Sunday just gone was Fathers’ Day. We didn’t celebrate riotously, but I think my Babe enjoyed it. We went very early to church for the morning service, as Sweet Bean was on the camera. When we got there, a car was parked in the cafe…
Beautiful, but unexpected… There were other classic cars out the front for the Dads to drool over. I quite enjoyed looking at them as well – they may not be the best choice for economising on petrol, but they are gorgeous to look at! The men (18+) were given a Krispy Kreme doughnut to enjoy after the service. Sweet Bean just missed out – he turns 18 on Friday ❤ Back home for a substantial lunch, then an afternoon snooze – after opening presents!
It was a good day. One of the best things was the morning sermon… Feeling unsure about fatherhood – either yours to your kids, or your father’s to you? Have a listen to some wisdom and experience –
Those are some of the items for last year. There are also sections for previous years. Enjoy! 😀
People are amazingly creative. And weird. I started off just scrolling through to have a quick look, and ended up laughing, crying, and simply being amazed. Right now, as I type, there are terrible things happening to innocent people. A lot of those things are because humans, somewhere, have behaved badly. And, unfortunately, whenever you happen to be reading this, there is likely to be some terrible thing happening somewhere in the world. Some people may think that taking time out to be silly, or create beautiful and strange things, is time wasted. I don’t agree. Yes, just making something new and beautiful in the world is a good thing in itself. But seeing others doing that as well – reminding ourselves that there are good people – funny, thoughtful, weird, vulnerable, loving people with hearts that see brokenness and seek justice? That’s priceless.
Earlier this year I had the chance to contribute to a GISH-related online choir. I’m sad that I never sent my part in, but enjoyed watching the result. Sing along (and look for the rainbows)!
Not sure what’s happening with winter… Lately it’s felt like spring, and sometimes even summer. The last couple of nights have seen the return of a slight chill, though, and the duvet has made a comeback
I’ve been doing a few hours of work – I came in late, so didn’t get a lot done, but it was nice to earn a few dollars 🙂 The job was, basically, making calls online to other people. Pretending to have a conversation about various topics with certain keywords, particularly geared towards an Australian accent. Over the last week I’ve opened various bank accounts, taken out loans, bought a tractor (and a farm!), stocked an organic herbal tea shop, and set up a fish farm. No wonder I’m tired! 😆
I’ve always had problems with phones. There was a time, years ago, when I yearned to be allowed to use the phone like the grown ups, but now I’m happy to text. Over the years I’ve learned basic “scripts” to cover most phone calls, but this job involved an undercurrent of low level terror each time I did a call. I survived!
Today was meant to be a catching-up day, but plans can get a bit wonky. I roamed through various sites, and stumbled across this reminder that all is well – even when tiptoeing over the terror to get to the end of a phone conversation…
Just before lockdown I was able to get my bedside table(s) sorted out! 🙂 It’s different to what I originally had in my mind, but I’m happy with it. I’d bought and put together the trolley with the multicoloured draws from Officeworks, but hadn’t been able to find anything to put my lamp (and coffee) on. Finally found something and put it all together. Yay!
There’s still more to organise to get it just right, but I have a lot of my creative supplies in one place. It’s close enough to reach out to from the bed, so that’s easier for the bad days. I can set up quite comfortably and quickly. And now I’ve got a CD player as well. MP3s take up less space, but I like the idea of setting up my CDs, one after the other. Maybe even dancing, if I’m feeling up to it!
Here’s my new space…
Just enough room for my coffee – I’m still trying to fit everything together…
The days are getting warmer (even though it’s too early), but it’s still nice to snuggle in to bed to do my work. The flowers are growing before their time, so we’ll see what happens to them, but it means my lavender is finally blooming.
It’s that time of the year again – the annual week long GISHHunt. This is my fourth year, with a few minihunts as well over the last year or so. It’s a global scavenger type hunt, so I was put in a team with members all over the world. There were just over 200 items to choose from, so I got to do fun (and challenging) things. For some reason I have come down with some sort of cold every year during this week, and this year was no exception. Added to that was the covid lockdown in my area, which started a few hours before the Hunt started, and ended at exactly the same time as the Hunt. I didn’t leave the house at all, so had to make do with what I had (except for another jar of Vegemite to help recreate the Mona Lisa – that was picked up with the essential grocery shop mid-week). Nevertheless, I completed fourteen items! 😀
Item 52 – A tiny portrait of Marilyn Monroe on a “beauty mark” on someone’s cheek.
Item 112 – Steam Punk Rock.
Item 191 – It’s International Lost in Translation Karaoke night & you’re up next! Choose an English-language song and translate it into at least 3 different languages using Google Translate, then back to English (a language with some of the most arbitrary rules and inconsistencies on the planet). Then sing the resulting lyrics. (Example: English -> Russian -> Russian -> Gaelic -> Gaelic -> English. Got it? Good.) Please caption this video with the final English lyrics.
The languages I translated “Eye Of The Tiger” into – Scots Gaelic, Amharic, Catalan, Welsh, Latin –
Item 90 – Pop culture is taking over everything—even breakfast. Create a yogart (yogurt art) portrait of your favorite pop culture character on the top of a bowl of your yogurt, with colored yogurt and inclusions. Maintain edibility.. Post it on social media tagged #GISH, #Yogart, and the character, actor(s), or series
– Yes – the TARDIS (“sexy” 😆 ) is a character!
Item 147 – Your splendid coat of arms—and I’m not talking about heraldry.
Item 96 – Over 16,000 people have signed a petition to get Jeff Bezos to buy and eat the Mona Lisa. Down with this elitism: delicious art belongs to the masses! Create an exact, edible replica of the Mona Lisa, complete with frame. Feel free to eat it after you create it. Post your image on social media and tag @JeffBezos, @GISH and #ArtFeedsTheSpirit.
Item 19 – You’ve heard of Dad Jokes. Tell a Dadaist joke.
Item 40 – ). Resting B***** Face, The Musical! Write a song with happy uplifting lyrics, and perform the whole thing in a monotone, one chord/one-note fashion, with resting b*tch face the whole time
Item 197 – Baby kneads a new pair of shoes. Create baby sneakers out of bread.
Item 155 – Olympian Simone Biles proved she is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) at this year’s Olympics — not just through her athleticism, but by putting her own mental health first. She had the “twisties,” a phenomenon where a gymnast’s brain loses track of where they are. Metaphorically, we’ve all been there and had times where we feel a little lost. Create a personal compass to help reorient yourself, with the things you value most at true North.
Item 156 – Remember Thorgi, a corgi dog dressed up as the God of Thunder? Loki deserves the same honor. Show us a dog version of the God of Mischief. Lokita? Labradoki? You get the idea.
Item 5 – Flipping your perspective can help you overcome a challenge. Create an ambigram featuring two words that help you regain balance. The first word should be something you struggle with and the second word, one that brings you peace. Bonus points if you also get it tattooed (permanent or temporary tattoos will both be accepted due to covid).
(Courage/Anxiety)
So – there it is… There were many charity and volunteering items to choose from but I was unable to do those, for one reason or another… The items I do complete never look as good as they do in my head. I’m still pleased to have finished them. And next time, maybe you can join me! 😀
I didn’t get out much last week. When Saturday came around, I thought it might be a chance to enjoy a quiet coffee in my favourite cafe. Seems like everyone else had the same idea…
This Sunday’s sermon mentioned something about “souls crying sideways” – when we don’t acknowledge pain and hurt, stuff it down inside, it tends to come out in other ways. That may be physical illness, mental instability, or maybe just crying copiously in public. Who knows? We all have our idiosyncrasies.
When I go out by myself for coffee (and cake 🙂 ) it tends to be a big deal for me, both because I generally have to spend a fair bit of my energy reserves to get there, and because I just enjoy the whole experience. I’m also not very good at suddenly changing plans. Saturdays are very busy. My favourite cafe is very good, but I’ve come to realise that Saturday morning is not the best time for one person to be able to sit inside and enjoy a leisurely breakfast… I had already had some problems with wobbly legs and shaky hands while walking down the street to get there, and the tables outside can be a bit wonky (there’s a bit of a hill). I had ordered a filter coffee, which I hadn’t realised didn’t come with milk. I couldn’t ask for milk easily because I couldn’t carry everything inside, although I did eventually get a small jug of milk. My cosy morning out was turning into a bit of an ordeal, which tipped over into chaos when I managed to tip the whole cup of coffee into my lap (shaky hands/small jug). Cue the crying! I don’t identify myself exactly with the sideways crying scenario – I don’t think it was a case of stuffed emotions – more probably my energy levels just suddenly dipped into practically non-existent. The crying was definitely disproportionate to the event, though. Thankfully I can cry quietly 🙂 One of the other patrons did notice, and asked if I was OK. I took myself around the corner to calm down a bit, then went back to my table to try to finish the coffee that was left in the pot. It had, of course, been tidied away. 😆
My morning finished better than it started. I got back in line to get a takeaway latte, which was given to me free, along with a lovely lemon slice. That kindness almost undid me (again) – none of it was the fault of the cafe, but they showed grace to the weeping twit in the shadows, when they would be well within their rights to ignore me. I did some therapeutic shopping in the charity shop down the road, then spent some time in the library. No-one seemed to notice the huge coffee stains down my front, and they’d dried by then.
I haven’t got any deep philosophy to impart from all this, but I was reminded of an important truth while I was watching the last scene from the last season of House. Time’s moving on…
I’ve had a couple of low energy/fatiguey days lately, so I’ve mostly been in bed. Thankfully I’ve also been in the process of changing the area by my bed so I can easily reach books, pens/pencils/paper etc when I need them. There’s still more to do (I do a bit, then run out of steam) but I should have a useable workspace soon. It still feels a bit lazy, but I came to the conclusion that it was better to get some work done in bed rather than not getting anything done while waiting to feel better… It’s not like I haven’t done any writing or drawing while sitting up in bed before – it’s just been quite uncomfortable. I finally got myself a little lap table with a tilting top, and a new “bedside table” (a trolley with drawers from Officeworks).
Today has been another catch up day – because of events the last few months, I’m behind in some classes and seminars. I’m enjoying the content of the twosites I’m working on, and I am content with my new space and the new things I’m learning! 🙂
Couch Choir is doing another video – there’s still time to contribute your voice! I just finished uploading my “high ladies” part, and sent in a “low ladies” part earlier this afternoon…
Was I in fine voice, conquering all before me?
Well, in a word… no. Not at all.
My voice is unreliable these days, and I don’t think my vocals will be prominent in the final mix 😆 I always enjoy contributing, but I know I’m one amongst many. This time I decided to have more fun with it all. Behold – a glimpse of my duet with a friend (a surprisingly quiet friend!)
Because what’s the point of having a unicorn onesie and a toy unicorn if you can’t use them in a collaborative music video?
Time for another wander through YouTube! I’ve been watching reaction videos lately – I enjoy seeing someone else falling in love with music I already know, and I also am introduced to music I’ve never come across before. Watching random songs also means the recommendations can be…a bit different 🙂 Here’s an audition from The Voice South Africa – the song is the Click Song, sung in Xhosa, which I first heard sung by Miriam Makeba.
Next I had a look at a Kazakh singer called Dimash. I’ve seen a lot of reaction videos to him, and I know he’s known for having a very wide vocal range. I chose this song to share because of the added family sweetness 🙂
What next? Maybe a bit of Georgian dancing? (This is more of a mini documentary, and some dissent in the YouTube comments about the accuracy of some of the history)
Some Irish dancing to finish! (also a bit of a mini documentary…)
Dance! Sing! …and wander down a different path sometimes – see what the signposts say.
a bit of creativity, a bit of eco consciousness, a bit of inspiration.... hopefully not a lot of pompousness and blathering :D
i'm not entirely sure what's going on here... let's travel along and see...
1000 Fields of Roses 