Saturday, November 16, 2013

Half a century.

Today marks a half century since the Prof and I tied the knot. While it seems but a blink of the eye, a picture tells a thousand truths. This is me on our wedding day. I will spare you the current view!

 Oh callow youth, how could we have embarked on such a momentous odyssey at such a tender age? Oscar Wilde once remarked that "marriage is a triumph of optimism over experience" and it is clear that we were all optimism, certainly lacking experience!
However, despite a very few minor squalls, our ship has found calm waters and our optimism it seems was well founded. Two sons and four granddaughters make growing older more bearable, that and for the Prof, his Ipod on random play with all the Motown hits of the 'sixties while I busy myself making, doing and painting in our haven by the harbour.
We are enjoying our peaceful retirement and hope that our luck and health hold for a few more years.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Advantages to living small;

Perfumes fill the small space, flowers can be seen from all angles and things are readily at hand.....Disadvantages to living small; well apart from the obvious converse of the smell thing, I haven't found any yet.
Inspired by the perfume from some ripening peaches filling the apartment, the first of the season, I have been drawn back to the world of traditional etegami.
It is a darkish grey, rainy day, leavened only by a long walk to my favourite fabric store, listening to Herman Wouk's magnum opus "The Winds of War". The delectable smell of the peaches greeted me on my return and brightened my day. Summer is truly a'comin' in.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Don't be a galah!

Maybe this expression is becoming obsolete but I heard it many times in my youth. It was usually said with an ironic slightly affectionate ring, much like the expression "you silly goose".
Why the galah has been libelled in this way is quite obvious when you see them in the flesh. They have a slightly goofy air and are given to screeching and panicking at the least disturbance. All this despite their gorgeous rosy pink and grey colouration.
Galahs do make good companion animals and can be affectionate but it is a shame to take them away from their natural habitat where they flock in large numbers, wheeling and screeching all the while.

I have a feeling my bird stamp carving phase may have run its course....we shall see.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I met one of my Facebook friends Carolyn from Melbourne in person and we shared a chatty lunch, afternoon tea and gallery visit together. I felt very connected to Carolyn online and happily that connection is now a personal one.
A funny thing happened when I returned home though, my 12 year old twin granddaughters gave me a stern lecture about people you meet online and how to protect yourself from predators. The education programs at school are working!
All in all a good week.

Monday, November 4, 2013

On the subject of opportunity...

It has been said that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" probably meaning "take what you can and don't hold out for more in the future". Seems to me that our whole lives we are holding out for more and isn't that what life is all about? For some it is a promise of Heaven, for others it is for material things, for me it is friendship, developing a relationship beyond the superficial, so maybe being a "holdout" isn't a bad thing.
Todays nondescript little bird, a kind of generic sparrow type says that settling for the now, may lose you the opportunity for better things.


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Appearances can be deceptive.

Today's bird, the cockatiel, also known as the Quarrion in Australia, is a small parrot which is fast overtaking the budgerigar as the most popular companion pet. He does look like a little clown but only those who have seen a flock of the birds on the wing can appreciate their aerial acrobatics. It seems like a good metaphor for how we view the people we meet. Flamboyance may disguise a rare talent or innate intelligence, best not to judge a bird by it's feathers!
A cockatiel named Karma is one of the stars of the Etegami Fun Club, appearing in photos of work posted by his owner, he is a well loved bird!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Today's bird.

Today's bird is a little Topknot pigeon who searches quietly in grassy areas for seeds. At our old house they would eat the seeds from our huge liquidamber tree which shed enough to keep a whole flock happy.
The most distinctive thing about these unassuming birds apart from a parrot like crest is the loud whirring sound made by their wings as they take flight, a sound I associate with happy times in my childhood, sitting alone in a paddock silently watching and dreaming. The colouration of the Topknot is quite subtle and beautiful with a slash of peacock blue-green feathers on wingtips.
I don't think I have done justice to the little chap but he brought back nice memories while I was painting and carving.