Monthly Archives: July 2013

Daily Prompt: Now

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I’ve already made a post today, but the topic grabbed me, because I had dream a few days ago, in which I was writing a poem, of which I have only remembered the last five lines. I wrote them down before I could forget them  –

And I sought him out
and I asked him
“What are you?”
And he answered
“I  Am Now”.

beads

 

Mysterious! I wish I knew who he was, I mean is, he seems rather deep and enlightening…

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/daily-prompt-now/

This Morning.

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Cootamundra wattleIt was a cold, clear morning, but not frosty. Blue, blue sky and cootamundras coming into bloom, bright in the morning sunshine. The buds of the flowering peach are fattening and showing pink at the tips. As the last month of winter approaches, spring is beginning to appear. We’ve had a lot of rain – every thing is soggy and green, farmers have high hopes for their crops. The ‘Autumn Break’ held off until nearly June, but once it came, the bulbs leapt into life, pushing up leaves and buds in record time. Somehow, the jonquils have managed to flower at the usual time- except, strangely, for the Earlicheer, which hasn’t flowered at all. Hellebore

Yesterday we had fog until midday, chilly and bleak. I like this sunshiny version of winter much better. I can’t imagine what it is like living through winter in the far north of the planet, in darkness night and day except for a meagre couple of hours, when the red ball of the sun creeps over the horizon, only to creep back again so soon – if it is ever visible through the clouds.jonquils

Friday Poem: Dream

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Mostly, dreams evaporate the moment I move my head, but this one clung on long after I woke up, and I recorded it in the form of a poem…

I open the door
And peer into the cellar.
There is a strange greenish light:
The clear, warm, salty pool, waist deep:
At the centre of the space
A golden statue,
A figure of Avolokiteshvara,
Buddha of Compassion –
Was it from his tears
That Kwan Yin arose?-
And what should arise
From the pool of tears in my basement?
Do I drain it, drink it, swim in it?
What is the purpose of all those tears?

 

Avalokiteshvara

 

The illustration/illumination, is of detail of a larger collage – an antique image of Avolokiteshvara, made in Tibet or Nepal – I forget which. I had a play with it, digitally, in an effort to make it a little more like my dream. I refrained from adding tears, which may have made the Buddha of Compassion look more like a sad clown… If anyone has any ideas about the meaning of my dream, I’d be interested to hear!

Daily Prompt: Retrospective

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Retrospective knitted ‘panties’, for my coming grandchild (2013) – something to confuse a future curator. The pattern belonged to my grandma – it was published in 1937, when my mother was a baby. The yarn came form an op shop/thrift store last year, but was originally purchased (and put away for later) in 1948 – the receipt was still in the brown paper parcel, along with the skeins of 2 ply Scotch Fingering. I emailed a photo of the finished ‘panties’ to my mother recently. She immediately recognized them as the same pattern knitted by her mother for two of her little brothers. She doesn’t remember wearing them herself (unsurprisingly). My daughter thinks they are too pretty to put on a baby butt…

1937 'panties' Detail Pattern, yarn and finished product.

Since they were knitted in fine yarn on fine needles, they took an inordinately long time to knit, besides which the picture is missing from the pattern book, and I wasn’t sure what they were going to look like, or how they went together. The stitch pattern on them is very simple to do, but extremely effective.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/daily-prompt-retrospective/

Weekly Photography Challenge: Fresh

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Fresh can mean different things – it’s one of the things we love (and hate) about the English language.

Here’s an image of a fresh (chilly) evening – the sun declining rather early, a good fire essential to keep the grey rainy atmosphere at bay…

Chilly evening

Fresh can also mean flirty, cheeky, a bit naughty. Like Albus(aka Albert), lurking down behind a chair in the corner, hoping for a tummy rub.

IMG360

Then there’s fresh fruit, fresh flowers, fresh flavours, fresh fish… I could go on, but I’m fresh out of ideas. Self-serve frozen yoghurt for dessert in Portland, Oregon – as fresh as it gets! Just looking at the photo sets my mouth watering at the memory of the tasty delights inside (and so far away!).Dessert Heaven, Portland

The wallabies around here are also fresh, breaking into my garden for a feed of fresh violet leaves, roses, geraniums, sparaxis …etc, etc.

feb 2012 066

 

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/weekly-photo-challenge-fresh/

Daily Prompt: Moving

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I noticed as I uploaded these pics that they were taken 12 months ago today, in the midst of an incredibly heavy hailstorm. It took us around an hour to get home, a trip that normally takes fifteen minutes. We were moving slowly when we were moving, and had to pull of the road altogether twice. A memorable drive – lucky I had my phone!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/daily-prompt-moving/

Friday Poem: A Poet’s View

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Here’s a poem about what poetry is about – at least some of the time; what it is for, from the poet’s point of view… From underneath the bridge.

A sense of otherness,
A skewed perspective
That throws light into
Unexpected corners,
Revealing what was always there,
But no-one else saw it.
A meaning newly understood;
A secret unbound;
A view unfolding
From behind a shuttered window.
Something in the way of seeing
That is not what others see;
The view from underneath the bridge
That redefines the river;
A poet’s point of view.

Underneath the bridge - Inspire me.The bridge in these photos is the one in Aberdeen, Washington, generally believed to be the bridge mentioned in the Nirvana song, “Something in the Way”, and which I was underneath, at the time. As you can see, it’s a popular place for pilgrims to visit, and leave mementos of themselves.

 

Weekly Photography Challenge: The Golden Hour II

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Well, no golden hour has eventuated round these parts (probably because it’s grey, rainy, windy winter, and the sun has been conspicuous by it’s absence for most of this week). So, I have visited the archives yet again, and brought back these images of Golden Hours from the past, some natural vistas, and some intimate interior shots, full of light and shade – which, after all, is what photography is all about!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/the-golden-hour/

Weekly Photography Challenge: The Golden Hour

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I’ve been looking for a ‘golden hour’ to photograph since I read the challenge, but (so far) the skies have not obliged. So I have delved into my archives, and selected some photos taken in the hours before sunset, and after sunrise.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/the-golden-hour/