the X facta: August 2011

Imagine

Considering my blog is called the X facta, I have to share this story with you from the latest series of The X Factor TV show. It simply puts a lot of things into perspective.

Strange stuff surfacing

A coastal storm left deep-sea debris strewn across the sand.

Some strange stuff surfaced . . . not sure what this is.

We also found a couple of shark eggs. Empty.

So there's two more sharks in the sea.

It's funny the things that grab your attention. That turn you into a kid, rushing around with joy and wonder, picking things up for a closer inspection. Documenting finds with photographic evidence.

The day we discovered deep sea secrets strewn along the beach shines in my memory. A little portal into another world full of mystery and wonder.

Have you experienced a time like this, of re-enchantment with the world?

the view from here

whether we
like it or not

our worldview

is always shaped

by 'home'

the country of our birth

the people we call family

or the location we live in

right here and now

'home' always

frames our view

~Kel

this is my contribution to skywatch

When the universe doesn't deliver

Today I jokingly said to someone that I don't believe in God or Karma anymore . . . and now I've got nobody or nothing to get angry with, when I don't get what I think I deserve! ~ Kel

There's a stanza in the Sarah Blasko song I posted awhile back, which talks about "the season being lost" when we start listening to everyone else.

Listening to other voices can be a fine tool, kind of like a tuning fork, if by hearing other's experience or ideas, it helps you decide what is right for you at the time. Discerning which voices are actually speaking to what is best for us, rather than what is best for them, takes a lifetime of learning. Mostly the clamouring voices are speaking of their own needs.

People will start to give you advice as soon as you disturb the status quo. That advice will likely be bad - because they are seeking, not to understand and further your calling, but to preserve the world as they know it. ~Roger Housden

Who are you letting speak into your life? Are they seeking to understand and further your calling, or are they trying to maintain the status quo?

Moon Dancing

.
Painting with light, also known as light graffiti, is a photographic technique in which long exposure shots are made at night or in a darkened room by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera while focused on a still light source. Running with my current celestial theme, I decided to play with the light of the full moon and see what emerged.

Lunar Dancers

by Kel © 2011

The host of skywatch, Klaus Peter, passed away this week. But what a legacy he's left us. A worldwide community of photo enthusiasts sharing shots of nature and the world around them. The torch has been passed onto the rest of the skywatch team, Wren, Sylvia and Sandy. We hope, like the full moon, it continues to shine brightly. my creative contribution to skywatch

Supernova : when stars sing

According to a National Geographic article, astronomical researchers may have figured out what triggers the final cataclysm of an exploding star. The missing element may be unimaginably powerful reverberations—the sound of a star singing its own swan song. For someone brave enough to come within hearing distance, the waves would be audible, roughly the F note above middle C.

Supernova, acrylic on canvas

Kind of gives another meaning to, "it's written in the stars". Instead of being star gazers, perhaps we should become star listeners. I wonder what celestial symphony we might hear? Perhaps something like this...

looking up : looking down

What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world,

where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation

between people as they pass each other in this flood? ~ Buddha

my contribution to skywatch

It never rains but it pours

or how to spend money fast on un-fun things

update: well this post's title and summary line at the end was purely metaphorical. How was I to know that today it would all become literal! With the main river in our area now under major flood! Thankfully got home safely from hospital today. But doubt we'll be getting that delivery of our new washing machine tomorrow...unless they plan to float it down the river!

~ ~ ~

Our 20-year-old fridge had to be replaced recently. We're wondering what they put in the electronics to send off 'break-down' signals to all the other things in our household...

1. The day a guy came to replace the door on the new fridge (which had been damaged in shipping) my washing machine stopped working. "You don't happen to do washing machine repairs?" He did, and spent half an hour trying to sort it out. No go. So he and I manhandled it out to his van (no mean feat with all the concrete they put in those frontloader machines) and it disappeared to the repair shop for full diagnostic tests. They called me yesterday to announce it would cost $40 less to repair it than to buy the equivalent machine brand new. Well, at least that wasn't a hard decision!

2. The boat had not stopped leaking since being put back in the water after an anti-foul and repaint. So it was taken out again, the problem discovered and repaired. Unfortunately, this was not DIY job, even though Mr X tried during his holiday break, but we needed the assistance of a boat builder and marine engineer.

3. My windscreen got a chip, which on our potholed road quickly turned into a big crack across the driver's side. It's being replaced this week.

4. To top it all off, I'm going into hospital later this week. Seems my body needs some repair and maintenance too!

You know how experts advise us to keep money saved for a rainy day? Well, we've had a rainy month!