Candy Striped Cloud

Ages ago, I bought some gifts from Candy Striped Cloud. And I bought me a gift. And I kept him in a box, until one day when I needed cheering up, I found him a home. Next time I'm going to rehome the fox.

Bird nest # 2

Je m'appelle cafe au lait, danke

Tonight I was at dinner with some really lovely people. One person was learning French and another Spanish. And I thought...wouldn't it be great to speak either of those languages a bit better. You know...I can order food in both badly, but wouldn't it be awesome when traveling to give it a better go. Why? Because people always like it when you travel to their country and at least try to speak the language.

Or do they?

I've always been smug in trying to say something (anything) in European countries. It is usually around ordering food or the like, and I have that middle class idea that those fancy Europeans like that sort of thing. Thinking about it, there is probably nothing more jarring to those people than to have to endure my terrible mispronunciation, incorrect grammar and lack of confidence in delivery - whilst looking completely unfashionable (like a hillbilly) visiting their country. Think about it. Would you rather someone butchered your language to the point of awkwardness out of politeness?

Who knows - but I wish I was committed enough to go to class and learn another language, so I could actually speak it.

A bit of Canberra in Melbourne town

Silver

Today I drove out through the fog and into a world of silver wonder. All the trees were a silvery white and the ground like glittery snow. It was like I was in a snow dome, and I wish I was in it right now.

Buttons - Bus Depot Markets

Dog park Yarralumla

I love white sausage-red cattle-fox terrier cross, Barney loves Rosie, Rosie loves me, Winnie loves Harvey.

Winter wonderland in our nations capital

One persons winter wonderland is the next persons winter nightmare. At the 8pm session we watched people skate shuffle around the tiny bit of ice which is trying to pass as a skating rink. Crowded groups shuffled around the edges for 90 minutes of fun.

What was fun, was to return after 11pm midway through the 'urban dance party' session. Not surprisingly, there was much more room to skate because it was freezing out. Equally unsurprising was that the entertainment factor was upped by super stars of ice - in particular a young lady who had a few too many drinks and was spinning her way around the rink, randomly raising her legs in a pirouette to less randomly falling over (loudly). She looked so confident and ungraceful, and I'll never forget her happy face and wonky pirouettes, only to disappear suddenly behind the barrier mid fall, then to get up again with a drunken crooked smile.

Bird nest # 1

Souvenir from Manila

Macaroons

A very clever person made these for me. Made them...at home. Homemade. Amazing.

Girls best friend

Nothing says best friend than someone packing three kids into the car, to drive around a 4 hour round trip just to have lunch in Belcompton. Granted it was pho, but still...and to top it off I was left with a tin of baked goods as I waved bye bye.

And now, in turn - I am dogs best friend.

Notes for the freezer

I can't quite remember who told me this...it may have been one of the gypsies, but once upon a time someone told me to write down names of people I didn't like and then to put the pieces of paper in the freezer.

So cleaning out my spare room, I've come across the bits of paper which never did make it to the freezer. So far I've found:

Hitler - for stealing my grandfather and generally being bad

Wolfmother

The person who wrote time travellers wife. You stole my time reading half of that stupid book

John Howard for too many years of hideous policy

What the 90 plus year olds are talking about

I spent the morning with my 92 year old friend. Here is the top ten topics of the outing:

1. The cost of bananas

2. My terrible cough

3. How that lady looks like a man wearing that hat

4. The weather

5. How nice my car is

6. The cost of bananas

7. How little my ears are

8. That cafe latte are tasty

9. How sometimes she sees Barney lying on the grass when it is too cold to be lying on the grass

10. That bananas are terribly expensive.

Bad dogs

Why is it that every time a person has their big scary dogs barreling towards us off leash, they always yell out 'don't worry they aren't aggresive, they are just disobedient....'?

Fast forward five seconds and inevitably one unleashed dog lunges at mine, and then all of a sudden I'm wedged between my dog who is flailing around on his bungee type leash, and pseudo non aggressive dog and its less aggressive mate. This isn't fun. Especially when my dog on the bungee type leash has just been swimming, and it is about 3 degrees and I end up with wet dog on jeans leg - all the while trying to seem aggressive to barreling dogs but not so aggressive as to get into argy bargy with said barreling dogs.

I don't care whether you think your dogs are friendly - if you know they are disobedient, shouldn't they be on a leash?

That said, if you think there is a slight chance your dog will go into the drink on a day where it is a top of 8 degrees but currently just over zero, specifically to round up a family of ducks - you should probably practice that leash thing too.

Joy Hester

I mentioned Joy Hester after my trip to Heidi in May. I was pretty much obsessed with Joy Hester's work throughout uni, which was timely because Janine Bourke came into her own publishing books about Joy, the Reeds and Heidi. It is an amazing story, and incredible times.

To fill you in, John and Sunday Reed were patrons of the arts and bought a big old dairy farm in Bulleen which became known as Heidi. Many famous Australian artists lived and worked at Heidi - Albert Tucker (once married to Joy), John Perceval, Charles Blackman and Sidney Nolan to name a few.

Janine Bourkes book are a beautiful documentation of Heidi, the art and the relationships that were so intertwined. Dear Sun is very personal - an exchange of letters between Joy and Sunday Reed. Sometimes I don't feel comfortable reading the letters, because they certainly weren't written for me to see. But then again, Joy's innocence and beauty of words, and her struggle with creativity give such an insight into a vulnerable, brilliant soul.

Excerpt from letter April 1947 as Joy traveled to Sydney to seek medical attention for the lump she found on her neck.

Dear Sun

I would have liked to have seen you before I left but somehow things caught up with me and all I knew was that I had to get out and I'm sorry to admit that it sort of became an obsession, the words 'get out' - this is not how one should work - but it seems to be me since I was a little girl in long green grass at school - I would have liked to see you, Sun, but I blocked out on everything just about - except those two words.

Kagawa Japanese Cuisine

10 people, cold beer,warm miso, tonkatsu, good company, dumplings, saki, edamame, laughs, agedashi tofu, tempura, sushi, mini chairs sashimi, salty dogs, coconut icecream.

Fun. Cheap. Good food. Good company. Yum.

Hello, my name is Harvey and this is my story

Once upon a time I lived in a city far far away. The city wasn't fun, because I lived in a warehouse - all grey and alone. I'd sit in my box and shuffle back and forth, and dream about a life that was different. I'd imagine the stars in the night time sky, dream about that sky changing to dawn, and wondering how things could be so different... if there could ever be a life with love and laughter.

Then one day I went on an adventure, on a bumpy ride through the city streets, and then through the air.

Two days later I arrived in the arms of a kind gypsy girl. She was so beautiful, with big brown kind eyes and shiny pretty hair. The gypsy girl fed me with love and whispered in my ear that my home was only halfway there.

She wrapped me in bubbles and brown paper all crisp, and slipped out with me in the cool night time air. We rode in the white chariot through the country and then into the city, first to get the punk rock boy, and then arriving to the loud, happy room.

It was dark inside my bubbles and wrap, but for once I didn't feel sad, or scared. The darkness wasn't like before because I knew there was happiness all around.

We went further into the night and she slipped me from her pocket to yours and told me that I was almost home. There was music and dancing, and with your coat on the ground I could feel the beat of the sound. It was like a giant heartbeat. And then you went to go, and put on that nice coat - digging your hands deep into the warmth of its caramel pockets.

I heard you sound surprised, and then a hint of light and the bubbles were away. Then a squeal and happy smiles, and special gypsy friend.

And now I'm home in your mini world in the yellow house, with its hearts, and birds and puppy dog love. And now it is also mine.

Writing

Do you know what I do? I pretty much meet people and write stuff. Check it. Rewrite it. And rewrite it again. then meet with more people. That is what I do. All day.

So sometimes when it comes to this blog, I just don't have time to do the writing bit, or the inclination. And because of all the daily checking and rewriting - anything I write is very spontaneous. I don't labour over tricky ways of saying things, I don't re-read. It just kind of all comes out.

I bet mostly it tells.

I think I'd like to start being a bit more savvy about this writing thing. Clearly I haven't started from this post, but...maybe next week?

Will see.