me - cultured ?

what have you girls done to me?

First collage, now reading poetry & trying my hand at haiku !

oh my! I am becoming 'cultured'.

I am usually in my garden, you see. reading herbal books. a hands in the earth girl. I have never been one for reading poetry nor creating art. Quilting & making dolls was my 'art' - I wasn't at all interested in poetry, ever.

Now I am trying to 'write' haiku. How do you do it? I have searched the net for help and found that I had to write down words, randomly. Yep can do that quite easily. But to try and get them to make sense? HA!

On the full moon, I am starting a new book (yes another self help book!) by Denise Linn - Soul Coaching & in the first week, she suggests reading poetry. So, on Thursday of last week, I took myself off to join our local library. Wanting to borrow a book of poetry by Rumi. I haven't been into a library for at least 10 years. I borrowed not one book but a few. Two poetry books - one by Rumi & another by Thomas Hardy, two novels, an australian heritage cookbook and a book called "A year of slow food" which is like a tossed salad - a mix of Peter Mayle's 'a year in Provence', On Rue Tatin and Under the Tuscan sun. All set in the southern highlands of New South Wales, two hours drive from where I live. About a couple who live off their own land. Recipes included. great book! So, I wandered aimlessly around the library. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was looking for
I just browsed the shelves, looking for a cover I liked. I know, you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but if I buy my wine for the label and have never been disappointed, I figured choosing a book for its cover should be ok. So far, my theory has proven correct. The Rumi poetry book is good. Having a hard time getting into reading it but I will.

Just to prove that this 'un-cultured-ness' does not run in my family - my pa was an opera singer, my youngest daughter can read music and is a grade 7 flautist and has had poetry published when she was about 11. AND here is a poem that my eldest daughter wrote in primary school.

Deep, purple, bumpy and oval.

squishy, moist, soft and juicy

good to smell

scrumptious, delicious and good to eat

I love mulberries good and sweet

so maybe, just maybe, there is hope for me yet.

destroying the 'past' ?

simple abundance suggests having an illustrated discovery journal. I started one last year & I still love looking through the pages. However tearing up much loved magazines to fill the journal is difficult. Not sure why. I have about 7 years worth of UK Country Living - all piled up on a bookshelf. Each one absolutely gorgeous. Gorgeous pictures and articles. I will be like that old lady who had wall to ceiling magazines - like some kind of weird insulation. Narrow hallways with books for walls. Maybe oneday it will draw people to Woodford. A maze of magazines. Where they sell teaspoons & tea-towels ... where people take you through a guided tour, telling of the history of the mad woman of Woodford (me).

I wonder why I can't bring myself to rip into them? I have been trying so hard to do it - sitting for hours, looking through each one to see if I must keep them. I have only been able to rip a few.

I guess it stems from childhood conditioning when my dad refused to let me rip up the set of encylopedias. Or any book for that matter.I needed some pictures for various projects but no, I wasn't allowed. I inherited those encylcopedias and I would not let my children destroy them either. They are now about 45 years old - and only just last year when I started playing collage did I allow myself to take some bits from them. What is the point in keeping them? Every piece of information is probably obsolete anyhow. Gee, man hadn't even landed on the moon!

Last week while ripping into the magazines that I had hoarded, I came across some gorgeous photos that I thought would look good for a background. I took some words as well and made this in my journal.

I seem to always use the same photo of myself, I guess because the look on my face says it all.

one person's junk. . .

yesterday Joe went to an auction. I was on my way to have my massage and thought I would call in to see if there was anything I HAD TO HAVE. a few boxes of ephemera but nothing much else caught my eye. I took some photos ~ alot of junk but alot of possibilties....

I am so glad that Joe didn't get auction fever. He has been known to bid on stuff 'cause it is cheap and I am trying to declutter. but he did well - one box of paper rubbish & a pair of plaster cocker spaniels - one for me and one for my sister

I wanted to buy this doll, to alter but it went for too much money - obviously a collectable. I loved the little watch pinned to her chest. I had a chair just like that one - when I was little

"junque or junk or just plain rubbish?"



another doll that I wanted to buy but it went for a ridiculous sum of money. So, I have to be content with the box of cards and other paper 'rubbish' as it was described in the auction.

In the afternoon, I spent time between my garden - *spreading 8 bags of mushroom compost & 2 bales of lucerne, watering my citrus trees and making up some more comfrey tea* & my 'art' room - playing with an altered book that I am making for a swap, trying to work out who I have sent teenie tiny shells too and getting the last of my valentines swap together.

the gratitude journal

I love to garden. I lose myself in my garden sometimes - just thinking, contemplating, reflecting. I love how each plant rewards me in some way. Whether it be a gorgeous rose or the perfume of rose geranium leaves as I brush past. Or my apple tree giving me shade. I have had an abundant harvest this week - my tomatoes are giving me enough fruit for a meal and my lemon tree has some lemons colouring up at the moment. My zucchinis are out of control. The pumpkin vines are starting to flower too, promising pumpkins for winter soup. Oh and my chickens are giving me one dozen eggs a day ! can you believe that? gorgeous rich yellow yolks, freshly laid by my girls.

I had a bit of a hiccough in my life on Thursday. I received a very distressing phone call and I literally had a meltdown* It was a family matter, very distressing for me. usually I am the coper, the fixer of problems, but this time, I was pushed OVER THE EDGE ~ I lost it. After the meltdown, I remembered to bring myself back into the present moment, started to breath and worked through it.

* * *

sorting through stuff and keeping in the present moment is working well for me. accepting my life as it is right now, not wishing I lived in France or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere for that matter. makes me settled. Oh! ~ the thoughts still creep in but I just keep bringing myself back. Enjoying where I am.

However, I still allow myself to dream! we must never forget to dream.

all this is from my simple abundance journal.

* * *

this week I started my 'spiritual inventory' - 100 blessings in my life. AND a daily dialogue ~ where we are supposed to write down our mind chatter into a journal. a separate journal to our gratitude journal. But I have decided to do all of my 'work' in the same journal. collage, gratitude, emotions - all of me is going into the one journal. And when that is full, I will start another. Otherwise, I will become ratty & scattered again * and I don't want that.

what do you think about my produce below?

enough tomatoes for a salad and lemons for a lemon tart. all organic, all grown by me ! these are the beginnings of true slow food.

Cornwall

Laura - taken in her later life, in Australia.

I have never been to Cornwall. Well, not in this life anyhow. But ever since I can remember, the word Cornwall has stirred my soul. It has made me wonder. Funny, how things happen. I always thought my Pa's family came from Devon. East Stonehouse to be exact. That is what it says on my Pa's birth certificate and I know that they sailed to Australia from Plymouth. My great grandfather was a chief petty officer with the Royal Navy and they came to live in Australia sometime in the early 1900's. But just the last few months I have learned that my great grandma, who I didn't know, came from Cornwall. Her family name was Tregilgas. She had a brother named Charlie. I have been looking for family ties via the internet with the help of my friend Daisy Lupin - not much so far but I haven't really been serious about it, once I am - watch out! I don't want to find someone I am related to and go to England and knock on their door and say - 'hi, I am a long lost relative from Australia' ! NO! I just want to know my roots, to know why I am so interested in hedgewitchery, herbs & the moon. Ever since I was little, I have known about herbs. I have been interested in them. Not for culinary purposes but medicinal and folklore reasons. I would even wrap weeds around my teddy & dolls legs when they were hurt. How did I know to do that?

I have an affinity with the lady above, my great Nan, Laura. I wish I had known her. Do you think maybe she was a witch? I do.

My favourite CD, Medicine Woman, that I play constantly is by a musician called Medwyn Goodall. I was looking on the net the other night, for some more of his music and found out that he lives in Cornwall and has a CD by that name. I bought it. I received it in the mail yesterday and it haunts my soul. love it!!!!

And a few days ago, I received a lovely package of postcards in the mail from Sheila. All from Cornwall. Thank you so much Sheila xo it was a lovely, lovely thing to do.

poetry, rain....and a reason

last night it rained...the drops made noises on our roof and I grabbed my camera, raced outside hoping to capture the moment. It rained all night & is still raining. lovely soaking rain.

The plants are sighing with relief. I am sure I can actually hear them. This rain is good as on the weekend, I was planning on mulching heavily again so I will be able to trap this moisture in.

haven't been doing a whole lot - I started a collage and also an altered book and then tried my hand at haiku - ooh, how hard is that? Mine are definately not ready to be leashed upon the unsuspecting blogging world, that is for sure. I admire those of you who take part in the haiku challenge! I was never really interested in poetry in highschool, gee, I wish I had listened to my teacher now. But I will keep on trying ~ it actually soothes me when I am trying to create a haiku, so I guess that is a good thing.
Otherwise, I have alot of ideas going on in my head, some lovely ideas for totes ! - was thinking of selling on etsy and I know all of you encouraged me, but do I want to put myself under pressure? because I will, I know it. I was going to start selling on the next full moon, so I will just see what happens.

I went to see a naturopath yesterday, seems my adrenals are over worked - ha! At least the adrenals explain why I am so tired, exhausted and teary. It was good to sit down with someone and tell them all about how I was feeling & be able to be 'poor me' without feeling guilty & then be told the reason why I am feeling like I am. It all makes sense. I am now taking a foul tasting herbal tonic as well as having to cut down on cups of tea! gawd. I also have to take some me time each day - to sit somewhere or take a walk and just be. by myself! I know I have to get myself back into my healthy lifestyle and I will. 2007 is the year to do it!

damn, damn, damn - yes, I curse - the mail

oh my, I am so sad - I have sent a few of the teeny tiny shells of to some of you. still getting the others wrapped. Lisa has emailed me and told me that hers arrived but the envelope had been opened and there was nothing in it. I didn't put a letter in with the shell, just wrapped it up and popped it in the envelope and Frank, my post office man said I wouldn't need a customs form. Maybe I did.

So far, I have sent shells to: Laurie, Ninnie, Connie & Lisa.

Some more were going out today & the rest next week, but I will have to hold off sending them til I find out a little more about the rules of sending shells into a country.

Please let me know when you get yours or if you don't. I am so, so sad.

the gratitude journal

this week, I really noticed the little things in my life. I took the time. It is like there has been a shift in my conciousness, in my soul. I feel more settled. Is it because I am taking time not to rush, because I am noticing the tiny things to be joyful about? the past week, Joe & I went for a walk nearly every afternoon. we drive to Katoomba, walk down the hill to Echo Point then back up again. A LONG walk. I took my camera along one afternoon, just incase and noticed these gorgeous old gates. I love them! They are years old, what stories they would tell. Did a suitor walk through that gate to ask his love's hand in marriage? Did a postie walk through this gate to deliver a telegram to a mother whose son was killed at war? the happy times & the sad times, all make us who we are. Past & present.

this is me ~ plain & simple

last night we went out to dinner, to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday. A gorgeous old guesthouse in the town of Blackheath about half an hours drive from my home

as usual, I went dressed like a pixie - well that is what most of my friends call me, a pixie. I wore a tomato red lace skirt with my newest pixie shoes.

Bells on my toes!

don't you just love them!

then I thought I would be brave like many of my blogging friends and post a photo of myself. So I asked my husband to take a photo of me. He is not very camera savvy..and he could not find that hazy filter to make me look like I really do in my minds eye ~ I don't wear alot of make-up, I have worry lines on my forehead.

posting it is hard. why? why is it so hard to post a photo of myself?... being brave ~ here I am ~ a plain & simple gal from down under

heart, flower & chocolate ~ swap ~ last chance

I remember reading awhile back on Kai's blog about sending someone a heart & I tucked it away in my memory - thinking that oneday, I would send someone a heart from me.

"Send each other a hug, a kind word, some luvvvvvvvv.. Make a heart from a colourful magazine or a Dove from white paper. Write something wonderful on it
and send it to any glitter sister " . . .so said Kai

And what better time than for valentines? a little swap - a HANDMADE heart (any medium) , a flower (vintage fabric, picture from a magazine, poem - endless ideas) and one perfectly delish chocolate. that's all.

email me your postal details if you are interested - closes Wednesday 24th Jan, I will send the partners out by Friday & the parcel must be there by Valentines day.

mischief ~ in a word

here I am again, worrying about what others think of me - well in a way, I am. The other day when I was ripping up all my gorgeous magazines for collage, I found an article about an artist and her magickal home in England. Among the words were these: ' . . . . own designs sprinkle magic and mischief among the . . .' (sorry I can't find the rest of them anywhere) - the words caught my eye & I thought it described my home perfectly - my home is whimsical, quaint and eccentric *much like me!* & I do sprinkle magick and mischief around my home! So I grabbed those words, found my little faery and put them up above near my profile. Then I found out that in the flower world I would be a snapdragon who has a quality of mischief.

MISCHIEF:
1. conduct or activity that playfully causes petty annoyance.
2. a tendency or disposition to tease, vex, or annoy.
3. a vexatious or annoying action.
4. harm or trouble, esp. as a result of an agent or cause.
5. an injury or evil caused by a person or other agent or cause.
6. a cause or source of harm, evil, or annoyance.
7. the devil.

oh lord! just the description I need. So I searched a thesaurus to find a word that mischief meant to me: high jinks, impishness, playfullness, jest, joke ~ ahh, now that is better, 'cause I am really just a gal who wants to have fun!

me, a snapdragon?

found this on Lila's blog -

I am a snapdragon!

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

me, mischief? ha! funny that, just yesterday, I put my little faery up above !

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

this new moon

I am not an astrologer by any means - I do believe that the planets and solar system have a big influence on our lives - well mine anyhow. New moon - yep! and I am going through the usual stuff - the ditzyness, the worrying and the sadness BUT this time, I am working with it instead of fighting it - journalling it and arting it. I receive a moon letter each month and this morning was reading about the new moon in Capricorn this month :

it mentions that our mother earth has been a harsh parent lately & that global warming is threatening everything we know. also mentioned is that we are unaware of the many blessings that sit on our doorstep & we hold in our hands the capability to 'contribute' to our world.

and a little more:

we are asked to love and care for each other,for all time. To use this New Moon to commit ourselves to 'becoming responsible for your own enlightenment'

make your theme for 2007, one of love.

want to know more? :~

Lisa Dale Miller - astrowisdom - amazing!

lost in the mess that is my 'art' room

have you wondered why I haven't been visiting as much or not at all? well ~ first of all, I got carried away cleaning up my favourites list on my computer. . . delete, delete, delete! OOPS - just deleted all my blog links. so I have been slowly tracking each of you down via comments & I do apologize if I haven't got to you yet ~ hopefully I will. If not, a gentle nudge will be helpful ! I have also been moving furniture & decluttering as well as cleaning out 'stuff' to make room for more 'stuff'

the above dresser was in my kitchen & needed to be moved into the dining room to make room for my new kitchen bench. I am lucky enough to have a kitchen designer for a husband!

we 'won' the dresser at an auction about 10 years ago. all we did was scrub it & put 'new' old glass in the doors. The original glass had a crack in it as well as a pepsi transfer on it. It came from Egypt & was one of the original dressers used by the english back 'whenever'. It was absolutely filthy when we bought it, had cockroach eggs in the drawers and a layer of fat down one side. Made me sick. I knew the cockroach eggs would never hatch as it had been fumigated to an inch of its life - the smell was atrocious. Our customs wanted to make sure no bugs came into our country through this dresser. However, after lots of hot water and sunlight soap and much elbow grease, the dresser looked pretty good. I love the patina of old, chipped painted furniture. oh yes, we could have stripped it right back to natural timber & done all that fancy smancy work on it, but it just wouldn't have the character any more.

and then I started to clean out my creative mess. I don't think I will ever, ever get to the bottom of it. disgusting is a word that comes to mind. OR

OUT OF CONTROL

scary, don't you think?

please, if I don't come visit, can you come and look for me ? or send out a search party....

we come from the land down under (and a photo competition)

down here, things are different.... well, I think they are. Sometimes, when I am reading blogs, I sigh with discontent, at the gorgeous photos that are shared - wishing I could live the life of that particular blogger. I wish I weren't like that but I am. I am grateful, thankful and blessed with my life - but sometimes the grass seems greener on the other side of the globe.

Today is stinking hot & I forced myself to go out to the shops to buy provisions to feed the starving. Whipping past the local florist, I noticed the roses, the orchids & the other exotic flowers that were for sale - then looking up, I spied through the window something that literally took my breath away. So I popped in - inside were frangipanis & other gorgeous flowers that are available here at the moment. But what took my breath away was a stem of pink flowering gum - what little ragged blossom is made of - so I treated myself, because I deserve it!

guardian of the past

I don't know why but I want to sell on etsy - I want to sell my dolls again. Plus other stuff I make.......this is the doll that I dreamed about ~ this is the doll that I am sure the angels wanted me to make. Sounds like I am an odd ball but I am not. what I am doing, is taking inspiration that I dream about and putting it into something solid, instead of ignoring it and then finding someone else has grabbed my dream from out in the ether and ran with it. Leaving me thinking 'hey, I dreamed about that a few nights ago!' ~ any feedback on her? she will come with a few crystals to help heal past issues & to heal the hurts plus a crystal that will be chosen specially for the buyer - and a little bag that you can write down anything you wish to heal. She has been 'infused' with angelic healing. I want to add a few more vintage bits but what do you think so far?

we have contact!

this afternoon, I had the pleasure of talking to Gina at patra's place on the phone! I have been blogging with Gina, since we started, really. Not sure how we found each other, but back then, it was pretty darn exciting finding someone else who blogged who lived in the same country! We exchanged Christmas cakes the year before last and had planned on doing it this last Christmas, 'cept mine went and became a flop. I ate Gina's - yum! it was fun chatting with you Gina, it was like we had met before! - I am sure we will keep in contact. xoxo

the gratitude journal

I have been trying for two years to complete Simple Abundance - but life gets in the way, I get lazy & give up. this year I want to succeed, this year I have promised myself that I will complete it and if I miss a day or two, I will not slap myself about the head and body, nor will I tar and feather myself. Today - the gratitude journal - wonderful! I can continue on my Sunday gratitudes here and then daily write them into my journal - it says to buy a new book for the gratitude journal but I think, I will just write them into my one and only journal or maybe I can find pictures that I am grateful for...I find it hard to put into words what I am grateful for - oh yes - the usual things - the husband, the children, health etc etc but most times I miss the little things in life, you see, I am busy rushing headlong into life that I don't slow down to smell the flowers or to smile at the old man on the street, so this will be a challenge.

a gift from near the sea - for Kai

here I am, on the beach last week - thinking of my blogging friends, collecting shells for them. Thinking of Daisy when I saw a cat, wondering if she will find a new one.... thinking of each of you each time something passed my way that reminded me of this one or that one... I was on my way to the ice-cream parlour (again) when I spied this and immediately I thought of Kai ~ I raced back to our cottage, grabbed the camera and snapped away like a real tourist. Kai - this is for you - with my love xo

MY bounty from the sea

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach, one can collect only a few.
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

*this quote was found on Pretty Lady's blog - I had never read it before but it was so perfect for my post today

I love to walk along the beach, if I lived by the sea-side, I would surely do it every day. I am not a water sign - being a double Capricorn, I am as earthy as you can get. BUT something about the seaside, stirs my soul. quietens my mind. While we were away, our car broke down so unfortunately I couldn't get to the beach as often as I would have liked - but the universe knows best and I did get to contemplate, to just be & to notice all the other beauty around me - the elderly man who went for a walk each day, despite his disability from a stroke, the men in their fishing boats, the pelicans, the sunrise.........AND even though I didn't get to the beach as often as I would have liked - I still managed to collect some shells & sea treasures. The walk to the shell graveyard must be done at low tide..so we had to get our timing right. This time it was around 7pm - so off I went..bucket in hand. over the sand and across the rocks til I found my first treasure - a rock!

a simple thing.

the collection of rocks that I collected on my walk


then I came across the shells, and like a child in an icecream parlour, I began to choose - there were millions! really. so I gathered some shells with my friends in mind and gathered some others to make myself a shell wreath to hang on my garden gate. And I gathered some shells just because.

and if you look really closely you will see my two pieces of sea glass - I wonder if they were a mermaids mirror?

Then I sat and watched the rock pool. I love to just sit and watch an entirely different world beneath the water. anenomes, little fish, crabs scurrying away....a goreous carpet of sand and the pool decorated with sea glass. Just lovely. Just perfect.

a gift from the sea. . .

She sells seashells on the seashore;
The shells that she sells are seashells I'm sure.
So if she sells seashells on the seashore,
I'm sure that the shells are seashore shells.

well, I am not actually selling them. these are some shells that I found. I love these! they are not fancy smancy shells, just little worn and weathered shells. they look like little coins, sea money, used by mermaids, I am sure! last time that I went to the beach I gathered a lot of these and they now sit in a little dish on my altar. So, I gathered more of these this time - to share, not to sell. I thought, that if each of us had a shell from the same beach, it would connect each of us. what do you think? if you would like one, please email me. I will send you one with pleasure - my gift from the sea, to you.

honeys ~ I'm home!

yes, I returned home today. What a fun time we had - just relaxing, watching dvd's, walking, journalling & contemplating, sewing (yes, I made 3 dolls, one for etsy!) ~ eating icecream & I had the best garlic king prawn pizza ~ it was to die for! had one mishap - with our car breaking down - long story and very expensive but it all worked out ok ~ I was proud of myself, I handled myself in a very calm & serene manner when we had to be towed and then catch a taxi that cost $140 to get back to Sussex and although we only got to the beach once, I had the time of my life - it was a 2 hour walk to the rock pools and I found buckets of shells, stones & driftwood. Our cottage was darling...here are some photos.
this is the little cottage where we stayed, well not exactly the same one but the photo of ours wasn't so clear. Our cottage looked out onto the inlet & had views across the water. So perfect to sit and contemplate!

below is the co-op where you can hire boats to go out fishing on the inlet - I love it! so quaint ~ like stepping back in time. No one rushes here.

and the jetty below belongs to the co-op

below is the jetty which was outside our cottage - along with the view ~ isn't it just perfect? so serene! and that is exactly what it was - serene, good for my soul!

our cottage was actually situated right on the edge of the lake, with a path along the edge for about 2 kilometres, we walked every morning and night. this is a view from along our walk

and two more views along our walk

this absolutely gorgeous home was actually a permanent residence - it reminded me of On Golden Pond - the garden was delightful!

and the sweet little cinema - looks like it is straight out of the 60's - the whole town is like this ~ people riding bikes, no one rushes, ice-cream parlours, Love it!

I have lots of shells to take photos of and a special surprise for Kai! will post tomorrow. I am still in sea-side mode and it will probably take a little while to stop by all your blogs to catch up..but I will, I promise xo

sea-side here I come!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside,
I do like to be beside the sea,
I do like to stroll along the prom, prom, prom,
Where the brassbands play
Tiddley-om-pom-pom!
So just let me be beside the seaside,
I'll be beside myself with glee;

yes ~ I am off to the seaside tomorrow! - it's our summer here and we found a little cottage right on the water - a cottage for two - all to ourselves, to read, to nap, watch movies. lobster and prawns. icecream cones. I cannot wait. Sussex Inlet is a little seaside village - we had our own holiday home there a few years back and I discovered an amazing little bay with millions & trillions of shells - we called it a shell graveyard. I cannot wait to go there and collect them in my bucket and after that, I want to go to the rock pool where the water comes up over my knees - and sometimes when the wave is big it comes up to my chest - but ..... in that rock pool is a collection of sea glass. I bend over to pick a piece up and over comes a wave - I jump up, spluttering and gasping - my inner child is free at last! Maybe, just maybe I will see a mermaid!

See you all when I get home!

thoughts on my yesterday

after my manic panic on Wednesday ~ I took myself off to a 'spiritual healer' ~ searching for the ever elusive answer to what makes me tick. She believes we are our thoughts, she does not believe that the moon affects us nor does she believe that our past lives have any affect on us ~ (me:yes, no, no) ~ However - she did say that it is important for us to follow our own path - to take from various sources and take what resonates with us. Yes, I can accept that. She gave me some 'techniques' to get in tune with my higher self, my authentic self, call it what you will. I am feeling ok with this so far * it is sitting well, I woke this morning thinking ~ "thankyou for this day * I am happy to be here" - went and did my meditation and opened a book for some daily guidance:

"there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so ~ change your thoughts and you change your world" ~ thankyou Mr Shakespeare