JUST ME :: and a stack of blank pages

:: Living creatively ::

About me

This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realise it is play. The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is. I’m here to tell you that the path to peace is right there, when you want to get away. When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious!

Monday, July 30, 2012

The clothesline said so much...

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm – 

A clothesline was a news forecast 
To neighbours passing by. 
There were no secrets you could keep 
When clothes were hung to dry. 
† 
It also was a friendly link 
For neighbours always knew 
If company had stopped on by 
To spend a night or two. 
† 
For then you’d see the fancy sheets 
And towels on the line; 
You’d see the company table clothes 
With intricate design. 
† 
The line announced a baby’s birth 
To folks who lived inside 
As brand new infant clothes were hung 
So carefully with pride. 
† 
The ages of the children 
could so readily be known 
By watching how the sizes changed 
You’d know how much they’d grown. 
† 
It also told when illness struck, 
As extra sheets were hung; 
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too, 
Haphazardly were strung. 
† 
It said, “Gone on vacation now” 
When lines hung limp and bare. 
It told, “We’re back!” when full lines sagged 
With not an inch to spare. 
† 
New folks in town were scorned upon 
If wash was dingy grey, 
As neighbours raised their brows, 
And looked disgustedly away. 
† 
But clotheslines now are of the past 
For dryers make work less. 
Now what goes on inside a home 
Is anybody’s guess. 
† 
I really miss that way of life. 
It was a friendly sign 
When neighbours knew each other best 
By what hung on the line! 
† 
- Author unknown

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Beach at Mvoti

W&N watercolour on DalerRowney 190gsm 

One of my favourite haunts when I visit Ballito is Mvoti Beach at Blythedale (North Coast, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa). It is one of the few beaches on the North Coast that still has lots of vegetation and is also very popular with fishermen as this is where the Mvoti River flows into the Indian Ocean. The estuary is a haven for winged creatures and a must for bird lovers, worth a visit to spot the African spoonbill, chestnut-branded plover, lesser sand plover, white-eared barbet, scaly-throated honeyguide and blue-mantled crested flycatcher. 

 I can sit for hours watching common ghost crabs as they scurry around on the intertidal beach – the time between low and high tide – during which time they move from their high-shore burrows to feed.

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Enjoying the scenery

“Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” 
- Eddie Cantor 

W&N watercolour on DalerRowney 200gsm - no preliminary sketching 

The dam at Spring Farm (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) is always full and I've often wondered where the water comes from. Today I was told there's a natural spring further up on the property that has been slowly running at the same, unchanged speed for years. This is also the place where I often sit and watch the cattle and do some quick sketches - there's always something new to discover.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

If I was a Wind...


… I would steal your secrets … 

A cold, windy, wintry morning in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa). 
Ink sketch and watercolour on DalerRowney 200gsm sketching paper 

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Sunday, June 24, 2012

In life...

 

we 
all 
need 

an open heart . crisp paper 
a breeze ... be it cool or warm 
a friend who says call if you need to talk 
white linen . weekends . joy of music . a rest 
sun on our back . a chair for the garden . wings to fly 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

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