My Heart's Journey

Where have I been this last year? Following my heart – dancing on the wings of my calling; growing, giving and learning. Here I share a little of that dance.

M L Block, home to my Kimberley Family

Many years ago I taught in Kununurra in the far North of Western Australia; the Kimberley region. In recent years I have come to know, beautiful families in the most remote areas of the East Kimberley and in October last year I went visiting. From the moment my plane left Broome and begun to fly east I danced in my seat, wriggling and smiling like a mad woman – much to the amusement of the business man seated next to me.

By the end of the second day of being constantly warm and feasting my eyes on the country my face ached.

Why?

I wondered too, then I realised it was from constantly smiling. I realised this about the same time I realised the truth of ‘jaw dropping’ – mine dropped open regularly as I cruised open roads with Slim Dusty blasting. Slim’s another story …

The phone box with flour tin seat. In a community where there is no mobile reception and most don't have home phones this is a point of contact for anyone off community.

This isn’t the place to talk about my Kimberley family, I will simply say that I have Jija (sisters), and I am Jaja (Maternal Gran) and Mum to some wonderful young people. I have become theirs and they mine. Aside from my birth family I have been adopted by Djaru people as a Nakamurra woman, and it is a homecoming for this Kartiya (non-aboriginal) woman.
The 'Grandstand' and score board at the B Community football oval.

This trip was everything I didn’t dare dream it could be, and more. The country sings its own stories, red dirt and rocks, desert lakes, brumbies, boab, spinifex and people, special people.

Taken from a moving 4wd as over 100 brumbies circled around us.

My Jija E and Jija D have been to stay here, on my country. We have painted, prayed and laughed.

I have created a little recently. Soon I will share.

Hopefully soon I will return to my desert … it calls …

Post Script: the photo's are a hint of a vast beauty that can not be captured with a camera just in a heart open to all that is around her.

Friends and Fibre

Have you had your all-bran today? No, no not that type of fibre the one you wear, touch, stitch and even knit. Last week I was lucky enough to have my friend Dawn visit, a week of talking, creating, eating and even a little exercise followed.
We walked to the top of “my” rock which looks over town and took a few photos as Archer ran around beside us.

We ate picky platters of cheese, olives, cucumber and crackers, and ate only as we felt hungry, with very odd meal times.
We created, Dawnie made beautiful jewellery – I wish I took pictures – and my muse decided to knit. Three scarves, this one embellished with sari silk, ribbon and beads, another almost done.

The fur and purr babies delighted in Dawn’s attention and Charles, dear boy, even slept with our friend, loving her as I do.
This week it is back to work I go, and by the end of the week I will have found the rhythm, for now I am clinging to these sunshine filled play days.

Repurposing the Repurposed

I've mentioned before that I can't bring myself to waste even a drop of paint; these cards all use repurposed paint. The top cards have as their background some paint slapped on with the intention that it would be a base coat. Earlier in the week the colours appealed to me and I began to doodle trees and birds. Last night I layered them up.

I covered some journals with my multi-layered waste paint paper (and that is a mouthful) last weekend, the left over scraps became the cards below. the top two cards were very therapeutic as I lost myself in doodling designs on the patterned paper. As a child I wanted to design wall paper; I loved drawing up repetitive signs and relaxed just as I did while making these.

The irony in this card production is that I have missed more birthdays than I have remembered this year. I've resolved to send "just because..." cards instead, and hope you'll understand if you have been waiting for a while.

Postcards from Melbourne #1

Dear friends, Jen and Dawnie, and just look at the view from our Retreat venue deck.

The super talented artist and teacher Stephanie Lee - more on classes in a day or so.
Sweet Charles would not let me pack my cases in peace, each time I lifted him out and turned for another garment he jumped right back in. After I closed the door (a rare event in this house) he melted my heart with his efforts to join in so I carried the image all around Melbourne with me.

A starling right inside a major shopping centre, there were so many inside buildings, including the airport. I felt so sorry for them living the urban life.

The iconic entrance to Luna Park, St Kilda. What a wonderful tram ride it is to this cosmopolitan and yet friendly suburb. I would stay here next time.

You may notice this one is taken from the inside, the coffee was fantastic too.

Part of the bakery strip in St Kilda.

A gorilla installation in the car park at our retreat, I wonder who put it there?

Mum I am confused, why are you packing your things and not mine.

Archer certainly looks happier now and had a lovely holiday at Aunty Nicky's.

"Sorry Dawn, I can't look now, Julie has the camera out".
Meredith, Dawn and Dot sharing art.

Bits and Pieces

I made the notebooks above using some of my scrap paint backgrounds and my Zutter (current favourite tool) for the binding. Quick easy and satisfying.

The bag on my left is a "Just because ..." gift from my friend Ky and her Mum. It is a bag which folds down into a pocket on the front and is one of a collection they have made for the Animal Protection Society fundraiser. I am so blessed to have received this, and in a work week that has had some particularly difficult times it was especially nice to come home to. The dollies there will appear listed in my Etsy just as soon as I get time.

This wonderful copper (and you know how much I love copper) collage is my INKrediblyRt Mystery Muse gift from Vanessa. I keep running my fingers over that embossed background.

I couldn't resist this picture of Phantom and Harvey - but I get the impression Harvey wishes I had :)

I am hoping the shame of having a blog photo up revealing my dirty windows might also make me clean them...I will let you know how I go w ith that one.

Enjoy the weekend.

After Dawn left...

I spied this beautiful little dolly she had worked on hanging on the doors into my lounge. Knowing that we had nattered until the early hours of the morning leaving Dawn to pack in a hurry I assumed he had been left behind. I sighed as I admired all the wonderful detail and delicious embellishments covering his body - Dawn gets it 'just right' every time.

I wrapped him gently in tissue paper, popped him in a bubble wrap bag and sent Dawn a mail to say this beautiful star doll was on the way. As you may have guessed I was told to unwrap him quickly - star dollies do not like bags - and he was made to stay.

How lucky am I?

It seems that August is the month of birthdays for my arty friends and I have been creating and wrapping almost every day. I am looking forward to sharing as in a strange way this doll inspired me towards some 'pretty' art. Of course there is grunge too.

I am so proud of myself, I cleaned my own gutters out yesterday, the storms we had a few weeks ago filled them with leaves and debris so up I went (in the rain) perched on the very top rung of the ladder (Whoops now I am sounding like an idiot - but I felt like a hero at the time) and scooped muck while holding the hose and pruning sheers. Archer ended up soaked as he wanted to help, my jumper kept growing longer and longer as it got full of water and the hippy pants seemed to grow too. I can't count the number of time I laughed as I squirted myself with the hose, accidentally, in the rain on a winters day. I guess it was just a 'good to be me' activity, and perhaps you had to be there...

Later the glass of red wine in the hot bath full of lavender bubbles was pretty good too.

Unravelling

Unravelling? I am not sure why, it just seems to be the way I am, and it is a good thing, good to undo the knots and look at life a little bit at a time. These earrings all feature the parts of a pocket watch called the balance cock. A harsh name for pieces with such beautiful engraving. I have listed the first pair on my Etsy and will make time to do the others later in the week.

I have booked a stand at a little country show, held and hour or two up the road, in October and have enjoyed using some of the bits and pieces on my desk to make these bookmarks ready for the day.

My beautiful friend Dawn came to stay this week and aside from long chats (how easy it is to right the world while sewing, wrapping and gluing), we managed some time out to shop and to make a very brief visit to the Porongerups for a walk. This lovely little kookaburra is big in my mind, and yet he is such a tiny part of the forest made of tall, tall trees. How like life.

Archer Here...

... and looking very cute if I do say so myself.

Mum's fingers are much better but she is not keeping up with jobs, she hasn't even unpacked my doggy treats yet! Thought I better tell you about our trip. Our first stop on the way to Perth (Western Australia's capital city) was by this Aussie Christmas tree. Mum stopped five times. Odd really she made me get out of the car, drink water and then she wanted me to get back in before I had sniffed the whole lay-by. What's up with that? We visited my Aunty Dawnie first (Billy was a bit strange, kept guarding a smelly sock?!?), then on to Aunty Joyce and Staci.

Wowee, Staci is cute - but she was not very nice to me at the beginning, kept curling up her top lip. Mum laughed at her a lot, I think it hurt her feelings. She did stop pulling faces at me though. You should have heard the people cheer when she pooped, it's a long time since I was congratulated for that one and she is older than me.

Mum got lost after a night out with her friends and was so bored she took 'race cam' photo's again. Perth is actually a very clean city, but we really need to clean out car window. I think I will lick it next time I go for a ride, that usually works.

They ate Thai and laughed, a lot, while I stayed home and cuddled with Aunty J and Staci. These are Ev, Jane and Aunty Dawnie. I wanted to put Kylie's picture in but apparently photo's which give views up ladies noses are 'not nice'. Mum was given lots of pressies when she was with 'the girls' - hmmm, they look like ladies to me - and will post photo's later.

I stayed home while Mum went to Mindarie too, she talked with A and J for ages, and came back so relaxed she did not notice I had been asleep on her bed. I wish I had seen them again I did like all the cuddles at their house and they had some good left-overs.

This is Muffin, he lives with A and J and four handsome men. Silly Muffin he was scared of me and stamped his foot really loud. He did smell good, I hear he only eats vege's; I hope Mum does not get any ideas about feeding me carrot tops.

Finally Aunty Joyce and Mum went out leaving us alone. We partied and partied. Chasey, Hide n' Seek and Tag were lots of fun. B came home and played with us too. Funny Staci, she would not play infront of her Mum and mine, went back to being a princess, she even sat with her back to me. Mum kept cuddling her and laughing at her faces, I was a tiny bit jealous.
We saw lots of people who all said I was handsome and good but we did not get photographs of those, no, we got a photo of hay bales by the side of the road(???).

Harvey is an OK dude, bit of a fraidy cat, but it was sooo good to see my Phantom. We met on the path and could not decide who got to lick first. Mum cried. Silly really, we ended up rubbing noses then took turns licking faces.

Journey Time

Archer and I are heading off to the 'Big Smoke' for a few days. Leaving home is such a wrench but there are people to see and places to go. My friend 'A' has strapping teenage sons, and yet I remember so well the night I looked after No.1 while No.2 was entering this world (it helps that I got us locked out of the house in the middle of winter), the night I looked after No1, No2 and No3 while their sister was born (Ummm, the ultra sound dude said she was a boy). There are shared memories and a respect that comes from time, a love because our lives have been intertwined - like the vine above, sometimes the branches have joined, others they have headed off in their own direction, but always connected. We have history, and that makes the journey possible.

I am staying with J and her new dog. A treat for Archer, a joy that I can bring him. I anticipate long chats about what has been a big year for both of us. A year which has seen our friendship flourish and grow.

Dawn and I have lots of fun scheduled - I'm stuck on this lady (and her family). A woman who inspires me with her art, teaches me to have more fun and understands that 6.00 am IS the middle of the night. I'm hoping to catch up with more of my buddies as time allows, sneak in a little shopping, a trip to the city and more...

The Cat sitter is in situ Archer is clean, the job list fits onto one page. Pray for travelling mercies as we drive 4 1/2 hours up the Highway. Back soon.

Blissful Times

I have had my lovely friend Dawn to stay over the past weekend and more. What a treat to spend so much quality time with an art buddy, and particularly one with such a very generous heart. Even more, one whose body clock matched mine: afternoon naps, late nights and a sleep in every morning – bliss.
It was my birthday over the weekend and I took the opportunity to have family and close friends join me for a cheap and cheerful meal at the local Squid Shack; Dawn’s sweet and friendly family (who were camping just our of town) joined us too. My neice showed off her new shoes, as my Dad begged left overs. No, no, he was not hungry – just delighted to see L throw the chips for seagulls braving the cold weather outside.

I was blessed with many delightful gifts (always an unexpected surprise at 37) including the stunning quilt above. This is my friend Kerry’s very first patchwork effort! Yep, I am speechless too.

Archer and Phantom adored Dawnie, and it was a blessing to watch someone else delight in their affection and antics – hilarious too when Archer scoped out Dawn’s icicle dolls and selected one for himself. It was rescued very quickly and no beads were ingested.

Charles was shy and as Dawn spent time with her family on Monday he squeezed in a weekends worth of cuddles. I was trying to list some scrummy house shaped buckles on my etsy with him smooching on my lap. Definitely not items from a pet free home, but hopefully still hair free!
So much more to tell, and art to share, however I HAVE to take my list and go forth in search of several errant Christmas gifts; the 'just right item' to complete my packages.

An Outing to Smile About

I picked a strange day for a journey, but it was a good one. Today I headed East along the coast to visit with my friend Dawn and her family.

Spring seems to have rushed away and winter has jumped back in to its so recently vacated slot. Just a couple of days ago, Thursday in fact, it was 29C (85F); today the temperature rose to 12C (50F) and we were surprised by loud drifts of hail raining on us from the heavens.

We sat in freezing temperatures chatting about art, family and furry people. It was such a joy to meet Dawn's lovely daughters - what special people. Fun to play 'Greed' (a dice game) with them and to enjoy the fact I was with a most generous friend.
All the attention wore my little man out and he slept almost all the way home. Yes, he is wearing a coat ... I know ... I know ... I may have laughed at 'clothed' dogs in the past, forgive me please, I changed my mind.

Being the forgetful woman I am, I forgot about the camera until I was in the car and well on the way home. However, I enjoy the contrast in the photo's over the Pallinup Bridge in sunlight and the rain falling thickly as I drive.

Mt Manypeaks was a lovely sight, its' two highest peaks dusted with clouds.

Have a safe and warm Sunday. West Aussie's don't forget to adjust your clocks, and I will be back with some art soon.