a story of love

along the white walled backdrop of my studio, to the soundtrack of Lykke Li singing 'Hanging High', the black spot fluttered.  to & fro it drifted searching for everlasting love, dancing on dreams.  it grew weary of being alone and craved the kind of companionship you only find in books.  during a heavy sigh it looked downward upon a slight red shimmer caught in a light. it's heart started beating madly, uncontrollably, a beat four times faster than it was used to. was this the surge of love?  was this the feeling songs and poetry were based on?  

it dove down for a closer look.  as it grew closer the red glow became richer, its heart thumping harder.  it stopped an inch away and circled the edge, wondering how to make the first move. gazing into the red it realized the morphing in shades.  at the immediate surface, closest to its feet, was a clear pinkish hue.  slowly it graduated getting darker and darker downward until it rested in a beautiful ruby colouring.  it tossed negatives and positives back and forth, could it work, could the ruby depths love it back with the same passion?  it would do anything in return, it would lie, beg, steal, even die for just a sweet whisper of forever entwined.  

it gathered up all of its courage and took the plunge, doing one more circle around the vessel containing it's Juliet.  plunging down at fairy-tale speeds the tiny fruit fly touched down, gaussian wings first, into the delicate beaujolais.  the glass captured it, the sea of cruel crimson grasped onto its tiny legs, holding it prisoner, drawing it under the pinkish hue.  it gasped for air in panic as the shades of red became a hideous monster drowning him slowly.  after seconds it relaxed its thoughts and fears and fell into the end.  it wasn't a monster at all, it was his Juliet's embrace, its true love pulling closer to embrace.  it died in her arms, floating on the surface, happy and at peace.  loved at the last moment of flutter, a brief note in fairy tale history.

snow white & the seven dwarf bunnies

we found bunnies! well, Damian did...while he was mowing the lawn *yikes*. two little guys were out for a wander in our long, summer rained on grass. their little movements caught the side of his eye, luckily. he stopped the mower and ran into the house yelling "i need you STAT!" of course i start to think "he's chopped a piece of himself off, oh no". i ran down the stairs and found him at the door, all in one piece.

we went outside and he said "follow me, quietly" we crossed our yard and he pointed at a tiny brown thing which i initially thought was a fallen leaf. to my happy surprise it was not. as we got closer one guy hopped off into the hedge which is where we wanted them to go, for safety. the other guy just sat there, we were able to crouch right down beside it and Damian even pet the wee beastie. it took a tiny shove but he finally hopped off as well. we thought it would be a good idea to scan the rest of the lawn just in case. not too far from where the first two bunnies were spotted was a patch of "different" grass, more thatchy looking. Damian crouched down and said "i found another one!" we slowly lifted the thatch up so we good give him a little nudge towards the hedge as well, he bolted. But.....

... there were 4 more underneath! a cozy little hole dug into our lawn for baby bunnies to nap in. i'm so glad two of them went for a stretch because if they hadn't, Damian wouldn't have known they were there. fear the thought. we managed to shoo them all hedge-ward and everything was fine.

for a good idea of scale, that's Damian's (gloved) hand in the top photo... how adorably small!

i'm starting to feel like Snow White with all these creatures taking up residence at our house. the cats, the bunnies, the skunk... i'm waiting for a bear! wouldn't that be fantastic? we'll start a little circus show!

on another note, i feel a blog makeover coming on. this one feels a tad heavy, time to lighten things up.

free, in progress.

i finally did it, i ruined my Lulu "sweats".  i knew it was time for a new pair for a while now, i mean i've had these ones for maybe 3 or 4 years.  they're an expensive garment, comfy and bum magnificent, but still expensive.  i didn't dare confirm to myself that they were in need of replacement.  tonight though, tonight i brought them to a whole new level.  in fact i brought myself to a whole new level.  i now have no choice but to replace them if i want to wear such heaven on my next road trip.  

you see, on a road trip comfort is key, right?  who wants to sit in a car for hours on end in their cutest pair of skinny jeans?  there's a bind in the legs (and secret no-no area) that's just the complete opposite of  fun.  Lulu sweats allow one to be comfortable behind that restrictive seatbelt and at the same time, look pretty stylish and "cute" when pulling into a rest stop for a stretch/coffee/tea/pee.  

tonight i found myself tossing the old gals on in readiness for movie watching.  alas, somewhere between my bedroom and the family room, an urge to make a mess hit me in the back of the imagination.  i found myself in my studio picking up a canvas i had previously painted a pastel background onto.  i threw the canvas to the ground, picked up a bottle of burgundy liquid acrylic paint and proceeded to squeeze it onto the aforementioned softness.  from there i grabbed the nearest colour and spilled uncontrollably.  

there's paint everywhere.  on my hands, stomach, hair, floor, walls, and Lulu's.  i now have the most expensive and comfortable painting pants and i love it.  i can still wear them on road trips, covered in paint splash, and if people don't like it...well they can enjoy their secret no-no discomfort.  tonight felt great, amazing, to just make a mess and not care what came out of it.  i have to learn to trust that more, the not caring.  most of the things that make me feel great come from not caring, just doing and BE-ing.

Seabear - I Sing I Swim

a little bit of magic, inspiration, spill, happy, remember, play, music, escape on this grey rainy day. sometimes you have to make your own sunshine.

the weight of happiness

i'm back, with much reluctance. i was tempted to throw a fit at security in order to stay in Europe. maybe say i had hand lotion in my carry-on bag and get tossed into some room to be interrogated as to why i would even think about bringing such a dangerous substance on board.

i will have to write a more in depth post about my travels when i'm not at work, minimizing the screen any time i hear footsteps. i just wanted to post a little something to say i was alive & well, not in some cider coma in a pub somewhere. also, it's a way to not stop thinking about what a fabulous time i had. i can't get back into the groove of reality, all i want to do is go back. i felt lighter in spirit than i normally do (hard to explain, not sure if it was the altitude or the weight of happiness).

i could keep writing, my whirling head is dying to spit everything out in grandiose detail. alas, it's almost time to go home, well, to dinner with my in-laws. i'll have to attempt impression with my Italian father-in-law with some of my newly acquired vocabulary. i also need to upload some photos, of which there are many (i went mad with that shutter release). the photo above was taken by my sister on the top of a hill on Skye. we hiked up it and it was like another world at the top. you can't tell from the angle but there was a huge drop below me, just where the brown grass line in the foreground meets the green. a cliff, straight down to the sea. sigh, i will try to describe the feeling of it in my next post but there's nothing like being there in the flesh.

ok, off i float. a glass of wine awaits me.

perthshire

there is no photo above except for that which is in my mind (and the one which i would love to post if only i had a more "free" connection).

i'm adoring Scotland and am, in fact, tipsy (if not drunk) while typing this. i love pubs, real pubs, not the Disney World pubs we have at home but the actual pubs they're based on. pubs that harbour drunken little old men in their 70's whose legs dangle from stools set above red carpeting. red carpeting that matches the stain of years of drink in their noses and cheeks. the scent of long ago smoke fills the air and a million fingerprints dot the brass rail around the bar. local dogs are allowed in and curl up behind rickety stools and lick nearby patrons. i covet the history here, the feel of jovial ghosts hic-upping bubbles of ale.

tomorrow we are headed to the Isle of Skye. i hope for some time to climb a hill with my pocket paint set to idealise the scenery in my view.

the laughter coming from my temporay bedroom beckons me. my husband and brother are watching tv on my computer and i have to join them. i dare not say this trip is almost over. goodnight for now, perhaps the next post will be from reality. *i fear the thiought*.

i don't want to think of coming home, though i miss my kitties (crazy cat lady if i must be honest). i don't want "real" life to take over from this. i've grown quite accustomed to waking at my own pace and starting the day with a hike. a bottle of wine and fresh pasta or a wee pub meal have become my idea of lunch before another wander through history.

~ apologies for any spelling mistakes. spellcheck isn't working and i like wine ~

il dolce far niente

i've been missing for a while but i have a good excuse.  i'm in Italy!  i've been here for a week now and actually, leaving today.  just arrived in Lucca yesterday and it's the first place with internet.

i came here with Damian, my sister Kate, and her hubby Kevin to surprise my dad for his 60th birthday.  our brother also came all the way from Australia. i couldn't say anything here about our plans or my major excitement in case he read it.  we've had this planned with our step-mum since last year.

for the past week we've all been in Santa Margherita lapping up sunshine, the most amazing food, and copious amounts of wine.  the above photo is of Vernazza, one of the towns in the Cinque Terre.  i conquered all five in one day but that's a story for another post.

today we fly off to Scotland for a week!  two places i have always wanted to visit and i'm doing them both in one trip.  i wish i had longer in each place but north american vacation policies at work are poo compared to Europe.  see, i've already gotten used to the way of life here, the passion for living, not sure how i will adapt back to rush rush rush back home.  for now i will drink this up and continue exploring, photographing, and loving.  perhaps another post from Scotland, if i'm not hiking a lush green hillside or in the pub that is.

ciao bellas.