the X facta: November 2011

blog birthday

The silly season seems to start earlier every year. Perhaps that's why I keep missing my blog birthday. Last week the Xfacta turned seven!! I began blogging when it was still a relatively new platform. Back then when I said I was a blogger, most people looked at me like I'd said I was an alien. Now of course, blogging is almost old school. It's all facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc etc etc.

One thing I love about the blog is it's time capsule nature. For example, this is what I posted one year ago to the day. With several years under the belt, it's really interesting to see what's happened here, the hot trending topics, the quiet lull times, the revolving door of blog buddies, the die-hard loyal blog buds who've been here from the early days.

So, how long have you been blogging?
And why do you continue to blog?

this week's music therapy

Found this little cushion in the opshop (thrift store) the other day.

When you press his hand he sings "Don't Worry Be Happy"
aka the Bobby McFerrin song.

Here's another take on the same theme,
just released by our Guy....

a bit more upbeat dontcha think?

think dancing shoes & happy endorphins

Rx for recovery

medicine bottle
photo by kel ©2011

remember there is medicine

not in pill or potion

that only you prescribe

to get your soul in motion

so if you came to see me

and perched upon my couch

this is what I'd offer

to try and help you out

close your eyes and recall

a time when you were well

how you felt and walked and spoke

its all held in your cells

tap into that memory

hold it in your mind

breathe it in and exhale

what it is that binds

awake those sleeping cells

in muscles, blood and bone

they remember being well

call the memories home

see your shoulders lifting

the glimmer in your eye

its time to pack up illness

and wave it off - goodbye!

accepting clouds

Looking east from our front deck.

They say "every cloud has a silver lining . . ."

Why can't we just accept a cloud for a cloud?

They are simply part of the cycle of life.

Sometimes life is blue sky sunny, sometimes it's low cloud grey.

my creative contribution to skywatch

sing a silly song

When your head is full of cobwebs, and life is weaving too tight, sometimes you just need to sing a silly song. If that's you today, perhaps you'll enjoy this one. Not only does it have a catchy tune, the visuals are fascinating.

let the crazy creations emerge

Mr X walked past and asked why I was painting Sponge Bob? Obviously he needs to get his eyes checked. Anyone can see it's the love child of Mr Potato Head and Flacco! And as for 'why' - there is no rhyme or reason. You just put pen and paint to paper and let what emerges make a full appearance.

When we only allow images to appear that make sense, when we edit our writing so much we lose our 'voice' in the process, when we only want to show our professional work to the world so people will take us seriously . . . no wonder we get creative block!

Dreaming of our white xmas

Ice Fishing 'village', Quebec, Canada.

The heat is on here. Summer has arrived early, we've already had a couple of days over 30 and it's 33 C today. So I'm reminiscing fondly on our white xmas trip to USA and Canada. This little ice fishing village was one of our favourite off-the-standard-tourist-path finds we explored. So far off the beaten path, they thought tourists were a novelty. We found one person who spoke a little English. She invited us to have a look inside their little hut. We ate our picnic lunch sitting in the car looking out at this foreign landscape. Brilliant blue sky, shiny white ice. What's not to love!

machine powered ice cutter

they use these paddles to stop the ice freezing over the top

full seasonal trimmings on ice

boys and their toys can be found in every country

rustic ice hut

all photos by Kel © 2010

my creative contribution to skywatch

flight of imagination

where would you go

if you could travel at the speed of thought

think it and you're there

would you even dare

defining your style

During a recent long weekend, I checked out a couple of art shows. Both were in the regional area I live, and showcased entries from many local artists. However, each show attracted a different kind of artist. One show had many works in the traditional style of landscapes, still life and portraiture.While the other show also held some of that, it featured more contemporary, abstract, quirky work.

What I found really interesting, was my ability to pick which work belonged to which artist. Working at the regional gallery for the past two years has exposed me to the work of many local artists. While attending those two art shows, I suddenly realised I’ve learnt to identify a particular artist’s work without seeing a signature or catalogue listing. Mr X was amazed. I’d see a piece and say who I thought created it. He was holding the catalogue and couldn’t believe it - I was picking them correctly each time. I explained to him that each artist usually has a distinct ‘style’ of work. And when you’ve seen their work many times, it becomes easy to identify.

Looking at my own collection of creations, I often feel I haven’t developed a ‘style’ of my own yet. I’m not a specialist in any area, but a dabbler in many. Pastels, acrylics, journals, altered books, sculpture, assemblage, installations.

Then I finished this piece. Something about it felt different. Hmm, so what’s my usual style? Looking back at various work, I see it often contains textural elements, or curved elements, or a touch of cheeky whimsy. This one contains all three. So perhaps the point of difference is that I'm beginning to define my own style.

What about you? Do you have your own “style” of painting, writing, living? Can you see it yourself, or have the observations of others helped you take a step back and see it more clearly?

We all live from the viewpoint of inside out.

But others see us from the viewpoint of outside in.

Combining both viewpoints might give us a clearer picture of who we are in our own skin.

the cone of silence

when the world has left you weary

feeling heavy in your bones

lay your burdens on the ground

and spend some time alone

taking in some beauty

from the skies above

absorb the cone of silence

be enveloped in love

this week's music

So, they're playing christmas carols in the stores already! It can get a bit ho-hum. But for something a bit more ho-ho-ho, check this out . . .

. . . the first and last song are my favourites!

sandwalking

some days feel like we're walking uphill in soft sand

with the sun glaring in our face

but we keep putting one foot in front of the other

because we hope

on the other side of the hill

will be an expansive sea

and a horizon which suggests the possibility

there might be better worlds out there

we have yet to walk in

boys & their toys

Being the last day of a long weekend

Mr X decided it was time to launch the new boat

He built her himself, but it took about 12 years!

So this was quite an occasion to see her finally launched.

Other projects took priority, like renovating our city house to sell,

then moving here and building our current home from the ground up.

Did you notice that the crew were missing in the above photos?

Mr X built this as a scale model of an old classic boat (thumbnail plans below). This is the second scale-model yacht he's built. The first one is much bigger and ended up not being practical for hauling to the water, so it now decorates our loungeroom. This little beauty is a 1:12 scale, 2-channel radio-controlled, gaff head ketch-rigged cutter.

Don't be fooled, it's no plastic 'kit box' from the store for him. He built them plank by plank, fibreglassed the hull, created the cabins, sewed the sails and rigged them up. Many hours of labour, all for his passion of classic yachts.

Now that he has a real boat, I'm not sure how much this one will get used.

But what a sense of achievement to have finally finished this project.

I wonder what the next project will be . . .