Wouldn't That Rotate You!

Katherine people are raised and are espected to carry on life with Cat hate. Doesn't matter if you love cats you should keep that under cover. Even if you have 5 cats living at your place you are expected to say things like "only good cat is a dead cat". Well that's how it was when I left.

Dad has this funny saying - Wouldn't that rotate you? - when something doesn't go your way. As soon as I saw this illustration I immediately thought of this saying.  Another of his treasures is a remedy for chapped lips. What you do is you stick you finger in a cats bum and then rub the finger on your lips. It doesn't heal them but stops you from licking them. Oh, these bush remedies!!!!! Rather sad this humor is dying out.

Mid Autumn

racing the shadows
of an autumn afternoon
accepting greyness

Draw In - National Portrait Gallery

Had a lovely day doing just what I want. Shopping at the Farmers Market then off to the National Portrait Galley for a Draw In. Rose and her dad sung and played Indigenous songs to make Sorry Day. From big things little things grow....

Saturday Aliveness.

Big day! Interior Design Assignment - passed. Followed by a random drawing and an almost beheading at the parking arm when I forget to swipe my ticket and followed up the arse of the car in front of me. Certainly makes you feel alive on a Saturday afternoon.

TROPHYLIQUID FROG

I'm trying to stooge this guy who as known me since I was born into meeting us so his workmates can give him a retirement farewell in Katherine.  He is kind of like family as my grandparents were friends with his mum and dad and the town being about 600 people at the time meant we know each others secrets.  He has a fine sense of humour and he started calling out to me down the street to make me shame "TROPHYLIQUID FROG" after he heard Simmone and I saying it to each other. Its ridiculous really. Has no meaning in an adult world but meant many hours of hilarity when some one farted unintentionally. So over the years every time we saw each other out and about we would call out TROPHYLIQUID FROG and crack up laughin. Thats the kind of weird shit Katherine people enjoy. And to be honest, I actually miss it. The weird shit and the yelling. Must be burnt into my DNA or something.

Vintage Blond

Teacher Of The Year

Its hype up time to vote for teacher of the year at CIT.  I had two conversations about that yesterday. The first with the co-coordinator of the course I'm doing. Jules says to me “Kim you better vote for me as teacher of the year if you really feel I've helped you that much”  My response was “Jules I'm voting for 17 teachers already and half of them don’t even work at CIT.” She roared laughing and it was one of those moments when my mouth had a mind of its own and was out before I even heard it.

The second one was with Ash who took us for the evening lighting class. Lovely young man. I didn’t realize that we were his first ever class until I asked and then I said “right, that does it I'm voting for you for teacher of the year and I can’t wait to see all the other teachers faces when they find out you got teacher of the year after teaching one subject” The rest of the class were all fired up to vote for him too. The smile was priceless.

Its good getting old.

Molonglo Valley

One thing I really love about Canberra is the suburbs are named after people who were great at their craft. For instance, I live in Greenway and all the streets are named after women architects.

Wright is the first suburb of a new development in the Molonglo Valley and close to the centre of Canberra. I noticed it recently while driving to Stromlo for kiting. Its named after Judith Wright, Australian Poet, environmentalist and Indigenous supporter. I first read her poem Woman to Child in my late teens. Its the first piece of poetry I fell in love with. See post dated Friday, 23 May 2008.

Its apt that its being marketed as sustainable and full of green space. The sign is made from rusty metal and you feel like stopping just to touch it.

Right along side Wright is Coombes suburb after "Nugget Coombes" a public servant and Indigenous activist. This is fitting as these two conducted a 25 year secret love affair. I liked that they are represented together and that Judith was first.

Ange

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook this arvo when the news broke. My first reaction was to laugh at what my friend wrote. Its typical of her to be so direct. Thats what I love about her. It has moved me in some way that I cant quite explain but the words "living in a post authentic world" do come to mind.

Darling Autumn

intense autumn leaves
full of colour and movement
infusing my joy

Mums Day

Remembering Mum today. Mum was 48 in this photo and it was coming it to a lovely time for us as a family. Obviously they were either having a party under our house or had just come home from a wedding and kicking on having a few roadies. Dad had his polyester Safari Suit on. He had a purple one too on and mum had her stockings on. Man, it must have been so hot. That blue chair mum is sitting on was my favorite chair. World is colder with out you mum.

Hansey

For those how don't know. Allow me to introduce you to Adrian my nephew (Hansey). When he was little I used to call him Ady Boy. My little rubbery eared boy. He has very soft skin and every time we would hold hands he would get his fingernail and put it under my fingernail which was rather excruciating because I bit my fingernails and they were always really short.  He still does it to me, but now I live in Canberra I don't bite my fingernails anymore, so it doesn't hurt. This is due to two things - 1. I feel comfortable here in this environment due to not having to fight for survival everyday. Well at least that is how I found my first 44 years of life. 2. Ive bitten my nails for so long my front teeth don't meet the bottom ones so its more difficult. Not impossible but not easily achieved. Actually its a major production now, so not worth the effort and hey, Ive got better things to do like fly a kite. Darling Hansey is a FiFo worker and flys out of Perth to Port Headland on a 9/5 roster.  Im so proud of this boy. He was out on his own at 17 and managed to save $10k on apprenticeship wages and brought his house at 19. He has really good EQ and there is nothing I can hide from him, even if I wanted to. Spunk hey?

PS: His little brother Hamish does the same fingernail thing to me as well. Just incase you were wondering.

Chemo Cap

My sister volunteered me to make this for a friend of ours who has breast cancer. I was given the instruction, it would need to be soft and natural fibre.  Its taken 10 days all up - 2 days design 8 days making on and off. I made it out of cotton 80% /silk 20%, so it is really adorable to handle.  The lady who it will be sent to today has a different colour palette usually. I have toned it down because when you are sick you are very sensitive. The chemo effects the way the body perceives light and colour. Thats what I have found. Its been a pleasure to make and I will send this collage off with a letter to show her how it all came together. People love story and I enjoy telling them. Specially when its about important stuff like making.

Twinky

Today's scribble drawing. Ive named him Twinky coz he is a twin. Hes had a lot of vitamin D by the looks of things. During my interior design studies we have been taught design thinking and ideation which have been on par with the 6 months of colour studies in regard to value adding to my view of the world. 8 weeks ago we had a carpet designer and marketer come and present their product to the class and that is when I first heard the term Art Based Creativity. The designer, James, is doing a masters on it. I couldn't rest until I found out what it means and basically it means you start design from your unconscious mind and sketch and play regularly in your sketch book. He explained that these days people are copying other peoples designs and using them as their own and sometimes these things end up in court. So its your sketchbook along with your design thinking and ideation documentation that will save you if that should ever happen. I also see it as a great way to add meaning and storytelling as a maker.

Now that I'm on the homeward run for my studies, I'm going to do more scribble drawings and sketching in the lead up to my up coming projects. I have no idea why Twinky actually appeared today, but for now, I'm thinking its me looking at where I am now and then looking to the future. This course has exceeded my expectations. I'm blessed.

Kimtrest Today

Only 40 minutes kite action today, but learned 3 things - a)trying to untangle a knot while the kite is flying gives you an understanding of what Parkinson sufferers experience,  b) I would love to own a red kite like Dick Dora and Fluff had, c) if you hold the hand piece right you can just walk along while the string unravels.

 

My Latest Crush

Found this lovely discrete coffee shop in Woden that makes you feel like you are in New York. I think I would have called it 54th Street or something similar rather than Espresso Room. The main reason Im attracted to it is because of the interior design.Its an intimate warm and quiet space tucked into a nook in a busy shopping centre. Lighting is soft and the coffee superb. Most of all they have installed audio boards that absorbs sound. I wish there were more places like this around Canberra and I would love to design a space like this and in fact own it as well.