Blogging AW - Week 2.

Week two of AW ...Done!
The discussion about crazy makers, threw me. The self destructive rang loud bells reminding me of the person I was in a past life. Close to previous bones.
The crazymaker has and always will be the button pusher. No faith, no belief and still doing it. Personal wellbeing needs realisation, not accept, but understand why and get over it. Pet offered sensible advice "stop trying to rationalise it's your button pusher"! True!!

Exercises ... done.

Five more lives ....challenging!
A photographer
A public speaker
A medical researcher
A travel writer / guide for Lonely Planet
A watercolour painter

Ten changes I'd like to make for myself are -
Hate dark chocolate.
Stop leaving things till the last minute.
Lose weight.
Earn more money.
Travel - everywhere.
Stop finger picking.
Organise my filing cabinet.
Organise the guest room.
Tend the WOMBATs.
Lose the sweet tooth.

CHECK IN.
16 morning pages - not missed one!
They're working for me. Up earlier to do them, very unusual. Week one sleep was better however the beginning of week two was weird. Dreaming, unnerved, sad. Over that now! Wrote previously about the artist's 'half a'date. Nothing else significant. I'm way ahead with scheduling. Tonight thread a needle, embroidered gold feather stitching on FDS's block ... now that's a breakthrough!

Breathrough v Breakdown.

Too many things got in the way during the past week. It was almost "crack up"

time. Then Friday happened and so did good things. The breakdown became a

breakthrough. I'd made a purchase on ebay. The package arrived. I was ecstatic.

Sent the seller an email espousing my ecstaticism (is that a word?). She replied

telling me she had sent the wrong fabric, keep the mistake and she would send

me what I initally ordered. Was I beside myself ... you guess? If you saw what

I had bid on, won and knew the project I was working towards (sounds all cloak

and dagger doesn't it) then you would have been doing cart wheels of the mind

like I was!
There'd been not a smdige of inclination about an artist's date till then but it was

1pm, almost too late to do what I've been yearning to do. I phoned for times and

dates and it's there till October...yeehaa ....an artists's date coming up!

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum has an exhibition I have this urge to get to!

"City of Shadows: Inner City Crime & Mayhem 1912-1948" comprises an extensive photographic collection of countless crime and accident scene photography from

the early 20th century. Included are pics of people who found themselves involved

either as perps, victims or bystanders.

The publicity shot of a guy "H.Ellis" fascinates me. Some years ago the genealogy

bug got me and I traipsed the inner city, spent hours researching in the State

Library and visited and photographed old addresses where the dearly departed

once lived. There are many skeletons rattling the closet. Being born and bred in

Sydney, this exhibition intrigues me. The good news is that it's on till October.

Back to Friday ... so ...I went in search of a hairdresser. Like some people loathe

dentists, so I loathe hairdressers. I know I have a short neck, a round face, I

know I like my hair the way I like it not the way they want to cut it. For the

past three years I had a guy beautifully trained to leave me looking like I want

to look and in December he retired, sold the shop ...drat.

Watch this space as I've shopped round and have an appointment in a couple

of days. You'll hear about it here!

So the breakdown was abolished, the breakthrough took over and the rest is all good!

What's Your Life Path Number?

Found this over at another blog ~ you might like to try it too! It's basically numerology but this way brings a quick result

Your Life Path Number is 8

Your purpose in life is to help others succeed You are both a natural leader and a natural success. You are also a great judge of character. You have a head for business and finance. You know how to make money. A great visionary, you can see gold where other people see nothing. In love, you are very generous - with gifts, time, and guidance. You love to inspire people, but it can be frustrating when they don't understand your vision. Great success comes easily for you. But so does great failure, as you are very reckless. You are confident, and sometimes this confidence borders on arrogance.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Who ... Me??????

Read Me

I'm Published!
I was fortunate to gain the opportunity to write for CQMagOnline but last year life got in the way. The first issue for 2006 is online and I have two articles published.
I'm proud and priviledged to be associated with this superb magazine.
Why not go and take a peek???

Blogging The Artist's Way

Despite not being able to blog the morning pages have been done. Today was Day 15. Haven't missed one morning and am thoroughly enjoying it. Plenty has been revealed even though much of what is in chapter one has already been dealt with over the years. The morning pages began as three A5 pages but soon became A4's with the flurry of the pen scrunching up the writing as it whooshed across the page.

The Exercises for Week 1 -
Time Travel went back to 1978 and 1998. Not having a mind for trivia and having had the mechanism to block things out negatives were hard to recall.

Horror Stories - there's way too many of them - they'll be in the book. Catharticism reigned long ago.

The letter in my defence is unnecessary at this time. I know who I am, how gorgeous, funny,clever and brave I am - and no, that is not being big headed.

My three old champions - MJ, the Doc and Little Willy.

Affirmations - were many. They were never enough!

The thank you letter would be to to me - for having the gall and guts to survive.

CHECK IN -
The morning pages have been done EVERY day.

Artist's Date - Coffee and Gluten Free Jaffa Cake - Myers. To Borders for browsing, purchasing the beautiful Belle Amoir, a book Notions resulting in spending 2 hours with my artist and me.

The significant issues resolved though the week have been never to reside at the place of the button pusher.
To stop being like the XB Thing.
To not Eeewwwuuu too much with PET.
The organisation that I have created round me has been healthy both for my mind, body and soul. A general sense of wellbeing along with the joy of the morning pages has been gorgeous. An excellent week.

I'm Back!

Twelve days ago the urge to tidy up my blog life hit me. Part of the creativity process I thought. NOT! I deleted the how to get here pages. Ended up with no idea of how to get back, frustrated at not being to keep up the AW committment, reminded of what a twat I was with computers and generally seething. Blogger.com has saved the day. I was so Over It, but all is back to where it should be....Hullo Dahlings!

IMAGINARY LIVES

The question is: If you had more than five other lives to lead what would you do in each of them?

A non fiction writer
An archivist
A cop
A piano player
A classically trained chef

BACK IN THE GAME.

After the holiday break garage sales were on today. Out with the old, in with the older. 7am PET and I were back in the game. Even the morning pages were done.

By mid morning we always head to a favourite café for brunch. On a wide tree lined street with an island in the centre of the divided road we sit outside and consume a scrummy brunch but today something wonderful happened.

PET had crossed the road and I was standing on the divided section. Sitting at a table outside the café was a man and woman with a dog. As I waited for the traffic to pass I watched as the dog got up from where it had been lying watching the passing parade and came towards the kerb. I started to cross and noticed the pooch come to the edge of the kerb. It only had three legs.

The dog began to get excited, tail wagging, head nodding, mouth open like a smile, you know how dogs, especially when they’re big dogs with lots of coat move up and down and round and round with the whole body almost doing the rhumba? This dog knew me. As I got closer I began talking to the dog “hello darling pooch, how are you, who are you” The owners were watching, smiling, looking questioningly. I kept talking to the dog “how are you who are you?” Suddenly the dog was so beside itself it had rolled onto it’s back and with it’s right paw was gesturing to me to rub it’s tummy. As excited to see me as any pooch I have ever know.

The woman of the couple asked me “Do you know her?” “No” I replied. “But she knows me”. I asked about the dog. I already knew she was a Border Collie. They told me her name was Tammy, she was nine years old. I went inside the café for a moment and when I came back to the door she was sitting waiting for me. She walked with me back to our table tail wagging and looking up at me. I so wanted her to speak. Tammy’s owners were stunned. I was ecstatic by the experience. I believe most of us have been here before. Was this synchronicity at it’s best? Who was Tammy?

This wonderful moment reaffirmed my resolve that blogging AW, with my 100% participation will re-open all the possibilities I have allowed to close.

FRIDAY 13th

Yesterday and today did the morning pages and enjoyed. Meant to post the contract (below) last night but got lost in blog land. Gadzooks there are some multi talented gorgeous, inspirational, with so much to share AW bloggers. Thanks to you all. Synchronicity kept popping up too, how I adore that.

OK, yesterday was my first artists’s date. As per usual I tried to cram too much into one day. The deal was to meet MJ for lunch, take the digi camera back to the store and then my artist’s date. Like why waste the bus ticket, the putting on the face, I’m out? Do it all in one go instead of to-ing and fro-ing.

I lost it when it appeared the digi was going to have to go in for repair. One to two months …WOT?? I can’t live without it, give me a refund, bottom jaw trembling, (MJ head shaking thinking why is she losing it, it’s only a camera?). Solution – to the distributor, straight to the source, cut out the middle knob is now on the list of things to do. Henceforth all photos will have a faint gossamer haze on the left hand side of the shot. I’ll make sure I’m on the left as it definitely looks like Vaseline has been placed on the lens.

Sushi lunch, camera store browsing with MJ and back to the grind - Me at 3pm on the artist’s date. After the digi fiasco marvelling at the sights of Sydney at lunch time on Friday 13th was a buzz. A la cas-u-al, sloppy, Ooops here comes the generation gap. All that boho, rubber thongs, fat butts with flesh hanging over jeans where it shouldn’t be. Tatts that should never been done on the white spongey flesh of people with questionable taste and don't own mirrors. I so wanted to take pics, but the throngs with thongs didn’t deserve the Vaseline lens plus i didn't have a wide angle. An I'm Over it moment.

The calmness of book stores beckoned. Now this was the artist's date. Beautiful books on beautiful paper, on beautiful topics like the Art Deco era, 1940s fashion, Beading, Glassware, Silk painting, so much to enjoy, a droolable visual feast.

The stationary section beckoned. My treats were a new pen, not one but two books for morning pages. The question is what size pages is everyone writing? My first two mornings are A5 but by the time I get to page three my pen is running wild. Tomorrow I’m switching to A4. I bought hard covered spiral bound books that I am going to cover in a new technique I saw over at another blog (I’ll keep you posted). I realised too that they don’t make lined paper like they used to (yep a Virgo moment)!! I wanted paper like my visual journals, lined, not that recycled thin crap. Would you believe the cheapest hard covered books in Woolworth’s had the best paper?
The date ended with shopping for beautiful crunchy blueberries, wheat free bread, pear juice, goats cheese and Lindt orange dark chocolate and was on the bus home, happy and contented before the peak hour rush. The first artist’s date was a success.

Artist's Way Contract.

I, Cherie, understand that I am undertaking an intensive, guided encounter with my own creativity. I commit myself to the twelve-week duration of the course. I Cherie,
Commit to weekly reading, daily morning pages, a weekly artist’s date and the fulfilment of each week’s tasks.

I, Cherie, further understand that this course will raise issues and emotions for me to deal with. I Cherie, commit myself to excellent self care – adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and pampering – for the duration of the course.

(signed) Cherie January 14, 2006.

AW Day 1

There was an email from Kat saying she's adding my blog to the list of AW do'ers.
I've read the first 24 pages AND the first chapter, I'm committed to do this.
Morning pages are done - look at the time will you??
My jaunt to the city today will be my first artist's date.

Had a lightbulb moment for a theme for this blog ~ (it's all happening round here)!

The theme will be a daily "I'm Over It"..............

Day 1 - I'm over ... the obscene waste in op shops - now theirs a topic to get up my nose!

Hey bear with me have patience, blogging is new!
OK so the AW icon is up there or is it down there....
All might not look as it should.
Watch this space as it's all gonna get heaps better!

I've Found it...

Since the beginning of this new and fabulous year I knew I was looking for something to get my teeth into. Inspired yet undisciplined, motivated yet still floundering. A new routine, a new challenge was needed. Last week I was poking round the web, I knew something would pop out at me. Loobylu's award winning blog appeared, something flashed into my head...AW...Mmmm....The Artist's Way... I moved on.
Yesterday searching again, still looking for something, filled with expectation, intuitively knowing there was something out there for me ... there it was again AW. Synchronicity.
I searched and I found exactly what I had been searching for at
http://katspaws.blogs.com/kats_paws/2005/12/howdy_yall_read.html

Today I bought my copy of The Artist's Way. I was actually ecstatic to have and hold the book. Call me strange??? yep, you're right.
I'm excited, there's a plan, a challenge, an opportunity to get my creativity working again.

Now to master this dreaded blog.........now I have the answer as to what I am mainly blogging

Stay with me this is going to be fantastic ........

Denim & Lace

Get a pair of jeans
Make a bag
Challenge
Not for me
Coveted by D
Enticed at Nowra
Wrapped at Christmas
What Joy!

Who Can It Be Now...

Benjamin
17 dog years
119 human years
OR
IS IT...
Gra??

Oliver

The cutest guy
anyone could
ever wish to sit
next to on Christmas night!

Oliver

A Million Miles From Anywhere

Christmas Night
Crystal Flutes
Cointreau
Bubbly
Strawberries
Home Made Pate
Crisp Crunchy Salad
Scrumptious Seafood
Charming Company
Close to home!

Not over it yet!

Third blogging attempt (sheee how many blogs have I started) looks like I've made it.

Let's go back in time for a minute!

Christmas Eve was our best for years
Christmas Day, check out the view from our table for lunch ~ no cooking, no dishes,
just a waitress asking "YOU ORDER NOW???
"No" we smiled sweetly!
By the time she asked the fourth time she'd got our drift and knew that we were not
there to be rushed! We had her laughing by the end of lunch, she had a smile wide when we told her she had glitter on her face from the bonbons and her a smile was a mile wide when she saw the tip!
MJ and I sauntered home after feasting on glorious delicacies from the sea, glasses
of bubbly and no drama ~ Merry Christmas ~ it sure was!