All at sea

Driftin' by Dan Hicks (excerpt)

Sittin' in the shade of a tree
That was meant for me
A little tired from sun and
Sittin' there to feel the breeze
And the memories
I let my thoughts go runnin'
No major discoveries
I just let myself ride
Why was I so at ease?
I can't decide

Sittin' 'neath the tree idly
That was so shady
I let myself envision
Thinkin' of the dreams
And the scenes I could see
For me
And what was my decision?
I knew that the sun was out
But how long would it shine?
Soon closing in, no doubt
But I had time

And I'm driftin'
No, no direction
Chasin' thought after thought
Driftin'
Into reflection
And I don't want it to stop

A Glamorous Occupation

Above: Longshore Drifter Choker with textured cuttlefish castings and Orepuki pebbles.

I recently visited Kangaroo Island for a week and stayed with family at Vivonne Bay- a glorious beach on the Southern Ocean. I had a wonderful time exploring the coastline, playing with the kids and veging out in the gentle southern sun.

Above: Wrecker collecting cuttlefish bones - photo: Roy Ward

There were plenty of big fat cuttlefish bones for me to collect for my casting and plenty of room in my backpack for them after I'd emptied out the pressies for my rellies. Most of the fragile bones survived the trip back on a budget airline with my wintery clothes packed all around them though you can imagine the smell of 50 or so damp, barnacle encrusted cuttlefish and how that may permeate ones woollens!

Now I don't normally smell too good when I step off a plane after travelling all day and I was hoping that neither man nor beast would get close enough to be overcome or aroused by the vapours. All I can say is it's a testament to the olafactory disabling symptoms of hayfever that my friend actually stopped the car and picked me and my backpack up from the airport.

Of course the stink continues into the home studio with the casting process which subjects the cuttlefish to temperatures 800 deg+ and I thank the stars that my flatmate also suffers from hayfever. Maybe I wish I did too.

Walk up Eildon

Pill Hill

Above: The concrete crust
bottles smashed
their messages lie
sometimes
the crow crows

Below:
Dark fluids
swirl and elude
seeking an opening

to flood

the fish fishes.

Between:
You and I
brittle concrete
the shell shells.

Boomerang Swingers

I've been slack with the online stuff lately - busy, busy me. Yep I've been busy with lots of new activities.

Including teaching at the BIA, wholesale orders, avoiding my new computer which though finally out of its box and plugged in needs software installed before I can do anything, visiting friends & family, enjoying life etc. But now that I have commenced 3 mths long service leave from my Uni admin job, I'm running out of excuses and finding time for some new designs.

Like these Boomerang Swinger and Retro Swinger earrings made from recycled laminex (contemporary) and sterling silver that I gave birth to last week. Despite the pointy geometry you'll be glad to know it was a quick and easy labour and the pairs of twins are doing just fine.

I love these 50's boomerang shapes that you see in architectural details of bridges, houses, carparks and on barkcloth and laminex/formica of the era and reproductions of today. It seems boomerang patterns have quite a following among the lovers of retro as a basic google/flickr search reveals.




Above is the rather wonderful and in the process of being lovingly restored Boomerang House courtesy of Boomerang Thang who did not mind me using his photo: "in true boomerang style, I say, give it away and it will come back to you". So long as it doesn't hit you in the head I reckon.