RMONTALBAN

Self portrait

2012-01-26T09:36:00.001Z

I took this picture in a big barn full of antiques/bric-a-brac recently, and I have been thinking about it, I think because it reminds me of me!!!

Oh, my love is like a .....

2012-01-25T07:30:00.002Z

Yes, you guessed it, today is Robert Burns Day.

Dexter has been memorising a poem to say at his school assembly, and I hear that the whole school will be doing Scottish Country Dancing in the playground in celebration of it!

"Och, will I make Haggis, Neeps and Tatties for tea!?" - ha, ha, ha, actually, maybe I will as it is rather yummy :-)

The jewel that I found hidden in the royal photographic archives!

2012-01-24T11:04:00.002Z

Anders, Dexter and I went to Holyrood Palace at the weekend as Anders said "I have never been round the palace, it's about time I did"! So we all went along and did the tour, which I remember going to as a child although it has changed a lot since I did it last! The part I personally enjoyed most was seeing a small, specially selected group of black and white photographs. Actually if I am to be honest, only 2 of them to be precise both of which were done by Cecil Beaton (which I did not photograph) and just jumped off the walls compared to the other photographs which to me looked like typical family portraits and not really that exciting at all except from a subject perspective. These two Cecil Beaton images however were NOT the jewels that I found, no siree!!!

Just after this short exhibition which had Cecil Beaton's photographs, to leave we needed to exit through the temporary gift shop which also had some of the traditional portrait family photographs of the Queen with her family. The images in the shop were in colour and like the black and white ones in the previous room, I personally didn't find inspiring until I spotted a flaw in one of them and all of a sudden one photograph became my jewel in the crown. It was magnificent and I couldn't help but burst out laughing and ask if I could take pictures of what I found and being given permission I photographed this one photograph only.

Prince Harry

The staff had no idea who had done this to the image which was on the wall or when it had been done. It also wasn't obvious because there are no ink marks, only indentations, but I just loved them as they added charm/humour/personality which otherwise was missing, or at least I thought it was. It is the sort of thing me or my sister used to do to newspapers and magazine photos when we were children, in fact she and Dexter and I were doing this on the train at Christmas to a newspaper she had brought with her to read!!!

Prince William

I am sure the actual portrait will now be removed because it is of our Monarchy having been defaced and I have brought it to their attention, but luckily I was given permission by a female staff member to take the photographs which to me are just really funny and have really played with my imagination.

Just as well we no longer send people to the Tower of London, and that we don't know who the original culprit was who did this eh! Come to think of it, I am sure I would land there too for finding it funny and drawing attention to it (no pun intended)!!!

Enter the Dragon

2012-01-23T11:08:00.003Z

Today is the start of the Year of the Dragon - Gung Hay Fat Choy :-)

I have been seeing Dragons a lot this January in various shadow forms, so I hope this is a sign that this Dragon will be casting a shadow of good health, joy and prosperity over us all.

This is me :-)

2012-01-20T14:42:00.001Z

This time last year, I started down a road to a destination unknown. I am still on that road, and I think will always be on it because as they say, there is nothing certain in life except death and taxes - cheerful thoughts eh!

That said, I am happy because I feel like I have started to find my voice. I feel happy swimming around in this tank I have found myself swimming in even though when I first found out that I was in it I really was rather confused because I hadn't realised that I was swimming in one at all, or that anyone was really interested in looking at what I was doing behind my sheet of glass. I thought it was just me swimming about in my own little mind/tank/world, taking pictures and talking about whatever caught my attention! So several months on, and getting my head around my situation, I find that I like being this fish with a voice, the fact that I am able to swim about, look at the world through glass whilst the world looks back at me and together we make pictures makes me smile. Nothing has changed therefore, except I now know that a tank exists!!!

This is a nice tank, and I feel happy in it. I see how my mind is expanding, in the safety of it :-)

Now off to swim some more - what was it that I thinking about 2 minutes before this!!!!

I love this song...

2012-01-19T11:57:00.000Z

I love music that makes you want to sway :-)

Hells Bells....

2012-01-19T09:28:00.001Z

Hell's Bells, AC/DC have an exhibition on in Glasgow at the Kelvingrove Museum.

Their music was blasting on a huge screen which showed them live in concert, and the exhibition itself showed old photographs, posters, clothes and memorabilia.

I couldn't help but smile, as I watched the fans who were there rock back and forth to their music whilst looking into glass cabinets.

And then I laughed when I read some of the comments...

.... like the above one!

or this one which was straight to the point!

Optical illusion

2012-01-18T12:59:00.000Z

I think I created an optical illusion with this picture, the fish seems to be shrinking/moving when I watch it!

Independent Cinemas, so good even the seats smile :-)

2012-01-17T09:38:00.001Z

It makes me so happy going to see a movie in a fantastic cinema hall where even the seats look happy.

Going to the cinema should be more than just seeing the film. It should be a total experience and that is exactly what I got when Dexter, Anders and I went to see The Artist at a fantastic independent filmhouse.

We are so lucky to have 3 independent cinemas in Edinburgh, The Filmhouse, The Dominion and The Cameo. We also have an International Film Festival held here every year which celebrates independent film making. I have always loved the silver screen, ever since I was a child, so going to a place like this, a perfect setting for a fantastic film like this, and for me it is just bliss.

I loved every single minute of this experience from before the big curtain went up, right up to when the film finished. My eyes felt like they had been exposed to a whole feast of great images, each one of them a still worth pouring over in itself for much longer than the split second it told it's part of the story. That is the feeling everyone should get coming out of a cinema, it is an event watching a movie on the big screen, and each frame should be a treat for the eyes, mind and soul. A place that captures that, is clearly a happy place :-)

Blue Monday

2012-01-16T14:50:00.000Z

Today is Blue Monday, apparently the 3rd Monday in January is meant to make us feel the most down all year for no reason at all!

I don't feel blue, melancholy perhaps, and in a good way, but definitely not sad or blue!

Friday 13th.....

2012-01-13T14:19:00.000Z

and I saw a black cat up a tree, what does it mean - absolutely nothing at all!

Today would be a birthday celebration if....

2012-01-12T17:59:00.000Z

my Mum were still alive. I thought of her this morning when I woke up, and then got an email from my sister saying "hope she is having a wonderful time up there in heaven celebrating her birthday and playing the slot machines"! Of course Mumbo wouldn't be very happy at me sharing her love of the old slot machines here in public but she did love going to Atlantic City and Las Vegas - my Mum did love to party!

If she were alive today, she would be 78 (if the information she had about her birthday was correct) today, but I think she might have been 80 today as I found documentation on line (now that Russia are gradually sharing what happened in the Siberian camps during WW2) that show her date of birth as 12 Jan 1932 and not 1934.

Regardless of which, I hope she is having a great time wherever she is and whatever she is doing.

My exercise regime began.....

2012-01-11T11:35:00.000Z

Well, I started an exercise regime yesterday, and simultaneously was inspired by watching the US Biggest Loser which I happened to notice was showing here on one of the TV channels!!!

Now, I am not a contender for The Biggest Loser thankfully, and as Dexter said when he saw the contenders "I know you would never get to that size", which of course he is right, but then I have to remind myself of how easy it is to become large, my Mother was most definitely someone who could easily have made this TV shows line-up. Feeling unfit, or carrying extra weight (obviously or not) does feel like you are dragging something behind you constantly, not something you want to admit to or want to have to drag, but drag it you do nonetheless.

I am a UK size 12. I could do with getting down to a UK size 10 but I think if I got to a size 8 I would be too thin. In reality however, I don't care about what my dress size is (within reason), for me it is about whether the clothes I want to wear fit properly, and that I feel good, and by good I mean I am not out of breath and that I just feel healthy instead of sluggish.

Starting my exercise regime yesterday I could see that I how quickly fitness levels go down. Thankfully however, fitness is something that easily increases rapidly, it is just a case of getting off your butt and moving around, a lot :-)

So I did a 45 minute workout, felt awful when I started because what I did would have been easy not that long ago to do, but about 1/2 an hour after finishing I started to feel happier with myself as the endorphines had kicked in, in addition to my determination to improve on what I had done :-)

I can't wait to do it all again and get rid of that weight/unfitness that I am dragging behind me, and once in a routine, it becomes integral to your way of life!

Meet some of my monsters!

2012-01-10T10:31:00.002Z

Firstly, meet the monster which had to come home with me!

There was a line of them which just brought a huge smile to my face so I had to get one. Actually I wanted to get a few because they really were so cool, but in the end only bought one, this red one above. He is full of bubbles, bit like my head at times :-)

On top of this we made a discovery which brought out a monster in me - Halloumi chips to dip into a salsa sauce. OMG they are just so delicious instead of sharing just one portion with Andrew and Dexter, I ended up ordering another one so we could share too!!! They were so yummy, I just can't get them out of my head so that means.....

If I am going to bring out an exciting monster in me, one that scares me into exercising my big butt and thighs off! Actually I am rather looking forward to it as I know I will feel so much better for it and that will show through in everything else I do so all the more reason for me to start hitting the metal big time starting tonight when Dexter is at his football training :-)

I feel good now because I have my eye firmly set getting some energy back into me through exercising and this is one of these goals that is 100% within my abilities to achieve and I will use this blog to ensure I fullfil this promise. I am also not going to be just a "January Runner", as Anders puts it. Yep, there are so many people out running just now, which is great, but you know that a lot of them will soon give up, just like I have done too in the past (not that I have ever started in January before though). I know getting back to exercising, it will make my mind more sharp, and that energy will make me not feel so sluggish and well just blah which I am feeling after an over indulgent and lazy festive period. That and my clothes will start to hang better too ;-)

Quick chat before the weekend.....

2012-01-06T19:15:00.162Z

I am happy to hear my sister arrived back in NY, but I do miss having chats with her in person, albeit there are times when I think she has escaped from the looney bin - she knows what I am referring to and I know she will be laughing!

Today, I want to share a little about what has been going on in my head. It isn't a huge amount in the grand scale of things, but it has been enough to make me stop and think and it all started with:-

Being lucky enough to have had all 3 of the photographs I submitted into a juried exhibition called Puppy Love accepted -yay! These are due to go on exhibition later this month which I will write about nearer the time. I have just had the images framed and are all waiting to be shipped tomorrow to the USA, and going through all of this has reinforced to me how doing any of this has to because of your own personal love of photography.

Capturing something "special" has to be the thing that drives you to taking the pictures you do, and not the pounds, shillings and pence, or indeed the cents, quarters or dollars! You take the pictures because they make you happy, the images say something to you, and if you are very lucky, they will do that for others. Doing this reinforced this and I am grateful for that as we all need our heads pecked to make us think clearly.

I have to remember that I send my images knowing that they were liked enough to be selected and that should be validation enough. I also have to remember that in going on exhibition they may indeed not be liked enough by anyone so may not sell and I will have incurred costs. People don't all like what you do, plain and simple, but if that is the reason for you doing something then you might never hear your own voice/calling.

Money, I can say hand on heart was not the reason I sent the images, and that is something that remembering and focusing on will hopefully pull me through any disappointment, should nobody like them enough to put their hand in their pocket to shell out hard earned cash. The economy is tough. I would however also indeed be lying if I didn't say the thought of it didn't creep in once I was selected, but working through the commerciality and logistical aspects of it I am so glad that I got that parrot using his beak to knock on my head to remind me that was not what this entry was all about so if I come out of it out of pocket, I am still coming out of it big in heart.

Doing this has been a great learning opportunity, but more so it has been a hugely flattering honour this is a juried selection, and the 3 images I put forward all got selected. Not only have I got the chance to say I have been selected in a group exhibition like this, but also I get to test the water, ok, I might get very wet from having fallen flat on my face, but what I have done is put something out with 100% effort and I chose the images because I thought they might have a more mass appeal but I also realise that might not turn out to be the case so hay ho! I now feel better for sharing that and putting it in writing reinforces this for me anyhow :-)

The above all comes at a time when it was announced that Eve Arnold died yesterday at the age of 99. She was a lady who to me came across as caring, beautiful and charming and a big deal Magnum photographer, who spent 10 years photographing Marilyn Monroe as well as other very famous (and not so famous) people. I have a picture of her which was taken by David Eustace a Glasgow born photographer which I luckily got at a charity auction many years ago. It is a beautiful image, and because she is someone whose work I have admired I spent yesterday evening listening to some of the interviews that were made about her. Eve, like many of the other master photographers had a passion for capturing something special and telling a story through those images. Doing that over and over again is not an easy thing when you have to work hard at it, but if you have fun doing it, and find that is something so completely natural and integral to you in wanting to share/tell a story, then perhaps it might be because you are doing it first and foremost because it is so part of you, and without that integrity you cannot do it like the masters, not that I am in anyway a master, but you have to have dreams to escape to and photography does that for me.

Reading a good book, watching a fantastic movie, looking at a great picture or painting that speaks to you and transports you somewhere else and just makes you feel something is a magical thing and I am so grateful that we have this out there in the world to embrace in whatever form it manifests itself to us.

Just a quick chat before the weekend!!!

The Year of the Black Dragon.....

2012-01-05T10:51:00.000Z

I love Chinese New Year celebrations with all the bright colours and stories. January 23rd sees the start of the Black Dragon (or water Dragon). I think he is doing a little sight seeing however before taking on the reigns, and if you are quick, you might just spot him in shadows like I seem to be doing!

Strange dream....

2012-01-04T12:21:00.002Z

I had the strangest dream, it involved my Stepfather who died last year. What made this really strange is that he burst into the house he and my Mother lived in which I was having to fix with new carpets because it had been storm damaged (we did actually have winds of 102mph here yesterday and roofs did come off buildings).

Anyway, my Stepfather burst into the house he and my mum lived in (albeit it was a mixture of a couple of houses and also very different at the same time) looking joyous and happy with a huge amount of friends/relatives of his that I didn't know, all singing and dancing with Christmas decorations and started to get the house dressed for festivities. Yes, that may seem strange in itself being that we have celebrated Christmas, but he was Ukranian, and the Ukranian's celebrate Christmas roughly 2 weeks after everyone else (Christmas Day is a public holiday on January 7 in countries such as Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and the Ukraine. Some countries, such as Armenia, observe Christmas Day on January 6. The January 7 celebration of Christmas Day is not a nationwide public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States) because they follow a different calendar!!!

They went through the house, into the garden which was not the garden I remember as it was a huge piece of ground which was all neat and tidy with a covered over swimming pool and they set up this whole carnival of food trucks, and there was dancing and bright lights and christmas trees etc, like a coke advert! Other properties looked onto it, and the festivities were not going un-noticed and were attracting all the nearby residents (who were also strangers to me) to join in.

As as child I remember celebrating two Christmases, albeit the Ukranian was nothing like this one. That said the Ukranian Christmas was one that my sister, Mum and I more humoured than anything else because it just felt stupid celebrating something that to everyone else was so last year (which it was and is) - but it made him happy! It was the same for New Year and Easter because it was bizarre celebrating something that nobody else was and yes my Stepdad did have peculiarities.

I have not thought about Ukranian Christmases etc for many, many years, and would not have had I not had this dream. Even my Mum eventually stopped celebrating this when she convinced him to spend winters in Florida! I am not sure if he really celebrated it that much latterly because of his dementia, I know I didn't because I am not Ukranian, and had forgotten all about it.

Anyway, he and I never spoke in the dream, I was just overwhelmed and bemused by all this Christmas preparations and celebrations which involved lots of cossack dancing and singing and general merry making by people he clearly knew and was having a good time with. I was just surprised because I thought he was dead (and of course he is). Time was all backwards and jumbled up and my Mum also was nowhere to be seen.

The dream itself however was not a horrible dream, it was just one that I really was not expecting to have as I have never dreamt of him in my life. When I realised a few hours after waking that the Ukranian Christmas celebrations start on the 2nd January with Christmas Day being either the 5th or 6th of January because I looked it up on Google, I firstly was shocked and thought "oh, my God what is that all about", and then I realised that it was actually a time when he would be happy and celebrating Christmas which I think is nice but not sure why it was chosen to be shared with me in my head! Not sure what this dream means, if anything, but it did remind me of something I had forgotten all about which was a big part of me growing up.

Evolution....

2012-01-03T15:24:00.003Z

I have come to realise that I am not good at considering new year resolutions in part I think it is because none of us really know what the future has in store for us. Unless you have some very clear directions of what you do or do not want to achieve. Writing resolutions for things that are anything other than 100% within our control to achieve can be difficult to strive for, or at least I think so. For that reason, I believe a good gauge is that we will come out each year, decade etc., happy, healthy, loved and full of love then we can look back and think, yep that was a good year and with that I start to think of the Frank Sinatra song.....

In thinking about evolution, I just think of it as "that's life" full of ups and downs. This also makes me think of the word Family as this is such a huge part of it. I remember as a child I thought I would grow up and be an actress, a singer, an artist, a pawn and a queen! My Mum despaired and said "oach, Joanna, you are daft, you need to grow up and be serious" - we then used to laugh, and I would smack her bum and she would shake her fist both of us being playful. She knew that I just wanted to see all of the world, and be part of the world in a big way and I hated thinking that the world was a cage as it wasn't and isn't and I have always been curious about it and am forever analysing it, past, present and future.

Family to me plays a huge part of my own evolution, and I love my family so very much. Family for me is about evolution of me and the experiences that I had growing up that made me and who I was long before I met Anders and attracted his interest. Evolution of how being with Anders changed me because we are so entwined in our lives and we became just that a Royal we (I did say I dreamt of being a Queen)!!! This of course continued with our creation of the the magnificent Dexter and so our family unit evolved and continues to do so for the better because we all support, love and are there for each other.

Evolution is a slow and continuous process I realise though, and the best I think is still to come although I am not generally known for being patient but patience is something I have learned to savour ;-)

So, with this in mind, I still feel like I did at the beginning of last year where I was embarking upon a journey to a destination or destinations unknown, only now I realise that actually I am just happy being on the journey :-) I still do not know what the future holds, but what I do have to have is an open heart and mind that somehow my faith in myself and my family will see through the mists of what lies ahead and together, like in the past we will steer our way to capture memories that when we look back on, fill our hearts and heads with a sense of fulfilment and joy.

Evolution is after all is a gradual turning up of a light and dimming of another. Whilst Eureka moments do come and fly you to the moon, they too require evolution. Sometimes this evolution is to convince yourself, and sometimes to convince others, both of which I am not patient with but that is part of my evolution too. It is as a result of this that I hope part of my own evolution will be to just appreciate the ride, wide eyed, bushy tailed :-)

Good Morning (well evening in my case) 2012!

2012-01-01T22:02:00.004Z

This is a funny thing for me, as until this blog, I never wrote diaries to capture how I was feeling or what I did. Life was something that you just got on with, through spring, summer, autumn and winter, and in many ways this is still something that I feel is true. I never considered for one minute that what I saw/thought about would be on any interest to anyone other than myself and 2011 has turned out to be a year which has really made me stop and think like no other year since the year my Mother died which was nearly 10 years ago.

2011 has been a full on ride which I have felt that I have had absolutely no control of. It has been a year full of unexpected occurrences, each of them leaving lasting imprints. Throughout all of them, I am so thankful to have two constants, my boys who I love more than I could possibly begin to describe here. Without them I don't think I could have come through the events which have been for me emotionally charged. They supported me as I had to stop, think, reflect and act upon by digging deep into myself, something that I never really like doing as for me that is very scary and unsettling.

So how will I remember 2011. Well the year started with my stepfather and his death, it was horrible for many reasons but it did provide a closure, not how I would have liked, but a closure none-the-less.

Simultaneously to this all happening, the world of fine art photography was opening up to me in ways I never expected. These were exciting, scary, incredibly unexpected and potentially offered fulfilment of dreams that I never in my wildest dreams thought I could actually flirt with. Flirt with them I did however with the backing, support and anchoring of my boys, and this flirtation really took my mind off the negativity of my stepfather, and allowed me a vehicle to pour out my emotions in ways that also allowed me to pour my dream of hopes and wishful aspirations into and this is something here to stay!

Of course there was more to 2011 than just the main big personal life changing headlines, there was ....

it saw the birth of my newest nephew, Theo.

it saw me going to Santa Fe (I know I am repeating it but this was a first stop in my journey) to see people who I never thought I would ever get to meet, and has provided me with a vehicle in with to share and explore me in ways I only ever dreamed about.

It saw Dexter, Anders and I going to visit Rome, on what turned out to be a fantastic and hugely inspirational holiday.

Some things however didn't change in 2011, and won't in the future, like going to the loo!?
I do like my own jokes - boom boom!

It is good to laugh, to find humour and things that make you smile.

This picture made me laugh, and like the next one was taken around Halloween.

Who would have thought that Dexter would have come up with the idea of going as a Mummified Pope from seeing them in the Vatican! What was funny was that even during the Disco, he danced in character by making signs of the cross - he does make me laugh and he clearly did everyone else as he won first prize!

The biggest thing however is that 2011 was a year of complete evolution, which therefore might also go along nicely with this theme of reflection and a series of self portrait photographs I took which involved considering evolution and genetics!

Here is me as a small child, and you know, it actually does look really like a picture I have of me.

Had I been an ape, this is how I might have looked, and this below is Dexter as of course a future ape!!!

Don't we look alike - ha, ha, ha!

Then I aged my photo, and the strange thing in doing this was that I really saw me looking like my Mum. To prove this, here she is with me. She was aged about 54 in this photograph, and I was about 21.

Playing about with the image again, had I been a man, I might have looked like this!

But as I looked at all these images, I can see how much I really do look like my Mum.

and that makes me happy as my Mum was amazing, and like her, I live on in Dexter as she lives on in me. I can still hear her saying in her thick Polish accent, "oh, Joanna, you are silly, I don't know how your brain tinks"!!!

So, 2011 has seen the dawn of a new age for me, and another step in my own life's evolution. I know the past is just that, the past and the foundations in which I am built, but the future, well photography, my 2 boys and my sister are going to be a huge part of me exploring that and that makes me happy. In addition to that, I know I have some great new friends all because of this blog - you know who you are :-)

For Auld Lang Syne.

The best type of leftovers....

2011-12-28T17:12:00.000Z

Well, Christmas has been and gone, but the leftovers are what we savour and enjoy long after, and none more so for me and Anders than....

Yep, Dexter.

We enjoyed Christmas, and all felt suitably like stuffed Turkeys, albeit it was not what was on our Christmas menu this year. This year we decided to do things a little differently and had:

Beetroot smoked salmon with salsa infused potatoes.

***

Foie Gras, Pheasant Breast, Partridge Breast

served on a bed of roasted brussel sprouts/walnuts/garlic/lime juice

with chipolata sausages, stuffing and sherry and fig gravy

***

Bill's fantastic Beef Thai Curry & Vegetable Curry (2 separate curries)

served on a bed of lime infused pilau rice

***

Christmas Pudding

with Christmas Pudding Ice Cream

It was yummy, very low key and laid back - we took hours to eat the food and then collapsed in front of the tv to watch Dr Who.

Course 1 and 2 were made by me, Course 3 was made by Bill and our final course was courtesy of Marks & Spencer and a local place that made the homemade ice cream.

It wasn't all indulgence however, we did go for a lovely long walk before dinner with the dogs just to make sure we had a big appetite - and we did, dogs included!!!

Wishing you all the very best for the rest of this year :-)

2011-12-22T11:36:00.002Z

Well I need to get on a scooter if I am going to get myself organised. No presents are wrapped yet, I have not even had a chance to go out and buy wrapping paper yet - Aggggghhhhhh.

I have bought presents (Dexter is going to wake up to a wonderful Christmas morning) but I still need to get vegetables etc, and my sister arrives from NY tomorrow morning!!!

The above said, I can only do what I can, and I am not going to get my knickers in a twist about it all as that is not what it is all about and it would make it even more painful scooting about the place ;-)

Update: All grocery shopping now complete - yay! Just need to buy wrapping paper and get down to a flurry of sellotape, ribbon and drawing/scribbling of pretty things to make the gifts look nice.

Elohai N'tzor - what a stunning song

2011-12-21T11:22:00.000Z

This is a Hebrew song, and it is just so beautiful. Translated it apparently means:

O God, keep my tongue from evil And my lips from deceit. Help me be silent in the face of derision, Humble in the presence of all Open my heart To Your Teachings. May the words of my mouth And the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, EternalOne, my Rock and my Redeemer.

5 Days to go....

2011-12-20T09:42:00.004Z

Can you believe it is only 5 more days to go and then it is Christmas Day!

I have not been at all organised this year, and we only got our tree on Sunday. That said, this weekend we really did get into the spirit of things by going to pick our tree, going to the local Christmas food market to get some yummy foods to share and eat which I think this may have inspired Dexter's drawing! I just love it as it is apparently of a butcher hanging out of a window - which to me looks like he has just punched the guy with the peace symbol - I can see that happening in supermarkets when someone reaches the last Turkey or brussel sprout before you do - Peace to all men!!! Ah, yes, you can see my son has inherited our family's warped sense of humour!

We did have a lovely weekend though. We got to hang out with friends at a house drinks party (and have more parties this week) which turned out to be such a lot of fun. Unlike us, their house was completely kitted out for Christmas, all beautifully and tastefully decorated with a huge tree. They have a lovely traditional detached stone house built in the Victorian period and lends itself to Christmas well. Our house on the other hand is very different, messy I think would describe it right now!!!

That said, I felt I could no longer let the mess stop us getting into Christmas, so, on Sunday, we picked our tree, and drove it home.

The decorating of it however we left until Monday night, in part because I had such a huge pile of ironing to do (3 hours of it whilst Anders and Dexter went to see Sherlock Holmes!!!) - I am not sounding very jolly and Christmassy but I am actually laughing as it means that I clearly have earned good girl points for the Santa list I hope!!!

And to prove it, here is my tree, all decorated - yay! Complete with Tinkerbell who lights up and is resting in the tree, like all fairies like to do on a night!

Above are some of the decorations we acquired to put on the tree including the Sad Snowman, maybe he is wondering if he is going to met with all the lights!!!

Although I still have a fair amount of stuff to do, yes, more ironing, and cleaning and cooking

I have got so much to look forward to, including seeing my sister who arrives from NY on Friday.

Family.....

2011-12-19T11:18:00.002Z

This word prompt inspired me to produce a series of images, so thank you Anika and hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful Christmas :-)

Not only do I wish a Merry Christmas to Anika and her lovely family, but I do the same to each and every one of you. Hope you are all already enjoying the holiday season, and that Christmas and 2012 prove to be a year full of wonder and magic.

If you want to see my family project, it is on my website

Just over a week to go....

2011-12-16T11:58:00.000Z

Have you been good?

Santa's watching - will you be on the naughty or nice list - ho, ho, ho!!!

Ghosts of Christmas.....

2011-12-15T12:50:00.000Z

I still have not gotten my head around the fact that we are so close to Christmas, and as a result we are not putting up the tree until the weekend. Even then I still don't think I will get my head round that Christmas is coming and so is 2012!

Even though everywhere else seems to be showing shiny lights and christmas baubles, it seems to have been going over my blonde head, I only just managed to get some cards sent to relatives, and last year I was well arranged with getting Marvin & Carly dressed up for the occasion! So looking at some of the pictures I have taken, I think the ghosts of Christmases past seem to be stalking me and my camera from Elizabethan children to Rabbie Burns, reminding me to not forget and start lighting up the lights around our wee house before I start to get them visiting me in my sleep like Scrooge!

Family....

2011-12-14T15:30:00.000Z

These are some of the thoughts I have when I think about this word.

Cocktails, Candles and Cossacks?

2011-12-13T10:54:00.005Z

I had the best of birthdays that I can remember having in such a long time. My birthday was on Friday, and because of that I got to celebrate it all weekend long :-)

It wasn't that I had anything particularly planned, it was just one of those days that organically grew in to a fantastic birthday, from birthday greetings from my two wonderful boys, to unexpected purple tulips from a friend, a whole bunch of Happy Birthday wishes from friends and ending the evening with cocktails (just with Anders whilst Dexter was at Cubs) and then dinner out once Dexter had finished Cubs, again with just the two special boys in my life.

Dinner was yummy, we went to the Missoni Hotel to their Italian restaurant, and just had such a nice time.

All this, and the weekend of just doing really lovely things, I am one very lucky girl, lady, old wifie, ha, ha, ha well that would be giving away my age wouldn't it!!!

As for Cossacks, well I thought Dexter did a fine impression of one sitting in the restaurant wearing my vintage Russian hat - he just is so cute, looks great in anything, including my hats!

Could we be in for a White Christmas?

2011-12-12T10:49:00.002Z

On Saturday, having had a great Friday celebrating my birthday, I woke up to see a white landscape outside. It had snowed during the night - yay. There is something magical about seeing the first proper sprinkling of snow don't you think and I now wonder if we will have a White Christmas this year too!

In preparation.....

2011-12-08T11:25:00.003Z

Not only am I still trying to get my head around the fact that 17 days today it is Christmas Day, but tomorrow it is also my birthday!

This year has gone so fast I feel like it has not given me even a chance to park up on my little scooter. WThat said, when I really stop to think about all that has happened during 2011, I know it has pushed me a lot and as I mull over all that I have done and learned in what feels like a short period of time I know I have managed to collect some big snowballs to be at the ready - now I just have to make sure they hit their targets!!! Ha, ha, ha!

Red balloon....

2011-12-07T14:44:00.000Z

On Saturday, we went out for a one course dinner at an Italian place where I live that my sister has often said (and she lives in NY) is meant to be good - her pal from school who is Italian said it was a big favourite amongst the Italian community here! It has never been a place that Anders and I have ever really fancied going, however, since coming back from Rome all 3 of us are really loving really good Italian food, and in order to get it I have even taken to making my own home made pasta too now whenever we eat it!

Anyway, Dexter wanted Spaghetti Carbonara and so we thought we would give this place a try! Turned out that they had two types of Spaghetti Carbonara on the menu, one being the original version and the other the adapted one with cream. We like the authentic one we had in Rome, and we asked for the pasta to be cooked al dente too and actually, it turned out to be really good!

Dexter even got a Red Balloon, which I got rather attached to because I love that old classic film and left the restaurant feeling even more happy because of it, sad but true!!! It didn't however follow us home, it ended up getting burst though - again, sad but true!!!

Up hugs.....

2011-12-06T15:00:00.001Z

I couldn't help but smile when I heard Dexter say to Anders "I remember when I used to get up hugs", which is what Dexter used to ask for when he wanted carried or to sit on Anders shoulders. Like the great Dad Anders is he quickly said "do you want one now"? Dexter did, but he thought he might be too old, and seeing this Anders pressed him saying "come on, it won't be long before I won't be able to as you will be too big".....

..... and I am glad he did and that I am an obsessive photographer as I got to photograph them sharing this special memory. It was magical and my heart filled up with all the lovely memories of Dexter asking for "up hugs" and I was so happy for them both to be enjoying themselves in this special moment.

This last shot I think might just be my favourite.

A found hat....

2011-12-05T10:41:00.002Z

“Keep your eye on the high mark and you will hit it. Not the first time nor the second and maybe not the third, but if you keep on aiming and keep on trying, you'll hit the bull's eye of success.”

― Annie Oakley

Why am I showing a quote from Annie Oakley? Well, Anders found this hat that he thought would suit me. The first I felt/saw of it was when he plonked it on my head and looked at me saying "that's cool, you really suit it. It makes you look like you could be a cowboy like Annie Oakley"! Dexter too said, "yes Mummy, it's a great hat you must get it", so I did :-)

It is a gents brown bowler hat called "The Cityman" and was in pristine condition and for sale in Anteaques where we went to have a nice cup of tea and cake, very civilised :-)

One of the guys that own this great tea shop agreed and said "it does really suit you" and then went on to say "we sold the black one earlier this week, they were both from the same place". This one is brown, and fits me perfectly, and for me turned out to be a great find, and I didn't even need to look for it so it definitely was found, the prompt over at Acolab.

Andrew's birthday in London.

2011-12-02T15:18:00.003Z

As all of the schools were shut on Wednesday for industrial strike action, we decided to go to London on cheap train tickets to celebrate Andrew's birthday. One of the things we did therefore to celebrate was....

to walk to the place Andrew had chosen to go to for dinner. A great Pizza place which is run by the people who own Soho House in NY and we think they have based this place around a much bigger version of Una Pizza Napoletana in NY (if that is still around). The food was delicious, and Dexter loved it as we sat on high bar stools facing the kitchen watching the staff put the pizzas in and out of the hot wood ovens.

Suitably stuffed, we walked back to the hotel and whilst walking there I just fell in love with this scene I found. It reminded me of the cover of an album called "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" by Mick Ronson which I love from the 1970's that my sister (who is nearly 11 years older than me) used to play. Mick Ronson used to be play with David Bowie and he was a great guitarist.

Then as we walked back, I saw this car park.....

which was around Whitechapel where Jack the Ripper used to roam. Seeing the tours of people visiting these haunts, we gave Dexter a little history lesson and explained that back in the 1800's this area was full of murder and mystery, like Edinburgh with Burke and Hare. It was at that point I spotted what I thought was a really creepy statue on the corner. It was of two friars but they just seemed menacing hidden in the dark but embedded into the stone wall on the corner of a street. We all agreed they were creepy!

London has so much to see, it is a city so full of character of which you cannot see all at once, just like people!

I of course know that only too well living with two male characters....

If you would like to give me a vote in a competition I have entered, then that would be really kind and much appreciated. All you need to do is just click this link below and press vote and like simple, like me!

Exposure 2011 | Joanna Black

Exposure 2011 | Joanna Black

2011-12-01T11:30:00.000Z

I have entered into Exposure 2011. If you would like to help me get some votes, please could you follow the link and give me a vote by then clicking the like link. That would be so kind and if you can get others to do it too, (thinking of elves, this being the 1st December and the spirit of Christmas), then YAY. All help greatly appreciated.

Exposure 2011 | Joanna Black

Happy Birthday Anders...

2011-11-29T06:07:00.001Z

My big blonde boy is celebrating his birthday today.

Happy Birthday Anders

Explaining back pain.....

2011-11-28T13:54:00.002Z

I don't often get back pain, but my goodness, this weekend I had the Mother of all backaches!

All of Friday and Saturday my back felt like this photograph, don't think I need to say any more. Thankfully however the storm passed (there was no way I was going to give up without a fight) and by Sunday calm was restored and I felt like this :-)

Photographs describe me far more than words ever can :-)

Thanksgiving....

2011-11-24T11:00:00.001Z

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK really, but I know it is one of the biggest holidays in the US. I do think we can all take a little time however to stop and be thankful, so why not indeed make that today!

In primary school in the UK you are taught about Thanksgiving (along with Guy Fawkes) and it usually culminates in an assembly in the school hall with the kids having spent most of November thinking about what Autumn and harvest means. During this assembly the younger kids do a presentation to the school and the everyday household goods (like loo roll, shampoo, tins of food) which have been collected during this period are then all bundled into little packages and distributed to those in need. Other than that, here it is just another day.

I remember a s a child loving the month of November because of bonfires, fireworks in celebration of Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament which never came off. I loved the autumnal colours, and yes somehow being thankful because of being taught about what Thanksgiving was about in Brownies, Guides and of course primary school.

Having been at a workshop recently with Kofi Annan leading it, I cannot help but reflect and feel grateful for the life I have. I cannot help but feel grateful to know that my Mum survived WW2 as the only living survivor in her family, if she had not, I would not be writing this today. Having had major back surgery to correct my curved spine as a child, I cannot help but feel grateful that I live in a country that provided me and every one of its citizens with free healthcare. Had these events and circumstances (of course in addition to many other things) not have happened, I would not have met my husband which resulted in me having my wonderful son. I will never stop being thankful for those things.

I know that the UN tries it's best to help those who need help who don't have a voice and I am thankful that these organisations exist to be a moral compass to other nations around the world. I am also really grateful that someone dropped out and resulted in my having been invited to attend the workshop and black tie dinner afterwards.

I cannot help but feel that in times of hardship and sorrow we all can feel that there is no end in sight or that we are alone in our pain/struggle. I therefore really hope that everyone who is experiencing tragedy right now, no matter, how big or how small can overcome it with or without a bit of help.

Relax baby be cool....

2011-11-23T11:01:00.001Z

I wish I could be as cool as this video or indeed have the figure of the girl on the label of this bottle of red wine Anders and I shared recently! I loved both of these, they are visually fantastic with straightforward wording - perfect!

Feeling very glamourous in a Pink dress.....

2011-11-22T10:30:00.010Z

I was at a black tie function on Friday night, which I got invited to the day before and I decided to wear a vintage 1960's evening coat as an evening dress that I have had sitting in my wardrobe desperate to get out again as I have not been to any seriously dressing up occasions since my brother-in-law's wedding. As I was getting changed, I bumped into my dear old friend Marilyn who I had not seen for at least 15 years, she recognised my voice and came out saying "that's not my friend Joanna is it"? If only I could dress up more often, like they do on the red carpet as I LOVE dressing up. That said I didn't expect to bump into my friend in this way, or get quite the reaction I got, which made me unbelievably happy, so much so I am still smiling about it when I think back to Friday night.

The big shock of the night for me was my outfit being described as very glamorous and I was told it reminded people of Marilyn and Madonna - "well knock me off my feet"! I had bumped into my friend Marilyn, which already was a lovely surprise but it had never even crossed my mind of then going on to have my outfit compared to that of "The Marilyn" - "Zowieeee" (yep, to quote from Some Like it Hot). It is not the same dress apart from being perhaps the same in colour, and I am no Marilyn or Madonna (if only I was). So, you can therefore only imagine how happy it made me as I remember growing up wishing I could be as beautiful as Marilyn, and in the 80's wishing I could look like Madonna in her "Burning Up" video. Needless to say, I was never ever compared to these two ladies, although my sister did (I was so jealous of that, and she did look a bit like Marilyn, but I most definitely didn't and don't). I did however get told that my real Dad (who left home when I was a baby and only saw me via photographs) apparently thought I looked like a young Bette Davis, well that was nice but she was not the glamorous Marilyn, she was and is a great serious Hollywood actress!

In the 1980's I got compared to Pepsi who was a backing singer in Wham, and Patsy Kensit (from Absolute Beginners, Lethal Weapon) during the 1980's - I laugh as I never saw the resemblance to them at all, Madonna was the style icon back then. More recently I have been stopped and asked if I am Kirsty Young (who I apparently also sound very like)! But Marilyn, or Madonna, "never in yer puff" (I love that expression said in a broad Scottish accent), did I think I might remind anyone of them (especially Marilyn), absolutely not and I never thought I would ever in my life.

So I love that dress even more than I did before!!! I now want to wear it again, and again, and again - so all last minute black tie invitations considered.... before I become Bette Davis in "Whatever happened to Baby Jane"? - LOL!!!

Master class...

2011-11-18T12:03:00.003Z

I got a last minute invitation to attend a private and closed Q & A master-class session with Kofi Annan! It's today and I am looking forward to it and the black tie event afterwards. I am sure me and Kofi will "set the world to rights" (for those who have a sarcasm deficiency, that was me being sarcastic in my last sentence.)

Dexter's report card.....

2011-11-15T09:25:00.001Z

Dexter brought home his report card, which as always was really positive, yay. This time however he also got to bring home his learning journal, and within that, there was a section on relationships! When I came across it, it made me and Anders so happy - this is what I read:

Top 5 and in order!!!!

Mum - She makes me feel like the luckiest boy in the world and I make her feel like the luckiest parent in the world. I love to go on walks around Arthur Seat with her.

Dad - He makes me feel amazing!!! So safe and lucky and I make him feel like the luckiest parent in the world. I love playing football in the Hermitage with him.

NB: Mum and Dad both got smiley faces next to their names and also arrows to show what he had written about me he meant to be said for his Dad too and vice versa - he is ever the diplomat!!!

Marvin and Carly - They make me feel so so happy. I love them very much. I make them feel amazingly happy too. I love giving them hugs.

Auntie Dee Dee - She makes me feel so happy and I make her feel so lucky, like a princess. I love hearing stories from her! Ha, ha, ha! (she does write great funny stories for him, as she did for me too when I was wee, and I know when she reads this she is going to be so happy too)

Dexter is just the best, just being in his company, let alone being his Mum makes me the happiest person in the world.

I got quite a shock.....

2011-11-14T12:24:00.002Z

....seeing Mr Blobby running past Karen's Unicorn.

Just as well I always have at least one camera on me at all times!

11.11.11

2011-11-11T11:00:00.001Z

The 11th day of the 11th month in 2011 at 11am

2 minute silence to remember the blood that was shed.

Flu Jabs....

2011-11-10T11:39:00.002Z

It is that time of year again, time to get your flu jabs!

Gold coins falling ......

2011-11-09T11:06:00.001Z

As the last of the leaves begin to fall, I think the ones that remain look like coins dangling off trees as though to remind me of how close Christmas actually is! I think this year therefore I might dangle chocolate coins off the Christmas Tree this year, somehow gold coins remind me of Rome too!

I'm in love with a Roman Bird

2011-11-08T11:11:00.002Z

You have no idea how happy this Seagull made me, and having just started to develop some of the pictures I took of it just makes me happy all over again.

It stayed long enough for me to get lots of pictures from 3 different cameras,

I was/am so happy :-)

Lana Del Rey concert, fireworks....

2011-11-07T10:57:00.000Z

Guy Fawkes on Saturday 5th of November is something we celebrate in the UK by setting off fireworks. This weekend it fell on the same day we were going to see Lana Del Rey play in Glasgow so we got to see them light up the sky as Anders drove us over on the motorway.

It was very pretty seeing the sky light up, and even bonfires on housing estates that you can see from the Motorway as you approach Glasgow.

Both the support act, Seye Adelekan and the main act, Lana Del Rey were fantastic, it was a really great concert.

one to be remembered....

Photographs that fit prompts.....

2011-11-06T08:33:00.001Z

This week, the prompts for Scavenger Hunt which were food, purple, in disguise, shapes and photographer's choice, so here are my interpretations. Above covers food as well as in disguise - the Halloween pumpkin shaped dough balls were yummy and as for the subject in it, well it isn't Dexter, Andrew or me and I will keep that a mystery because they are, yes in disguise!

Purple, well it happens to be the colour of royalty, and these next two photographs are of the Royal courts inside a Palace in Fife! I thought they were really interesting and can you believe that you can actually play on them too. We are going to book them next year for a game, quite a thought that when we do play we will be playing on courts that were used by Mary Queen of Scots.

I seem to see shapes/patterns and images that excite me everywhere.

So, as for photographer's choice, well that is a really hard one for me. I take pictures because I like what I am seeing, and with luck on my side they will come out the way that excited me to push the button. I get such a thrill out of capturing those images.

So, the above image captures in a way the crowded confusion of being at the Vatican. The place is so busy and full of people who are there for so many reasons, some just visiting and some because they are making a living from it (and I also mean within that the huge volumes of tour/opportunist scouts).

Of course, for many it will be their source of religion and gaining a closeness, forgiveness or blessing, but it is also a place full of history, art, beauty and controversy which too attracts people. For me, I was just so overwhelmed with images and mixed emotions. I didn't go there or in fact to Rome with any pre conceived expectations. That said, I went away loving Rome but also with the feeling that the Vatican was a vast concentration of "stuff" because there is just so much going on there. Surprisingly though, for me it wasn't the place of peace and solace I imagined feeling from a place of worship, and something that I have felt in other places, but that said, I do remember it really fondly for many reasons. It is a extremely ornate palace with no allowances for comfort but grandeur. The effect in it's day on out of towners would be the equivalent of us today walking into a building that reached to the edge of space and covered half a continent!

Smile.....

2011-11-05T07:43:00.000Z

.....and the world will smile back.

I love how light and shadow dance with one another.

Romeo Rome.....

2011-11-04T12:05:00.002Z

You know how to romance and make my head spin!

Rome is one big flirt and I clearly am a Floozy for it!

2011-11-03T09:30:00.001Z

Rome is a conquest that wants to get into your imagination, interest and heart.

It was for me a city full of images that I was stunned to see so obviously flirting with me, and I loved it!

Guess Rome clearly could see I am a Floosy when it comes to taking pictures! Yeah, the way I see it, why commit to one special picture, when I can have them all!!!

The birds and the bees.....

2011-11-02T09:24:00.001Z

Much to my surprise, this time has come around when the school is about to start teaching all about this to my Dexter and his class - the much anticipated question of how to make the flowers and the trees!

The school had a special meeting last night for Dexter's class's parents, I think mainly to get their heads around the concept that the children are growing up! We were shown the materials that they would be using (class work/videos), and actually when they explained how they were going to introduce it to them it actually was really well thought out.

As they put it, when you see the covers of some magazines, and generally music videos etc, it actually made sense for them to discuss it in a scientific sense so as to inform them and give them confidence to make decisions about their own bodies, and indeed their actions by educating them on how boys an girls grow up and what it means to become an adult.

I know I want my boy to be respectful of women and men and be confident, secure and accountable for the choices he makes. Knowing that this is being discussed at school (albeit it is over the next 3 years at school), I understand it will throw up topics of conversation that he may chose to ask Anders and I about which had this not been discussed might have come as a shock. I am glad this is happening, because growing up is difficult for both boys and girls and they need to be confident in their choices made.

Dexter will know therefore he didn't just magically grow inside me from eating specially baked and heavenly tasting cupcakes!

Welcoming Winter .....

2011-11-01T11:38:00.007Z

Halloween here seems to be celebrated with what seems to be becoming a tradition - a parade for Andrew, Dexter and I. Watching and welcoming in winter with a Halloween pagan style parade. This is in addition to the usual dressing up and for the first time Dexter going to a "trick or treating party" with who I think might be his "girlfriend" (he says she is a friend and a girl which is true!). She is really lovely (Anders and I approve as she is really sweet and nice) :-). October feels like the month that kicks off the season of so many festivals during Autumn and Winter, and maybe for Dexter too, his first love (awwww that is so sweet).

The colours of autumn and winter are warm and everything sparkles, almost jewel like....

and I get a definite feeling like Christmas is coming very very fast ......

..... and then I get a jolt and start to think about the months that have gone! This has been quite a year.....

with my stepfather dying......

having to face up to emotions during and after the event to then move on.

That said, it has also been full of great things, when I think about my journey with regards to my photography this too has been a huge year.

I threw myself into a the world of photography....

...and have met some amazing people all as a result of having started this blog, I mean who would have thought it, not me that's for sure.

So here's to the last two months of 2011 and to the future, who knows what is in store for us all, but lets hope there are some really good things out there for us all. I like to think there will be lots of joyous things in store, and I have my two boys to share them with :-)

Halloween and Mummified Popes in the Vatican....

2011-10-31T11:38:00.004Z

I have a lot of photographs to still go through on this vacation to Rome as I took over 1000 and finding the time to do this, and do my day job in addition to all the domestic chores takes time! That said, since returning I had one very big priority, making Dexter his Halloween outfit.

I know, Halloween and Popes are not the first thing that spring to mind, but I do have a hard time getting my head around mummifying a Pope and leaving him on display forever in a triple sealed glass case like Sleeping Beauty (above photo).

Some of the mummified Popes have their faces covered/encased in silver, and Pope John XXIII (above image) who is on display exactly as he died. Apparently this is down to amazing embalming and no air getting into the triple sealed coffin so he will be perfectly preserved like this forever! It is as a result of this (and seeing that you could actually buy Papal outfits in the shops around Rome) that Dexter asked if he could dress up as a late Pope for Halloween!

I am sure there will be people who read this and will think going as a late Pope is blasphemy, but that is not my or his intention. It was really shocking to Dexter, Andrew and I seeing Mummified Popes. Having their tombs on display is one thing and something I do not find odd but looking in on their mummified corpse was unsettling. I mean, no matter how good the late Pope may have been (and the above one was really highly regarded) if this were any other person, people would find it scary, like the Egyptians and their Pharaohs and hence why people dress up as Mummies for Halloween.

Having said this, one of the most notorious Popes, Pope Alexander VI (or the Borgia Pope as he is most commonly known was in fact the most infamous and controversial of Renaissance Popes). He was legendary for not being thought of as a "good" Pope albeit he did amass huge wealth for the Vatican. So Dexter for his Halloween party got dressed up as the Borgia Pope, Pope Alexander VI and won 1st prize!!!! Ironically, when he walked into the room the kids chanted "long live the Pope" over and over again and attempted to lift him up to carry him through the room, wonder if this helped get him top prize?!

I never thought this would even have been considered, both him going as a Pope or indeed winning the prize, his teachers were impressed that he had learned so much from his trip to Rome and been so inspired! Had we not seen the Mummified Popes in the Vatican or seen that you could just buy these outfits (we didn't buy one as they are very expensive, ours was home made) then this would never have crossed our minds!

Gustav Klimt and Vatican inspired image....

2011-10-29T13:55:00.003+01:00

The corridors of the Vatican are so grand and so long they left all of us speechless. Never in all our lives have we seen such lavishly decorated corridors which just go on and on and on, literally. The Sistine Chapel is renowned for its splendour (rightly so even though when you get there you feel like a sardine in a tin), but the truth of it is, the whole place is like that and full of more treasure than I think Ali Baba could have dreamt of seeing under one roof! The irony being that for all that is on display, there is at least double that stored in places you don't get to see - mind blowing!

Anyway, as Anders, Dexter and I walked alone one of these "never ending corridors" my jaw was on the floor with the optical illusion of it all and when I squinted my eyes, it reminded me of Gustav Klimt paintings so that is how I decided to try to capture it, hence the picture above!

The Pantheon....

2011-10-28T09:39:00.004+01:00

This is my most favourite building in Rome, I felt like I had stepped into a modern day Renaissance scene as I approached it. To me, it is incredibly romantic in its setting and it took my breath away, something I think falling in love should do! I am so captivated by this building.

The Pantheon

Bubbles, memories, images....

2011-10-27T10:25:00.001+01:00

Each picture I seem to be developing from our short break in Rome reminds me of how wonderful a time Anders, Dexter and I had there. Looking at these pictures of bubbles, I just think that memories and bubbles have a commonality, thank goodness for photographs to make sure they are remembered.

When in Rome......

2011-10-26T11:31:00.003+01:00

....... you ride on a Segway of course.... and look Stupido!

They are 100% not flattering or cool, but they are good for a laugh!

Roman Holiday......

2011-10-25T11:49:00.004+01:00

I have just had the best time in Rome, I loved it so much and so did Anders and Dexter. Here is just a snapshot of what made Rome, well just that, Rome!

This is just a tiny snapshot of what made this holiday so magical. I love Rome so much and my head, quite literally span around and around as I walked around the place. It is just a full on big city, just when you think you are going somewhere quiet, for say, a coffee, where you can relax and let what you have just seen sink in you are machine gunned down with more images screaming "take me, no take me, no me" - how could I refuse!!!

Haunted by

2011-10-21T03:55:00.004+01:00

Double digit birthday....

2011-10-18T11:15:00.001+01:00

the colour yellow, like sunshine makes me feel warm

as does my thinking of your big eyes sparkling like stars out at night.

Stars, I sigh as I think of their points outstretched wide, as if to remind

me of your outstretched arms beckoning to pick up, cradle and envelope you inside

Tomorrow I will have 10 years full of wonderful memories with you

including remembering how my face contorted as I pushed you away to then pull you close and see your first awkward smile.

I am so proud and so happy to share you.

Happy Birthday Dexter

the first of what I hope will be endlessly happy double digit birthdays and years.

Choo, choosing prints, sequencing, processing, lenses.....

2011-10-17T14:38:00.002+01:00

...and to me there seemed a similarity between the postal service and photographs with the internet and digital technology replacing the amount of personal letters sent and the amount of photographs printed for personal use. What was also interesting for me to consider was the reason people no longer felt the need to print images out.

When people first started to take photographs, it was something really expensive and highly artistic/technical. It was a serious business taking images or having your photograph taken and each image was lovingly kept, framed and noted. Likewise, writing was for the educated, and receiving a letter was something that took time to compose in order to give weight to what message was being sent. In some ways I think that image taking and letter writing were very similar in that they had artistic and factual merits.

So seeing this mail carriage with it's mainly empty pigeon holes which used to transport mail via rail, made me feel the similarity between letters and developed photographs. They both require thought in what message is being sent, you can see the personality of the author behind them and they both require selection when choosing what equipment is needed in addition to the paper and ink/print processing that should be used, something the internet does not require in the same way.

Seeing it also reminded me why I love taking pictures and contemplating the empty pigeon holes also made me think about sequencing, print quality and the reasons behind each and ever click of my shutter regardless of whether I take them using film or digitally.

Still have a lot to learn though.....

Hill and Adamson

2011-10-14T16:22:00.000+01:00

This is a bust of David Octavius Hill which sits in the entrance hall of the Edinburgh Photographic Society which was founded in the 1850's and officially instituted in 1861. Hill (a Scottish Painter and Arts Activist) together with Robert Adamson (Engineer), pioneered many aspects of photography.

I have just joined this society as it is on my doorstep and has darkroom and studio facilities that I can now use as part of my membership. I rather like the fact that Hill is there to say hello to me when I come into the building and say farewell when I leave :-)

Inspired by Dexter's art class....

2011-10-12T16:53:00.000+01:00

Dexter goes to Art on a Monday after school and this week it was my turn to take him and his classmates there. The lesson on Monday was drawing still life.

I was so impressed at how diligently Dexter sat and drew the vase of flowers .......

....which I photographed above.......

.......to then put his own spin on the flowers which are called "birds of paradise" by making them have extending tentacles ......

...... which snared a passing bird. Genius, I love how he came up with the interpretation of how birds of paradise become flowers!!!

A Sunday to remember.....

2011-10-11T12:17:00.005+01:00

Sunday was just great this week. Woke up, showered and changed and remembered that the Sunday market (which is just round the corner from where I live) was open, selling not only the most deliciously tasty freshly baked breads but also cheese, fruits, fish (including freshly prepared sushi) and meats. Key to making this market fantastic is it has my favourite, Artisan roast coffee. It is made by the Artisan coffee people themselves in their coffee loving mobile sharabang of a caravan so on Sunday I felt like I had died and gone to a French heaven!

It was a beautiful fresh and crisp Sunday, sun shining and leaves all glistening like jewels of amber, smoky quartz and jade. I wandered round the market feeling like I was on holiday in France, waiting for the coffee machine to be warmed up to the temperature required to make the mouthwatering coffee nectar and I was so happy, this was going to be a better Sunday and that is a tough one as our weekends are generally always fun (touch wood).

Seeing the produce, my mind started making up menus (as if I were a contestant on Hell's Kitchen) making my mouth water all the more in contemplation of deciding what I was going to buy for dinner that evening from the array of yummy produce.

Then there was the music stall (they have craft, jewellery, perfume stalls too) and there I found a cd and LP of Françoise Hardy in addition to a cd of Julie London which I bought and I sung away to at the top of my voice when listening to them later that day!

I love my neighbourhood, and this was just the start of my fantastic Sunday, and just think, I can do this every Sunday, do you think I am excited!!!

Happy things I am thinking about before I wake up....

2011-10-09T09:15:00.003+01:00

A fantastic chocolate and orange muffin....

Cheese that is so ripe it is bulging....

finding things and scenes that make me happy is easy because they are everywhere.....

Even in seemingly blank spaces

Maybe because I have to look no further than the most beautiful creation in the world to me, my son....

......walking hand in hand with his handsome Dad, awwwww

I haven't done prompts for a while, so as I was thinking happy thoughts before I get up, I looked over at Ashley's site and saw her scavenger prompts which fitted with what I was thinking about! Now to get up, shower, go out for breakfast and go exploring. Hope you all have a nice Sunday too.
Scavenger prompts were Landscape, Complimentary Color, Food, Black and White, and Blank Space

Night shadows.

2011-10-07T11:39:00.000+01:00

I love the month of October, and not just because my lovely Dexter happens to have been born in this month! I love the fact that the autumn light is low and bright and although it is cold, there is a definite feeling of warmth through colours, hot drinks (like one of my favourites which I first had in NY in the Cupping Room which was hot cider with cinnamon), hearty earthy foods and the wearing of warmer clothes! Long dark days will soon become the norm, and that means looking for light in less obvious places.

Portrait of a building....

2011-10-06T13:07:00.001+01:00

If buildings could talk, I wonder what they would say and I wonder if they take in everything that they have seen and heard going on both inside and out and what imprint that may have left on them.

Taking pictures of them to me is like taking portraits of people and as with portraits of people, do we see them as they really are, or would like to be?

This is another building that is owned now by the National Trust and it is a fine building, but is definitely one to me spoke of definite sadness despite having such a grand exterior.

Playing with light and shadow

2011-10-05T15:28:00.002+01:00

I have been thinking about Dali, surrealism and Rembrandt. This inspired me to come up with a series which for me feels rather risque but I also know I have to push myself. As Dali put it "Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision ", who am I to argue with his genius? So I am releasing shackles

The perception of reality is all in the mind.

In order to be irreplaceable.....

2011-10-05T10:18:00.005+01:00

one must always be different!

Coco Chanel

I love watching "this is Jinsy" on the telly, and this song sketch I cannot get out of my head since I saw it, it is fantastic.

Dexter got a surprise....

2011-10-04T11:53:00.002+01:00

My lovely Dexter got a surprise when I told him that one one of my Facebook Friends had really kindly managed to get Xavi Hernandes who plays for the famous Barcelona football club to sign a photograph for him with a personal message. The photograph is flying over from Spain as I write, but he put up the photo so I could show it on my Facebook page and this was the thank you video he sent to Gustaff in return.

I will fully admit that I am a completely bias Mummy in saying I think my son has the most beautiful sparkly eyes, and has a face so stunningly perfect it makes my heart want to burst out of my chest. How Anders and I managed to give birth to such a perfect little person like him is a question that I will never know the answer to, all I know is we did and that is something that makes us happy every single second of every day.

Seeing his face and hearing him happy makes me happy :-)

Whispering thoughts seem louder at night.

2011-10-03T03:27:00.000+01:00

When things are perfectly quiet, and you are sound asleep,

whispering thoughts get heard and wake you up!

Nearly October....

2011-09-30T09:39:00.001+01:00

.... and look what I came across in the supermarket which made me so happy as it has totally put me in the mood for jokes and Halloween! Enjoy....

I so want to buy this Halloween Butler!

These hands, they are fantastic too!

Bye, bye baby....

2011-09-29T10:12:00.002+01:00

Anders and I have been doing a clear out, one that I have put off doing for 8 or so years!

I finally parted with Dexter's old ultra travel system which I used every single day for the first 2 years of his life. It was fantastic. It was the system that took him home from the hospital, all snuggled up and dressed as a pumpkin (oh yes, October was a month right up until he was nearly 4 that he walked around dressed up in cute costumes). This was the system that I used to take him everywhere in and it was comfy and safe.

I showed Dexter it sitting in the window of the Charity shop I donated it to, and told him why it had been so hard to part with because we had had so many lovely memories attached to it and had kept it in case we ever had had a brother or sister for him. He smiled and gave me a squeeze. Enjoying this moment, I then quickly said "I have to take a photo of it looking all fine in the window" as I realised that I can remember all of this by photographing it so whilst I will no longer have the pram, I have a photograph of it with Dexter and Carly reflected in the window.

24 hrs later, the system was sold as it was no longer in the window and I smiled both with sadness at it having gone for good and in hope as we look forward to our future. I hope that whoever has bought it has as wonderful memories as we do when they look back on their time using it and I am glad that I have such precious memories to hold onto as well as anticipation of what the future holds for my lovely wee family.

Let me put on a show for you.....

2011-09-28T14:21:00.000+01:00

Yep, I've got tickets to see Lana Del Rey, can't wait!

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter.......

2011-09-27T09:50:00.001+01:00

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!

Stepping back in time....

2011-09-26T11:51:00.004+01:00

This weekend seems to have been a little bit of a step back in time for us as we visited a lot of historical buildings because it was Doors Open weekend which means that a number of public and private buildings are open to the public that otherwise might not be for people to wander around and explore.

The building we were really excited to go and visit was in the University of Edinburgh itself, the Anatomical Theatre which not only has the original lecture theatre (Edinburgh boasts the oldest medical teaching facilities in the world) but also is a museum to the skeleton and preserved remains of Burke together with his life and death mask as well as the life mask of Hare (Hare, supposedly the worse of the two escaped the hangman's noose because he gave King's evidence). Burke and Hare were the notorious grave robbers/murderers of the early 1800's and Burke was condemned to death on Christmas Day 1828 and was hung on January 29th 1829 and his body given to medicine for disection at the school of medicine)! What a great place to get this history lesson, sitting in the lecture theatre that would have done autopsies on corpses, with Dexter and Anders and listening to the history of the place which included Burke & Hare.

If you are wondering why they did life and death masks, in those days they did not use photography, so they would cast a mask of a living criminal for identification purposes, and then if they were sentenced to death, then once dead, they would have a death mask made to confirm they were in fact executed.

Inside the museum there is also a cadaver of an adult male from the 1700's, in addition to skeletal remains of animals and humans which were considered to be of medical interest, (which they most definitely are) and into what life must have been like for those who were alive back then.

Going to Culross (pronounced Kooruss) therefore (which is a beautiful village which sits on the banks of the Forth in Fife which has buildings there that date back to the 1500's) just added to the whole weekend. It seems to have been magically preserved a bit like Brigadoon in the era of between the 1700's and 1800's as this is when most of the building seem to have been built! Whilst it was not the scene of the notorious Burke and Hare, the place has a definite feeling of being back in that period of time.

The Palace there was just that until fashions changed and bigger and more grand residence was what was expected of nobility and gentry. It is now preserved as one of the National Trust properties, and is operated as a museum which gives accounts of life and superstitions of the time. In particular witchcraft seems to have been quite the fear which resulted in the hunting of witches, but what surprised me was that the last person to be convicted of witchcraft in Britain was Helen Duncan in 1944 (http://www.helenduncan.org.uk/ tells the true story of a Scottish housewife who found herself in the centre of a WWII legal battle which ended with her brutal conviction of a 'crime' under Britain's ancient Witchcraft Act and jailed for nine months simply for falling asleep on request.)! The irony is, reading about all of this walking round the palace put me in a mood for Halloween!!!

The beauty of Culross is just that, going to visit a place that makes you feel like you have stepped back in time. The Palace has a stunning garden to the rear which is on a hill complete with orchard (with chickens), herb and flower beds. When you are looking down at the house from the garden, you also get to see right across the Forth.

Because it is kept exactly as it would have been had this still been a home, it produces a lot of organic fruits and vegetables. It turns out that National Trust sell the produce grown in the grounds and we came home with bags of carrots, potatoes, beetroot, apples, tomatoes and even a very large pumpkin!

So glad that I didn't live back then though, but the beauty of this place along with the great wee cafe along the road called The Biscuit, definitely means we will be back!

Ahhhh, Sindy....

2011-09-22T07:17:00.003+01:00

This is the doll that I so coveted when I was growing up, and as I saw her I thought "ahhh, Sindy" you inspired me so much! Back then I thought she was the most beautiful, stylish iconic figure, and I remember wanting to have her lifestyle - the clothes, the house, the car, the caravan, blah, blah, blah. I of course also remember that I didn't want her boyfriend because I didn't think he was nearly as cool and actually rather pointless, and now that I think about it, who was he? Clearly he was not up to scratch as even an accessory!!!

Anyway, when I saw these dolls at the weekend in a display case at the Transport Museum in Glasgow (really cool building which was designed by an architect called Zaha Hadid who Anders and I really like), I just smiled - on a few counts:

I wondered if ballerina Sindy had been in some sort of a transport accident as she appears to have a broken leg!
I appear to be old enough now to have the toys of my "days of yorn" in a museum -- ha, ha, ha!
Wonder if Anders had been the Ken equivalent what he would have looked like (LOL, he will so roll his eyes when he reads this (and my sister will, LOL and then just imagine that and the things that he would have had to endure like Buzz Lightyear when he became Mrs Nesbit!!!!!))
Think, ahhh Sindy, you have been replaced as my favourite toy, not by a Barbie though, but by my cameras ;-)

Oath and loyalty

2011-09-21T04:40:00.000+01:00

Anika at Acolab set the challenge to come up with something to go along with the words "seeing red".
Even without the colour you know you are seeing red, promises are meant to be kept.

In search of the elusive X

2011-09-20T05:47:00.001+01:00

I have been watching the X-Factor auditions! So what is that elusive X the judges are so wanting to find which is in addition to having a great voice? As individuals we all know it when we see it because it has a magnetic quality that you just cannot get out of your head, and going beyond the search of the "voice" it has "style", "flair", "pazazz", "je ne sais quoi" it is the magnetic genius of attraction.

It's more than just a catchy or annoying tune, it satiates, it haunts, moves and transcends into making other people want to promote and covet it because through association they too will become like it and attain positive reinforcement that they too are "special"? The X is not purely about the voice/music, the X is something way way more than just having a good, great, amazing voice.....

Funny how it makes this girl think and I don't know whether to laugh or cry just thinking about it!!!

Blue.....

2011-09-15T10:46:00.000+01:00

I did say that there was nothing black and white about the weather yesterday, and today it is blue skies all the way!!! It is crisp outside, but not one cloud in the sky with the sun shining, just a beautiful autumn day loving it :-)

Nothing black and white about the times of the seasons....

2011-09-14T12:50:00.000+01:00

It is definitely getting a lot colder here and the last few days we have had quite the winds blowing from across the Atlantic bringing the temperatures right down, not that they were particularly high to begin with!!! As I walked Marvin and Carly yesterday, I was just thinking that actually we really have not really had much of a summer at all and so whilst the leaves are rapidly turning autumnal shades, I somehow get the feeling that winter is going to be upon us much quicker than expected as the leaves get blown away with the winds.

Time to start thinking about warm socks, boots and layers I think!!!

Inspiration....

2011-09-13T13:26:00.001+01:00

..... is something even better when shared.

On Friday, I collected my Mamiya Press camera which is from the early 60's and came complete with lots of interchangeable parts and a bakelite handle. I love it, and so does Anders and Dexter. It did make me laugh when Dexter saw it because he enthusiastically exclaimed "Mum, that is such a cool camera can I have it"? That's my boy......

Masai Warriors....

2011-09-08T16:04:00.004+01:00

This beautiful lady is part of the Masai Warrior tribe. We saw them on Sunday perform at the MELA event which is held annually. Anders and I took Dexter there with his best friend Ben and during the Masai Warrior's show, Ben got asked to go on stage to see if he could jump as high as they did, poor wee scone, he looked terrified when he saw how high they could jump!

When it came to be his turn to jump though, he just went for it, and felt so proud of himself afterwards as the whole crowd cheered him on.

The guy in this video who was on stage with Ben (he chose Ben to join him out of the crowd) is known as Movie Star by his tribe now because he was used in the following American Express advert.

after 20 years of marriage....

2011-09-07T10:45:00.001+01:00

I am still madly in love with my Anders.

20's plenty.....

2011-09-06T10:25:00.002+01:00

Two decades ago tomorrow, Anders and I got married, hard to believe, but there we have it. When I said this to him the other day, he replied in a schoolboy laugh "twenty's plenty"!

Lucky for him I just let this wash over me and laugh too, indeed 20's plenty!

52 weeks of happiness, feels a lot, lot longer ;-)

I think I have found 3 new species......

2011-09-05T09:47:00.000+01:00

.....and they are all stunningly beautiful to me :-)

This is not a road block......

2011-09-02T10:33:00.001+01:00

....it is a whole stockpile of ideas which I seem to be collecting!

I have been writing concepts down nearly every day now for the last few months which seem to come most clearly when when I am sleeping. They wake me up like a car slamming on it's emergency breaks forces a car to stop, and I know, I have to get whatever the thought is onto paper, or, I will definitely forget it. I know, because in the past this is exactly what has happened to the thoughts. They have ended up driving away into the night leaving me me with nothing except exhaust fumes from trying to remember the next morning!

So now I have a heaped assortment of inanimate ideas written down in a fancy green book waiting to come to life. I just hope that what they become is not perceived as some Frankenstein's monster that result in villagers having pitchforks at the ready to chase me out of town for being crazy, which I am, at times, aren't we all!!!

Small steps and giant leaps!

2011-09-01T14:49:00.002+01:00

I have been following a track, I am not sure where it will go, but I do know I enjoy doing it. I am talking about my photography, and my site can be found here.

www.joannablackphotography.com

Focus on the positives.....

2011-08-30T11:36:00.004+01:00

Well it is the end of August, and that meant that the last Monday in the month was a bank holiday for us here in the UK! A long weekend for Anders, Dexter and I consisted of going to see some great photographs at the World Press 2011 Photography Exhibition, going to see Planet of the Apes, going to the Book Festival and buying some great books which have already given me inspiration and exploring Eyemouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

It was also the weekend which held Portobello's Buskers on the Beach, an annual event which we only stumbled upon last year and when I saw it was this weekend I couldn't help but think "wow, is that another year already"! I have thought this a few times this year as I have been writing this blog, as I am aware that some things, like seasons mark passing of time, and then there are other events which are new and unexpected both for good reasons and then also, not so good!

I like to see life as a lovely cup of tea, warm, comforting, sweet and always ready to be topped up just when you need it to give you that much needed feel good factor! A cup of tea and a blether (Scottish word for chat) is sometimes just the thing needed to put everything into perspective so as to give you a much needed pause in which and contemplate and then make a decisive, hopefully positive action!

This was one of the fantastic images (by Thomas P Peschak) I got to see at the World Press 2011 photography exhibition, in addition to hearing some fantastic presentations from the actual photographers themselves.

This weekend was one which allowed me to see lots of great things which I shared with my two loved ones, and that is something I never underestimate or take for granted!

No more Irene.....

2011-08-28T19:10:00.000+01:00

I am just so glad to read that Hurricane Irene turned out to not cause the damage and destruction that was feared in NY. It's a great city that is home to family and friends and a city that we love very much.

From another dimension....

2011-08-26T10:08:00.001+01:00

From another dimension came a butler, riding, a big cat,
yet, what most people found strange, was where he was sat!
He smoothly rode past, whilst his cat looked ahead,
"Good morning, excuse me" was all that was said.
Where he had come from, or where he then went,
questions I can't answer, including why was he sent!

Good things come to those that wait, patiently.....

2011-08-25T10:24:00.006+01:00

Circumstances, events, collide on precise cue, forming a perfect eclipse,
When impatience is what at my heels continuously nips.
Virtuous patience, creates loves greatest sonnet.
Whilst it's a fire in the disco that has ignited what is under my bonnet.

"All in good time", what for, whisky or life's greatest dance?
My dutiful eyes see what my flighty mind tells them to, in their artistic romance,
teasing, enticing with such extremes, dreams and desires,
whisking me round like ice in a glass, until melting, exhausted and shining with perspire!

"I know", I know, that timing needs to be perfect, so I practice and practice,
realising perfection is fleeting as timing is patient!

Two great books just arrived in the mail.....

2011-08-24T12:40:00.001+01:00

I bought two fine art photography books on Blurb the other week and I have been so looking forward to them arriving. Today that is just what happened, FedEX delivered them and they are just fantastic, even better than I imagined them to be. The above book is by Jessica Hines and is called My Brother's War. The images as so beautiful and haunting and the story behind it is very heartfelt and moving. I got goose pimples reading it and looking at the images, I can only imagine what the real images would do if I was lucky enough to see them in a gallery.

The other book is by Josephine Dvorken and is called A.Blessing. This is a charming book about Mr Alfred Blessing and it just makes me smile and feel blessed to have gotten to know him through Josephine. I want to meet Alfred, and I hope some of his blessings rub off on me just owning this book, it is delightful.

I heard about both of these artists on Elizabeth Avedon's blog, which is a must read if you are interested in Fine Art and Photography.

How do you say thank you without sounding sookie?

2011-08-23T13:11:00.005+01:00

I got an email from a very special person yesterday asking me about influencing and impact. This person I will not name, but they are someone who I have talked to Anders and Dexter about a lot about as they are someone who has made a huge impact on my life, long before I ever met them, to tell them they had, which, when I did, it came as a huge surprise to them!

How can you ever tell someone how much they mean to you without embarrassing them or making them feel awkward when what you are wanting to say is sincere and not sookie (sookie is a Scottish word someone who is really sucking up for something in an over the top way, and I can hear my sister laughing at this word as I type!)?

This person is someone who influenced me before they ever met me, which in itself is surreal but even more so because our paths crossed to meet in person. This is a person whose advice and guidance since meeting them has meant more than words can ever say. To have received any air time from them is such that it really does blow my mind because they have given critique and advice to hugely influential people who are talked about with such awe and hushed tones it just astonishes me that they have been kind enough to give me what is really valuable air time.

I cannot ever thank this person enough for seeing something in me. I just hope I live up to what it is they see in me as it is such a huge honour, words can never express how much their advice and influence has been and continues to be!

So how can you say to someone that them seeing something in you made you start to look at yourself in a different way? This is particularly true because they are someone so hugely influential that to even think that they saw something in me that was at all of interest was just well - wow! Not only have they made an effect on me, but they have now on Anders and Dexter too, and they have not met this person, but maybe one day they will :-)

So much going on in my head....

2011-08-22T12:13:00.001+01:00

My head is just buzzing, full of ideas because of the things that Anders, Dexter and I have seen this weekend (shows and exhibitions). To make sure I remember them, I now carry around with me a "field note book" in which to write down ideas and inspirations which pop into my head, especially the ones I wake up to! Now, I just need the time to turn them into reality, get them out of my head and into something notably tangible, that is where it gets difficult!

How to capture an intangible?

2011-08-21T08:20:00.000+01:00

Developing, trying to connect dotted lines,
in which to create interest, meaning or beauty.

Navigating, random thoughts which look for structure and form,
to assemble, like a collage,
only to burst into a kaleidoscope of ideas,
to be brushed, into something.

Symmetrical, still and contemplative beauty, a zen garden,
perfection, hanging on a thread,
of a fleeting moment, in an image, still and waiting, waiting to be captured.

Linking with Scavenger Hunt

How to get a clean new brain, ready to receive orders!

2011-08-19T10:04:00.000+01:00

Go and see Philip Glass and his orchestra perform the music to his film Naqoyqatsi.

That is what Dexter, Anders and I did on Monday evening, in addition to going out for a Chinese dinner beforehand to celebrate Dexter coming back from Cub Camp. All three of us were blown away by Naqoyqatsi (Philip Glass is the man third from the right in the photo). It felt like being in that scene in a film where the hero is brainwashed using millions of high speed images and we left feeling like we had 3 marvellously clean brains, awaiting new orders.....

Na-qoy-qatsi: (nah koy' kahtsee) N. From the Hopi Language. 1. A life of killing each other 2. War as a way of life. 3. (Interpreted) Civilized violence.

School started yesterday....

2011-08-18T10:27:00.000+01:00

Dexter went back to school yesterday for the start of a new year. I for one cannot believe how quickly this year has been passing.