Christmas Card - Wanda - 2013

Wanda thank you for the card and being my dearest friend - I know 2013 was extremely trying for you health wise. I wish you the very best in 2014 and I hope you embrace the moment because you have been given a second chance - please do not waste it. My good wishes for 2014 also extend to your partner Bruce and that darling little dog Bobby.

The Owl at Lunar Park

Keith Hansen - Linocut print - 2010 - courtesy of Marjorie Savill Linthwaite

Dearest Keith - thank you for this gift - totally unexpected but highly prized - I have always harbored a secret desire to learn this craft one day if time permits - first I have to become the writer of the genre - Gothic Horror with ancient Egyptian themes if the gods are willing - only time will tell if enough of my family-related stories will escape from my demon box.  

Happy Halloween - The Day of the Dead

Link:

Burlesque Doll

The colour blue came into my mindset for some odd reason so I decided to walk down to the Red Cross shop in the hope of finding some blue beads and there was this strange surreal creature sitting in a chair in the shopfront of a tattooist. Many thanks to the young man who accorded me the courtesy of being able to capture this amazing impression on the face of this Burlesque Doll.

Frosted Glass - Greenery

Photographic opportunities sometimes appear in the oddest places - I do not wish to inform the viewer where I found this window with the shaggy fern-like object on the other side of the glass.

Australian White Ibis - Road Kill

I found this experience of being a unwilling witness to this bird's sense of death very upsetting.

Bead Hoarders' Blog Hop Reveal

Midnight Blue Wishes

Idecided on an Oriental-inspired theme relating to my poem 'The Blueberry Morning' for my very simple concept of design. Four things were just needed such as midnight blue cobalt glass beads, Indian glass beads, a venetian glass flower pennant and a very simple clap.  The colour blue is so Moorish and yet at night there is  one shade such as midnight blue which becomes alive and mysterious at night.  Please view the rest of the Bead Hoarders' Blog Hop Reveal courtesy of the amazing Lori McDaniel Anderson
 

Bead Hoarders - Blog Hop

This image is courtesy of 'pretty things' by Lori McDaniel Anderson

This is work in progress as I have to think how to write what I feel about this unnerving concept of raiding my collection of precious beads too jealously guarded. The history of beads dates back to Atlantis and beyond the stars. Yes the concept of beading is very very ancient and intriguing if you consider how many different realities are possible either as a story-telling medium or expressing status of self because of the value of a bead which were first used as currency. Adornment could also be as simple as using the skin to tattoo such as the example of this Scotish female warrior of the Picts or a funeral death mask of jade worn by Pacal the Great furthered embellished by a collar of jade.
 

UTS: Tower Lift Shaft

Many thanks to the technician who accorded me the courtesy of being able to photograph inside the lift shaft at the Tower.

UTS: Water Cooler Thingy

Fly on Mesh

I was intrigued by the fly as I edged closer and closer with my camera posed in the UTS Gallery, how strange how this insect chose not to move.

Look This Way - Reflections Within

Dot

This little darling is designer hybrid dog referred to a Jack Chi (Jackhuahua) Chihuahua / Jack Russel Terrier Mix.

Mercedes-Benz

Ispotted this item on level two at UTS and my curiosity got the better of me - I do love mechanical things - relating to the German part of my mindset.

 

Michel's Patisserie

 

Sometimes there is the need to sit down and just chill and pre-take of a cherry-ripe sweet with mocha coffee prepared just right with the afterthought of a potato and meat pie.  The day had got away from me so I just had to eat - no planning just instant action of availing my taste buds.

Oceanic Cafe

Address: 312 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2012

Monday - Friday 12:00 Midday - 10:00 PM

Menu Board

Beef Rissoles with chips and peas 

The interior of the Oceanic Cafe when viewed from the back.

The interior of the Oceanic Cafe with the daughter standing with her mother in the back when viewed from the front.

his Retro-styled Oceanic Cafe brings back memories of when my late mother and I just had to burn our bridges in 1966 so we could both survive.  We have arrived back from Queensland and were staying at the Traveller's Aid Hostel Sydney - accommodation that was deemed safe for anyone of a feminine gender. I remember for lunch we both had hamburgers with beetroot slices and milk shakes. I was taken aback last year when I was attending the WORLDS APART art exhibition at the SOLDIERS Rd Gallery near Central Station to see that this time-capsule still existed in 2012. I made a mental note to revisit this place and step back in time and reflect on how history repeats itself because I am being forced to burn my bridges in 2013 so I can continue to survive. It was purely by chance I decided to partake of the beef rissoles, which were crispy on the outside and moist in the inside with just the right amount of onions complimented with the tomato-flavoured onion sauce.  The rustic hand-made chips were larger than normal and the peas added a whimsical touch of the 1950s. The white bread and butter reminded one of times past.  A small cup of instant coffee was a perfect ending to a surprising flavoursome meal. I must thank the mother and daughter team who went out of their way to make me feel welcome.

Elephant Walk Memory Beads

In ancient Egypt It was the custom to design one example of unmourning jewellery for the loved one after eight years of mourning. These Austrian amber crystal beads were chosen by my late mother and I decided on 1940s ivory elephants and beads because their memory is infinite. There are also additional Indian hand-blown amber-coloured glass beads. This example of jewellery is to honour the memory of my mother who in 1953, wore for her fourth wedding in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, a bridal gown of Spanish lace dyed in the shade of lapis blue to honour the goddess Isis 'the divine mother'.

Links: Participants for Memories and Thanks Blog Hop

Christmas Bus Images

Chocolate Cravings

Contents of Gift Parcel

Thank you Wanda, you know me only too well when picking gifts for my birthday and for Christmas. The Egyptian part of me will always be acknowledged in every aspect of my daily life as I am the direct descendant of Ra the first Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. 

First item: Abstract Original Egyptian Temple Cat / Second Item: Russian concept of cat with Sacred Lotus detail /  Third item: A bag with temple mural design.