senses shared

read: Alice Pung's Unpolished Gem for Uni - and with pleasure.

taste: All the wonderful meals that are being cooked for me - tasting so much better now that the kitchen is his place not mine.
see: Kescha's magnificent creations - oh to have pink wool hair and a love heart nose!
hear: 

because i can't get enough of Florence + the Machine at the moment.
smell: Patchouli and soap
touch: The spines of books in the library - light finger-tipped and searching.
think: On knitting as the days start to cool but don't quite know where to start - it all looks so good!
feel: The reaching out into the world and finding so much there.

Senses Shared

shared senses and a deep love for MONA

I enjoy visiting bohemian twilight and wandering through Monica's shared senses -
I love how a very clear and full picture can be internally painted via a few thoughtful words and a tune.
Monica invites visitors to join in and share in the senses tour..

 mona

wim delvoye

see: MONA - Museum of Old and New Art - in Hobart, Tasmania. There will be many posts to come about my experiences within that brilliant and extraordinary place.

hear: 

- an old album on the new record player.

read: Indelible Ink - by Fiona McGregor. A slow start for me but the the writing drew me in eventually with its fine and sometimes cruel insight into the dynamics of family. First book for the newly formed book club.


taste: Coffee. Always Coffee


touch: Small hands. Soft skin.


think: On a big change


feel: Revived and renewed after experiencing a deeply thoughtful gift from my partner - 3 whole days away in Tasmania, to delve into the stunning gifts of mona.

{shared senses}

the music plays for you my friend

luli sanchez

Listening to Tori Amos is like being transported hard and fast back into my 17 year old self. 

There is the same heart-shape, tender skin, quiet raw ache.

I don't listen to Tori much these days - it can be exhausting - but I do value those moments when the portal presents itself.

Music is power.

Thank you Amanda for helping me overcome my fear of 'the html' so that I can creep down / and share, a few more portals of the past and present variety - this one's for you!

And thank you too - to those who left comments ensuring its ease - appreciated!

noticing

I'm really enjoying visiting blogs at the moment that offer a music console with a song to listen to while reading. It creates mood - and insight into the musical tastes of the blog's author. Pretty great way to discover new music too.

I first noticed it here, and then here - 

"where's she been?" I hear you say. 

Well - at times I can be a little slow on the uptake...

So I would love to add my own console to my posts too -  as further illustration. Problem is, my brain has been bent in half and turned in on itself trying to work out how. I know that there is a simple method - there must be - surely.... But the pain of the search has got the better of me.

So until I work it out I'm going to stick with the good old faithful utube link - where you get the whole kit 'n caboodle!

Today we attended a fundraiser for Daylesford Community Food Gardeners. There was music and wonderful food and catch ups with friends - and the MeltDown of a certain four year old - which progressed into the tremendous meltdown of the almost two year old.

Tomorrow is a new day.

How is your weekend going?

it's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to

via

I pinned this on to one of my pinterest boards via every day dreamer yesterday - and given the number of times it's been repinned, it must be ringing true for many...

I came across this wonderful free beanie pattern on Ravelry a while back (if you want to give it a go - it doesn't hurt to add a few extra rows...). 

What I particularly love about this pattern, apart from being a quick knit and keeping heads warm, is this note that the creator of the pattern added at the end:

"feel free to distribute it, copy it, profit from it, learn from it, discard it, and/or share it. Pah! on copyrights that keep loved ones warm!"

 There is so much value in influence and the ideas shared by others (enhanced so much these days by the generosity of the blogosphere) - it is in everything we smell, hear, touch, read, feel, make, taste, share... - and we bring them all back to the place we stand and offer a different take on them.
A unique take because don't we all stand within a different space - even if it is just ever-so-slightly?

Celebrating thievery. What do you think?

Thank you!

via

We're heading to the hills tonight - for festivities and play and rest...

Taking a break from the computer until next week - as I am sure many of you are.

When I return I've decided to host a bit-of-a-giveaway.... In celebration of the time of year - and because I've just posted my Treasure and it felt pretty good!! - but mostly because this little breathing space of mine, this refuge and hiding place, this voice - has just turned exactly 4 months and 5 days old... what better reason huh!
Thank you so much for visiting me - sharing your thoughts - supporting - and teaching me that there are so many different ways to connect. I feel that with some of you I could easily sit down over a glass of wine and talk and share and laugh and find comfort..... and I haven't even heard your voices - such a fine thing that is!
A wonderful christmas, solstice, holiday and new year to you all!

Mika x

Murmuration

If you get a moment - please watch this.

I don't have the words....

the countdown calendar and a creative community

The countdown calendar got done! Phew!

I am personally looking forward to the 5th day before Christmas - it reads:

"paint mama & papa's toenails any colour, everyone get Dress-Up-Box dressed for a pancake & popcorn dinner!"

If you're interested in the painting above the fireplace - it's by local artist Marcia King. We bought it from a wonderful shop called can't think straight - just around the corner from us.

When I saw it - it immediately left a very deep imprint. I couldn't let it go. Some people find it very dark and then they look at it a little longer - a little harder - and see that it is quite the opposite. 

To me it says... 'we're all just feeling our way'.

I live in a small town full of creativity. I am reminded of it in the corners of my home.

That beautiful bird painting was created for us by our friend and artist Josh as a gift for a bit-of-a-celebration we had back in February (i'll write about it soon... it was insanely fun!). 

She's special that bird, don't you think? She Knows things! 

You can read more on Josh here and here.

The mortar and pestle were also gifted to us In Celebration by a group of very thoughtful women who know that I am quite taken by the works of local ceramicist Bridget Bodenham. The majority of her work is exquisitely fine - smooth - personal somehow. If you follow the link and see her spoons, you'll see that they have no place in a home that is shared with a 21 month old.... no way!

And the plates on the lower shelf - again gifted - and again by another very talented local ceramic artisan who forms a part of  Clayspace - Daylesford Region Ceramics Co-operative. If you're ever in the area - please visit them. Their very inspiring, beautiful space sits looking over this lake:

via

Yep - not a bad place to live at all....
~
Visiting: Kootoyoo's creative spaces

Treasure

I am Gathering. 

finding. sourcing. collecting. making..... thinking on

Small Things. 

Just a few - but enough - to make up a parcel to send to an as-yet unknown address. 

To a person I have never met, 

nor spoken to, 

nor know anything about.

It is a very wonderful thing!

It's a give and receive project in celebration of the festive season. 

For me it is also a celebration of the delights of Slow Mail - of the handwritten - of the journey over the seas that patterns a parcel not only with what it contains and the thoughts of its creator - but in the time it takes and the places it has moved through. 

In this one idea - many more are conjured. 

Thoughts on the process and feeling of giving to a stranger. Thoughts on connecting. 

We do connect very differently with the the handwritten envelope, don't we? - than the typed one - than the sounding of an sms - the number on the email inbox.

That pen mark speaks volumes. It warms.

Do you agree?

Visit Wandering the North Pole to find out more.

Images here, here, here and here