Friday, May 16, 2008

:stripy sock photo of the week:

This week’s stripy sock photo comes from Emma McIntaggart - wise beyond her tender 18 years, and a generous soul.

In my dream cafe, all the feet under all the tables would be wearing stripy socks and cute mary janes (except the lads of course - they’d wear trainers with their stripy socks). I love this shot, thanks for the lend, Emma.

***

Loving stripy socks and every week or so doing a ‘stripy sock’ search on flickr does rather mean I get exposed to a lot of foot fetishism. (Don’t ask.) I love stripy socks because they are to me an expression of fun, freedom, playfulness and a refusal to grow up and be super serious about things all the time. I do not love stripy socks because I have a weird thing for looking at photos of other people’s feet.

***

My mooch day wasn’t so much ‘mooch’ as run around the city madly trying to pack in as much as I could. Note to self - next time - do one, maybe two things maximum and savour them. But I’m not complaining, mindful that before this year I had many years of fulltime parenting with no respite during the weeks. Kindergarten, how I love thee!

I did have a coffee. I also bought three fabulous items of clothing: a silvery knitted lace cardigan, a long hot pink and orange psycedelic housecoat with enormous dahlias all over it (I’m going to chop the bottom half off and turn it into a skirt) and perhaps the best thing I bought to wear all year: a 1970s navy blue cotton nurse’s shift. It is completely plain and utilitarian, it fits me like a glove, it has patch pockets, I am wearing it right now and I swear, I may never take it off again. I know it is hard to imagine why it might be so great, but trust me - it is. (And no, there is nothing on it to suggest it is a nurses’s uniform - it is completely plain, except the label which says ‘PNPH - Neo Natal Unit’.) With thick winter tights and knee high boots, it is a good, simple look. I love it’s very plain-ness, and also the way it pulls over the head (no zips or buttons) but is fitted! I may have to draft a pattern off it, I love it so much. (Sorry there is no photo.) OK, that is way too much information about something you a) can’t see and b) probably could care less about. Anyway, three great new things for a cool $15. I’m happy.

Have a lovely weekend. folks. 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

:respite:

This is my favourite spot at my parent’s house - under the giant oak tree.

***

Today is my mooch day! I’m excited and will report back. In fact I am so very excited that two things are possible:

a) I really need to get out more. I clearly have no life.

OR

b) It’s nice that I retain a child-like delight in simple pleasures.

You decide. Hee!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

:james norcliffe:

New Zealand poet James Norcliffe is our (’our’ being Massey University) visiting artist at the moment.

I went to hear him read at the Public Library a few nights ago and it was lovely. He is one of those poets who manages to seem both entirely self-assured and yet also entirely modest. He is also very funny.

Of all the poems he shared, I liked this one the most. I especially love the way the title both is and isn’t related to the poem.

the visit of the Dalai Lama

by James Norcliffe

I’ve no idea whether
my uncle is a spiritual man

I only know that life
has battered him
as a fish is battered

and fried him
as a fish is fried

and rubbed salt
into all his wounds

but that when I say
how’s the world

not bad he’ll say not bad
and could be worse

just said with his mouth
looking elsewhere

papering himself
around with a warmth

that could steam windows.

***

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

:take yourself out:

These photos are of Midnight Espresso in Wellington - a favourite haunt of mine since the early 1990s. Sometimes the thing that I love about a place is how it doesn’t change. Everything else changes apace, so it’s wonderful to have this little portal of nostalgia availabe whenever I need of shot (of espresso, yes, but of memory also.)

***

I’ve been busy with lots of my paid work over the past few weeks. I do enjoy my job, but it is so very tidal. By that I mean, weeks go by where the most I do is have email conversations with students and then their assignments come in and suddenly my life is not very much my own and I am trying to pack a 40+ hour working week in around family life. It is always a challenge. For all that, though, I am grateful to have part time work that firstly, I can do from home - allowing me to full-time parent, and secondly, is related to my passion: writing.

There is a real sense of ‘coming up for air’ when I send the completed assignments back in their courier bag...I’m feeling that today. I have Magnus home today and tomorrow, but Thursday - his next kindy morning, I’m going to take myself out for the morning. I usually use the kindy mornings to do work or housework or writing work, so it will feel deliciously decadent. On the agenda will be a leisurely chai and chelsea bun in the library cafe, a loooonnggg mooch in the bookshop and library with no little hands tugging at my sleeves and, of course, some op shopping! I got the idea of taking myself out on a date from Julia Cameron’s ‘artist’s dates’ in The Artist’s Way book. There is something so valuable about indulging yourself. You go home relaxed and enriched. You get ideas. You become a nicer partner / parent / person.

There is a cake, a book and a bag of op shop goodness with my name on it - come Thurday I will heed their call!

Monday, May 12, 2008

:six:

Helen tagged me to write a six word memoir last week. A harder task than you might think! At first I tried to write something witty around words ending in ‘ed’, as in: “Fed, led, wed, bred, dead” but firstly, I couldn’t think of six words and secondly, that approach involves me foreshadowing my own death. Heh.

Then I had the bright idea of looking at what pops up on my Flickr tabs - and chose six from that:

“Family, blood, moments, garden, just give.”

I think that is self-explanatory. And the photo above is to represent the peace of mind I strive for, but often don’t attain,

The other part of the tag was to share six oddities about myself. (Where do I start? Ha!)

-I spend at least 15 minutes per day dancing to loud music in my living room. I usually have a three song cycle on high rotate. At the moment it’s: “I’m still fond of you” by Cut Off Your Hands, “This is your last chance to be famous” by The Mint Chicks, and “Boyz” by M.I.A.

-I am squeamish about slugs - just seeing them makes me gag, but I quite like snails.

-Even though I never get around to reading all the books in time, I cannot leave the public library with less than ten books, sometimes more. Honestly, I’ll head there thinking “I have plenty to read at home. I’m just going to get that one recipe/poetry/gardening book I need” but I CANNOT do it. I see other interesting books, I remember writers I wanted to find, I procrastinate in the knitting book aisle and before you know it - huge stack of books.

-Although these days we have a coffee machine and drink fair trade, home roasted coffee - some days I get a craving for an instant coffee. Hell, I was raised on the stuff.

-I cannot sleep in a room with an open wardrobe door. Too much C.S.Lewis as a kid, I think.

-I think of the yard birds (sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, wax eyes) as my pets, and everyday I feed them our toast crusts and cereal scrapings. There is even one big blackbird who comes and visits me when I’m weeding, hoping for juicy worms, but very bold. I like to think he trusts me.

***

So there you go! That was fun. I invite any of you who blog out there to join in.

Have a good day, dear ones!

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