The Good Life.....

We have had rain, and our allotment vegie patch has literally exploded in the last 3 days.

For more images follow this link to my Flickr account

The tide is high and I'm movin' on........

This morning I have been rolling beads, I have made a test rack of some new colours and they will take a few days to dry before I can fire them. As you can see I am in a vest which means it must be higher than 20 degrees C! Yes in fact I think it may be pushing 22! So I have decided that the time has come - it must be done -  the tide is high, the sun is shining  and therefore perfect for a dip in the sea. 

I say 'dip', you will note, because technically to say I am going for a swim would be misleading  as the water is still cold and I am not sure when the Gulf stream current is going to kick in - if in fact ever. Therefore the water is about as cold as in Cape Town. When you emerge from the pain of throwing yourself into the water it feels as though a sheet of ice is clinging to your body. Invigorating to say the least but not exactly enjoyable until after the sun has warmed my bones and I feel the salt drying slowly on my skin, then it feels as though I am slowly returning to normal.........

Birds and Tulips

'Lonely bird' by Julia Ogden

mosaic sample tile, me

I have had a thing for years about tulips and always thought I would like to use them as inspiration for mosaic designs. Last year I also developed a passion for birds - not in terms of going out and watching them and ticking their illustrations off in little bird identification books but in the representation of and Artists interpretation of birds.
They seem to pop up so often in designers work; sweet little, quirky birds with bursting personalities and a confidence I would love to have. I have started noticing them in jewellery designs, illustrations, paintings, and even textiles - they are everywhere. I have in fact, finished a mosaic with fat little, puffed up robins in it (surely one of the cockiest of the bird world). My mosaic also has tulips in it and I only remembered I had finished  it and pasted it up but not actually installed it when I came across the photo at the top. So that is one of my tasks for this week - finish  the mosaic and get it up onto the wall.

A bear with a sore paw

Modji watching the 'birds' at a bird hide here on Anglesey

Poor Modj has had a very sore ankle (do dogs have ankles?) for the past 4 days and it has slowly worsened.

She is already on meds for arthritis and usually they help but she has something else going on here with her joint. She has been milking it for all it's worth - getting lots of sympathy and hugs (not just from me!) Ever the little Ozzie Battler she wants to keep exercising and insists on finding her little ball every morning and wanting to go out, but not today - today she is housebound. 

She does not understand why and keeps giving me the furry eyeball. If by tomorrow there is no improvement it means a trip to the vet - which we try to avoid at all costs. She is terrified of the vets and goes into a quivering, dribbling, panting mess as soon as we pull up to the gate.  For now however she is on her back, on her bed reading the latest edition of Marie Claire!

Jack's (Comfort) Curry

Whenever Mark is away I always end up making a huge pot of his Dad's special curry. 

It is so easy to make, so tasty and it reminds me of so many memories. In it's way it is a perfect comfort food. The best Masala to use is Packo masala blend (if you can find it) and the best chutney is Mrs Ball's Chutney. I always add aubergine (brinjal) and potatoes. Last night I got really adventurous and added coconut milk - YUM. Some friends are coming to help me eat it tomorrow night  - because as Jack always said it is best if cooked the day before and allowed to stand over!

The soundtrack to my life

Modji and I, Sunrise. Sydney     2005

The subject of music has come up a lot these past few days, first starting with a post by my sister who spoke of being transported to a different time and place and all the memories evoked when she hears a particular track. Like so many of us, she remembers getting ready to go clubbing while listening to the 'right' music at that time,  music to get you into the mood, hyped up and anticipating what might happen when the DJ spins his black circle on the dance floor. 

Then last night some friends and I discussed how easy it can be to connect with people through music, how a mutual love of a particular Artist can instantly connect you. How music informs and reflects your mood, enlightens your day or diverts your attentions. 

When I think back to so many pivotal points in my life, they always occurred in tandem and were heavily bound to music. In fact I could even say at times my travels were guided by music. 

Whilst backpacking through Europe in the early 90's, I used to drown out the night time youth hostel sounds and fall asleep listening to  Bjork, INXS, ambient house music and acid jazz  - all playing on my walkman. Tapes - weren't they great? You could re-write them over and over, each time you came upon a new sound that would usurp the current selection. Like sound layers, sitting over the top of each other silently building up an historic account of your musical tastes and discoveries.
And the mixed tape - nothing better than sitting up for hours making a mixed tape - THE party tape, THE driving tape or a tape for a new friend. I had so many of those tapes with neatly written accounts (often crossed out) of the Artist, Track and number.

Agh but back to the walkman - such a cumbersome, heavy, battery hungry device. So many travellers I met would rather leave behind anything to make their load lighter but not their walkman. Some even had Discman - even heavier and clunkier and the batteries would last all of about 30 minutes. But the music was essential, we would swap CD's and tapes, listen to new and exciting artists and experience bands that we had never heard of.

Later while travelling through the States, Mark and I spent 5 weeks camping  in a town, no  money and little food, just in anticipation of seeing Pearl Jam, who along with other grunge, rock bands - were the absolute essential soundtrack to our mutual lives at that point. Alas the beloved PJ cancelled 3 days out from the concert.

Once back in Australia after 3 years of travel it was years of concerts and music festivals and the rise of dance music - festival days, crammed into hot, dusty, smelly tents jumping and screaming with a mass of anonymous, seething bodies to an array of bands and artists.

Just recently we went to a festival here in Bangor - our first in a few years - and we were instantly transported back in time. We once again found ourselves in the midst of jumping, sweaty, exuberant fans all united by the  adoration and respect for the band on stage - this time Faithless. With their loud euphoric anthems, underpinned by heavy bass, insightful lyrics and a sound that simply defies you to stand still. The crowd, young and not so young, were transformed into a united organism all jumping and swinging and grooving as if we were all ONE. 

Sumptuous Silk

 

Off and on over the years I have pretty much stuck to working with the same materials in my jewellery. Stainless steel, linen thread, sterling silver and of course my ceramic beads. But with my foray into playing with beach glass, I thought I would mix it up a little and was inspired to buy some silk ribbon when a friend of mine sent me a birthday present wrapped in the most gorgeous piece of multicoloured ribbon. Alas I could not track that particular ribbon down, regardless of the fact I spent hours scrolling through ribbon vendors on the net (there are some truly beautiful and horrid ribbons out there!).

Eventually though, I found this seller on Etsy and they had so many gorgeous, hand dyed silk ribbons in an array of enticing colours, I did not know where to start. I settled on some lengths in turquoise, silver, green and  browns - all slightly variegated and subtle.

Best of all they are from a seller in Oz, so that was nice! They arrived yesterday and I immediately wanted to so something with them. I hung them in front of an open window - to stop them getting grubby and they looked beautiful blowing gently in the breeze. In the past I have done a lot of hand wrapping of stainless steel using linen thread in my pieces and think that the silk will lend itself well to a similar treatment.

So off I go to get started, hopefully with a finished piece to post by tomorrow!