To Art Class With Love

Inspiration can arrive like a whisper in the wind, a feeling of excitement followed by goosebumps, or as a vision in the dream state, a relaxing  moment, or when still and calm. When it does knock on your door be on the look out for synchronicity at play. 

Whatever method inspiration uses, take notice because from a lifetime of personal experiences it will move on to the next person who will bring it to life by taking action.

Synchronicity happens in magical ways though often recognised in hindsight.

During the latter half of 2020 I would hear the word painting somewhere outside of myself and would see works of art displayed on easels in my mind's eye. Back then art class was an idea floating in my head not yet my heart.

Returning from Darwin in early 2021 friends met me at the airport to very kindly drive me home. As we chatted enthusiastically (mostly me), free art classes in Bulimba were mentioned and I knew this was a sign leading me there. I thanked my friends for passing this information on though it took several weeks before I finally sat down and began my search for these classes.

 I tracked them down through the Art with Love Foundation website and found they're held in the lovely riverside suburb of Bulimba, 4kms from Brisbane's CBD.

Bulimba isn't close to where I live but I decided to go and attended my first Saturday morning class in February.

My decision to paint a 'simple' landscape on my small canvas (see left image) was anything but and  took 3 hours to paint one layer.

 Over the course of 3 classess Art With Love founder Steve Ninnes said for me to let go of control, 'easy for some' I thought as he stopped to help me with technique. Watching him use deft, flowing strokes on my canvas made it look so incredibly easy, which apparently it is if I could just let go of control and be in the flow.

Looking for non-existent perfection, my artwork remains incomplete and I've promised myself that I will continue to work on letting go of control and be in the flow.

Tomorrow I return for another art class, first stop the Fiddle Leaf cafe (image below) which is conveniently located next door, for a delicious flat white with soy. 

After my coffee? Well, it's possible my inner genius will rise up to the challenge and finally complete my artwork so I can chat more with the many talented artisans you can find here.

I might even see you there next week 😉

A Magical Top End Sunset, Christmas Eve 2020

 

After a harrowing 2020 due to you-know-what-and-let's-not-mention-it-ever-again, I flew to Darwin to spend Christmas with my children who earlier in December had relocated there.

Darwin, the tropical capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, is the place I discovered I had the ability to sweat from my eyeballs, nostrils, and everywhere else. If you're keen for a road trip, from Sydney to Darwin it's a 3942km trip, by air around 3160kms. Either way, it's a very, very long way.

Excitement overwhelmed me when, after a four hour flight, my aircraft finally touched down on Darwin soil. I'd made it!

There are strict border controls throughout Australian states and it's no different in the Territory. Showing my border pass to airport officials and declaring I was infection-free, I was good to go and found my family waiting to begin a short but exciting, new adventure.

Greetings over with and luggage collected, the first stop was to a bottle-o - Aussie slang for bottle shop, a place to buy alcoholic beverages, chips and jerky, and where sometimes a free wine tasting event happens.

The bottle-o was understandably packed as it was Christmas Eve and shops closed the next day so I struck up a conversation with a mum and daughter behind me. We chatted about the virtues of prosecco and champagne as we inched closer to the checkout. At the checkout I was asked to show my photo ID, not for checking if I was of legal age to consume my bubbly beverage but because it's a requirement for residents of the Territory and visitors. So remember to pack your photo ID folks if you're heading up here.

Next stop, my hotel in Palmerston, a satellite city around 20kms south-east of Darwin and where the kids were also staying. Suitcase unpacked, balcony view checked out, we hit the road late afternoon for Darwin's fabulous Waterfront precinct.

From the waterfront we decided to walk to Stokes Hill Wharf, a short 1km walk. Luckily my eldest grandson had hired a scooter and offered me a lift which I gratefully accepted. We took off like the Fast and the Furious (kidding) until the front wheel began to launch itself upwards due to uneven weight distribution from the rear passenger 😉

Our group arrived at the wharf in time to watch a glorious and extraordinary Darwin sunset. The vibe here was one of pure joy and magic. 

Maybe it was magical because of the changing colour palette of the sky with its blues, pinks, golds and yellows, the silky smooth ocean, or seeing low hanging white, fluffy cumulus clouds which appeared to be stationary (possibly hiding the Mothership).

Or, it may have been the mewing sound of opportunistic seagulls waiting to snatch the odd chip or two.

Or possibly it was the smell of salty sea air, heavy with humidity, and of the deliciousness wafting from nearby restaurant kitchens. It may even have been watching clever, huge fish who are literate up here and can read the 'No Fishing' signs and who therefore take a statement swim around the pylons with an attitude of  'Look at Me, you can't fish me'.

Maybe it was the groups of people eating, drinking, laughing and engaged in conversation enjoying this moment. To me it was a combination of all of the above including being with my loved ones, an open heart, gratitude to have been given the opportunity to make this possible, and much more.

While no coffee was drunk as the sinking sun disappeared over the Cox Peninsula, there was a delicious, cold and crisp piccolo in my hand to cheers with immense gratitude, the magic of a Top End Christmas Eve.

Cheers 🍹

 

This is the only moment

 

 

The past is in the rear vision mirror, the future not set, there is only this moment.

Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, put it nicely when he said,

"Breathing in I calm my body. Breathing out I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment!"

To centre oneself and repeat the good monk's quote, can bring you back to this moment and enjoy inner peace. 

I took this short Youtube clip  Wednesday morning feel-good vibes early this morning and was grateful to have had that moment and the many other things which make up my life.

Years ago I taught meditation and spiritual development classes and used a similar quote, mostly as a pattern interrupt by adding a sprinkle of humour to it.

Life can be stressful particularly when events are out of our control but we have the power to be aware and prepare, to reframe negative self-talk, and add humour to the mix.

The present moment, together with a sense of gratitude is a wonderful place to be and if you have yet to try it, I can highly recommend it.

Until next time, stay safe and well 😁

The Rear Vision Mirror

It's in books, music, and quotes - Never Look Back is a thing.

These three words supposedly eliminate feelings of regret for a bunch of reasons such as never look back because you're now on the trajectory of success. Or, never look back because heartache ripped your soul to shreds but look at you now - you are the epitome of success on fire.

Never look back is to move away from something (refer to above).

Like looking in a rear vision mirror, I looked back. I looked back on times where I believed I was happiest and by doing so, wasted years of my life.

On a recent road trip south of two State borders I spent weeks revisiting old haunts.

Who knew that instead of feelings of reconnection and all-encompassing love, I laid ghosts of the past to rest instead.

For decades my heart stored sweet memories of seasons past but upon my arrival at said old haunts I discovered the good time vibes were gone. Vanished. Nada. Those nostalgic feelings had disappeared.

After much thought and several mugs of flat-whites with soy, it dawned on me. I'd stored time-bites of happy memories and often referred to them keeping them alive resulting in years of out-of-date memories looping around my heart.

The reality was people had moved on or away, some were no longer here, some divorced others remarried and created new, happy memories.

The past is the past - never look back, keep moving forward

Through this monumental Aha moment I felt lighter, liberated, my heart stopped yearning for the impossible, and with that came hope for a fresh start into my Third Age.

The paradox is I then began the grieving process of having let go.

Seriously, life sucks sometimes but I dusted myself off, pulled up my britches and got on with it.

The old haunts no longer hold a particular interest to me but are simply places where I once occupied space and had a ripsnorting good time.

Now I'll get back to creating new memories and focus on what I have with special people in my life, and live life with purpose.

The past is the past - only look back if you're driving and checking traffic in a rear vision mirror.

Till next post, it's time for a flat white with soy 😀

Flat White with Soy

Flat white with soy came about from loss - loss of estrogen as I start to move, heaven forbid, into the latter part of my life. 

In my younger years I drank copious mugs of frothy cappuccinos with full, fat dairy milk. Several years later I decided against full fat milk and moved onto skim.

More recently and after a doctor's appointment and test results, she advised me to start adding soy to my diet and coffee, so here I am, drinking at least 2 cups of flat white with soy each day. 

As yet I haven't noticed by adding soy to my diet hair growth improvement and other things but my tummy loves me, and I do love that nutty taste - just please don't ask me to eat tofu 😉

This blog is also about my thoughts and experiences on random topics, and to have a conversation with other like-minded individuals.

Life is short so enjoy every moment from the time you open your eyes and decide what kind of day you will have xo