From Paris with love...

Last weekend I flew to Canberra. The NGA (National Gallery of Australia) has been hosting the "Masterpieces from Paris" exhibit and it is finishing up in April. This is the first time these paintings have travelled outside of France and the opportunity to see them, was too good to miss.

My Mum and Dad were also keen to visit and so they drove up, and I met them there. We were not alone in wanting to see the masterpieces in 'the flesh'. Gough Whitlam (former Australian Prime Minister) was there, being wheeled around in a wheelchair with a personal guide. And hundreds of others too.

The crowds at the exhibition were RIDICULOUS! Who would think all these people would be interested in looking at art! The queue was more than a few hundred metres long and there was a waiting time of 2 plus hours.

It was suggested (and we agreed) to pay for NGA membership (reciprocal rights with NGV) which meant we could 'jump the queue'. It was not an exclusive offer just for us (though many decided to stay in the queue) though it meant that after a half hour process, we were in. None of us were keen to spend 2 hours standing in a queue and it was well worth the additional $20 it cost to join.

The exhibition was stunning. The paintings I had only ever known from art and history books and art classes, were displayed before us, and again I was reminded that art in real life is so much more beautiful (of course) than in the pages of a book. Being able to see these works of art, get up close and see the brush strokes, see the texture and layers of paint, was a treat.

Canberra was buzzing and the weather was beautiful. As the Capital of Australia and it's political home, Canberra is often more known for it's politics, legal fireworks and porn (though maybe not in that order) than for it's art. Hopefully I will be back in the future to see more of the art and it's reputation changes a little!

And to top it all off, there was a magnificent fireworks display on Saturday night which was a perfect send off after a great weekend.

Waiting for the call that didn't come?

Sorry guys. There will be no call from Barbados in the near future at least...

I know, you must be as disappointed as I am!

Stay tuned, there is another big draw coming up on Saturday!
And I have the winning ticket...
I am sure of it!

Will you accept a collect call from Barbados?

Tonight there is a $20,000.000 lottery draw.
And I have the winning ticket.
I am sure of it.
And next week, you may well be getting a call...
From here ...
though of course, I won't have to call collect now will I?

Wish me luck!

(The pic is not actually Barbados, as I haven't been there yet, it's another photo from my travels, this time from Egypt.)

Love Letters...

Because I love all things type
& because I happened to be in Ikea early on Saturday
& because they didn't have what I was after
& because I then had a few unspent dollars
& because I just couldn't resist...
This is my latest Studio purchase.

Love it!

Remembering Renee

My friend Renee died today.

In 2008 when I was grieving the loss of my brother, I was contacted by Renee via my blog and she became a friend from the very beginning. She had stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer and her blog Circling My Head told her story. With almost daily posts, she spoke of her family, her loves, her despair, her joys and her laughter. She shared openly about her condition and her life as she dealt with it's daily challenges.

She offered me hope, understanding and insight, and she offered me her love with an open heart. Although we have never met 'in the flesh' she has been an incredible friend and I will miss her as part of my life. I share the heartbreak of her family and friends. Family and friends who adore her and fellow bloggers who she has also touched.

She reached out to so many people via her posts and replied to every comment that was left on her blog. And there were many many comments. In her battle she has changed many people's lives by welcoming them into hers. We shared long emails and exchanged cards in the post (as I know she did with many others). I don't know where she found the energy, but she was always full of surprises.

During the time I have known her, Renee has had more than her share of grief. She has lost friends from her support group, her father, her nephew died of cancer, and just over a month ago, her dear mother also died from cancer. One of her sisters is also facing a similar battle. Sadly Renee has now lost her battle too. Though she will not be forgotten.

I am so so sad she is gone, though I am relieved the pain she suffered in her final weeks is now over.
Thank you Renee for everything.
Thank you for your light and joy.
All my love to you.
Cinta
xxx

The following words are from Renee's blog, that she posted in January of 2009.

"I must comfort myself with what I have always comforted myself with ‘words.’ Thank you Francis Bacon for these:

Begin
doing what
you want to do now.
We are not living in eternity.
We have only this moment, sparkling
like a star in our hand –
and melting like a
snowflake.

I remind myself that partly cloudy is partly sunny and that here on this earth right now I have been given the opportunity to live with angels. This life here and now is good and the people I am able to share my life with are good. I have to believe that this time here will not be all there is because my soul will never be full of them. My soul will yearn for them always."
Renee
Jan 26th, 2009.

*The picture above is by the beautiful friend of Renee and artist Julie-Ann Bowden of Heavenleigh Art.

And you reckon you had a bad day...

Meet fluffy.
He is a favourite toy of the daughter of my friend K at work.

A few weeks ago, having heard another friend at work was having a bad day, Fluffy was given to her for the day, with the aim to make her day a little brighter. She loves penguins, and Fluffy was greeted with open arms and held close or sat on her desk for much of the day. Fluffy worked a charm and by the end of the day, our workmate was feeling significantly better. Fluffy was returned to K so that her daughter and Fluffy could be reunited for the drive home from child care, with little K none the wiser.

Later as they sat in the back of the car heading home, little K looked at Fluffy with concern and asked: "Why you so sad Fluffy?"

Seriously. She totally seemed to pick up on it.
Poor Fluffy must have had one hell of a day!

Sunshine on a rainy day...

makes my soul,
makes my soul,
trip
trip
trip away...

A perfect view with perfect comapny...

I am meeting a friend here for lunch today. The Dunes in Ocean Grove.

A perfect view with perfect comapny.

All the windows of my heart...

“All the windows of my heart I open to the day.”
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

*Photo taken by me during my travels across Africa in 1989. Sorry about the quality, this is a photo of a photo and the reproduction is pretty poor.

Wishing my life away...

Is it just me, or has February just flown? It's March tomorrow and I'm still getting accustomed to writing 2010! This is the last day of summer and whilst I know it is true, it just doesn't seem possible (nor am I happy about it!).

Each week, as I go to work on Monday, I wish another week away. And I have to remind myself that life is far too precious to wish 5 days away out of every week. I never seem to have enough time to do the things I like to do. And yet...

Out of every 24 hours,
I sleep 8,
I work 8,
I travel to and from work 1.5,
I cook and eat 1.
I shower, wash, clean, housework 1.

That leaves 4.5 hours of every day that seems to disappear.

Where? I have no idea. But that is the key. Four and a half hours of 'spare' time every day... let's say four just to round it off. Three, if I add in a little bit of padding. And that's not even including the weekend!

What am I doing with all this free time? And if my answer is "not very much", then what an earth am I thinking?

Life (and time) is too precious to waste.

Abbotsford Convent Sunday Markets in the sun...

Under the sunny skies on Sunday, I met with Nikki and wandered the creative hub that is Abbotsford Convent. The skirt and shirt makers market, the gallery and a makers market were all sharing the space and we wandered quite happily, chatting along the way and enjoying the Sunday atmosphere.

We recruited a few more bloggers (we should be on a commission) and met some lovely crafters and artists. What a perfect way to spend a few hours immersed in all this creativity.

I even took photos to share and link to... And then (tonight) disaster. Whilst I did a clear out of my SD Card, I managed to corrupt my card and lose everything... BEFORE I downloaded the new pics! Not happy about that at all...

And so, in the absence of images, please go and have a look at the websites I link to below... there are some amazing and inspiring artists out there (think I might have to go back to take some more pics next time).

Thanks Nikki for your lovely company. Call me anytime you want to go again!

Nikki (my lovely wandering and blog recruiting companion)
Elise Hurst (I just love her illustrations)
Jan Bell (soft sculptor - hopefully she has a blog up and running soon!)
Shoko Mafune (I love her ceramics and especially her hug bell) and she does classes too!
Wendy June (Such magical drawings)

And because I don't have any images from Sunday at the convent, I have posted a pic I took a few years ago at Mt Macedon.

Luna Park Fun... how can it be called the scenic railway, when your eyes are tightly shut?

My Christmas gift to my cousin Jen and her 4 kids was to take them to Luna Park. It took a while, but we finally made it today.

I was determined to be brave and go on everything they did. No backing out. If I was scared, there was no way they were going to know a thing about it.

All good in theory, until we went on our first ride. Violet (the second youngest) was with me and I could feel her heart beating as she sat snugly against me. She asked me to hold on to her tightly. No problems, I thought, just who's holding on to me?

When we got off just two short minutes later, she was fine. Said she had a great time. Me on the other hand... my face was pale and sweaty and I am told I looked rather sickly. And I sure as hell felt it!

I don't remember the ride's name...
I call it the nauseator.
Two words...
NEVER AGAIN


Stunning day of sunshine and craziness.
And just in case you are wondering?
No. I didn't.
Not after the nauseator.


I did however, manage the Scenic Railway. The rollercoaster that has been scaring people witless for generations. What I don't understand is the name... yes I know it's high, I know it runs the border of the park, I know the view stretches to the beach and across the entire park... but how can it be called scenic, when your eyes are tightly shut?


Dodgem Speedster Monty.
You're never too young, or too old for the dodgems. So much fun, even for me at 42!


G-Force. And in the background, just part of the tracks for the Scenic Railway.


There were smiles all round.


This is the crew.


It was always going to be fun, with such a crazy bunch!
Thanks guys, I had a great day.


Glad to see I wasn't the only one exhausted at the end of it all!

Studio sneak peek...

It's Friday and the weekend is here.

It's going to be a busy weekend.
There is an auction.
A visit to Luna Park.
A catchup with a special friend.
A market to browse.
Lots of late summer sunshine.

I love weekends.

Hope you have a good one too.

Bookcase Tour Tuesday - WISDOM

I bought this book for my Dad last year and I love it (he does too). It's a coffee table style book with images and words from a wide range of well known people from Billy Connolly, Judi Dench, Chinua Achebe, Ravi Shankkar, Clint Eastwood, Bryce Courtenay, Desmond Tutu and Jane Goodall, all with their reflections on wisdom and what it means to them. There are over 70 interviews. The photography is stunning and the words fascinating and thought provoking.

It's the kind of book that can be browsed briefly, opened at random, or where an afternoon can be lost with each turn of the page.

It also comes with a 60 minute DVD - a compilation of all the interviews. Seriously a great read and great viewing. Go take a look at the website here.

Now, whilst it isn't my book, I do feel I have some 'claim' to it and it is worth sharing, and so I have included it today for the meme that Melanie is running over at her blog at Kimono Reincarnate. Bookcase Tour Tuesday. Go on over and say hi, and join in too!
Thanks Melanie.

*Oops - it's already Wednesday! Oh well!

Being single on Valentine's Day...

I'm ok with being single on Valentine's Day.
I've done it before.
I survived it then.
And I will survive it again today.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Friday funny... Husband Makes Lunches For Work...

For the first time in their 3 year marriage, a wife asked her husband if he would mind making the next day's lunches for them both. Obligingly he agrees.

The next morning, the young wife asks her loving husband, 'Did you make our lunches, honey?'

He replied, 'Yeah babe, they're on the second shelf of the fridge.
Mine's on the left, yours is on the right.'

LOVE IT!!!

*For those non-Australian readers, yes, these are our bank notes. $20 (as you can see) is bright orange, $10 is blue, $5 purple-ish, $50 yellow and $100 green.

Happy Blogiversary One Little Acorn...

Today is my blogiversary.
3 years since I started as One Little Acorn.
Wow!

It's amazing to me that I have been doing this for 3 years. When I look back over that time a lot of water has passed under the bridge as they say.

I have created and studied and laughed and cried and celebrated and grieved. Made some mistakes, had some victories. And through it all, I have been lucky enough to share the trip with many amazing people. Fellow bloggers with crazy dreams, incredible stories and beautiful writing and art. Sadness and joy has been shared with people I will never meet in 'real life'. Hearts have broken, family and friends lost, babies born, doors have closed and others opened.

And so, I thank you for dropping by. For supporting and cheering me on along the way. Because, whilst a blog is 'only' an online diary and some would ask why bother, it is ultimately a voice out into the world. And sometimes people answer back. Connections are made, friendships grow. And the world seems a little smaller. And that is the biggest joy of all.

Studio sneak peek...

"We all need to have a creative outlet - a window, a space - so we don't lose track of ourselves."

NORMAN FISCHER

When fortune calls, offer her a chair...

For many months now I have not been a regular blogger. In fact, I have been more regularly absent than here. It's a shame really, because I do love to blog and I enjoy the community that is out there and the friends and inspiration that I have been lucky enough to find along the way.

And whilst I may have been quiet on the blogging front, I have been doing bits and pieces in the background. Made a few things and been inspired by others. Though not enough. So this year, I plan to turn it around and post more often. And create more often.

One Little Acorn is set to become more a focus on what creative things are going on with me. Little things mostly... but as we all know, from little acorns, mighty oaks do grow.

And so, first up, is my 'new' chair.

The set of four chairs were rescued by my Mum a couple of months ago, when they were being discarded by her local golf club, because they were below par! (sorry, just a little bit of very silly golf pun humour there!)

They were in good condition and my Mum (despite her knowing they would land at her place for a while) knew that I would like them and asked if she could have them for me! Yay Mum!

Of course, the covers were not totally to my liking, given they were little flowers and pastel in colour and so a refit was definitely required. So last weekend, they got the makeover treatment. With the help of my Aunty, we recovered two of them and they look fabulous (if I may say so myself)!

Now I just have to get them up to Melbourne in the back of my mini and settle them into their new home. In the meantime, they are sunning themselves down by the beach. Thanks to my Mum for her quick action and my Aunty Nancye for her incredible patience and advice.

Tea Sub

I stumbled on this cool little yellow submarine tea caddy somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't remember where. Thing is, despite extended googling, I can't even find where I can buy one. And it is pretty cool. It would be interesting to see how much it costs.

Any ideas anyone?

***Update... you can buy one here if you are interested, though the webpage is all in (I think) Danish, so it might take a little bit of translation/guesswork. Works out at about $16 Aussie dollars, plus postage.

I might have to add that to my wish list - along with the Pantone Mugs!

Strange dreams in my beautiful bedroom...

The studio is nearly finished and I will be posting photos in the next few days. In the meantime, I am happy to say, since I have cleared up my entire flat, I have my bedroom back to being a bedroom.

And I love it.

Now, I'm not sure why, but I have been having the strangest dreams. Maybe it's that I have been sleeping so soundly, I don't know. Usually I don't recall the exact details in the morning, but there have been many familiar faces and places... even the end of the world.

But the funniest of all... the other night I dreamt I was reading the classifieds and in the births, deaths and marriages section, I read an old friend's sister had had a baby... And the middle name was "Oops".

Seriously! I actually woke up laughing aloud. Too too funny. I'm glad I remembered that one!

Always remember you’re unique, just like everyone else...

It's Wednesday.
Half way through the working week already.
Yesterday was Australia Day and we had a public holiday.
And if you are like me and half of the Australian working population, you may have been lucky enough to take Monday off and had an extended 4 day long weekend.
I do love an extended long weekend.
Anything that that avoids a Monday at work is always going to work for me.

Have a nice day everyone.

One man's trash is this girl's treasure...

It's exhausting work this moving and organising business. But amidst all the chaos, I have managed to setup my workspace and my pigeon holes are in pride of place and refilled with many of my tiny treasures. Amongst them are precious gifts and treasures that have been collected over the years. Some of the items are there for no other reason than that they appeal to me.

There's a bowl of acorns, a couple of elephants, an Indian hotel desk bell, an old ship oil burner, a felted gnome.

The smaller of the 2 sand bottles was given to me from our Brazilian friends in London... they bought us back "a little bit of sunshine" after a visit home.

I found the dandelion paperweight in London too and just had to have it. For my life, I have no idea how it was done... it is totally perfect.

There are a few birds that form part of my accidental collection and include an owl (a gift from an aunt), a metal garden ornament, and a bird that twitters when it's moved.

The latest acquisition is the brooch of a caravan underneath a tree, that was a gift in 2009. All of last year I spoke of escaping to the coast and hiding away in a caravan by the beach, so it was perfect.

There is a photo of my brother as a boy in a glitzy (plastic) frame that was in a Christmas cracker a few years back. And the ring that sits beside it, was given to my Mum by my Dad in the pre-children era.

All these little things that mean nothing much to anyone else, to me, are priceless.

Studio sneak peek...

Just a quick look... the colour isn't right, but it gives you a bit of an idea.

Back at work today and then straight back home tonight to get organising!

If patience is a virtue, it certainly isn't one of mine...

Many months ago, Mal and I called it a day. He moved into my front room and we both got on with our separate lives, whilst we continued to share our living space. I've gotta say, anyone I have told, has looked at me with a combination of shock and confusion and wondered at how it was working.

Mostly it worked ok. For both of us. And I am happy to say, we are still friends. He has recently met someone else and moved in with her just last week. So I now have my flat all to myself, and I am LOVING it.

But it's a weird thing. Now that I have my space and I have so many things to do, I also find I have to ask for help when there are things to do that I cannot handle alone. It's not something I particularly like to do, as I prefer not to impose on other people's time. But that is the way of being single again - I just have to ask if I need help. To assemble furniture. To move furniture. To paint a room. In the end, I decided to pay a painter to do the room as I recently developed tendonitis in my wrist and thumb and did not want to aggravate it.

So today the empty room is being painted... and while the painter works away in my soon-to-be studio, I am in my room sorting through stuff and clearing space so that I can move my desk and my computer out of my bedroom and into the studio. The bed is piled high with books and the things I had been stacking up or hiding under my desk for the last 6 months.

I am trying not to pace.

After the painter finishes, I have a friend coming over and she and I will tackle the Ikea shelves* I bought on the weekend. Then move some furniture.

Once the 'heavy' moving has been completed, there is still much to do. I will manage the rest on my own... the organising, rearranging, hanging pictures, and rearranging again... I love this stage, so it's a struggle to even sit still and wait right now. If patience is a virtue, it certainly isn't one of mine.

It's Wednesday. I have the day off. Tomorrow I am back at work, and I know I will want to be here, but I will just have to (continue to) be patient.

Breathe 1, 2, 3...

*Special thanks to my friend Lyn who came to my rescue for the Ikea collection combat mission! And to Lou for making up the Ikea assembly team! You guys are great and I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks. xx

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine...

2010 is here.
This year is my year of change.

I'm not sure what is is just yet, but I am open and ready for whatever comes my way.

It's time.

2010 - Bring it on...

May the new year bring you peace and happiness.

For Brandy... a little bit of magic...

Brandy has been a favourite blogger ever since I started blogging a few years ago. I love her wit and honesty and in particular the way she writes with passion (whatever the subject).

A few days ago I dropped by her blog and was sad to see that she was on an indefinite blogging break. This morning (through another fave) I found out why.

Today Brandy is sending out a plea and I am doing my little bit in the hope that it helps...

—————-

My name is brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.

As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart.This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.

I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.

Sunshine on a rainy day...

Sunshine on a rainy day
Makes my soul, makes my soul, trip, trip, trip away...

Time for a little rest & relaxation...

It's always a crazy time of year for me on the work front.
I am glad to say, I can now breathe a little easier and enjoy a few days off in the sunshine.

Hope you are all taking some time out too.
Enjoy!