Furry friends

We call these guys The Three Amigos. They are always together as a trio. As you can see in this image, they are getting used to us being around now and come right up to the front deck of the house.

If you look to the east of the house, you will often see a bunch of ears sticking up from the long grass. They like to snooze over there, protected from the wind and the prying eye of drive-by tourists.
I love our kangaroos. They are a source of joy in the midst of some tough times.

What is a source of joy for you?

Music therapy - space to dream

Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone

Melbourne coffee challenge

Here's the thing. I miss Melbourne. Good coffee, great food and choice . . .

Then I read an article in The Age that claims to have found the best coffee in Melbourne at Brother Baba Budan (359 Little Bourke Street), known to locals as "the one with all the chairs on the ceiling". I order a single-origin latte ($3) and chocolate brioche ($3) and give little whoops of joy as I consume both

so I do a little googling and discover this place is the city retail outlet for St Ali in Sth Melbourne.

so, any urbanites from Melb willing to go prove if it's a fair claim or not?
pleeaaaseee . . . so i can vicariously live through your city cafe experience

Midwinter sunshine

In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer!
~Albert Camus

8 soul songs

Rachelle at Magpie Girl has again invited our contributions in the Giant Pool of Wisdom.This time asking for 8 songs for the soul. I've had a great time listening to songs that others find meaningful, picked up a few new favourites along the way, and am now throwing in my 2 cents worth.

The Prayer [Anthony Callea]
this is the fastest selling Australian single of all time, and the ARIA Award winning, highest selling Australian single ever!

We're all in this together [Ben Lee]
A reminder of our shared humanity, from an Aussie artist.

Shine [Shannon Noll]
the day that we've been waiting for, all the world will stop to watch You shine
Yep, another Aussie talent.

Upside Down [Jack Johnson]
toe tapping truths in a fun, hippy, surfie style

Still haven't found what I'm looking for [U2]
from back when Bono was still human
;-)

Don't Worry, Be Happy [Bobby McFerrin]
more toe tapping to make your soul smile

Bring Him Home [from Les Mis]
enjoying live theatre in London's West End, a highlight of my Europe trip last year

Silence [Delerium]
My soundtrack of choice to walk the Chartres Labyrinth in France last year :-)

C'mon, join in the fun. Name your playlist of soul sounds. Music that connects you with the holy and sacred stuff of everyday, or the bigger picture of something more . . .

That which gives life

Canadian blog buddy Erin shared a link to an interview with Barbara Brown Taylor. I loved Barbara's book Leaving Church and enjoyed listening to her thoughts.
If you think you might relate to someone who says: The categories of being good or bad may be beside the point, that it’s more about being dead or alive, and it’s really about choosing that which gives life. Or, One of the most authentic prayers you can say involves dancing on a table. you might want to have a listen.

Leeches

When I was a child I had an experience involving leeches that imprinted on my memory forever. We'd spent the afternoon bushwalking, and in the car on the way home, discovered that two of us were covered in leeches. By the time we found them they were big, fat, full of our blood, and all over us. So there we were in the backseat screaming and jumping around trying to get these horrid, slimy creatures off us. I have never outgrown my hate of leeches. The way they suck your blood and won't let go until they've had a feed.

What do you think of lurkers? People who read your blog, but never participate, never comment, never email. They just come and check out what's going on at your blog. Then leave.

From my perspective, blogging's true intent is a community activity - it's only successful if people participate. The friends and connections I have made with some wonderful people around the world, all through blogging, has been a joy and a delight in my life.

But lurkers are leeches. They're like facebook 'friends' who follow your posts online to know what you are doing but give nothing back in return, no emotional investment, no real friendship. Lurkers are like someone coming into your house, eating your food and drinking your coffee, but not speaking to the hostess or host. Or even worse, lurkers come in when they think you're not at home, have a good look around, rummage in your pantry, then go once they've had their vicarious bloody fill.

But their trail is left behind. The silly souls probably don't realise that we can track them, where they come from, when they visit, how long they stay, which pages they go to, what they click out on, etc.

Lurkers. Leeches.
What's your experience?

worldwide collaborative photo prompt

Some of my original artwork and thoughts to ponder are being included in the Creativity Portal's 365 Picture Prompts Project on June 20 (USA time).

Every 24 hrs a new photo and and thought prompt appears there, and will reappear there on the same date next year. A perpetual photo prompt. Makes an interesting "home" page to start your computing day with.

A list of contributors is here. I'm listed under my Right Side Up Studio blog. Once the date has passed, you can view the screen grab and follow the creative prompt over there.

Tell me about your God

There is duality in the name of my blog. Two x chromosomes make me female. Hence this blog offers a woman's voice or perspective on issues such as creativity and spirituality, with a pinch of humour thrown in to season.

The X facta is also about believing in and seeking that "something special" which resides in each of us. Because my passion is creativity, some of what I post here is about inspiring people to enter a creative process of their own. I believe in the power of creativity to tap into matters of soul. Perhaps it has such power because when we create, we are working in the language of the Divine.

Some words carry a lot of weight. Indeed, they can be construed by some as excess baggage. Take for instance the word God.

For some that word conjures up images of an all-seeing, all-knowing old guy with a long white beard, hovering in the ether, ready to smite anyone who annoys him. Or perhaps it brings a humorous image of Jim Carey playing with bowls of soup, punks in the alley and other scenes from Bruce Almighty.

For others it automatically associates with words like church and christian. That's my heritage. Growing up as the child of a pastor meant I was fully immersed in the world of the church from a young age.
Then my first career was in the field of natural therapies, where I was exposed to many alternative views and interpretations of God.
Coming full circle several years back, I worked in a christian publishing house - where the readership only tolerated one view or interpretation of God. After a few years in that role, I had to move on . . . for some breathing space.

The past few years have been a journey of re-discovering a God who is large enough to encompass many definitions or understandings that we mere mortals may assign.
A God who meets you where you're at.
A God who is beyond your understanding, but as close as your own breath.
A God who uses everyday people to whisper Divine secrets into your heart.
A God who is Creator, whose image we are made in, so creativity is innate in us.

So in the spirit of being a rebel hostess - "never talk politics or religion"- I invite you to: Tell me about your God.

Art Attack: alternative dolls

Remember "Storyteller" - my clay and cloth troll/doll? The transpersonal dollmaking lab test is still a work in progress. Experiments are underway with a variety of mediums, forms and concepts.

When running creativity workshops I encourage people to think outside the square in more ways than one. That includes the definition or understanding of any object, and what it can be used for. One excuse people have for not playing with art/craft is that they don't have the right tools or materials. Let me shoot that down in flames right now!

Do you have aluminium foil or masking tape in your house? They can become the base of all kinds of sculptured forms.

"Alienated"
foil, glue, glitter

"Hoodoo Voodoo - pick a spot, any spot"
foil, masking tape, acrylic paint

"Not Barbie"
foil, masking tape, paper collage

Now it's your turn. If the foil and masking tape idea appeals, give it a go and see what transpires. Otherwise, think outside the square and find different uses for everyday items and create your own alternative art doll.

Remember: Don't think too much, just work intuitively and quickly. Name your creation, and if you would like to, post it on your blog and share the story. Then drop a comment here to say you've just had an art attack. As always, it's not so much about the end result. I hope by my examples you can see that! It's more about the process and what happens when you let your creative spirit out to play.

Sweet success

There's a few of you who are like me and hate standing over the stove stirring something for ever to get a dish that takes two minutes to eat. Since you liked the baked risotto I shared awhile back, thought you might like this one too. Something I whipped up for Sunday night supper.

Kel's jaffa rice pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup jasmine rice (you can use plain long grain or arborio)
2 tsp finely grated orange rind
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 cup coffee crystal sugar (could use brown or demerara)

put all ingredients into casserole dish, cover with lid
bake in oven 200 C for 35 mins
let sit for 5 mins
serve in small bowls topped with cream and grated chocolate

enjoy!

Art Attack: Mandalas part 2

King Protea, East Gippsland, Australia, photo by Kel

The sacred geometry of a mandala can be found everywhere in nature.
Train your eye toward the natural world of creation this week.
What can you see?

Creatively capture your discoveries.
Photograph, sketch, paint, knit, cook.
Post to your blog then comment here to say you're seeing circles.

O O O

Flashback Friday

Are you counting down till the weekend?
Need an energy boost to get you through the remainder of the week?
Take a Friday flashback with me . . . and relive the glory days.
(inspired by Mel's creations)

Legwarmers and headbands mean one thing to this gen-X'er
The dance movies of the eighties
Fame
Flashdance
Dirty Dancing
Footloose

While I liked all those movies, my favourite was Footloose. And now they're doing a remake! If we tried to do a remake of our glory days it might look something like this.

So tell me, which of these dance movies was your favourite?

Winter: bring it on!

I love winter. Much more than summer. It's fresh and crisp.
You get to wear fun stuff like scarves and hats.
And if you live near the mountains, you get to play in snow!

As you can see, when it's a sunny snow day, I'm just a big kid at heart.

If you can't find any other big people who will cut loose and indulge in some snow play, borrow a little person and make snow angels with them.

They will love that a big person is being silly with them,
and they'll have no idea you're probably enjoying it more than they are!

Then when playtime is over, you get to sit by the fire with a hot chocolate and marshmallows. C'mon, what's not to love about winter!?!