My art lesson

When I was in grade 4, the class teacher was Mrs Robinson.  From what I remember, she had a youthful exuberance and zest for life, and I liked her a lot.  She also taught us art, and one particular time, she entered the whole class in an art exhibition.

We were practising with watercolours, and then came the day that we had to do the actual piece that would be submitted.
I remember looking at my finished piece and feeling reasonably satisfied.  It was shortly afterwards, Mrs Robinson came over to me, looked at my final piece, and without even asking, she made a couple of flourishes over my painting, and totally changed the original.

I was a shy girl, I never made a fuss.  But you can guess how this made me feel.  Quite inadequate.
Part of me understood that Mrs Robinson really wanted to make a good impression that her class had achieved this wonderful work to be exhibited.  I'm not sure how many other students work she "tidied" up that day, but I do remember thinking I wasn't good enough. I also knew that what I had produced for exhibition was a lie.  It wasn't, in essence my work.
According to Susan Wright who wrote The Arts, Young Children and Learning, '...teaching art requires preserving child innocence and spontaneity and avoiding any form of intervention that might corrupt spontaneous creativity.'

To this day, this has really made me insecure about art, and I do sometimes get a bit funny about art for my children.  I want them to feel good about the art they produce, and I know it can only take a few words to undermine their confidence.  My aim is to encourage, encourage.
I love hanging my kids' art up in the house, it's part of their soul.

I suppose Mrs Robinson would never have guessed that I still remember her mostly for that one art lesson.

 

The Arts, Young Children and Learning

 

 

Fortunately over time, and isn't time a wonderful thing for retrospect, I occasionally dabble in watercolours, but I'm doing it for me, I'm not trying to impress anyone!



Pablo Picasso said, 'When you come right down to it all you have is yourself. The sun is a thousand rays in your belly. All the rest is nothing.'

 

 

Free Printable

Simple traditions

 

Sometimes, we assume traditions have to be a grandiose affair. 

I went into a home wares store during the week, and had a conversation with the sales assistant that moved me so much. 

 

 

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She was telling me about her mother, who used to make an occasion of having cake.  The lady had a sister, and every time that they ate cake, she always gave the girls a cake fork, and a pretty plate to eat it on. 

Her mother would also sometimes decorate an outdoor table with a lovely table cloth, and they took their afternoon tea out.  She would put flowers on the table, and made an effort to make it special.
Whenever she visited someone's else's house as a child, and there was cake served, she would ask queryingly, "where is the cake fork?"

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You may assume her mother, having an affinity with the finer details of life, was well off in terms of money.  She wasn't.
But certainly, she was abundant in spreading joy, and make her daughters feel valued and loved.
It's surely something we are all capable of doing.

If you had one day left, how would you spend it?

If you knew that you only had one day left to live, what would you do?

You would probably spend it with the ones you love the most.  You would take each micro moment and turn it into a beautiful and complete moment. You may go and watch the sunrise.
Your attention would be attuned to the other person.  Every thing they say, every movement, becomes amplified and wonderful. You would feel everything so intensely. You would take time to really, really listen, each word coming from your loved one like a sweetly chiming bell. You wouldn't waste any time on grievances. You just want to be in their company.  Enjoy them. Relish them.
There would be no time for disagreements, innuendos or emails.  This is living in the moment.

You would in your heart, truly be dancing in the garden. Treasuring each moment.

Why can't we be more like this every day? If we have many more days to celebrate with our loved ones, why aren't they more like this?

Because we get so distracted, and forget how to live. 

Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3. Is there anybody out there?

Hello blogworld.
Please insert tiny sheepish voice here.
I've decided to blog again. It's okay to return after 2 years, isn't it?
Facebook is wonderful, but it short and sweet.  And not good for rambles.
I'm looking at my old blog, a bit like an old friend.  Sure I could have started a new one.
But this is familiar, and yes a lot of it is history, and things in my life have changed very much.
Some things that I valued once, hold no interest. And there are many wonderful new passions and interests I have discovered.  My kids are growing up. Why do they have to do that?
I must confess to you, that I haven't really visited many blogs in this past two years. 
OK, normal voice now.
Life just happens.  Last year was particularly hard for me. my mum passed away, and we moved into a new home, all in the same week.  Took me a while to recover from that one. I've discovered a passion for landscaping and have done a bit of it at my kids' school.
I haven't sewn much.  I'm not making bunting.
But, there is new stuff in the pipeline, and I want to share some excitement should any of you care to read it.  Plus I just want to blog again for me.  That's okay, isn't it?
I look forward to catching up on some long lost blog friends. Assuming they are still around.
So if you are, please drop a line, I would love to hear from you.  Can't wait to hear what you have been up to!

Here goes the post button, first one in two years! Breath holding.  Oh, before I do that, I'd better insert a pic.  This one has a lot of meaning.  These hands belong to my mum, sister, and daughter. Connecting. I feel a bit emotional looking at it.

 

Luisa xx

I meant to do my work today.

by Richard LeGallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Goodbye for now everyone.
Too much life to live, too little time.

♥

a little itty bitty mention about me in THE country mag Australia loves.

Last week I saw a post from Natalie on facebook who owns a gorgeous little shop in Penguin, on the north-west coast of Tasmania.  It's a bit of a sea-change kind of place, I haven't visited the place for ages, but it's right on the water, and probably a bit trendier and sought-out than it used to be when I was growing up a couple of towns over.   So Natalie's shop is called Nest, and I was terribly excited for her, when she mentioned that her shop would be in the magazine, Country Style (Australia).
COUNTRY STYLE!  The one I buy every month.  The one magazine that I drool over pictures and places that I long to visit.  The one that features styling by Sibella Court.  The one that keeps me falling in love with this wonderful Australian country, over and over again.  With photos that seem timeless and reachable.  The one magazine I have trouble chucking out.

So, I rush off  to buy the December edition, that very day.
(I had sent another edition of this mag in a blog swap last year to the UK.  It seems the British like our country magazines, and we like theirs.)

Sorry this is turning out more rambly than I had anticipated, partly because I haven't done a 'proper' post in ages, and I'm getting warmed up, or maybe I'm just providing you with a build up!

So I get home, and flicking through in joyous excitement, I finally land on Nat's feature.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.  I noticed it. Oh. Oh! A bunting that Nat bought from me is hanging up in her shop window....and as I glean over the words I see my business name got a mention.
(You need to visualise some sort of squealing and jumping up and down on the spot now!!)
I'm not the sort of person who goes looking for publicity.  I'll happily sit in front of my computer screen, and post away on facebook, or here, attend the odd market or four throughout the year, and that's about it.  This is my first time.  I know it's only very little.  But I'm a happy bunny.  And I am so very happy for Nat, because it's her BIG first time.  In Country Style!!

You see the cover with that gorgeously decorated Christmas tree?

They are grown here in Tasmania!

On a Christmas tree farm!

♥

I'm going to the Spring Festival!

I've been running around like a blue arsed fly all week, and it's all because I'm having a stall here this weekend!! I am pretty excited, although I'm still in the middle of packaging, tying things with string, and wishing I had some more time to find my prop of choice....some old hanging bird cages.

I have dreamt about having a stall at the Spring Festival for years, and it's practically my favourite garden in the whole of Hobart!  I love spending time at the Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Maybe I'll even see some of you there?!

I'm going to have lots of lovely things on my stall...hopefully it will be well received. I'll let you know more about all of that once the new website is up and running!  If you come along, you'll get a sneaky peaky all of your very own!!

♥