WetWinterWonders

Fungi, Lichen and moss
delights of a winter forest
discoveries on my daily walks
same walk, different scenery
today it was wet, dripping, misty
which made for an introspective kind of walk
walking from and to the warmth of a wood fire
simple pleasures

"If you observe well, your own heart will answer"

ImageDownUnder

"Mirror on the forest floor
what's revealed behind this door"

After last week's winter showers,
every where I walk I find rain-mirrors
scattered in the forest,
pulling clouds from the sky
and light into dark forest places.

'The Man who never in his mind traveled to heaven is no artist'

SharingShinyStuff

The other day I found myself parked in front of a Freedom store.
Liking the name, I wandered in.
Inside I found a wonderful metal salad/mixing/storing bowl
I took it from the shelf and held it. It felt good.
then I looked inside.
Behold, the world as a 'bend' entity

I took home the bowl plus its ever changing contents

"watch what you are doing you maybe making a memory"

LeafBlowerMadness

This is an image of Mt Franklin

a magical park inthe bowl of an old vulcano
somewhere near Daylesford

It is poetically inspiring anytime and any season of the year
recently I made a visit, well before this welcome rain
there I was in the magic of the trees' geometry
standing ankle deep in a wonderful autumn leaf carpet.
the nutty fragrance was delightful
you get the picture
there was, however, one discord
two workers (and I have no idea who employs people to do these wasted tasks)
were using a leaf blower, moving leaves away from certain areas.
the sense of which was completely lost to me
Think of the sound
and the breeze which returned the leaves
and completely wasted the effort
Crazy world

"reality is the invention of unimaginative people"

MagicMomentsSeries

Another magical moment in the home garden,
there for the taking.

It had just rained and the skeletal branches
of the birch trees
supported numerous raindrops.
Each one reflecting the world around it

all of the draped tingling veil
suspended in front of the colourful foliage of the oak,
the last tree to shed its leaves
autumn in winter
leaves waiting for the new growth to push them off
'time to go colour, green is here'

"The mysterious is not how the world is, but that it is."

SomeLeftOverHolidayPics

some images which did not make it with the stories.
This is the last you hear of my SA journey

"The things we see but don't marvel at anymore"

TravelsIntoMemoryLand3

In the beginning

The I-Ching I threw before building the house

neglected clay house under boat-like roof

Greek Icon

Strong memories of building my own nest/house from clay
(Not unlike the swallows under my eaves now)
clay made into bricks from the earth the house stood on
and so started the house around the concept of a sunken floor
A whole house build without electric power
But basically with the use of a hand saw, drill and hammer.
All this under a roof like an upturned boat
The prow facing the north, cutting the strong winds which buffeted the house

Strong memories of building my first studio
And creating my first exhibition in it
The result of an 8 year travel experience
The one which set off my ceramic career proper

Strong memories of living with Sophia, a Greek Icon Painter
And sensing her feeling of isolation while creating her exquisite religious icons
All this and much, much more came to the surface during my visit
to Nelshaby and the family Pearce, who made the depth of the experience possible

all the while realising

“that one’s ignorance grows at the same rate as one’s experience”

TravelsIntoMemoryLand2

The lovely hospitality and generosity of the Pearce family
In opening their home to me for a marvelous weekend family-like experience
(Even though I hadn’t visited for 23 years, when I left the district)
Was absolutely wonderful because it allowed me full access
to those sleeping Flinders ranges memories
(the passing of time was marked most tellingly by their two children
who, when I left, were kids of 3 and 6
and now are both fabulous adults of 26 and 29 )

During the weekend memories surfaced, like watered seeds in spring
Strong and shaping memories

Strong memories of the landscape,
the power of a landscape with its quiet million years old intensity re-revealed.
Revealed once again also its poetic beauty regardless of the seasons
An ancient landscape which imprinted in my mind the story of primal beginnings
Which so strongly featured as part of the beginnings of my ceramic studio work
And to which I return again and again

To be continued…….

TravelsIntoMemoryLand1

I have been on a journey

(This was a while ago and because
like water in a muddy pond stirred up
takes some time to settle and clear
so too the e-motions of my journey had to settle
in order to see clearly what I have gained)
A journey which revealed those hidden kind of memories
A journey to visit and get in touch with my 96 year old mother
And seven siblings. All this too personal to publicise

Then, since I was in Adelaide I decided
to extend my journey into some long ago memories,
memories of a place I used to live.
I decided to travel to the Flinders Ranges, and Nelshaby in particular
Not the memory of Port Pirie, the town which brought me there.
It is far too ugly a town to sew any seeds of useful poetic memory
(although I had some of my best teaching experiences there)
Therefore, when my Nelshaby host, my ex-neighbour,
Mark Pearce (blog: Road Kill) pillowpassengered me into Pt Pirie
On his RoadKing Harley Davidson
The ride thrilled but nothing about that town did

To be continued…….