after the storm

this was the ocean yesterday (tuesday) morning. 

it was huge and wild and scary. 

after months of drought we finally had rain, lots and lots of rain. 

i am SO grateful for that rain. 

like all things in life though, it came with its duality. 

at first it was a gentle rain and then it turned into an intense and crazy

downpour causing some damages. 

my heart goes out to the people who have been affected by it.  

nature is spectacular and frightening... 

thirsty

coming from the drought we've been experiencing 

here is South Africa, i arrived in Switzerland feeling

like a thirsty bird ;) 

 i admired every swollen river and stream, 

every forest felt so incredibly lush! 

and i was there early enough for all the wild flowers...

such a treat... 

day trip

i love that we can take a 90 minutes drive 

inland from our tropical coast and experience a completely 

different climate/season. 

last week we took a day trip into the late autumn, 

early winter landscape of the Kwazulu Natal Midlands.

a real treat for all the senses.

walking

late afternoon autumn walks. 

my meditative time. 

slow down...

our days are getting shorter here, 

and the weather beautiful and cooler. 

it is inspiring me to slow down, 

take time to contemplate, cozy up at home.

i'm knitting, my second beanie now, 

following these instructions. 

below you can see Pax modelling my first one! 

i have also been painting and drawing, 

more because i feel i "should' than because i feel like it... 

and none of what i've done is working.

so i go back to knitting, giving myself permission to take a small break.

and i have been listening  and loving these podcasts, 

reading and loving this article,

loving Flora's tips, tricks and reminders. 

happy cozy weekend beautiful people! 

slow...

i'm still busy with these guys... 

to be honest i am not mad about how long it is taking me 

but i am loving the learning curve, 

one layer at a time. 

as you can see above, i am working in thin layers of glazes

(oil paint thinned down with a lot of linseed oil) 

the layers are fairly transparent, i paint them all over

and then wipe down, then it has to dry...

a painfully slow process for an impatient person like me :)

 but i'm managing, i like the marks and what is busy unfolding. 

 learning. 

open. 

random thoughts on a monday morning...

despite the fact that i have lived in the 

southern hemisphere for nearly 15 years now, 

the opposite seasons still confuses my brain... 

possibly also because we don't have radical seasons changes 

here on the Dolphin Coast but 

i seem to constantly have to remind myself that, yes it is May 

and no it is not spring, it is autumn. 

to add to the confusion we can buy tulips here at the moment?

i'm not sure where they are from but when i saw these ones, 

with the frayed edges... 

i mean aren't they just too glorious? couldn't resist. 

oh and because "winter" is coming this side of the planet, 

i've started knitting a beanie ;) 

i'm really good at starting knitting projects, 

not sure if i ever finished one though. 

let's this one be the one! 

and i love the pink of the tulip and the pale green of the penny gum leaves together. 

tonight...

tonight is the night of the opening of the group show i am part of... 

it feels so vastly different to my last exhibition, 

i feel pretty calm and here are a few reasons why this might be: 

- it's not a solo exhibition so i don't feel that the spot light will be on me only and that 

feels so much less pressured. 

- this was a quick, impulsive decision, i had 3 weeks from the time i agreed to be part of it

 until the delivery of the paintings. so i had no time to agonise over whether what i had done 

was enough, it just had to happen, without the mind and the gremlins getting too involved. 

- and lastly i had so much fun doing these 8 paintings, i kept rotating them, moving on 

when something didn't work. the movement kept it fresh and interesting for me, 

a bit like dance really, and all that really suits my "busy bee/bit of this bit of that/inquisitive 

personality. 

so all that said, tonight is the night and i'm looking forward to see my mad bunches up on the wall

i also have no idea what to expect... but i will keep reminding myself of  Brené Brown's mantra: 

"don't shrink, don't puff up, just stand your sacred ground."

and i might add: stay open. 

see you on the other side... 

this time...

it is aloe time.

i love this time in the garden. 

the aloes are all shooting flowers, they grow so fast. 

they are not open yet but soon there will be orange bursts all over.