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.

prism

i woke up feeling blue today, my head a whirl with all sorts of shades of it.  Damian and i headed out for brunch with his dad for father's day and it was gorgeous outside, the first day of summer.  i could smell the green stretched out before me on the passenger side of the road, the fields both overgrown and freshly cut.  purple and yellow dots of petals softly harboured the line between the dusty brown road and the verdant pastures.  i love dropping the window in summertime and turning my head into the breeze, if you close your eyes you open your nose to the menagerie of scents floating around.  even the sky lends a particular sweetness.

after brunch we headed to a mall (yuck) in the hopes of finding some new summer clothes.  no luck in that area, we immediately felt the pull downwards that a mall can create.  tangled in the crowds of people we both started feeling the mean reds come on so decided to find the nearest exit out.  just before our exit we came across an art shop.  this mall is a huge new-ish mall and all the stores are outlets,  i hate outlets.  they always seem to have the most drab clothing and an over abundance in the irregular sizes.  the prices may be low(er) but i'm not all over buying something i'm "settling for".  on the other hand an outlet art store?  now THAT is something i can have a little taste of.  the price of canvas got me all excited, my new place for stocking up.  i adore gallery wrapped canvas but it's more expensive than the standard.  not here, here it's affordable.  i couldn't decide what size to get, Damian stood there watching me with a smile on his face.  he was aware of my interior blue shades and i think he liked seeing me in a place that made me happy.  i had three different sizes lined up, studying them, eenie meeny miny moeing them, so hard to choose.  in the end i chose the biggest one with a triumphant "i deserve it!", a sexy 36" x 48" gallery wrapped canvas joined me on my walk to the front of the store.  before i had a chance Damian whipped out his wallet and slid his debit card across the counter.  i protested but he said "it makes me feel good to buy this for you".  i love him.

now i have a large space of white watching me from across my studio.  it sits there stretched on a wooden frame awaiting life.  it's incredible how intimidating it is, all of that open space, all of the possibilities, all of that white!  i'll have to wait for a brave day to put that first spill of colour onto it.  i tend to think way too much and it's obnoxious.  just go for it, more often than not the best pieces come out of the mistakes.  i have to trust this more.

next stop, Julia Roberts' closet

in my last post i said i'd be back to write about a few things. one of those things was house sitting for Julia Roberts. before i get into that i just want to do a little shout out to the wondrous and delicious baking skills of my loverly Mum.

she's recently taken up a new hobby, that of cookie decorating. fabulous, gorgeous, splendiferous, iced biscuits that haunt my sweet tooth. so far i have only seen two of her creations, the above "etoile de mer" and the 2 dozen wedding cakes she made for my cousins shower last weekend. it was hard but i saved my cookies so i could photograph them, i think i rushed through the "shoot" due to the tempting looks they were giving me. they have found a new home now, on my hips. i set up a flickr site for my Mum so she could share her creations (and hopefully get a little biz later on). the wedding cake cookie is there too, check it out (and don't be afraid to comment, she'll love it!)

ok, Julia time. i toyed with making it sound completely legit then doing the old "it was all just a dream" thing but you know what? that's way overdone. so, my DREAM about being Julia Robert's house sitter.

It's bizarre really because i'm not a huge fan, i haven't seen a movie of hers in ages, yet she popped into my subconscious and asked me to watch her house for a while (the nerve of some people). the odd thing was, she was still there, wasn't on vacation or anything. anyways, one day i met a reporter whom Julia told me to avoid but rather than ignore him, i fell in love with him. i would invite him over to her house when she was out and we would wander the vast corridors of her mansion. he clearly knew the house well and told me of a secret room that only Julia and he knew of. for days i begged him to show me this room and he finally gave in. he took me to this narrow door at the back of her house and opened it slowly to reveal nothing but black, solid darkness. we walked inside yet he turned no lights on, he told me to be patient. it felt like we stood there in blindness for hours until all of a sudden a flickering haze of red light bled out of a corner. the haze grew bigger and brighter and changed from red to white. within seconds a full sized double decker bus appeared full of jovial people of all sorts, waving ribbons and throwing confetti. people were cheering and singing, dancing and twirling. there were bright bold skirts made of crinoline, top hats and red velvet waistcoats. rosy cheeks and feathers in hair, accordions and fiddles. colourful people on an otherworldly adventure. and all of this was tucked away in Julia Roberts' house. celebrities get everything.

i love when my dreams do that, go completely wild and unexplainable. what goes on in my head when i'm comatose blows me away. so much cheaper than going to see a movie.

where for art thou?

i've been neglecting my blog, i should be ashamed.  i've had thoughts and bits to write about even but have just not had the time.  busy at work (le sigh) then coming home to do an intensive exercise routine with Damian.  doesn't leave us with much time to do other things besides eat then go to bed. sad yes, but i am developing some biceps which are a new phenomenon on this bod.

i have however created 3 new pieces which are now for sale in my shop!  I'm also still having a sale so swing on over and check it out.

i WILL be back soon to post about the kitties growing up (photos included), housesitting Julia Robert's house, and the enduring love of the handwritten letter.  for now i must sleep.  I can hear 'The Music Man" coming from the wall behind me, 76 trombones are leaking through the drywall.  Damian loves that movie and is currently taking a trip down memory lane via the bed. sort of like "Bedknobs & Broomsticks", if you don't know what I'm talking about watch the movie.  After you see it you'll question every bed knob you come across with an arched brow of "I wonder" curiosity. 

to slumber i go.  goodnight goodnight.  here's to hoping for dreams of tall grass, wrap around porches, and flying kites.

out with the old...

i'm having a HUGE sale in my shop, selling some of my pieces for crazy prices.  Making room for new works.  Check out the sale section, a couple of originals are even 50% off!  Help a girl in her goal to escape the realm of 9-5.  :)