Vale Marcia

For Neryl.
In memory of my Aunty Marcia with love.

Full Moon July 07

Full moon rose blood orange last night in smoke filled air. A lone wild dog howling & keening, A sense of time standing still.

Creeks down to last trickle. So dry. Choking on smoke lying in still air, can't see the mountain opposite for the pall. My eyes are streaming, coughing, blocked sinuses. Wake frequently in night choking, fearful that the fires, still some miles away on southern caldera rim, may have come closer.Still haven't had a bath since February. A hip bath when it rained a month or so ago, but as tank didn't fill I couldn't risk it, and have had to do with daily. bucket washes. Every drop gets reused.

But my problems are so small in comparison to what I see on Greek news. It seems the whole of central south Europe has had heat & fires, right down into the islands, Cyprus, the Turkish coast. And now South Africa too. I don't forget the war crimes in Iraq & Afghanistan

The bushfire season total fire ban starts tomorrow. It's bureaucracy gone mad. Why don't they declare these bans to suit the conditions, not the date ! Like the rivers, they are managed by states, not by ecosystems & catchments. When will we ever learn.


Meanwhile here is start of my latest project: SUN SPOTS, the dreaded granny squares, all so pretty, so clean. I wish I was. I think they are a reaction to my inability to keep myself & my abode as clean as I'd like in the face of stressed resources i.e. water.






Think I'll go up my mountain and sing on the moonrise tonight. Maybe the wild dogs will respond. This is what I call The Anvil, that time of deepest winter just before the hammer of Spring hits & all awakens for the new year of breeding, growth, renewal. The buds on the peach tree by the creek are just bursting. Spring will be next week. Hormones will activate, generating crazy behaviors, so watch out kids, it's all about to happen again!

Old Hats, New Directions

Tapestry wool crochet Celtic hat.

Crown of the hat - an ancient Celtic sunwheel design.

A few new directions as I explore crochet granny square possibilities & learn new stitches. The backing on bottom image is part my knitted raw wool sampler.

Flickr site has all my yarnwork to date in the Yarns set.

Hiya Kaffe !

This is my way of learning to knit, way back then.
A Kaffe Fassett pattern from his book: "Glorious Knitting".

It's mostly way too warm for this subtropical climate, but I found it the just right Goldilocks thing for that minus 3 degree centigrade morning last week.

Finding some great links to other yarn artists lately including the Crochet Ring which I'll add to blogroll soon.

DO go check out Flickr if you haven't already. It is such a good showcase and the maps make it really interesting.

Stay warm, stay cool !

Fire and Ice

Recent unprecedented freezing weather is resolving to that beautiful clear warm pre-Spring balminess that makes life here such a joy.

But what is happening in the Europe, the floods, heatwaves, fires is horrendous.

Can't help thinking "what if" - what if there were sudden events when the rainfall or temperature produced off the scale results.

What if we had sudden 55-60 degree centigrade days. 2000 mm falls of rain?

The biosphere is reacting to the changes in the conveyor belt of ocean currents, which are influenced by the complex "world warming" impacts. How long before we are experiencing the really big nasties. Even England & Poland have had tornadoes recently.

One came thru my place in 2002 & ripped off everything above 25 feet height. The side of the house and all the verandas went. I now know what it is like to not be able to breathe while the banshees shriek & dust blinds your eyes. It cut a swathe about 40 feet wide from Casino, 100 km SW from here, across the caldera to my place. I went to check my nearest neighbors a mile away & they were unaware it had even happened, that's how precise & localised it was.

A few years ago, following a week of 38-40 degree C days, we had a 45 degree C day.
My neighbor & I fled our hot rock mountain side & sat in the ocean up to our necks for 9 hours. Even if we had wanted to we couldn't walk back to car across beach as sand was white hot.
What if it had gone to 55 that day?

How close to life support threshhold will these events go ?

Way beyond scarey.

I hear over 500 have died in the heatwave affecting Italy/Greece/Hungary area. We were told this as the 9th item on the news. The latest Iraq atrocities got 8th. The fact that our soldiers had killed someone in Afghanistan was about 3rd. Prime time was the PM stumbling as he walked on his vote seeking tour.

Apparently 500 dead far away, 80 dead a little closer but still not on our island, don't rate as importantly as whether or not John Howard is keeping his body balance, if not the nation's books as price rises in basic commodities send interest rates up & up & up again. It's all part of the Big Problem. Too many people, stressed resources, destructive climatic events.

More, more, produce, consume, breed. Keep it happening good citizens all.

Keep yr eye on the pointy end or you'll see the sharks feeding off the garbage astern.

I remember back in 70's someone saying we have evolved as a species now able to view its' own extinction in minute excruciating detail via the electronic media. Well I guess that's as long as electricity gets to them I guess someone, somewhere is working out how to bypass that too.

So just to show that I'm doing my bit for production quotas here's some crochet pix.

Goldilocks & Anu World

Still busy researching yarn arts & artists. Found endless people & beautiful work thru Flickr & now have found

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/

to help organize my contributions to the cornucopia of work on display.

Here's my latest offerings, some pillow covers.

Created these with help of Flickr yarn artists' patterns. Working into new techniques & scrumble freeform crochet is my next Big Thing. Time to break out of confines of classic traditions & use the inspirations of Kaffe Fassett, Sylvia Cosh, James Walters, Sue Bradley & Jenny Dowde (not forgetting old bud Jenny Kee), to fly into Anu World of creativity.

Freezing cold. snow falling where snow hasn't fallen in last hundreds of years of record keeping.

Yes that biosphere breakdown is a happenin' & even our dodo P.M. is going on UTube to present the proposals to address climate change issues.

Ah, naivity reigns. What is coming is the result of what happened way back in the mid 20th century & before. Maybe reforms in energy use & pollution reduction will help in the long run but with so many of us swarming, consuming, polluting, I fear there will be a huge culling before it all slows down to a new Goldilocks life support system.

Who will survive? Will the oceans really rise & swallow coastal areas? Will we still have industrial areas to drive our civilization's technology? So many are in low lying areas.

Is it all too late or do we really have a chance?

It is all so interesting - the evolution of life on this Goldilocks planet. What we are and what we will become.

Let kindness and understanding rule as we hope for good outcomes in what seems a less than comfortable future.

Spread the love,

Anu.

Hi Hatz

Found a site where imagination, talent & fun with mixed media make some very crazy headgear.




Go2:
http://www.beaniefest.org/
& look at the images in Past Festivals.

This is one of the images from that site.

There is also a Beanie Fest book full of these bizarre offerings in craft shops.

YARN WORLDS

Been researching freeform & tapestry crochet & found a world of people who make extraordinary work. Some are so like my tapestry crochet & grid pattern knitting that I did a dance at finding like minded yarn artists who, a whole hemisphere away, have made things so like mine. Inspirational!

This is another hat I made for good friend Adi.

I've sent emails to some who have followed the Kaffe Fasset & Sylvia Cosh methods and various traditional ethnic work such as Peruvian, Mexican & old Celtic,Turkish, & Egyptian patterns & colors.

If you are reading this now I'd love to contact you to swap patterns & ideas & maybe just muse about crochet, knitting, color and/or the goings on around our planet these last months. I'll be fixing up the photos of my work for web publication so find that on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anua22a.

As I write a foraging band of 5 huge black yellow tailed cockatoos is scrawching above in the trees that hang over studio. Lots of crashing onto the tin roof right above my head as twigs and bark fall as they pull apart the deadwood looking for insects.Time to get out the camera. They are so HUGE! Today winter gales abate and its a day of champagne air and warm sun. A day to sit in sun and work on my next project.

Love to all
Anu.

Goldilocks and Granny's Best Friend

Goldilocks and Granny’s Best Friend

One day, after coming back from a happy visit to her old friends the Four Bears, Goldilocks decided to take a short cut through the woods. The path passed by the cottage of Red Riding Hood’s old grandma and she decided to pay the old lady a visit.

Humming a happy little song she dawdled along, looking at amazing rare butterflies and some newly flowering orchids, just enjoying the pleasant walk on a fine sunny day.

As she passed through the woods she didn’t notice she was being watched.

But the Big bad Wolf had heard her humming and crept up on her. As she bent down to look at a particularly interesting ground orchid, the wolf jumped on her, savaging her badly.

Goldilocks, however, was quite strong and although badly injured, managed to get away from the wolf, beating it off with a big stick.

She limped into grandma’s house, and fell to the floor in a swoon.

Grandma tended to her wounds and when she regained consciousness, gave her a special herb tonic tea to restore her.

“Why, dear Goldilocks, whatever happened to you !” asked grandma.

“It was the Big bad Wolf grandma. It jumped on me. I didn’t see it until too late. It’s made quite a mess hasn’t it,” she moaned ruefully as she winced, trying to move her injured body. Anything she did was so painful. Her legs were all torn with deep gashes.

“Oh no Goldilocks, you are wrong ! ” exclaimed grandma. “No! Not Old Big Bad. It couldn’t be. It’s a real friend. Probably my best friend. Big Bad Wolf is so supportive, always brings me fresh killed rabbits and hares and the odd chicken. Walks with me to the edge of the woods to keep me company. No, Goldilocks, I think you are mistaken.”

“No, grandma, I am not mistaken at all. “replied Goldilocks, rather taken aback.
”If I were you I’d think about that best friend of yours. It’s a dangerous creature and one day it could just eat you up. Did you ever think that maybe its’ presents of good food are just to fatten you up for its’ own meal one day?”

Goldilocks groaned as she sat up and pulled on her coat.

“Oh that’s just fanciful nonsense. You must be delirious”, cried grandma, scowling angrily at Goldilocks.

“My dear grandma, you are not seeing the creature for its’ true nature. Red Riding Hood once told me it came sniffing around her one day out in the woods, but she ran away fast.” replied Goldilocks, wondering if the old lady was delusional.

“Yes, yes” sniffed grandma, turning away,” Red Riding Hood has always come with bad stories about Big bad Wolf. But she doesn’t know what a good creature it really is. It always tells me how worried it gets about her walking in those woods alone. It is a very concerned wolf, always telling me how it cares for others. I only know it as a supportive good friend. No, my dear Goldilocks, you are quite mistaken. I think you must have brought this on yourself, maybe you fell over into a thorny gully and have to put the blame on someone else or look foolish. You are telling naughty fibs. Now go home. I’m expecting company.”

Goldilocks limped back home, staying away from the woods. On her way she passed Red Riding Hood, who was horrified at seeing her old friend in such a state.

“Whatever happened to you?” she cried.

Goldilocks explained.

“Oh I’ve warned grandma so many times about that wolf, but she just won’t listen’” said Red Riding Hood.

Goldilocks got home and went to bed. She slept and slept and woke up some days later, still sore, but much refreshed. She felt like eating something nice and made a sweet current tea bun. As she made it she wondered how her friends the Four Bears were. So she packed up the bun in a picnic basket and went to visit them.

“Have you heard the news” said Mama Bear as she laid out high tea and sliced up the current bun.

“No, do tell.” said Goldilocks as she poured the tea for them all.

“Well it seems your friend Red Riding Hood has gone missing and when Eva, the woodsman’s wife went to her grandma’s house, grandma was in bed, all wrapped up and in her nightcap. She said she had a bad cold, and her gruff voice certainly sounded like she had a very bad throat, so Eva made her some hot lemon and honey. But as grandma reached out to take it, the cap slipped off and it wasn’t grandma at all. It was the Big Bad Wolf. Eva got a terrible fright and jumped back, knocking over the bedside lamp. She ran away from the cottage before the wolf, all tangled in the bedclothes, could catch her. When Eva got home and told the woodsman what had happened, they went back to the cottage together, but it had burned to the ground. So nobody knows what happened to Red Riding Hood, her grandma, or even the Big Bad Wolf. But I suppose it’s easy to guess.

Goldilocks looked down at her injured legs, tears running down her cheeks.

“I tried to warn them...” she faltered, but she couldn’t speak for the tears.

“My dear,” said Father Bear, munching on his current bun and looking reflectively out the window,” you just can’t tell some folk. They only find out the hard way. So here,” he added handing over a large clean hanky,” wipe your eyes. Try not to feel it. You managed to escape, be thankful. Just know you can only do so much to warn others of the dangers in this world.”

Little Bear slid off his chair and trundled over to Goldilocks and gave her a great big healing bear hug.

“Don’t cry Goldilocks,” he murmured, "you still have us”.

Goldilocks felt much better and hugged Baby Bear back.
Then they sat back and enjoyed their tea party.
Four friends together.

............
Love 2 U all
Anu.

BARGELLO

Here's the cosy blanket I've just finished for Zeca:

Aurora

A baby blanket in Bargello style crochet.

Crochet. Double crochet (dc) worked into back loop of stitch below for rib fx.
8 ply wool (acrylics & wool blends only when colors not available in wool).
Create color graded stripes after style of Bargello embroidery.
Hook: 5mm.
Time for 1 row @ 10 mins. Total work time for main body of work: 21-22 hours (finishing extra). Size: Length: 130 cm or 4’3”. Width: 85 cm or 2’9.5” wide.

Pattern

Cast on 170 chains
Turn, ch2, sk1 & dc1 into back loop of 2nd dc below, dc2, (i.e. row starts with 4 dc if you count 2ch turning stitch as 1st stitch in new row)
dc2 in next st, 4dc, sk2, 4dc, 2dc in next st,
* 3dc, sk1, 3dc, 2dc in next st, 3dc, sk1, 3dc, 2dc in next st, 3dc, sk1,
5dc, (1dc, ch1, 1dc) in next st (top of peak), 5dc,
sk1, 3dc, 2dc in next st, 3dc, sk1, 3dc, 2dc in next st, 3dc, sk1, 3dc,
2dc in next st, 4dc, sk2, 4dc, 2dc in next st *,
repeat * to *
4dc to end of row.

Repeat rows using graded color stripes in manner of Bargello embroidery.

My own adaptation of Bargello crochet patterns found on web via Google Images/Bargello crochet.

.........................................................................

East coast lows brings much needed life liquid renewal to eastern Oz. But only 12 mm in rainguage here. Still hanging out for a bath...it's been months! Must get to ocean beach for a sand scrub soon.

19 black cockatoos screaching out from their mountain refugium heading for riparian foraging.
Currawongs in the foggy damp dawn. Now its sunshine & showers and the air is crystal champagne. More like spring. Hormones charging the breeding mechanism...pademelons hard at it under recent full moon. Ah...dem wuz der daze...

seeya

Anu.

Rain - 15.5 mm in gauge today.
Has the drought broken really ?
Might be able to have a bath soon if it keeps up.
A Paradise riflebird is nesting among the palms in the "garden" (read wilderness) - a Green catbird calls in the dawn and bowerbirds & flock pigeons now visiting as the planet swings us into the winter weather cycles.
Still very warm altho the insects aren't as noisy, or bitey.
I am at peace, riding Kamertaj my windy mare.
This is a hat I made for my old friend Jo.
Love to you all.

War and Peace

I ask for peace and harmony and get a download of verbal abuse.
Why can't people make love not war ?
Our time on this planet is so brief, so precious and I'm not wasting it by allowing negative people with destructive agendas to violate my beautiful reality.
Personal chemistry, the flow of endorphins, dopomine, seratonin, all governed by the meditation & mantras generating inner harmony. Give it a go.
Watch the flow as your inner being starts radiating joy as the body's reactions respond.
Soon you too will find it all and ride your windhorse above the dross to the springs of inspirations where you can fill your cup with the nectar of bliss.
Life is too short. Come into the light of peace and joy.
Here is our latest family addition.
Welcome baby Zeca to Terra, our Goldilocks planet.
And Happy 41st my beautiful Klea.
Love 2 U all
Anu

the horror, the horror....when will it ever end, when will people be able to live happily, enjoy peace.

I turn on the news and what is happening in Baghdad, in Iraq in general, in Afghanistan, North Africa, Middle East - it's beyond grief, beyond words.

Our Australian news tells of 3 dead here, 5 dead there. Road fatalities, nursing & retirement home deaths, murders on the streets. Then, about 5th or 6 th item into the news we hear that 190 are dead today in Iraq with countless hundreds injured in just today's bombings.

We heard yesterday of the Virginnia Tech massacre, 30 plus dead and yes, horror, horror...but what about the daily horror the Iraqis suffer with that many and often so many more, massacred on a daily basis. Sickness. Souls who cannot see the reality of the beautiful life, the miracle of Terra.

I enjoy such beauty, such peace in my mountain sanctuary. I turn on the news and am presented with horror.

Do I shun the media, put my head beyond the ways of the other humans out there who are supposedly "my kind" ?? They are definitely NOT my kind of kind.

When, oh when will people wake up to the privilege of being alive on this planet, this precious life bubble miraculously, beautifully pulsing in time around that thing we call the sun.

Can we ever remove the terror from terra ?

Terrabubble, not terrorburble.

Helpless I watch civilisation destroy the miracle of life.

If only they could wake up and have the mother of all epiphanies..

meanwhile today's new visitor to my palm forest is the Catbird.
A simply awesome large irridescent bird that visits seasonally and delights me.
But nothing can stop the horror spilling over into even that innocent experience.

So here's the challenge of the day:

How to convince those who live by fear, violence, torture, vengeance and vile deaths that this life can be lived another way.

erhaps the realisation that paradise is here and not beond death might help.

Anu

We've had such a poor 'wet" season this year, but still it gently rains every day and all is green.
But it isn't enough. No floods this season. Tanks running down and streams only gurgling with no full flows.
I have been thinking of how little wildlife is left now.
When I came here 30 years ago there were so many different pademelons & wallabies, snakes, frogs, spiders, beetles & bugs, possums, quoll, koalas, skinks and goannas.
But the cane toads and the dogs the people who live nearby seem to need have just decimated the populations.
Now I am lucky to see one wallaby, one python, one goanna. The possums are gone and of 8 koalas only one is left as far as I can determine. I get rid of every cane toad I find, but they still keep coming. I haven't seen a frog in a few years. Once the nights throbbed with their calls.

Biodiversity.

Who cares ? Who even understands what the word means !!

Goldilocks and the 4Bears

Underground living appeals to me. On the right terrain of course.

Energy consumption is cut way back by the constant 22 degrees (or so) that underground housing maintains all year round.

I think we should move away from developing coastal estuaries, beaches, dunes below 5m and think of moving populations inland asap.

Anyone care to comment here ?

My wish for the day is that we can coexist in harmony. Reduce the pain. Increase our mutual respect in ways that don't involve fear. If only eh ?

Anu

Goldilocks & the 4Bears

It's only when the pool has too many other people in it that the ecology suffers. What can we do ?
If we don't modify our numbers and impacts, nature will cull us painfully.
Any good ideas folks?
Love
Anu

I hear that our planet is dying. It is NOT dying. Certainly the biosphere is being severely impacted by our inappropriate technology and pollution.

But it is our NUMBERS that drive the engine of that problem.

Surely we must address carrying capacity as well as lifeways and technology if we are to reach a better balance for the life support systems to function.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Love to Us All,

Anu.