HIGH UP IN THE TREES

Birds in the works.

The week has kept me on my toes. For the most part my days have echoed that of a certain white rabbit running late "for a very important date". My dusty burrow piled high with things to be done, checked off, delivered and attended to, seems to be growing and multiplying as if by magic. And just when I feel as though I have wriggled free of those tall white rabbity ears sprouting from my crown, I discover a cotton tail and giant thumper feet to match.

In the midst of a busy streak, I've taken much delight in whipping up three new collages for Friday. They may appear free of rabbits however if you squint your eyes you may just catch sight of a pair of those distinctive long rabbit feet in the shadows or a fog watch in the foreground.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"

Down the Rabbit-Hole, Chapter 1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Detail of Pietro Longhi's The Temptation, 1746
Oil on canvas, 61 X 49.5cm
From the J. Pierpont Morgan Collection.

Image snipped today from the pages on The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Winter, 2000.

The extra place at the table indicates that the barn owl was indeed expected.

Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes
Sculpture Gallery, Boston Athenaeum, ca. 1854-55
Daguerreotype, 18.8 X 13.8cm
From the Rubel Collection

Image snipped today from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring, 1999. And created whilst listening to Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love as a talking book on cassette... "The whippets did wear diamond necklaces, far grander ones than Aunt Sadie's, she said, and she was forced to admit that they looked beautiful in them. Birds of paradise flew about the house, quite tame, and one of the young men told Louisa that, if she came during the daytime, she would see a flock of multi-coloured pigeons tumbling about like a cloud of confetti in the sky." (Chapter 5)... it is perhaps not surprising that birds are still on my mind or on my page.

David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson
Lady Ruthven, ca. 1845
Salted paper print from paper negative, 19.9 X 15cm
From the Rubel Collection

Image snipped today from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring, 1999.

And now some weekend visual & audio trails to follow:
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, plate 43 from the series Los Caprichos.
Counting the geese, fragment of wall painting from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt. 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC.
Elaborately bandaged mummified bull calf also from Thebes, Egypt. Roman Period, after 30 BC.
The Mocking Bird record cover - a children's talking book. Plus, hear it here.

A happy weekend to you all.

Can I stay a little longer?

Before the day draws to a close, can I stay a little longer in this lush green spot?

{A green stretch for the legs.}

Watching other cars overtake us as we made our way slowly towards Sassafras marked the start of an afternoon spent soaking up the gentle sun. Off to the hills to deliver a large framed print of ours, The tears of the elephant to B, we drove cautiously and much to the annoyance of others on the road. The print arrived in one piece and delivering it in person afforded us the fun of meeting who had bought it and a free afternoon.

{Sherbrooke forest sunlight.}

A little list of green, green sights...
A glossy black crow in the tree branches above. His tree, outside the cafe, strewn with coloured lights.

A beautiful purple flowering rhododendron coming up through a deliberately cut hole in the decking near to where we are sitting.

A tempting jar of Cunliffe Waters tomato & red capsicum relish.

The green, green ferns aplenty in Sherbrooke forest. We amble along the path, eyes peeled for small hollows in the mature trees, the homes of tiny Feather-tail Gliders. We fail to spot any, nor any evidence of that most famous forest lodger, the mysterious Superb Lyrebird... perhaps our heavy footsteps and camera snapping ways alerted them to our whereabouts. Tree Goannas seen, also zero.

Scarred eucalypt trees bearing evidence of the feast of a Yellow-bellied Glider the night before.

Two robust kookaburras, one mid swoop, the other perfectly still, surveying all movement from a high vantage point.

{I've found where Ratty lives. Now, how about Mole?}

Flowering azaleas, viburnum and walls of colourful, thriving rhododendron trees.

Mountain ash, ginkgoes, maples and liquid ambers all side by side, bed by bed, in the Alfred Nicholas Gardens (set up by the two brothers who incidentally developed Aspro, aspirin pain killer.).

Several brilliantly coloured Crimson and Eastern Rosellas. Native Eastern Yellow Robins, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and Pied Currawongs may well have also been seen, though the novice twitcher in me can't be sure.

A camouflaged duck swimming in an equally camouflaged lake.

Dirt on my kneecaps after taking a tumble down the wide garden steps... landing in a cat position.

The sun in our eyes as we drive the long distance home... several mangoes in a bag on the back seat to be enjoyed later on.

Seen & Heard.

Seen today: A Wallich's stag in a velvet shower of green, blue, yellow, pink and white dots. He has a yellow feathered Black-naped Oriole to clean his antlers.
(Postcard details: from the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, N.W.
Black-naped Oriole details, should you ever meet one in your sleep: They are fond of fruit and berries, particularly figs. They are often chased away by other birds so be kind to them.
Wallich's stag details: Also known as Tibetan red deer, they are endangered. Hear American elk bugling here, so you'll know what to expect.)

Seen today: A fork in the road. A kingfisher considers his prospects as a shepherd in St Gérand-le-puy (Allier), Bélguin. First things first, he'll have to learn that those are not sheep.
(Bélguin details: Where they make fine gourmet pretzels.)

Heard today: A Kingfisher on the horizon converses with an Audubon Rocky Mountain bighorn ram on Anzac Beach. They are discussing environmental policies.
(Rocky mountain bighorn details: They have superior eyesight and agility thanks to their balance-aiding split hooves, so tread lightly in your dreams in order to meet one.)

Heard today: A blue faced female Black-naped monarch whispers the secrets of the world to me but I am unimpressed.
(Postcard details: 564. Beross-nyomda Eger, the original Hungarian postcard, pre Monarch enlightenment. Find her family here and here.
Black-naped monarch details: They are territorial so be sure to soften your arrival with a plate of insects, it's ALL they will eat.)

A happy weekend animal safari to you.

A sleepy hyacinth macaw.

In my dream last night I owned a blue macaw. He arrived overnight to come and live with me, a small and talkative lodger in need of a home. He may have come with a smaller red feathered companion however I can't recall that as I sit here trying to throw a large net over my thoughts and dream fragments. I can recall that my macaw was loud, a real chatterbox. He liked to waddle underneath the bed and behind the couch... from there he had the perfect ambush planned. He could surprise you with a quick nip of the ankles and then crawl up to your shoulders to perch and command food. What he requested to dine upon I've no idea of now. Waking up this morning, perhaps this dream is not surprising for birds have continued to stay put in my collages on old postcards.

Old postcards from Latvia, Turkey, Jordan and Uruguay are continuing to prove an ideal base. And following the thread of all things postal... snap up a little affordable bag of used stamps from various destinations near and far over here at our online store. We're also offering FREE POSTAGE from October 17 through to November 17, on all orders for all people. Smudged postmarks, postage stamps, free postage and collages on postcards... it's looking like being a postal laced day.

Mid week links
pipe dream
toast
fukusuke-pon 福助ぽん - heaven@air

(Incidentally, should you ever meet a Hyacinth macaw, they like to eat palm nuts, seeds and fruits.)

Beautiful journey.

As the week draws to a close, some collaged landscapes for you to visit. No passport required.

It's getting dark
(Collage using Christina of Sweden on Horseback, 1653, Sebastien Bourdon. Museo Del Prado, Madrid.)
With many birds to lead the way... we head for the Tuscan Archipelago where the summers are warm and breezy, a tuna sandwich in our pocket.

Antarctic Return
(Collage using Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby, 1790, Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)
The Countess of Derby now has a fine owl garment to wear.

Black Bear Rock
(Postmarked Lisboa -5-2-06)
A postcard found in Portugal bears (no pun intended) news I cannot read.

How'd we end up here?
(Collage using a postcard from ACMI, Sunday in Melbourne. Director Gil Brearley (AUS), 1958, 22 minutes.)
An Audubon Black bear and a lone barbet ponder their fate.

And now for some end of the week links...
Elephant tears, Ranchi, India, October 11th
Discovered in a cloud forest, Colombia, October 9th
Mailart received, Belgium, October 5th

Happy weekend.

Silver lining.

Come with me. We're going on a journey out of town for the day. Hop in the car for we're off to Ballarat. One and a half hours drive, heading all the way along Ballarat road until we reach our destination. We've filled the tank and we've the whole day ahead of us.

{Red, red poppies}

{Casting an eye over potential gems}

{A potential purchase?}

Last Friday we four headed to Ballarat for the day. An all too rare chance to escape the city and other pressing tasks. A much needed and keenly anticipated day trip. The promise of new sights, new sounds and new smells ahead... and of course the hope of finding a few treasures and unexpected treats. Ahh, Ballarat... where once my parents were asked whilst crossing the street "How much for the daughter?".

First port of call Anton's pie shop for two hot pasties, one beef pie and one shepherd's pie laced with frills of mashed potato. Sitting in the rotunda on the main street, we ate our take-away fancies all the while trying not to get too much excess sauce on our fingers. Red poppies in bloom and blue sky up above, I was feeling lucky. If there was a cloud in the sky it would surely of shown its silver lining to us.

{A SylvaC vase on Humffray street steals my heart, a mouse in the cornfields}

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5 rabbits caught in a mirrored forest}

And lucky I was. At Antiques, Goods & Chattels on Main Road, hidden alongside various old magazines from long ago was The Weekly Times Wild Nature Book, two A4 sized paper folios full of collected full colour plates, one filled with birds such as the Many-coloured parrot, the Australian Dollar-bird (or Broad-billed roller) and the Albert Rifle-bird (found in New Guinea and North Queensland - Cape York to the Claudie River district). A Hastings' Tragopan rests on a branch, momentarily pausing to let us admire his ordered coat of irregular white spots across his back, wings and middle... in this Weekly Times folio dating from February 11, 1933 until August 18, 1934, this handsome bird can be found on display somewhere in the middle "assuming a striking attitude as he crouches...". Hand written on the front of the second folio on animals from near and far, is the name L.J.Rodd with the dates they lovingly collected these colour plates listed below. Beginning with plate number 30, August 5, 1933, a giant red kangaroo shown in profile, ending with a single humped (the Dromedary or Arabian) camel, plate number 88, August 4, 1935... sandwiched in between these two bookends, a caravan of animals - an Indian elephant, a Siberian ibex, a Scandinavian reindeer and a "dainty footed, ground-frequenting" Fat-tailed pouched mouse with her young, to name but a few.

Fine little green glasses with a singular gold deer were also spotted and subsequently purchased here as well. For Louise, another Agatha Christie for the collection. For my Mum, a drinks tray depicting a classic hunting scene. We each left with a grey coloured plastic bag tucked under our wing, our treasures safely wrapped in newsprint inside, as a man attempted to play the pianola parked just inside the door because it was too heavy to shift any further.

{"Penguins are associated with the Realm of Ice and the narratives of Antarctic explorers"}

{Dear gold deer}

A fruitful beginning that continued for the remainder of the day. Louise found a further two Agatha Christes with wonderful cover art... Dad found an Albert Namatjira framed reproduction landscape print circa 1950 and Mum found a late 1950's Swans port bottle shaped like a footy for a cheap, cheap, cheap $22. She also found several vases and worn jugs to fling into possible painting compositions down the track. I perhaps received the lions share of the loot... finding a lamp which illuminates a painted glass panel depicting a deer in silhouette, standing in the woods, a sunset behind him, observed by a squirrel and a bird in the tree tops above. The animal theme rolled on with a further lucky find at Lydiard Furniture & Antiques (specialising in antique and old furniture, iron beds and architectural fittings) near the station, two tin peacocks (a pair for a fiver) and a bound, unused photo album with a rich brown cover.

{Sunset vista}

{Two birds in the hand are better than one}

Our pennies stretched further still, ensuring LJ & I snaffled up an art deco mirror which bears a tranquil scene, four or more rabbits frolicking in the long grass beneath two tall trees. The car boot seemed to fill at every stop... with plastic bags of decorative ornaments and gems wrapped in sheets of newspaper. Now we only needed to figure out where to put them all, to place what where. The drive home sped by, each of us ready for another day trip and covered in a fine layer of dust. In my mind I'm already peeling off the little stickers informing me of the price, I'm already plugging in the lamp and marvelling at the picturesque sunset rendered three dimensional by the convex glass. Five stores of lost and found treasures and a pastie make for a happy day.

Happy week all!
(How we may have looked on the return journey...)

Greasy cogs, nuts, bolts.

{Miss Lemon & Captain Hastings embark on another lap around the bowl.}

{Mail received in Durham hits the spot.}

{Mail received from Fishcakes.}

Spring is beating at the window panes this morning. Opening the front door, the heady smell of the blossoms from the mock orange tree hit me in the face. Their fragrance jumps over my shoulder and winds down the the long hallway, past the many obstacles (green bags full of library books and outgoing parcels) and enters the lounge room (which doubles as a studio, which doubles as any room you want it to be). On the glass cabinet my parents salvaged many years ago from an old corner Milk Bar, rests a recently moved fish bowl... Miss Lemon and Captain Hastings had to move from their place on top of the fridge, too much sun was turning their water a bright shade of green. Alongside this, some collected long grass finds plonked in a vessel make for the perfect, cost free, eco friendly cat toy... Omar likes to play, caress, tug, nuzzle, kiss and sniff his collection of fuzzy topped grass, a little bit of the outdoor world to be enjoyed from the carpeted comfort of his lair. Yesterdays newspapers, the odd magazine, a newly acquired field guide to Australian mammals and a Inspector Montalbano novel Excursion to Tindari form a nearby pile on the floor... a folded Swans poster printed on newsprint from the Grand Final parade last Friday sits by the snail lamp currently switched off.

It's promising to be a warm spring day (30°C, 86°F) as I wait for the coffee in my mug to cool enough to sip. My mind should be calm and rested, my mood should be light. The windows are flung open and Olive is reclining on the sill very near to three little books I ordered and received from Voz, 12 True Animal Facts volumes I & II and An Illustrated Animal Alphabet... and I have no shortage of books to read and art books to pour over and reference books to leaf through. However my mind is still churning over last nights commitment to three hours worth of various documentaries watched from the comfort of a snug grey rug on the floor - Global Warming: Bush's Climate of Fear... claims of scientific reports altered and suppressed, Stasiland on Foreign Correspondent and The Anatomy Of Evil directed by Danish filmmaker Ove Nyholm "who has travelled the world in order to find the answer to the question: What makes ordinary people commit mass slaughter and indulge in genocide during war time? And how do they get on with their everyday life with having hundreds of killings on their conscience?"... are all still on my mind, causing its little series of greasy cogs, nuts, bolts and untrained "little grey cells" to whirl at high speed, both last night and today. Time to collect my thoughts, my coffee is now almost stone cold... time to head outdoors to find a sunny spot in the garden to knock back the cold caffeine goodness and pause.

{A postcard I picked up in Portugal comes in handy for collage.}

Some mid week links to follow:
Chinese Globe, 1623
Map of the moon, 1679... complete with a hiding Moon Maiden
The Porch, found in a Portuguese dictionary in a second-hand bookstore
The ossining house, broken down, print by Carson Ellis, motel gallery