Bonding with this new creation has been a pleasure. Notice the skin to skin contact? Very important in the first few moments of arrival..... the Amber (as in the Amber stone) look makes me happy but I can't decide which side of the family she takes after. I'm adopting her out and she will be on display at the Blackbird Market in Brunswick in November. If you would like to purchase one of her clones, please email me:)
New arrival #2 and #3:
Aren't they adorable? I can't tell you how long I've waiting for this moment:)
Today I visited The Melbourne String Company in Balwyn who were able to help me choose them. Ella, the violinist who works there was so helpful. She played a few so I could choose which one I liked the most- it turned out to be the one who was born in Romania.
I found it amazing that each instrument sounded different. It depends on structure, wood, strings and the ear of the listener. And in this case, the older the violin, the more expensive (obviously depending on the qauality) ie Violins crafted 300 years ago by the master violin-maker Antonio Stradivari sell for millions of dollars on the rare occasion they reach auction.
Because I want to bond with my instrument as they are going to have to deal with some awkward and donkey like sounds in the next little while, I decided to name it.
This is Walter:
And Lucy:
Together they shall make beautiful music together.
I am SO SO excited- I have organised lessons to learn the violin! It has been on my things to do list for the last 15 years! As a child, my instrument of choice was the flute but I haven't played it in years (mainly because some of the keys need replacing due to being spluttered on for so many years)......
But you never know, I may not have the knack for it. Never mind, I have found another use for the violin...
Well I didn't buy a fat cow exactly...but I did buy a nice pair of leather slippers that probably came from a fat cow.
This weekend past, I was fortunate enough to participate in a music festival market and a weekend away, from my little family, for the first time EVER!
Kelly and Kate from Chirpy Lane, Danielle and her cute, quirky daughter Sienna from Curiouser and supermum Megan were my market buddies- and we all had a lovely time!
Despite the sky looking like this:
....we had a great time, and success for all of us too. Kelly and Kate make beautiful children's clothing and accessories. Here are some pics of their awesome stock:
....and I shared my stall with Danielle. Because both our items have a vintage arty feel to it out things complimented eachother:).....
her artwork is amazing!
This was my view from the other side of the world:
Sienna weaved her magic and was able to flutter her eyelashes and melt most hearts at the market. She's my hero :)
And there must have been some magic in the grass in Anglesea because my footwear suddenly changed from this:
To this:
Duck feet?
Well, almost, I actually bought these cool leather Morrocan slippers from this pretty lady and the cool dude in the yellow shoes above:
After the market, they were going home to enjoy a baked potato and a glass of wine. Yum!
Despite the rain, there were a few people who came out to play! Thank you Anglesea!
On our drive home Sunday, we stopped at the amazing Mill Markets in Geelong. The Mill Markets has over 70 stallholders, offering a unique collection of antiques, collectables and vintage clothing. I could spend two days there!
Oodles and oodles of realy cool furniture, homewares and clothing. I'll need to go back with a cut lunch packed!
Well, it's back to normality for this kooky owl- attempting toilet training for the nearly 2, baby owl is on the agenda..... next market is in my favourite street...Brunswick street!! Have a great night everybody!
And this is written by the person who uploaded it- so beautiful:
nobody reads descriptions so this should be safely unread. i reached a milestone tonight, a million views on this video.
i write a confession, what happened. i started to take photographs to take my mind of a horrendous relationship breakup. i didn't want it to end but it did. it was the first time i felt so alone in this world. and then being without her mattered so much that it felt like i was dying.
This song was my anthem around the time. Cat Power it seemed, had suffered a similar fall from grace. it was and still is, a sad song.
this milestone then, a million views, makes me want to write something about why i uploaded this video in the first place, but the fact is that 95-99 % of viewers click on this video to hear Cat power sing Sea of love, and not view my pictures. of course that's why they click on it, they haven't heard of me, but they have watched Juno, and they have seen Cat Power on stage somewhere, or heard her voice on some friends' CD player. don't get me wrong, i am not insecure, i am totally confidant about my ability to take a photograph as a means to express myself. the music i use in my video merely aides the emotional connection, music has always done this.
i am nearing the end of my twenties. in a couple of months i will be thirty years of age. i don't have any children, and i don't have a partner. i make a living as a photojournalist and freelance photographer.
for as long as i can remember, i could never fit somewhere. there's nowhere i could call home. i barely recognise myself from the young man who entered university thinking that a formal education in psychology was going to make me happy, that this prescribed route was going to make me stop wondering, and actually live my life, instead of scratching at it, watching it.
the solace of a camera then seems in retrospect like an obvious thing to do, but as luck would have it, i finally found something that i was truly a natural at, expressing myself. you see i have a lot of pain. of course everyone and their dog has pain and i am no different, but what i find myself trying to do with the camera is just ignore everything that i have ever learned or experienced, just blissfully forget about the taxman, the banker, the things that make up the world around me, and just think about me.
when i take a photograph i am there, being hit by a wave, happy in a graveyard, in a box, or even a garden plastic rabbit, these are all expressions of myself. yes they exist and i didn't arrange them, but i am drawn to them as soon as i sense them, and for however long the scene is as such, i want to take a photograph of it, and when i do, i feel momentarily invigorated, an orgasmic sense of something recognised and understood and captured, a reflection of myself.
so from someone with no artistic background, via a Machiavellian relationship breakup, i find myself with the perfect medium to express myself with, the camera.
Oi! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck.
My new ring kind of reminds me of cosmic-ness.
Not finished yet......
I'm hoping to finish it off tonight.
I love the drifting, dreamy colours amongst the clear parts. It reminds me of the universe and cosmic activity (my last trip on the Apollo 26 had really good service- drinks included!).
I have also made two different faceted styles- they seems to have a nice sparkle.
Only 4 days to get organised for the market/ music festival in Anglesea-
I will be joining four lovely, creative people and the best bit is, we get to participate in the market AND jig around to awesome music!
