gymnastics and poetry

"Handstand"

There isn't anything that's not important.
Your toes must be pointed, knees locked, buttocks clenched to the edge of pain.
Ribs arch, torso elongates to an elegance impossible elsewhere.
Shoulders extended, you glare at your hands.
So much for the easy part, and truly, it is easy;
you need only get there and freeze the parts into place,
then a corner of your brain will keep them cold while you turn inward, to the challenge.
No one but another gymnast would guess that it lies in the pressure from ten whorled pads, in the hinge between hand and forearm.
Adjusting by microns, fingertip, wrist, you play as a child,
gravity the most beautiful of toys.
You could stay up forever,
the world inverted but in such perfect balance that coming down is like a small deaththe line breaks,
your feet touch the mat, your spine reclaims its ordinary curves;
you are dull and mortal as before.

Linda Sue Park
(first published in Atlanta Review, Spring/Summer 2000)

Crime Scene Investigation

Saturday morning and there is something mysterious going on at our house. Time to investigate...

Trail of evidence:

The scene of the crime...... the culprit caught red mud-handed

The punishment....

Thoughtful Friday

"In the depths of winter,

I finally learned that

there was in me an invincible summer"

- Albert Camus

not a day for hanging the washing out...

There is a dust storm in Sydney today. When we woke up this morning, the sky was red. As the sun came up and a little light started breaking thourgh the colour has settled to a more warm glow. It looks eerie and smells/tastes very dusty...

Thoughtful Tuesday

I know I usually do a Thoughtful Friday, but when I saw this clip that Hanne had posted on her facebook page I decided to share it here as well. This was one of my favourite talks from last year. Enjoy.

my crafty husband

I must admit I was a little curious last night when MOTH came out of "the cave" (aka the study) in search of cardstock. We opened the craft cupboard and found some foil-lined card (unused lids for foil trays) after which he asked if I had a scalpel. He seemed pleasantly surprised to find that not only did I have an exacto knife, but also a handy-dandy cutting board.

Here is what he brought me some time later...... a stand for the iPhone.

(template)

It has a convenient slit to accommodate the charger cable,

and it is suitable for vertical and horizontal positioning (for watching movies...)

Will I now have one extra "customer" for my craft-cupboard? Has his appetite for craft been awakened? Will he take up scrapbooking? Watch this space.

streaky windows and parenting

Little Possum loves to clean windows, in the house or in the car. This is something we should encourage and hope will last for a long time :)
The windows may not sparkle completely, there'll be streaks and demarkation lines where she couldn't reach any higher.... but she has such a great time. She'll have a serious look on her face, occasionally she sticks her tongue out in concentration and she always looks really proud when she's done. So who am I to spoil that with a "Oh, but it's a bit streaky" or "You missed a bit". So I don't. I just enjoy watching her and hugging her afterwards.

Doodlebug photography

Doodlebug's Nintendo DSI has an image editor.... no further comment..... :)

Thoughtful Friday

"There are two ways to live: You can live as if nothing is a miracle;

you can live as if everything is a miracle"

- Albert Einstein

Fancy Nancy party time!

The party on Friday was a blast! The girls dressed up in their finery, including feather boas and sunglasses (I bought a really cheap joblot on eBay. Gotta love eBay) and bead necklaces. They all looked very fancy.

There was dancing, of course there was dancing! But we also did some craft. I had bought paper cutout girls for them to decorate and they set to work armed with scrapbooking paper, bed trim, ribbons, sequins and textas.

"Serena's School of Extrememly Fancy Manners" had a session where Madame Serena taught the girls proper curtsying and walking tall with a book on the head. They were "presented" to the queen (birthday girl). Very fancy.

The table was decked out ready for the guests.... there was enough sugar to cover the RDA of a small nation :) Just the way a birthday party should be....

I was wondering how the boys would cope with the extreme "pink-ness" of the party, but they seemed to have a blast. If the attention lavished on them by the girls now is anything to go by, we're in for a fun time when they hit the teens!!! I'm bracing myself already!

It was a great day....though there was sadly not much photo coverage since my camera (phone) was also busy being the source of party music. The wonders of modern technology...

A portrait

This particular artist is a favourite of mine. I love her style, her interpretation, her use of different textures and media. I love my Little Possum...

Thoughtful Friday

"I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life"

- Maya Angelou

the perfect bike

We were in the bikeshop today picking up Little Possum's new bike (birthday present...... shhhhhhh!) and I saw this beauty. I love the retro style, the hippie colours, and of course the name. Make: Felt, model: Patchwork!!!