A poem from the seaside tonight

The day is at it's end
I feel a sorrow rising
but the dusk is setting in
and I love it for surprising  

I look down on a beach
near empty but for three
children playing cricket
and my own two bare feet 

I head towards the sand
sitting under salty air
like a thick mist in the sky
not a wispy cloud spare 

The ocean beckons me 
singing deep in my ear
a sweet entrancing sound
and so I enter here 

I let the waves lap me up
I begin to create prose
I exclaim it to the ocean 
"my love my love" I go 

I really talk aloud
the ocean seems a being
I'm talking with about
how I'm truly feeling 

I let it be wild
I let it clear me
I take on her message
it's medicine you see

These colours hit me
beyond any doubt
the most beautiful colours
I have ever come about 

No words will convey 
and I think that it's due
to the millions of colours
making up this here hue

It's like metallic, it's cyan, it's turquoise. It's blue
but it's deep blue, sky blue, mauve, lilac blue

It's so so 
so so
so
beautiful 

I look up as it graduates 
deeper and deeper
and I see this dome above me
from my tiny peeper 

I'm immersed in this lover
and I travel across
to the light that makes dusk
the setting sun almost lost 

And just to the right
her partner, the moon
a slant smile rising
I feel possessed to salute

And so yoga I do
for the sun and the moon
for this life that I'm given
I say thank you 

thank you 

and I cry because I mean it
even with sand in my eye 
that drops from my hands 
clasping up to the sky

I see a little twinkle
a flash in the air
and I say thank you for that
what ever that was there

I step in a puddle
of curious form 
I see the sky reflected 
or the dune like floor 

I change focus each step
moving between two worlds 
one of sand one of sky
I walk or I fly

And I feel light and celebratory
I begin to dance and pirouette
and it's like I'm possessed
to prance and ballet step

I'm by myself on the beach,
no one's looking at me
I'm dancing in joy
and no one, no one can see

My body it moves in response
to visual ecstasy
but I can't help but think
it's temporary

It's fading, getting darker
the ocean nearing black
and I wonder why I'm crying
Do I fear a lack?

But there is beauty in the night
yes there is! I remember!
A galaxy of sparks and pinpricks
I can dream of their splendour

As I leave I reflect 
on how words really suck
and that nothing can explain 
and make you give a stuff

Words come in drabs
arching creeping bubbling
But no names for the colour
There I'm really fumbling

Then I realise more is going on
in this feeling that I'm having
Looking at a photo
I would never feel this smashing

Being here within it
It's the presence of the thing
in all its fleeting glory
as the dark is entering 

[current mood] Sesame Snaps & Queen

From Blues to Bliss

Like an old log with hundreds of staples... I got into a bit of a blue state last weekend.

It resulted from going out to a club against my heart's desire and subsequently feeling like I was a) invisible b) ugly and c) unhappy.

I emailed a friend, my favourite knight in shining ink, who wordsmithed me back to a neutral level. I was reminded to NOT go to bars and expect any gratification and that I am beautiful to those that matter. This is not a space for me.

The next day the blues lingered as I walked by the lake to the farmers markets... but when I arrived I saw a friend holding beautiful roses and I thought 'I want!' so I went to the stall's man.
"Yellow for friendship" he said and then grabbed a bunch with a pink one in the mix. This made me happy. That's so me.

On the walk home I really saw the beauty of the lake, and instead of crossing the bridge, I walked down the slope and sat underneath it with my roses.

Rather than pass beauty by, I thought I'd take my glimpse into immersion.

The water was such an incredible teal.

The sky, an endless deep blue.

The distant sound of children giggling and dandelions skimming across the waters surface.

It caused me to shift. I suppose like a therapy, if you sit in beauty and observe, it starts to alter your mood.

I took this concept with me today, even though I was feeling pretty good.
I drove to a crochet class, following an urge I'd had for a while, I put all else aside and just went.

I loved learning something new with ol biddies whilst being given cups of tea
and being told I was very good for a beginner (always helps).

When I went to the van a man approached me to see if I wanted to sell it.
After ten minutes he had offered to teach me to surf and sail and I went on my merry way on a high.

I decided to take this vibe further and stopped at Cooroy Botanic Gardens which I had only heard about.

As soon as I walked in I saw two birds I'd never seen before. Unnoticed by other passers by.

Each step I gently took didn't seem to scare them. I couldn't believe how close they allowed me.
I had a little chat and whistle with them and then took a snap.

A tawny frogmouth I later find out.

And the beauty of everything in the park, people-less, came crashing into my heart.

I saw things I'd never seen.

A snowing white jacaranda

A cluster fig

I really wanted to analyse why I felt so good, how everything seemed to be so gorgeous and my life felt flowing.
I was afraid that if I thought too hard about it that it would slip between my fingers.

But I can't really help myself.

So my theory is that if you really do what your heart wants, in any moment, then life unfolds for you, just so, just beautifully.
And if you open your eyes to explore the space in which you heart is blooming, then this enhances the joy you feel.

Words never do convey the greatness of the experience, but I'm trying. And perhaps with pictures, you get more of the feeling.

Try it and see?

[current mood] Lettuce and Banana Smoothies & Marvin Gaye (ay!)

Back to the Good Old Days

I've been picking flowers lately... in the middle of the weekdays.

I have fond memories of living in Cottesloe, Perth in 2009. I was existing in a sunbeam of light. At the beach every day, even in the rain, wandering leafy alley ways, making discoveries, picking fruits and flowers.

I then thought other parts of Australia might offer me a life I was missing out on. So I got in a van and travelled with two German backpackers and dedicated beetroot juicer across this vast country.

And of course, Oscar... who went from black and white to a burnt umber all over.

I stopped in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast with the vision to live on acreage and do art... somewhere around this point I was tempted into a job. A real 9-5 kind of job. A job too good to overlook.

I took this job as a media producer with the ABC and made films and stories with the community of the Sunshine Coast. I started meeting amazing people, old folk, artists... I made friends.

I helped create stories that were tear-wrenching, belly-laughing and simple beautiful. These have been shown on tv, online and on air.

Anzac Day: Our Meaning from ABC Open Sunshine Coast on Vimeo.

My favourite story of which will always be Bill, who is travelling with dementia.

I even co-produced a national Indigenous project with resounding success called 'DreamBox'. Capturing the dreams of hundreds of our country's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

But there was no time left for, literally, smelling the flowers... let alone picking them.

I realised I had led myself astray from the initial vision. I started to crave my earlier freedom, my ability to create when and where I liked, being in close proximity to the beach and to a constant flow of sunlight... which naturally leads me to enlightenment.

SO I quit.

And it feels soooooo good.

I feel my groove coming back, my creativity directed to me and specific beloved projects.

I am taking back the fact that life should feel like a holiday, that time is the most precious commodity, that I have a creativity that needs to be honoured in my own art. Life can be simple yet rich.

Expect blog posts about all the little things that are back in my life, at all times of day, and from anywhere in the world.

flowers in focuses

 [current mood] fresh juice, detox pills and the sound of a waterfall

Three Reasons to be Grateful

We've been throwing around a few ideas at ABC Open for community photography projects. One we discussed was Reasons to be Grateful. You'd take a photo of something you're grateful for today. And write a little if you like.

It's always good to test the ideas out on yourself. So here are my 3 reasons for today:

If you want the details:

Collecting Driftwood in Dalkeith: Was grinning at my shadow on the road as Mercedes whizzed past. Found a secret cove I'd like to have a secret picnic in. Only route in is by ankle deep water.

Yoga Toes: My toes really spread now. All the ladies at yoga had different vibrant coloured polish. As only a 9.30am class on a weekday would...

Dad at his Desk: Home to visit and dad is ever-reliably sitting in his office doing god knows what in his retirement... but he's there and I love him more than anything.

[current mood] Wasabi Peas & Mama Kuma (the book)

Tis the season to be purple

tra la la la la
la la
la
la

I'm seeing purple everywhere. In one block's walk I snapped up these.

Is there a reason that the blooms at this time of year are slotted between pink and blue?
Does lilac, mauve, fuschia and indigo attract spring pollinators?
Do we need the tail end of the rainbow in our sites to bring us into hippy calm for christmas coping?
What is the theory Mrs Nature? I'd like to know.

Otherwise it might be my selective vision. Am I wearing purple-coloured glasses?

[current mood] Pilsner Urqeull & Pink Martini's "Hang on little tomato"

Making Things for ME, for YOU and for NOW

I've given up on the thought that I'll make things as I want them later... when I own that acreage... no, instead I'm just doing it now. And part of my inspiration is for sharing with others. I want a friend like me! One that makes a beautiful home and invites you to come and stay. People have been that generous to me in the past, and finally I open up my home for my friends to enjoy.

The first guests are here and they've jokingly described it as a 'nudist health retreat'... but that's just one of many ways you could use it... It is healthy and you can get naked if you want to!

You are arriving, that's an excuse to pick wild flowers, curb-side cute weeds and colour from the garden to create a little welcoming collection of pots on the dining table. Oscar is here to greet you too.

Welcome to your room. That's right, I don't have an iron but I think you'll find your queen bed delightfully comfortable and you'll wake with a sunrise that will send you back into a blissful nap of joy...

Oscar will be your second alarm clock if you're not up at 7am from the bird-chirping.

Yes you can get nude with a view of nature in the morning.

Or in the evening you can light some candles and ponder the hippy crystals...

I'll wake you up with a fresh juice, green smoothie, banana milkshake or cup of chai and a bowl of bircher muesli.

Or you could have some of Irene, Mildred and Beryl's poached eggs on local sourdough.

 There's a book collection to meet all tastes, from bird-watching, origami, spiritual classics and books on goldfish. As well as plentiful board games...

Even an art corner

if you want to sit on the verandah and draw bottles and shells

or lorikeets, black cockatoos and parrots.

Otherwise take a stroll through the garden and try to identify fruit trees. Like this one. I'm not sure yet what it is! I know we have avocado, mulberry, peach, mandarin and lime. Next door is a huge mango tree so come at the right time of year for what you want to eat.

Head down to the vege garden and pick your salad for lunch

This one includes my fresh lentil and fenugreek sprouts.

This home is on rain water and solar so you'll feel extra good.

The view is spectacular...

especially from the upstairs bedroom!

If you like you can lounge about, the purple armchair is most opulent. Or play your choice of instruments, stoke up the fire or watch a dvd...

or get inspired and leave your own special mark...

[current mood] Everything & More

Community Gardens Illustrated

I sat by the window and drew little community garden scenes. Those little snippets of life within a garden that we all love. Piles of collected fruit, colourful windmills, spiralling beans and cheeky frogs.
I'm paid for this?

I scatter them over the paving stones to photograph them so I could bring them into my computer. It's there that I will turn them into an illustration based website for the Community Gardens Network, Western Australia.
I'm paid for this?

I brought the community garden scene to life by bringing the elements into the landscape of a page. I filled them with blocks of colour and let them hang off the edges of the site... because they can!
and I'm paid for this?

I placed my photographs underneath some images, to add a layer of the real juicy garden life. A life I'm experiencing NOW in Queensland. I'm picking and eating my food, I'm planting fruit for my future, I'm grounded when my hands are dirty.

So I'm happy, my client is happy and best of all, I'm paid for this!

Visit www.communitygardenswa.org.au

[current mood] Freshly Juiced Apples & The Shout Out Louds' "Hard Rain"

Don't swat a fly whilst holding a sickle

There are so many things one learns in the bush when you have the good fortune to be accompanied by a host who is prepared to teach you the ways of the wild.

This morning's lesson was purely experiential (and I must be honest and say I did avoid the above outcome). I must add that I'm not your over zealous fly swatter, but blood sucking march flies really do piss me off... I'm prepared to kill to get the pain to cease.

I don't quite have the bush-gear one should, but I make do.
This and a pair of Pete's gumboots.

Besides this, in the past four days I've learned a lot to apply to my future property...
Native species names/recognition, How to prepare a bed for seedlings, How to get rid of evil vines, How to divert eyes from nude people's nude bits, How to use a machete, How to play marimba melodies, How to plant lettuce... I must start writing things down as my brain has always been far too sieve-like. Retention is around 48 hours at best.

Now, this post is what I shall coin 'combo post'. Two posts in one...

Leaf Ladies

On my rainforest walk in Bellthorpe, the leaf-carpet path would occassionally display single magestic ladies lying in a shaft of light, highlighted by their very brown surrounds. They just lay there like model species. I imagined them being replaced by stunning nude women for a photoshoot.

Let me introduce them...

Esmeralda

Glenda

Cynthia

Betty

Barbara

[current mood] 10 cent avocado from the front of a house & marimba

One Absolutely Incredible Afternoon

Arrive 12pm. Crystal Waters.

I'm here for a week of 'wwoofing' (working on organic farms). I take the wrong route and end up on more of a category 5 four-wheel drive track going up hill. Van tyres gets wedged in... well, a wedge. I suddenly get that all over body shiver of 'what the f have I just done??' I manage to manevour the van out of wedge but brakes fail and it careers down the hill. Somehow I manage to not roll the van or die.

I also didn't cry which is a huge improvement. I head back to the correct location and finally arrive at my host's house. (Peter).

Pete's in his underwear and I'm just about to bolt (coming from a series of seedy old man scenarios) but like usual me, I give him the benefit of the doubt and discover pretty much everyone enjoys time in their undies, if not naked, here at Crystal Waters. It's like, that's totally fine with me if it's not a sleezy kind of naked. Do you know the difference?

Quite quickly I warm to Pete. A generous and cheery 71 year old. He's sharing an acreage with Les and Les (a couple). Chooks, veges, fruit trees, organic everything, overlooking huge dam, birdlife central... this is a paradise.

Afternoon begins with a visit to Les's little bakery where we pack up some loaves, mmm fresh bread smell.

Then we go for a swim in the dam. I have never slid into a lilly topped dam with water birds and squishy mud. It was bath temperature with shafts of cool. I wish I could photograph this from the water.

On the way back we collect some huge Bunya 'pine nuts' and I crack them open to find the big nuts which are cooked up and taste like chestnuts. I LOVE them.

And there, on the porch is a friend of Pete's. A mango farmer. He's brought samples for us to try and can't wait to hear our response. I describe it as 'an adult's mango. Both sweet and tangy. A touch challenging'. (It's absolutely delicious).

He shows us how to propagate the mango by gently prying the shell open and taking out the inner seed. I'm floored because I never knew and I want a mango orchard one day.

Then Tim turns up! A native bee guru (to the extreme). He is entirely generous with his knowledge, barely blinks, just talks with a huge smile and wide eyes. He reminds me of an incredibly likeable tv host.

He splits a hive and we taste the medicinal honey.

We learn all about how the bees operate and debate their level of consciousness.

The neighbours all just turn up and ask questions of Tim. It's freaking beautiful. Community at its best.

I grab my Brazilian Cherry jam from the van and share it - spread on Les's freshly baked bread and the experts enjoy. I am chuffed!

My first 'job' is to go pick Jaboticaba fruit for jam making. I'm a tad nervous about repeating my Braz Cherry success so I will have to do some hefty research. Much harder with an audience!

In the evening I head to a gig at the Crystal Waters community area, help sell pizza made by Les and Les before sitting back with my slices and a bottle of locally brewed lager to enjoy the band and conversation with friendliest-ever lady sitting next to me.

I feel like today was really one of the best afternoon's I ever had.

Good luck to tomorrow!

[current mood] Beans off the vine & Hopping

I love feathers

I've been obsessed with leaves all my life. The ones you find lying on the forest floor (more on that soon).

However it's my feather passion that has been increasing in the past five years. I've been considering a feather tattoo up my inside forearm or perhaps one just sailing down my bicep...

I collect feathers.
You'll find them in my cutlery draw, on my bedside table, in the glove compartment, in jars with shells...
And whilst I'm travelling it's a bit tricky to store them, so I came up with the only thing I could think of...

Then there are the special feathers than make it to my hat...

[current mood] Serenity with freeking lawnmowers & Ice cream in a cone