Inspired

And the fire and the rose are one...

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;

 

And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well,
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.

 

From The Little Gidding, by TS Eliot....one of my all time favourite poems. 

On Sunday morning seven of us from my book club hiked up to a bluff overlooking the ocean and the Gulf Islands to read our favourite poems to each other and this was one that I read.  We sipped champagne and orange juice, devoured delicious homemade scones and were even entertained by one of our group who sang several songs of her own composition.  All of this on top of a mountain with a backdrop of such sheer beauty that we were in awe of our good fortune to share the experience.

Bliss!

Sunday Citar

 

When it's over, I want to say:  All my life I was a bride married to amazement.  I was the bridegroom taking the world into my arms.

Mary Oliver

I'm taking part in the quote fun at Sunday Citar, hosted by Tabitha at Fresh Mommy.  "Citar" means "to quote" in Spanish. 

Both the photograph and the quote are taken from my book Seeing: unravelling the details.

aDRESSing the situation

After several false starts, I finally finished my piece for Monica's project...aDRESSing the Situation...at Girl Gone Thread Wild.  This was my third (and final) "go" at it.  Perhaps it's not surprising that I found the topic challenging.  There was obviously a need for sensitivity yet I wanted the message to come across loud and clear.

You Are Not Forgotten

I layered dead leaves, with their prominent skeletons, over the woman's torso, representing all that physically remains of these women.  Behind the leaves are wings from the Mexican Folk Art symbol...the winged corazon (winged heart), to show that their courage and their spirit lives on.

On the dress itself, I layered the words "you are not forgotten".  I chose to show the figure without a face to better represent the entire group of murdered women, who have slipped into anonymity without receiving the attention they so deserve. (According to Amnesty International,and as impossible as it is to comprehend, as of February 2005 more than 800 bodies had been found, and over 3000 women were still missing)  This was also intended to bring attention to the dress itself, as this was the focus of the project.  I chose a very elegant and feminine dress to emphasize that no matter what our economic circumstances in life, our feminine energy is a strong and powerful force in the world...elegance in it's truest form.

A huge thank you to Monica, who initiated this project for no other reason than that she cared and wanted the women of Jaurez, Mexico to know that.  Hopefully Stampington will decide to take it to the next level of awareness.

For Today

I love this idea for the documentation of daily life from The Simple Women's Daybook. I've been having trouble focusing my thoughts recently...as you may well imagine...and I thought it might help to have a few weekly prompts for my blog.  I'm going to use Peggy Hostetler's "Daybook" journal prompts (which I found via Ali Edwards), once or twice a week.

FOR TODAY: June 22, 2009

Outside my window...the clouds are beginning to break and blue sky is appearing after a day of heavy rain.

I am thinking...how much I love being creative...how it fulfils my soul.

I am thankful for...the weekend and the Father's Day that I shared with my father and brother.  We aren't able to get together very often as we all live in different parts of the province.

From the kitchen...easy, peasy...we're taking dad out for spaghetti tonight.  I haven't eaten spaghetti for months so I'm really looking forward to it.

I am wearing...jeans.  I haven't worn jeans for years but just recently found a pair that feel GREAT.  Love being in jeans again!

I am creating...a piece for a"DRESSing the situation.  This needs to be mailed off to Stampington fairly soon - this week in fact, as it has to cross the border and that's not always a quick process.

I am going...home tomorrow.  It's a long day's drive...usually about 8 hours of driving, and sailing time on the ferry.

I am reading...nothing at the moment...it's been a literary 'dry' year for me.

I am hearing...the quail calling outside dad's home.

Around the house...all is quiet.  Dad and I are on our respective computers and Bob just came home from walking Molly and is resting.

One of my favourite things...is my new video camera.  It's PINK!  (that was an accident, we didn't realize it was pink until we got it home).  It's a Kodak Zi6, is teensy, tiny and fits in my purse.  I've been taking video's of dad "at home" all weekend.  I feel sad that I don't have any video of my mom.

A few plans for the rest of the week: go home and regroup.  The foundations may begin on the house later this week (still waiting for approval of the plans!). 

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

 

We had lunch in an organic food cafe today and I loved the way these oh so green grass shoots were reaching towards the light...strong, healthy and vigorous.  Nature is a wonderful model to remind us to reach and grow and keep our faces turned towards all that is light and bright in the world.

Summer Solstice

the late evening sky of Saturday's Solstice...taken in the interior of British Columbia.

I don't know a lot about astrology but from what I've read recently, this year's June solstice has brought a huge amount of new energy to our planet.  The energy has been ramped up for most of the year...in fact, since last August.  Have you noticed how intense things have been for many people?  If you're one of them and you've been dealing with your worst fears and biggest challenges...money, relationship and health issues, for most...you're not alone.

And as hard as it may be to understand, it's really a good thing...even if it may not seem like it when we're in the middle of it.  The sooner we deal with these deep seated fears and anxieties and clear them out, the happier and more peaceful our lives will be.

In a recent post, astrologer Pam Younhams of Northpoint Astrology said that...

"Each of us personally, and our societies as a whole, are navigating the journey of change. On many levels we face the dilemma of deciding which existing structures can be altered and left standing, and which ones need to be completely removed, to make way for the new. "

When I read this I couldn't help but think of recent events in Iran! 

Are you on a journey of change?  I most definitely am!

Seeing...SoFoBoMo

I finished my SoFoBoMo project this weekend and uploaded it to Blurb today.  Unfortunately, I won't actually be uploading it to the SoFoBoMo website, as I just don't have the time right now to format the 80 pages in PDF files.  I'm OK with that as I carried the project through to book form, which was my goal.

I included 40 photographs and because I just can't create an image without including text, each one is accompanied by a quote on it's opposite page.

 

Even when I was very young, I loved making books.  I cut up small pieces of paper and sewed them together with embroidery floss...writing little stories complete with illustrations.  I've given hand made books as gifts and love making art journals.  More recently I've found stories creeping into my mixed media collages .  It's interesting to look back and recognize the signs were there all along for my love of making books, but it took me many years to connect the dots.  I'm hoping there may be a hand made bookmaking course to found locally this fall!

The Blurb books aren't hand made works of art but are just as delightful to hold, as the contents are of my own creation.  It somehow seems to lend validity to my creativity...and a sense of completion.  That may sound odd, but it feels very "right".  I read a quote recently which (paraphrased) went something like this..."you'll know when you're following your heart's desire because every hair on your body will stand up and scream "YES!"".

Has your hair screamed "yes" to you lately?

Seeing

unraveling the det...

By Kate Miller Iredale

Book Preview

(the link above has access to the first fifteen pages)

Construction at the Cove

I hereby do solemnly swear not to bore you (too much) with pictures of our home during construction.  Because it's obviously a major focus in my life right now, I've decided to document it from start to finish and make a little slide show of it for ourselves. (why did I pack the video camera in storage!).

  

This is a picture of the destruction that happened last Wednesday.  It looks like a worst case scenario for clear cut logging.  One of the tallest trees came down in the middle of the old cabin (better that, than on our neighbours house!) and we left one lone tree in what will be the front yard.  It's a lovely Arbutus, for which Vancouver Island and the Pacific North West in the US, is well known.

It was a huge "gulp" for me when I saw this, but I know once the house is up and we've landscaped, I'll barely be able to remember it any other way.

 

...and then this week, it's been cleared and the foundations dug.  It's all happening so quickly!

We've been thinking and planning and talking about it for so long...and now it's real.

Books, Books, Books...

I received my first Blurb produced book last week.  It contains all the post and photographs from my blog in 2006...my first year of blogging.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality.  I had been a little nervous about the colour quality but amazingly, it was very true to the colours on my own monitor (which has never been calibrated)

It was A LOT of work to prepare the copy.  The photo's were all originally JPEG's uploaded to TypePad and Blurb requires a much higher resolution so every photograph had to be upgraded. 

Making it all fit into  Blurb's templates was restrictive too.  I think I may create some of my own templates for the next one...oh, yes, I'm hooked, there will definitely be a "next one"'

I've been working away on this project for over a year and was beginning to think it was going to end up in the "unfinished project " category.  Determined to finish it and with my studio in the process of disappearing into boxes a few months ago, I finally did.  I can't begin to tell you the immense satisfaction of opening a book from a publisher, that you yourself have created.  I was beyond ecstatic!

 

I love the journal aspect of this book...looking back at myself three years ago and seeing who I was then.  I will most likely tire of blogging someday (not yet!) and this record of me, my family, my art and my thoughts will be lost.  I also appreciate the format of it all being on paper and easily accessible to flip through.

If you like the idea of having your blog printed out in journal form...I can only encourage you to go for it! 

You'll be very happy that you did.

(now I just have four books left to finish up...two more years of blog posts, my SoBoFoMo book and one other photographic book of last year's December Views.)

...and I'm almost finished SoBoFoMo!

Only Kindness Matters

This weekend brought a visit with old friends...friends that we see more of in Mexico than Canada...a relaxing pedicure (it's been soooo long!) and a picnic at the beach.  Does it get any better than this??  

The picture above is of Ethan and his friend Darien at the beach.  They've been friends since they were born four years ago and were engrossed here in determining just whose fort was the "best".  Both parents and grandparents tried to explain that neither were "best", just different...but they were having none of it.  They each wanted to hear that their fort was the best!

And finally...something is happening with "the build".  The trees come down this week and the heavy machinery will come rumbling in.   We're still waiting for approval of our plans from "town hall" but hopefully in the next week or two, construction will begin.  Patience Kate, patience.

Check out Beijing artist Li Xiaofeng's wearable art made of Ming, Qing  Song, Yan and Qing dynasty pottery shards.  His studio has piles of ceramic pieces sitting in bins sorted by date, colour and shape.  Amazing!

I have a "thing" for wearable art and found this at Kim's ever sourceful and never failing to inform and inspire site,  Something to Say.

I'm leaving you with words that I'm inspired by this week, from singer/songwriter Jewel...

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear...

...in the end only kindness matters.

Jewel, These Hands

Words to live by indeed.

 

 

 

Indulgence

In contrast to Saturday's high energy, Sunday was all about slow, relaxing indulgence.  We lunched at a lovely restaurant on the edge of the ocean which just happens to be located "around the corner" (that's a country corner!) from where our new home will be located.

our table and the ocean beyond

The food was delicious, the company wonderful, the weather warm, and we were enjoying the good life.  "Does it get any better than this, I asked?"  (I ask myself that a lot!)

...and then...we looked up as a helicopter came swooping in over the water and landed on the lawn in front of us.  As if by magic two waiters appeared, carrying trays of champagne to greet the party that appeared  There were six early "thirtysomethings" who had come from the mainland for lunch and I got the feeling that this wasn't an unusual experience for them.

helicopter landing on the restaurant's lawn

Even with the economic downturn, there are still many people living financially secure and privileged lives.  We don't hear a lot about that in the media.  It also reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend recently about our beliefs around prosperity.  I was brought up with depression era parents whose philosophy was that there's never enough and you never know when you might lose it all, so save, save, save and pinch every penny twice and then turn it over and pinch it again.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this and still hear it internally in my own mind.  I looked at the helicopter and immediately thought "the money it cost could have helped so many people" and that's true, but I've come to realize that I have an "either/or" mentality about it rather than a "I could help people out and still indulge myself" belief. Even the word indulge has self centered connotations. My beliefs...what I believe is possible...has put limits on what is possible.  I, like many people, think "pinched" when it comes to money, rather than "expanded". 

Our new home is located in the cove in the middle of the photograph.

Is that a realistic belief?  I didn't think so for many years.  But recently I've changed my beliefs about so many things and have found that along with a change in beliefs has come a resulting (positive) change in circumstances.  Maybe it's time for new ways of looking at the world...new paradigms.

It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon...relaxing by the ocean, reflecting on new ideas, good conversation and yes, indulging...in a light fluffy lemon souffle with creme anglais!