscapes 12. Table Centrepiece from Completely Coastal 13. My Red Coral Sculpture that serendipitiously began as an idea for a freeform necklace but became a mounted, wire threaded and stuffed sculpture.

[I'm still away from home staying with family and friends and concentrating on wellness...hence a revisiting of a previous blog entry from this time last year. Compiling this at an internet cafe and don't have access to any of my photographs or draft writings...but...I'll be back to regular posts soon. Thank you for your patience and good wishes. I wish you love, and wellness, and all good things.]

Different but the same / contrasting loveliness

[above photographs by James Merrell]

[via pixdaus]

Being anywhere you want to be...

He kept a piece of algae behind his ear to remind him of his roots. A million years ago every place was a little place by the sea, he would say and

my mind would go blank and I would swim through the day without a care in the world;

it all seemed so familiar that I knew I would go back someday to my own little place by the sea.

[black and white 'swimmers series' photographs by laurie coppedge and text via storypeople]

A heartfelt thank you for all your comments on my last post. The last few weeks have been spent recovering gently. I'll be visiting each of you over the next couple of days. In the meantime, you're welcome to take a seat with me and drift away to this meditation music from Painting The Ocean by Robert Norton.

[beach house, terrigal, sydney, designed by jorge hrdina]

Lifting off....

from Larissa LaLi

Yes it's me, still alive and twitching! The last few weeks have been a nightmare. For a few months I've been taking Lyrica, an 'antiepileptic' type drug used for the treatment of nerve pain of peripheral neuropathy (mentioned here). Like many drugs I suppose, this one brought relief from some of the symptoms but over time the side effects increased - constant fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, depression, nausea. So then came the self imposed withdrawal and oh my I do now have such respect for anybody who's managed to give up mind altering drugs. No details, I don't want to think about it and you don't want to read it. Now I'm determined to conquer the nerve pain through meditation/relaxation. It may take time but it will happen. I apologise for not being able to visit your blogs just now. I send loving thoughts to you all. Be kind to yourself. We are all in this journey together...

Feeling beauty and wondering...

photos by Cig Harvey

To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it.
[George Santayana]



Sorry it's taken me so long to post again. Unavoidable as there was a bug in the system - the computers not mine! Tho when I watch Seminova dance I wonder if it's possible for somebody twice her age to become this lithe again, and more importantly, as healthy as they were at her age. Is it possible...

No blog post prepared...some scatterings...

via The Selby

As they say, ‘I got nothin here.’ A few pics I like. That’s it. Maybe they’re telling me something - I need to put a swing up in my house? play in forbidden places? bath outside? not just swim but dive? drag a mattress onto the lawn and sleep under the stars?

via Pixdaus [No shoes! I wasn't allowed to go one day of my childhood without shoes. These days I'm barefoot most of the time. And yet my first instinct as I look at this pic is to say 'Put some shoes on darling or you'll hurt yourself']

'Photobooth' original painting by Jamie Hudrlik via ScribbleME [I love it that Hudrlik’s paintings are so large – this one over six feet wide - and they're on unstretched canvas - for easy postage - and they're so gorgeous/colourful/evocative]

Forestiere Gardens, Fresno via Knor Q [A garden. Space to play.]

Opalescent Earrings from Namaste Designs [I want to dive into these earrings, swim to the hidden passage, and swim off to unexplored worlds]

via UK Telegraph [No need for a wooden frame, just give me the mattress and the bedding, and most importantly the stars unobliterated by city lights]

Ummmmm....just typing this post has inadvertently gathered scattered thoughts for me to ponder.

Flying With Renee

'Flying With Renee' is an original embroidery on vintage linen sewn to represent the precious moments I shared with Renee. When she was unwell, Renee and I would take little trips together. Planned ahead of time, and undertaken simultaneously on both sides of this earth, Renee and I would close our eyes and reach out to each other. Sometimes, holding hands we'd rise together and fly. Light as feathers and bubbling with laughter, over the cities, over the mountains, over the seas we’d fly. There was no pain. There was no sadness. Just pure joy. And I'd look across at her and know that she was part of me, and I a part of her. We were one. The way we all are. When the trip ended that pure joy lingered. It’s still there. In the blink of an eye I am with you my precious girl, flying.

A bird house I like and would whistle for...

The Bird House designed by Hutchison and Maul

I’ve always had trouble with the ‘finger whistle’ but just know I could master it for this bird house. Just back from nearly two weeks away and not particularly organised yet. Thanks for hangin in there.

The Rabbit In The Moon

photograph by Albert Watson

Rabbits and the moon, now that’s a nice combination. There’s a little story about this combo to read below. Or better still get somebody to read it to you while you loll about. But first I want to show you a painting of Mr Rabbit that I’ve made this week. No not the one above, I'm not at that stage yet, the one below. It fits nicely I think with the Three Muses Challenge for this week - You are what you eat. Chosen for a couple of reasons. One because strangely, as I get older, my shape is moving more towards a rabbit one, and two I’m mostly vegetarian. I say mostly because I am vegetarian except when I visit my Mother who believes that if you don’t have meat or chicken it’s not a proper meal. I love her so I eat.

Yes we have another incognito character. It didn’t start out that way. Mr Rabbit had eyes, but his eyes looked scarey, so the idea of the sunglasses seemed an easy solution. Mr Rabbit doesn’t have the glam of Miss Redhead but he knows he’s bigger. Gosh he was hard work tho. I’d paint in the black lines, then I’d have to repair with white, then the white would be crooked so I’d have to repair with the black. And on and on it went. Hour after hour. Simple things aren’t always the easiest are they?

photograph via deviantart

And now for your little bedtime story. Once upon a time, the Old-Man-of-the-Moon looked down into a big forest on the earth. He saw a rabbit and a monkey and a fox all living there together in the forest as very good friends."Now, I wonder which of them is the kindest," he said to himself. "I think I'll go down and see." So the old man changed himself into a beggar and came down from the moon to the forest where the three animals were. "Please help me," he said to them. "I'm very hungry." "Oh! What a poor old beggar!" they said, and then they went hurrying off to find some food for the beggar. The monkey brought a lot of fruit. And the fox caught a big fish. But the rabbit couldn't find anything at all to bring. "Oh my! oh my! what shall I do?" the rabbit cried. But just then he got an idea. "Please, Mr. Monkey," the rabbit said, "you gather some firewood for me. And you, Mr. Fox, please make a big fire with the wood." They did as the rabbit asked, and when the fire was burning very brightly, the rabbit said to the beggar: "I don't have anything to give you. So I'll put myself in this fire, and then when I'm cooked you can eat me." The rabbit was about to jump into the fire and cook himself. But just then the beggar suddenly changed himself back into the Old-Man-of-the-Moon. "You are very kind, Mr. Rabbit," the Old Man said. "But you should never do anything to harm yourself. Since you are the kindest, of all, I'll take you home to live with me." Then the Old-Man-of-the-Moon took the rabbit in his arms and carried him up to the moon. Just look and see! If you look carefully at the moon when it is shining brightly, you can still see the rabbit there where the Old Man put him so very long ago.

photograph at Tucson AZ

I’m heading off for a week or so over Easter so it’ll be a bit quiet around here until I return. I hope you all have a happy holiday. I appreciate you so very much. When I think of blogging I’m overcome with warm loving supportive feelings. Thank you all.