Tangent: Plain

It's plain to see that while other things change in our lives, we start and end with family!

I painted this with different dilutions of coffee, an experiment that I thoroughly enjoyed, but was 'high' on coffee fumes for hours (as I don't drink anything except bottled water- ever!)
IF: Plain

Tangent: Precious Life

This is the scan of my friend's baby.
It is a reminder of how precious life is.
At 22 weeks pregnant, this new person is already 'half-cooked'.....waiting to enter our world and become a wonderful human being.
No matter what scientists do, attempting cloning etc etc....no matter how modern technology keeps evolving, this is still the most miraculous creation of all kind.
(Of course, I couldn't decipher which blob was the eye, nose, kneee or elbow.)

I drew this while on holiday, as 'family' and 'motherhood' was very much on my mind.

If you think of an ocean liner, consider fathers to be the rudder and mothers to be the engine.

To a woman, her family and motherhood are like the whole 'body' while her career and friends are like the 'tail'.

To a man, his life and career and having fun are like the 'body' while his family is like the 'tail'.

Treasure that little baby, Jaimie, nestling inside your womb, protected under your arms, and close to your heart, as that's where he/she will always stay till the day you die.

Sixty: Learn to accept

God

Grant me the

Serenity

to accept the things I cannot change

Courage

to change the things I can

and

Wisdom

to know the difference

This is how I see our little family now.

I need to accept the changes within it - with the sure knowledge that I've always done my best, and know with certainty that: 'what will be will be'.

Now I will review all 60 things I was determined to do before 60 (in 3 weeks time), and see which I have achieved, which I can still do, which are ongoing and which I may never do.

Tangent: Xmas quiz

Good morning sunshine(not).

Here's a quick Xmas quiz for you all that I've adapted from Bohemianmom's site.
1.)Egg nog or hot chocolate? (Hot choc for me every time)
2.) Do you hang mistletoe ? (No, we never have, get enough kisses all year round, ha ha)
3.) What is your favourite holiday dish? (Xmas pudding and brandy sauce of course)
4.)What is your favourite holiday memory? (All of us in Northmead, Ma and Dad still alive, before emigration, when kids were all young).
5.)When and how did you learn about Santa? (When my friend's dad dressed up as Santa for the local community party)
6.) Snow, love or dread it? ( Love it falling, dread it thawing)
7.) What was your favourite gift? (The gifts we give now. We all give the amount we would've spent on presents to the person's favourite charity)
8,)Favourite Xmas song? (Silent night, always brings tears to my eyes)

Fifty: Give, give, give

I read a very moving article about family violence this morning, and this was the picture accompanying it.
I decided to paint it and make it my fiftieth thing to do before 60....
In my job as a teacher I am very well aware of bullying and hideous family problems which exist today as never before. I could tell you some stories that would appal and horrify you.
Domestic violence is still regarded as something which goes on behind closed doors, and not other people's business. A recent survey revealed that more people (74%) would report a person for kicking their dog than for kicking their partner (53%).
A recent Dolce & Gabbana ad depicting a woman held down in what appeared to be a stylised gang rape barely raised a mutter of dissent.
I already have 4 charities that I give to monthly, and am also putting a little African girl through school.
We as a family have stopped exchanging Christmas gifts. We send the amount of money we would've spent on a gift to the other's chosen charity instead.

Give, give and give some more, and while you're at it, give thanks for what you have!

Tangent: Scary or what?

Joss and Ian 1952

(age 4 and 3)

Ian and Joss 2007

(55 years later)

Tangent: So excited

Looking through some old negatives, Neil found these two photos. I am so excited as I thought I'd lost most of them.

The first one is my Ma and Dad on their honeymoon in February 1947.

The second is Ma and me (about 2 years old) at a Sunday picnic in 1950, with my aunt and uncle and cousin ( he was about 7). I ruined their fun by getting measles and causing the whole outing to be cancelled.

Aren't these photographs marvellous? They are very special to me now.

Thirty: See my bro again

My brother and I have always been very close, and losing our parents while still only in our early thirties, cemented this bond even more.

In 1986 I emigrated from South Africa to England, and since then have only seen my bro sporadically. I know there are lots of families where siblings don't communicate very well, or see each other often, and I feel sorry for them, as we are best friends. Over the past 21 years we have both missed so much time together, although thanks to relatively cheap international phone cards, we talk every week. But somehow it's just not the same.

I used to travel to see him quite often, but since my back surgery I cannot manage long journeys, so he comes here. He tries to come every year or 18 months and for this I am very grateful. He only manages about 10 days at a time and this speeds past within an instant.

We 'connect' immediately and start a 'downhill race' against the clock. How does one cram the past year, into such a short time? I get so weary from the excitement, urgency and whirl of him being here, but I hate going off and sleeping as this seems to waste more valuable time. I feel like a thirsty person gasping for a few sips of precious water. The expectancy of the arrival and the terrible anguish of the departure (which we have both learnt to hide in order not to upset one another) overwhelms me. After he leaves, I feel so wrung out, so unnerved, so upset, so incomplete, only to start all over again the next time.

He is the only living soul left in this whole crazy world who has shared my history, and I can't wait till we are together once more.

Tangent:Disgusting

I found out yesterday that the family who live about six houses from us have 9 cats, 3 big dogs, 3 lizards and 2 snakes.

That's not all, there are 3 fat sons and one rather emaciated looking daughter ( as well as the parents).

That's not all, they never ever let the cats out as they will stray ( I thought that's what cats are supposed to do!)

Where the hell do they all sleep? It's a three bedroom house like ours.

Can you imagine the smell?

I certainly won't be popping in to ask for a cup of sugar, what with my cat phobia, that's without the snakes!

I do like lizards though, specially the West African ones, huge, brightly coloured and always in your homes- to eat the other horrid little insects that creep into your lives. They walk past you, sit on your ceilings and wander through the hot humid dusty streets. They are truly relaxed in their milieu.

Twenty-three: Renovate my family tree

I have a very very scrappy, torn, yellowed, 'bitty' family tree, which is mostly illegible and not in any reader-friendly form. Every now and then I haul it out and pore over it for ages, trying to decipher the words and also trying to imagine the people and their long ago connections to me.

Before I turn 60, or in my 60th year, I'd like to renovate it, bring it back to 'life' so to speak, and have a document that can then be passed on to my kids and their kids after them.

I thought about employing a calligrapher to re-write it all in a beautiful flowing script, but then Neil informed me that there are computer programmes one can buy these days which allow you to delve into your genealogy. The calligraphy idea still interests me more!

Tangent:An apple for teacher

It's that time of the year again, waving goodbye to the (often crying) kids in your class and sending them along to the next dragon!

I hate it and love it at the same time.

They have been like my family, my kids, my reason to get up in the morning.

And, now, that's all over - yet again.

So the pressies start rolling in, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Candles that stink, loadsa bubble baths and chocolates.

Somehow not enough for all those months and months of slog. yet, still feeling like some sort of 'handout'!

My ideal gift would be a mug bearing the slogan" Coat finder, pencil sharpener, surrogate mother, walking encyclopaedia, form filler, arbitrator, language specialist, fundraiser, accountant, musician, government directive reader, PR officer, nanny, examiner, crowd controller, scapegoat............just call me a teacher!"

Fourteen: Find more of these

hauntingly beautiful
perfect contours

you
are
with
me
always

my history
my baggage