Seen today.

I've left myself with little time to compile a Five Senses Friday posting so perhaps I'll harness together a list of (some) things I have seen out and about today...

Things I have seen today (in no particular order... and between 7am and 7pm):

A view of the State Library of Victoria's domed roof, as spied from the opposite rooftop, building 2 at RMIT.

The inside of the white domed-roof, later observed from a comfy armchair on the fourth floor of the library during my lunch hour.

The page of John James Audubon's book of giant proportions The birds of America (1827-38) on display as part of a permanent exhibition, has been turned since my last visit. Where once there stood a giant bird of prey, there can now be found a host of common mockingbirds taunting a serpent as they defend their young.

The dust of Pomegranate scented dusting powder from Santa Maria Novella momentarily suspended in the air as I empty the contents of the talc into the floral canister.

A Prince and the Pauper experience in my very own home. A spot of feline switcheroo takes place under my very nose. Misha, our adopted outdoor (once stray) cat undertakes the role of Tom Canty (though without the tyrannical father figure, "poor rags" and nights spent living in a hovel)... and Olive plays the part of the Young Prince Edward. Mishi having pawed at the back wire door, undetected by all, had elected to let herself in... leaving the door to the outside world ajar for Olive to later slip through. How long they explored each others kingdoms is yet to be known... if ever. I found Mishi underneath the table sniffing at the computer cables and Olive, also sniffing, out by the garden compost down the side of the house.

Many, many pixels as I erase little black specs one by one from a white background... zooming in and zooming out in order to catch each and every offending mark and squiggle before the file can be saved to disc.

The spine of a new Inspector Montalbano novel Rounding the Mark greets my eye every time I open my bag. It is waiting to be read.

A red and white missed parcel calling card in the letterbox.

The surprised look on the faces of the local Post Office staff when I tell them that it's not a dvd in that Amazon box buy a handful of cds... "Oh! Do people still but cds?! I thought everyone downloaded stuff these days?"

Cds which now I must go and listen to... happy weekend to you.

Some weekend links to follow:
Northern Mockingbird eggs
A bird's-eye view of Florence
The Sea Birds' Home
Shooting Birds of Paradise
Some of the birds hurried off at once
Filming The Prince and the Pauper in 1937 with Errol Flynn

Comments

[simple me]

Hi Gracia,
I´m starting to catch up and I just found this wonderful post.
I love those illustrations of birds and santa maria novella packaging. so poetic!
and that story having your cats as characters made me smile.
I´ll have a look at the links later on. have wonderful weekend and enjoy your cds.
bjs
paula

ps: that illustration with the eggs is fab! I love the colours.

[alyssa]

Ah, such beautiful collages this morning. Thank you for the treats.

[tiffany]

great pictures! sounds like the cats had some adventure. my tallulah is constantly trying to sneak out into the real world to explore and is rather cranky with me when i catch her (she's a fat, waddly cat that doesn't get very far - even when she runs).

happy listening and have a great weekend,
tiff*

[lisa s]

oh the woman w/ the eggs... sigh....

and santa maria? love their soap.... and and and - so many good links!

[shari]

grache, hi!
um, this post is so fabulous!! i think i may join you in seen today sometime next week if that is ok by you.

loved it all but especially the misha and olive story and your gorgeous collages.

gogol bordello in the box?! xox shari
ps: we want to know what cds arrived!!

[risa]

i love your prince and the pauper story. and i am totally enchanted with the bottom 2 collages. gorgeous!

[Julia]

Oh! I love the piece with the speckled eggs, interesting and lovely!

[gracia]

Hi there Paula,
You and me both... I'm catching up on all my blog connections too... I've slipped behind! It has been a few days since I popped my head into some regular blog reads and there is much to follow up on. The Santa Maria Novella packaging is beautiful isn't it? And the subtle hint of pomegranate essence still lingers in the room where I peeled off the little silver seal and emptied the contents into the canister... or perhaps that's just my imagination.

Hi Alyssa,
I'm glad you liked this trio, especially as I was a little unsure of them at the time. The right hand side of that portrait will probably appear in the next handful of collages and drawings I work on.

Hi Tiff,
Spring Fever is running through their bones and coursing through their veins, all the way down to their little clawed paws. The air smells of jasmine and high up in the trees, fat pigeons and a host of speedy sparrows taunt the cats both indoors and out. I'm sure more adventures will follow suit.

Hello Lisa S,
Yep, I'm well and truly won over by their beautiful packaging, that and the fact that it was "established by the Dominican Fathers shortly after 1221, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world"... ahh! I'll happily sample all their range if they want me to.

Hi there Shari,
Ooh yes! Please do join in on a little 'seen today' fun next week. Maps, lists and gathered senses are so much fun to whip up and post about. And as to the cds in the box (I thought you may have been curious)... there was indeed some Gogol Bordello, the newie, Gypsy Punks & an oldie, Voi-la Intruder. Plus DeVotchKa too. I had to get the actual cds, it's just not the same for me solely using itunes and ipod... I'm a fan of the cd, I like to read the cover notes, I like to hold a copy in my hands.

Thanks Risa,
I'm eagerly awaiting any further cat antics which (loosely) mirror famous books on the shelf... fingers crossed. Maybe next week a spot of Pride and Prejudice, or War and Peace... or The Master and Margarita?

Hi Julia,
Those speckled eggs you admired are from a book in the State Library which I photocopied last week. I also photocopied a page of cranky looking owls, extinct rodents and the nests of various creatures.

take care, g

[julie]

Lovely post with lots of intriguing details...isnt the anticipation of something so wonderful (your book) sometimes better than the actually thing...Hope you had a great weekend!

[herhimnbryn]

Lushious post. A true gift. Read on a wet chilly evening.
Thankyou.

[camilla Engman]

I love "things I saw today" I've got a whole book I wrote in every day for a year. Makes you realize that you see a lot, and that a lot of strange and beautiful things actually happens.

[Daphne]

Oh, the eggs illustration, love it!! you inspired me with your 'things I saw today' thank you :-) *Daphne

[gracia]

Hi Julie. The anticipation of sitting down to read, grabbing a little quiet time to plunge into a novel, is always appealing. I managed to crack open my book before the day was done and discover a dead body floating off the Sicilian coast and a boat of illegal immigrants. I'm keen to hop back into that world.

Thanks Herhimnbryn... happy to be of service on a wet and chilly evening. I think I'll be weaving together another 'seen today' next Friday too.

Hi Camilla, it does make you realise how long a day, a week, a month, or a year can be when you reread over your collected lists. I have my peepers peeled for more strangely beautiful and beautifully strange things. Already i have seen a mother duck sitting on her nest out at the big factory we go to get our work printed. Nestled in a narrow garden bed, screened by tall trees and near to where all the big trucks park and unload, was a mother duck. I'm keen to see her next week, to see if she is still there in the small patch of green amidst all that noise and concrete.

Thanks Daphne... I hope you were able to compile a list in your mind of all the things you saw and experienced in your day today.

see you,
grache

[Marieke]

Don't you just love erasing in Photoshop? It's like cleaning up a room, getting back sharp contours. Great collages/illustrations, Grache. x

[Veronica TM]

I love, love the tale of Mishi and Olive, I felt like I could see them as I was reading. What a wonderful idea, 'seen today', helping you to be aware, to be present.
Your collages are so great!

[sal]

i loved your weekend links. thanks!

[gracia]

Hi there Marieke, erasing and cloning an area are two of my favourite photoshop tasks...

Hi Veronica, more 'seen today' tales are on the way... and Mishi and Olive have performed another switch on me since this posting too.

Hi Sal, glad you liked 'em. More of those are also on the way (fingers crossed).

take care, g

[Marieke]

So old fashioned of you to buy CD's! :-) Any recommendations? x

[gracia]

Hi there Marieke,
It is, isn't it? I'll concoct a little list of sound recommendations and email them through.
cheers, grache