Working together

Learning how to live "with" the child, rather than working out how to leave them with someone else so I can do all my very busy and important things....

Fun At The Aquarium

Its been all things in alignment here in messyfish land. Little messyfish has been fascinated with sea creatures since our trip to Airlie beach and Australia's Great barrier Reef. He loves the tv show The Octonoughts, Pirates Lego, and many of his fantasy play scenarios involve a baby octopus, a sea anename and sea horses. He absolute favourite book is Hooray For Fish by Lucy Cousins...and...he also adores the fish pants I made him from fish material he choose himself! If I wasnt packing for our epic trip to Asia...I would needle felt him a sea creature mobile for his room! perhaps Ill do that when I get back?

Your children are not your children

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

– Khalil Gibran, from The Prophet

Water Colour Palette for OS

Preparing my palette for OS travel. Topping up the colours, then I'll let them dry. I use tube water colours. Australian made Artist Spectrum. Then I squeeze some into my plastic Japanese traveling palette. It closes over, so is perfect for travel. I also use japanese water colour brushes, that have an inbuilt water reservoir.

Testing again

Round the yard on a hot day. Growing strawberries for the birds... We never seem to get any!

Testing one two three

Maxy the dog

Testing for my impending trip

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the meaning of life? is the meaning you give it....

 Hello! Long time no blog. I have been in transformation. Less art for display, more of just doodling and connecting with my soul. Its been nice.... I love keeping a journal that is just for me, (and anyone who reads it when I am long gone....)

 But life is good. I have a husband who supports me to live my dreams. You know... Mr Messyfish!

 I had 22 penfriends around the world when I was a child. When I finally had the choice to study whatever I like, I choose Social Anthropology. The study of living culture. I focused on India and South East Asia. I thought I was going to be an anthropologist when I graduated from Uni, and I was going to live in the cultures. I was too unconscious however, and didnt realize that I could make decisions... For Me about my Own life. Instead I fell into a life of cooking. I love food and markets and cooking and celebrations around food too. So I was a chef for 20 years. (Really I was a blocked artist...and all this was one big distraction the kept me form being connected to my truth)

 We love out home. I have choosen to be a stay at home mum. I want to give my child time and experiences. I felt the best way to do this when he was young was not to have someone else care for him, while I go and earn money. I have had a career. I have nothing else I would rather do at this point in my life. We decided to spend less, so I didnt have to work. We found a tiny house in the country to rent. I make my own laundry powder and bread. We cook everything from scratch. I sew my own clothes, and rarely get a haircut. We use the library and the parks and anything else that is free. We also buy heaps of books and have a great internet connection and go on lots of family holidays together. Its our balance. What works for us. everyone is different. We all do things differently.

But....if I had to spend the rest of my life sipping lattes whilst watching my kid play at the park and in the shopping malls....I would have to stick a fork in my eye. I want to live in this big amazing world. I want to go everywhere and do everything!
 So Mr messyfish has a job...and so do I. His job has him turn up to a place everyday. My job...well....I dont have to actually be anywhere. I can be wherever  I like to do my job. I am a very fast reader. I love reading novels. But since little messyfish was born, I have not read a novel. I have read a Uni degree worth of early childhood theory. We have spun from Attachment parenting, Montessori and Steiner all the way back to Radical Unschooling. The only novel I have read was "Female Nomad". I read it in 3 days...which indicates a strong interest alright! So how do i live with other cultures and look after my child? I have no idea...but I am going to give it a little go.

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In VIETNAM !!!!!!!!!!!!
....We are booked, waiting for our 3 month multiple entry visas our "pop up" travel mosquito net to arrive in the mail, and we go next week!

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Its ok, I will most definately be recording this awesome trip with photoes.  Ill put a flickr link on my side bar near my other flickr accounts, and upload my pictures as I go. I am on facebook too, so email me for "friending". And I intent to skype mr messyfish and other close relations so we can stay intouch.

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Lots to do for little messyfish...lollies, fish, even the pavement will be interesting for him! Me? well...I am peaking with excitement. Full of fear and anxiety, because I am doing something I have always wanted to do but never "allowed" myself to do. All because I had thought systems that prevented me from being me. Art and travel...could life be any better? (probably and always). oh and the Pho......

What to draw and why...very blocked at the moment :-(

Toys or Tools or same same?

Some scenes from around our home yesterday and today. Didnt get a shot of the chefs knife being used to crush garlic, and the metal skewer being inserted into the crayon.... Nor the toilet rolls being cut with scissors, the maldive fish being pounded in the mortar and pestle, the yoyo being "shot put" round the yard and the inflated beach ball being stabbed with a mini screwdriver numerous times whilst sitting on it....its getting a little hairy round here! least the toys are cheap seeing as we already had them all. Its always fun with an unstoppable 3 year old around dont you think?

Outpost on Cockatoo island

Every so often we  have a "city adventure". Its so different from living in the country! We drove to our friends house who live in a funky inner city suburb to park our car. We were so lucky to see mum and son arriving home just as we arrived, so we went inside and Little messyfish got to play, and I got to hang out with my friends!
We then walked the streets of Newtown to get some sushi, before jumping on the train. Little messyfish is not a big train car or bus fan like some 3 year old boys he knows, but it is still something different to do that he enjoys.
After we reached circular quay, we boarded the ferry and off to Cockatoo Island we went to see the outpost exhibition. We spent 2 hours wandering around the industrial site and looking at all the street art. There were lots of thing to do for little kids, and thankfully lots of things he can touch. Because, really...and exhibition that cant be touched it not for this 3 year old!
We looked around some shops to buy me a new pair of jeans with no luck. I got thouroughly frustrated by the very loud and annoying music they play, and just wanted to get the hell out of those shops! We did get to check out the big retail store's famous christmas windows, just as we did last year. As I am a fan of doll making and creating cute scenes, I was really excited to see them.
Then my favourite part of all, dinner in china town. I really miss other cultures, the food, the smells, the sights, the languages, and the shopping in the country. It is beautiful here, but culturally very bland. I felt instantly at home and relaxed when we got to busy hectic chinatown. We had to be careful though, as it was raining and there were millions of umbrellas at our eye ball height!
Then back to our friends house where Little messyfish was introduced to the delights of Avatar, and we had a nice comfortable place to breast feed before the long journey home.
Just as mr messyfish and I were congratulating ourselves about how healthily we ate considering eating "takeout/fastfood" all day (sushi and seafood noodles), Little messyfish cried out hunger at 10:30pm at night just as we were leaving the city. So here is a pic of mr messyfish stopping at Sydneys famous truck stop for a hot dog. Oh dear :-)

Interesting!

What about socialization? (from another angle)

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging
and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching.
Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts --
helps me keep track of them.

W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do
you come here a lot?

W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.

W2: Wow. Where do you find the time?

W1: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.

W2: Some of my neighbours home school, but I send my kids to public
school.

W1: How do you do it?

W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the
kids every day after school and stay real involved.

W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them
being cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the
opportunity for natural relationships?

W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some
friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost
every month.

W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry
about all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're
so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world is
like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all
different kinds of people?

W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring
real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and
a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're
having a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.

W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week,
and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo . My kids were
absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his
wife and their three children.

W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for
the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.

W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.

W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other
schools to visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.

W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in
the grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for
dinner.

W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store --
certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if
that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?

W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it.
Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was
going to do with all the oranges he was buying.

W2: Your child talks to strangers?

W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with
me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.

W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never
talk to strangers.

W1: Not even when they're with you?

W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see
why it's so important for them to understand that talking to
strangers is a big no-no.

W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet
interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real
world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell
when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.

W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health
courses.

W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my
number--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet
you.

--Author unknown

Early Summer Pastel

Pastels on Cartridge paper. I sat outside under the apple tree and enjoyed the sounds of the country whilst I did this, on a perfect day in early summer.

Early Summer In Our Yard

oodles of doodles

Little Messyfish and I do lots of things together round here. Prismacolr pencils on A2 cartridge paper. I am meditating and also doing my "morning pages" here in this doodle. I've just started "walking in this world", by Julia Cameron again. Its exciting, 2nd time round, but I am sooooo sooooo different, with different realities and desires. Its going to be an interesting trip!

Doodling on a down day

Prismacolor pencils on cartridge paper

Baking going on round here

Spring time

Loving the micro climate of our little pocket. But the butterflies are so numerous, there is alot of road kill just for driving the car down the driveway...

I spy with my little eye something beginning with R.

We are going to have raspberries this year! Hip hip hurray!

Home sweet home

 Our driveway. 1km of bumpy dirt road. we love it.

Our tiny rented cottage on 100 acres of absolutely beautiful farmland. 

We made it home! One month on the road... Massive. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now.