bodies

First, I wish my friends in Mexico well. I wish Mexico well.

&, because it seems to be a 'body' day, here's a reminder
from/about Burning Questions.
The link is to my other blog, where you can buy the book..

A good site for when I'm missing galleries.
From Victoria's blog, an item about a wonderful lady

sand patterns

I've lots of photos from beach walks in Byron Bay. Here are a few
of those in the 'patterns' folder; depending on tides & the ocean.
it's different every day, & there's miles of beaches.

Sometimes the black sand is visible, mostly it's very white.
The 'monster' right is the shadow of a sponge.
(Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia)

Want to fritter some time ? go here

harmony

Looking in one of my travel folders, I liked the look of these
3 consecutive shots, taken at different places on the same day,
there seems to be a harmonious link between them.

I like the WWF lungs pic, these nature-based designs
these bizarre-ly original ideas, & the energy of these
environments (if not always the end result).

unknown

The other thing I did in the 70's was use slide film, but it mostly
didn't last through so many monsoons & moves,
perhaps this was in Singapore. The page is from an old
book found in a Srinagar antique shop. I think it's very beautiful.
Previously found it hard to throw paper I'd worked on for
hours/days/weeks, today I lightened the load.

I remember trucks like these on the road north to Kashmir.
Lovely examples of calligraphy

colouring

My first trip to Asia lasted a year, colour film was hard to get then
in India, where I mostly was, so I used black & white.
When I used the photo from Bangkok, left, within a larger image
I coloured it. The (real) colours are perfect, don't you agree?.

Interesting combinations here, & some connection between
salt designs & Tibetan sand mandalas

swimmers

Some of the beach shots were in focus, I like the look
of the ones that aren't. Ducks at a nearby park.

Like this youtube clip for several reasons, don't you?

good news

First of all, the good news is that the cancer had not spread to the
lymph nodes. We all feel that the kind thoughts from afar
have helped. Thankyou.

So I've had a lovely week being with my twin, she is doing well.
We also enjoyed great sunrises & sunsets every day.

another perspective

I'm going tomorrow to be with my sister & her husband, to help
in whatever way they need. Surgery is next day. My twin has
enjoyed that people from around the world are sending
healing energy. This morning, waking around 4am, & before
anything else arose..the sense of being drenched in love.
So, tune in, it's being beamed to you, too.
...linking hearts in spaciousness...

buddhas

There's at least 2000 buddha photos from Feb-March,
I just joined up the parts of these ones to make large images.
Enjoying watching how they begin to move in imagination
into ... some new configurations.
The way this moment flickers into being.

I always enjoy looking here.

signs

Photographed lots of signs on my recent trip to Thailand & Laos.
I like not being able to read them, whether from damage or
language, or whatever. Don't you?

It looks like such a musical language, no?

Some fabulous calligraphy. &, sort of related, a short
multi media on a sufi saint's festival.

wet weeks

It's been raining a lot, it often does, here, around easter.
I walk into town only when I need food, books, movies.
Trees love it, flowers not so much. How do the mosses
& lichens find their place on my timber fence ?

Here's a short film with sheep. Our father managed a sheep
station in far western Queensland, (hot, dry, flat country) ~
I think you'd need to see sheep on hills to get this idea?

& check out Michelle Dawson's new book.

wishes

Why didn't I buy all this old lady had in her basket?
Take even more photos of people, wall paintings, textures,
vendors..? & why don't all guest houses get water filters,
so we can stop the endless plastic bottles?
& I wish I'd taken way more of the reflective buddhas.

I wish that you would tune in to my twin sister & send
healing thoughts, I can tell her there's a net of kind
people, world wide, wishing her well.
Thank you.

back to Bangkok

Next time I'm in Bangkok, I'll get a small, slow boat around the
klongs that radiate from the river; numerous vignettes slipped
past my speeding boat, the driver was on a mission to get to the
lock & pretended not to know what my slow down signals meant.

Stopped once more at Wat Arun,
it's a living book of historic ornament,
constantly updated with patches..

&, my favourite pavillions: enamelled flowers on a white
background. The glass painting had a Persian look,
though distinctly Thai ~ like the wide
range of cross cultural faces, in a way.

I've maybe posted this art history video before, I love it.

more Ayutthaya

If there's enough interested people at the Baan Lotus, the owner
organises a late afternoon tour, in tuk tuks. It was fun,
also different from earlier in the day. A breeze blew all the 'habits'
of buddha statues, they seemed about to move from their plinths.

We visited the elephants. It didn't look a lot of fun for the adults
(though surely better than hauling logs), but the little ones were
enjoying, very curious, & I think that one
was teasing us about getting into the tuk tuk.
I so appreciate the world heritage sites, don't you?

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya has many parks full of evocative ruins &
beautiful flowering trees.

I stayed at a charming guesthouse, an old teak house
with a big waterlily pond, & interesting owner.
Lots of tourists seem to pose in odd ways, everywhere, these
boys were having fun.

more markets

Extensive markets in Vientiane; both a big &
sometimes strange mixture of things, & repeating patterns.

Very hot, mostly crowded, though not hassling. Vientiane is
still a small city. Easy to imagine how Laos was 100 years ago.
It used to take french officials longer to reach upcountry postings
than to sail from France to asia.
Vintage photo sites, asia, usa, & a great archive of sites.

& then..

I was enjoying parts of a newish wat, & then came across an older
structure, small, with remnants of stucco decoration. The delightful
figures seem to emerge from the walls, all in muted apricots
& ochres. I took a lot of photos there.

I enjoyed The Band's Visit last night. See it!

still in Laos

An early morning temple walk in Vientiane.
The inventive grill work- so much more enjoyable than bars, no?
This is into the last week of my trip.

Some 'persistence of vision' toys, & other interesting pictures

Vimala Thakar

I only just heard of the passing of Vimala Thakar.
She was a most remarkable person, a teacher & social activist.
I sat with her in Dalhousie in the early 70's, & then painted this.
There's only a faded print: I'd been 2 years in the mountains before
returning to Sydney for a show at the Bonython gallery,
& forgot to get the works photographed.
This looks like a comprehensive site on spiritual teachers.