This and That

Ohh the past weeks have been rather hectic. Ive had visits from all kinds of family, and its been absolutely wonderful. Nic and the visit to Vegas was great, so nice to have someone else (with a GPS) to do the driving which allowed me the liberty of taking pictures without risking life and limb, we had some wonderful meals and the show of course was fabulous.

My cousin and his wife came down from San Fransisco over the weekend. We figured out we hadn't seen each other for almost 15 years, they have a darling little boy called Jack. Motor mouth with a strong will all acquired by the tender age of two, he had us all in hysterics..loved having his photo taken which was quite adorable. They are all going home to SA for Christmas, so yayyy..they get to take all my Christmas pressies!! It felt so good to catch up on all their travels (more than mine even) and their listen to their dreams for the future. They are such a solid couple..it was great spending time with them all.

The time just seems to be flying, life is busy and happy Ive met an amazing array of wonderful people, from co-workers to new hairdresser, all have been so warm and welcoming!

Cirque du Soleil and the magic of 'O'

Beneath that magic though is an undeniable sense of danger and the constant thought of how many hours, weeks, months of training it must of taken to reach this level of expertise, interwoven with just the right amounts of humour and bizarre choreography...it captivates!
The expertise of the dancers and acrobats doing death defying maneuvers high off the ground is just breathtaking, and I found myself thinking (spoiled by tv and movies as we are) that there has to be some trick, or special effects to this...and while they do work with some amazing props, the stunts and aerial displays are all theirs.
I loved the main character, Eugen. He was both the guide and the guardian of the theatre. Strong, yet vulnerable, this aging theatre manager knows all and provoked us to see the dark side of “O”. His ghostly orchestrations took us on a timeless journey through different worlds as he made his own transformation from dark to white. He embodied the cyclical part of life where everything old becomes new again. His final act, playing a beautiful steel piano as it disappeared beneath the water!!
And the clowns how can one forget the tragic humour of those clowns, they moved me so, but I was never sure if I was going to laugh..or weep.
The title of Cirque du Soleil "O" comes from the phonetic spelling of the French word for water, "eau" which seems obvious but it surprised me...

Cirque does what theatre is meant to do, inspire our imaginations and touch our hearts
oOo
(Some technical information:
Heaters under each seat help control the theatre temperature for the audience; the goal is to maintain two temperature zones in the theatre. The stage is kept at a higher temperature while the audience area is kept at a lower temperature. A temperature sensor every few seats in the theatre helps ensure the audience area is maintained at the correct temperature.
To minimize damage to the musical instruments, the musicians and their instruments play from glass enclosures in the theater. Some of the musical instruments used in the show are more than 100 years old. The unique string instrument heard in the soundtrack of O is an erhu traditional Chinese bowed string instrument
To maintain a fresh look on the performers, some performers have multiple sets of costumes so they may reappear dry despite having been in the water.
The show has a cast of 85 acrobats, synchronized swimmers, and divers performing in and above a 1.5 million-gallon pool. The pool is kept at 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) and has an underwater communication system and regulators that allow performers to breathe underwater)

Picture Perfect ~ One One Out

Picture Perfect

is a weekly photo contest

the theme this week

Odd One Out

anyone can particpate, just leave a link to your picture at

Picture Perfect

the contest runs from Friday morning to Sunday midnight

oOo

This was taken two weeks ago in Newport Beach CA., from our little dingy as we puttered from my sister and (almost) brother in law's boat, on our way to have dinner on the wharf. It was taken with my trusty Canon Rebel DSLR at twilight, the picture has not been altered in anyway.

oOo

Undone

What doesn't change

is the memory of warmth

the soft trail of suggestion

in absent-mindedly trailing

a hand across your arm

Gently touching hair and further up

a scar of which I know nothing

and dare not ask

I cannot tell the difference

you see

between the dream

And the reality

its become the inter mingled

blur

of a red hummingbird's wings

The dream erupts

in my waking eye and

spreads across

My undone horizon

as I languish for those

first minutes

savouring the slight

gesture of your hand

in the half light

which may have read

future

Painting the Town Red

Yayy.. we have tickets to see Circ du Soleil in Vegas, after working a week I now have 8 off.

Nic arrives tomorrow.... lucky lucky me!!

Happy Birthday Josh

Happy 13th Birthday Josh..

now youre a man!!!

Grins...

Anchors Aweigh as Blue sets Sail

The bon voyage party was memorable, so filled with emotion. Happiness, wistfulness and so much love, as friends and family gathered around to wish them well on their journey south.

Kelly and I drove down (in separate cars, which turned out to be a godsend) on Friday, and spent the night in a gorgeous hotel The Avia which is within walking distance of the Springbok Bar and where Blue was moored. The shops along the board walks called my name and who was I to refuse..well we had fun with our camera's anyhow! There is something quite magical about watching the sun set through the masts of boats...

Reflections are everywhere, of sun, cloud and sky, glass buildings.. the quietness of it all was mesmerizing

As the noise in the bar increased, a few of sought refuge on Blue, where we shared a special bottle of Blue's Red, a unique blend bottled by Nev and Maggie for their trip.

We also shared a few of these:

a potent liquor shot called The Springbok, well.. it may look like a springbok, but it has the bite of a mamba!!

Kelly and I were invited to sail the next leg of the trip with them the following day, so we made a quick trip down to Newport Beach, dropped off my car and then came hurtling back in Kelly's, just in time to have breakfast with the crowd, take a few more pics, and cast off.

She looked so serene sitting there in the morning light

A few diehards stayed to see us sail

and slowly we watched Long Beach disappear in the distance

The sail down to Newport Beach was calm and sunny, it gave us some quiet time together and my sister who is the process of writing an article for a sailing mag, read to me from her journal, it is so beautifully written I really have no doubt it will make the pages of some glassy magazine!! I do see a book coming out of this whole adventure too.

and then it was time for lunch-wine Newport Beach is luxury itself, with spectacular houses along the edge of the waterway, and beautiful boats moored in front of each. However we did spot a few really old boats (and owners) who looked as though they hadnt seen land in years..or fresh water...quaint though, and it all adds to the flavour of sea life.

Maggie and Nev then dropped anchor, and lowered the dinghy, and then we puttered into the harbour for dinner at Woody's, fabulous food and a real racaus crowd.

I must say I felt quite a wrench when I looked back at Blue sitting quitely in the evening sun. I waved good bye and silently wished her well.

It was dark by the time we said our goodbyes and watched them chug back to Blue and the start of their adventure, a trip of a lifetime.

Bon Voyage to two really special people, may you savour every minute of every day!!

You can link to their blog here: Lucky Fish, and watch their progress on their map

How nurses get their H1N1vaccine...

Painting and Ponderings

I've spent much of my mini vacation, paint splattered! I unpacked slowly and finding new homes for my little collectibles was kinda fun. A new place often gives new life to our things, including me...

(The picture above is what the room looked like before, and this the one below as it is now. Still incomplete but looking better...)

For the first time in many years I have an art room again, place to leave messy and untidy until the project is complete. I love that. I painted it green for a change, lol..the last time I had a green room anywhere in my house was a lime green kitchen in the early 80's...

At first I thought the colour looked way too tame for me, but as I hung pictures and little memento's the room took on a life of its own, and I'm loving the splashes of purple as a contrast. Will post a pic up once its completed and the curtains are up.
This is my view across the back yard from my new little art room. I just love it!

Triple Play ~ Teddy Bear

Teddy Bears are for the child within us

(eventually too much reading can exhaust even the most ardent listener)

Poetry Posses ~ Nonet

A nonet consists of nine lines. The first line is comprised of nine syllables and each succeeding line then has eight, seven, six, five, four, three and two syllabes, and of course the last line is but one syllable.

Poetry Posse

oOo

The morning fog makes the wet trees creak

I feel the heaviness of it

as drips begin from up high

and crash down through huge leaves

high above my head

they land loudly

at my feet,

splashing

both