tinywoolf: May 2012

corner view ≈ fire(s)

i'd actually really hoped the great fire of london would have been stored somewhere for us online. i wasn't disappointed. the 1666 great fire of london has deeply impressed me in many ways. i saw a chilling dramatized scene at the london museum in the early 10's. i read about the great fire in rutherfurd's london, when i couldn't do anything but read to pass the time, a few years ago. and of course, there will always be peter ackroyd, who writes haunting history books on england's capital and humourously dubs unforgettable televised drama. if you can spare ten minutes of your precious time, then the evocation lies in wait for you's. samuel pepys reported elaborately on the great fire, which he closely watched from across the rolling thames {all to be found in his diaries}. let's hear it for the man, he's kept remarkably well. ☻ {set the above video in motion. please do. virginia woolf in cameo!}

i've had london on my mind all day, does it show? i miss her so... jane's corner view, hosted by francesca. add some fire to your day today, hey? actually. basil fawlty once shrieked fa-fa-fire! remember? {do not watch the video if you find yourself under a particular anti-fawlty-spell. being basil, he's acting up something unnerving.}

greetings from 'all over the place'

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i usually look for pictures and images found for this column,

but i thought i'd share a few mementoes from home instead.

it feels as if i haven't been saying much lately, at all.

once again, i may just want to let the photos do the talking.

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i invite you to tag along.

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this spring time saw the going and coming of a few street characters. son's dad has moved to ghent,

... we got one of the cats. as a matter of fact, son's cat. i love necko. at the same time, i am not convinced of taking care of an animal, full time.

the first sunshiny days were spent outdoors, because thrifting was involved.

after a long winter of anticipation, we drove ourselves to the ronquieres inclined plane,

... settled for cheese and coffee ...

under the bridge,

and found a few thrifting items

... that cheered us.

in the meantime i noticed at intervals our garden did become greener and greener and occasionally threw up absolute beauties, such as dramatic midday shadows ...

... abundant blooming,

{even if these flower heads remain mainly neighbourly}

naturally, refreshments are compulsory. sometimes taken in the vicinity of a shaded corner of the house, {leslie! please notice the sista plate. is it?}

other times en plein public,

joyously boasting about one helluva radiant and vintage picnic {thank you, bell}

as usual my eye saw things in the streets. this stork-in-the-wall never ceases to amaze me.

and, please don't ever think again the job of window dressing stops at pensioner's age {the lady in the window looked about 90 - do click the image. you will find her, stooping}.

all things come to an ending. it seems sad tulips always know what's coming to them. therefore they go down standing tall, i'm convinced.

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as a matter of another fact, and fyi, ALL images are very clickable.
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yes! our house is still standing tall too and itching to be dressed. the pace is rather slow. i have taken in full account all of the wise advise i have been given recently {a.o. by you, dear readers} and have taken time off grafting. today will be another day of lying about, doing close to absolutely ought}.

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i am wishing you all the best monday ever. ♥

drawing | paper doll drama

besides thinking up a doll's skirt full of treasures and symbolism {where'd that come from?}, i've been musing over what friend maggie suggested a few months ago. as a matter of fact, the advice came from her 86-year old mum:

"if i can't find me my man, i should seriously consider baking me one".
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{image: as seen here.}

bearing in mind that in case my intentions go t*ts up, then i could always turn to the original baker, the one that gingerly got away and into welsh village life, rolling himself into a crisp of brit humour. just a thought, right?
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paper dolls this weekend, via fairy yellow bug queen.
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cheers, norma. i feel like i've been to the ball and back.

corner view ≈ in the sky

i think the sky is a funny place. we can't reach it, if we try. it seems ever receding, as far as we stretch. we can't touch it, we can but see it. drink it, if need be. i also don't think the sky is the limit. {our vine here didn't survive our 2010 move}. this week's theme in the sky on jane's corner view, hosted by francesca.

a big thanks to all who read about and commented on my {legendary} sighing. i feel so much better for your heart felt warmth towards my temporary despair. when one anagrams the word sigh, it can become gish, which is, apart from the smashing pumpkins 1991 debut album, a synonym to wizz, {hopefully from oz}.

head spinning on mizz petticoat mention of the tool belt divas, i can not deprive you of hereby inserted video, which is meant to be shocking a little. it was made by the equal pay day team{.be}, in 2011. if you haven't seen it, watch it. there's an important message, for men and women. renovation wise, let's just hope that by the time i reach retirement age, i'm not still at it... ☻

stuck in the middle

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do you live in a world where communication is never ending? do you come from a generation of land lines, where apparatus needed a line into a wall, into a central system, in order to have them operate? do you sometimes find it bewildering like me, stuff now works cordless? and are you lonelier than ever, by it?

i've passed a weekend of wonder. i needed help here, in the house, but no one came to the phone. everybody who is always there, was out. i could get hold of no one. i had a problem that needed fixing, and i couldn't do it by myself. i reached out for help, to no avail.

it made me wonder, it truely did. i left messages, but perhaps my message sounded sinister? perhaps it didn't sound alarmed enough. perhaps i am accustomed to doing the things by myself, and people don't look up, when i actually need help? perhaps we have come to speak different languages?

i look at the work behind me, i look at the work in front of me. i find myself in the middle of hardship. i feel like i'm slowly draining and drowning. like i'm running on empty, my reserve is up, but my work isn't done.

sleepless nights have become painful, besides devoid of sleep. i sit up, i lie down again. never in my life have i literally sighed like i do most nights. if a partner would be sharing my bed, he would relocate to the nearest available empty bed. i wouldn't blame him.

when you find yourself stuck in the middle of things, there is but one way to go, and that is on. i realize that this morning. therefore i will go on. therefore i will wear the face. i will kick muscle to become undone. get going. again.

drawing | fairy tale

LARRY, THE CASUALTY TEDDY BEAR

i don't know why, but when i find an all white vintage teddy bear, i want to buy it.

it needs to be all white though.

or cream.

this one i put in the machine on too high a temperature. his insides clotted all up. it wasn't a pretty sight, nor did it feel teddy bear like. clearly, i had to surgeon teddy.

i turned him right inside out. adjusted his eye sight, while i was at it. i pulled his intestines {pardon my french} apart, and stuffed teddy right up again.

i hope i didn't put his limbs where his brains should be, mind.

happy as larry again, he'll be dozing in some home corner, overlooking the chores-to-be-done, dreamily awaiting the arrival of fellows tom, dick and harry, presently still in hiding.
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oh, those darn removal boxes!

here's what could be the opening page to our larry's story.

i wish.

tatjana made us think up a fairy tale story.
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i LOVE.

corner view ≈ on the ground / at my feet

i think i may have joined a flickr group by invite, on this very subject a few months ago. shamefully i admit i never contributed one single image! a handful of reasons, of course, and then one gets reminded. not once, but twice:

a cv theme shaking and rattling the conscience bones, and delivering images at my feet the very same week!

i've been exploring and {besides the long edition of that pleasant walk}, these are a few view points downwards. i loved what all i saw! theme on the ground/at my feet by joyce, on jane's corner view, hosted by francesca.

drawing | pompom {no bending}

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just this week i explained to someone how we once upon a time drew a chrysanth in school, way back: by curvingly sliding a pencil from an imaginary middle point towards an outer {invisible} linear boundary, and repeating this same motion a good many times per flower head, allowing for a fluffy filled flower.

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remembering that calming gesture on paper, i did pretty much the same with this pompom, only using my trusted fibre tips for effect, and straightening the lines out instead of bending. i could draw pompoms forever! such a relaxing movement after reaching out for the ceiling all day {straight plain and soft moon dust paint on wood}.
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stefanie gathers us in pompoms this weekend. lovely thought!

it doesn't get any better than this

there are times it doesn't get any better than this. strolling, looking and shooting. the villa hurlebise in nieuwpoort {belgian coast} is just one backdrop for the BEAUFORT04 summer exhibitions {which run in different belgian seaside towns}. nedko solakov refurbished the derelict building with just a fibre tip at hand. reading up on the history of the villa, i discover a {autumn 2012} bbc-hbo drama has been filmed here, amongst other locations in belgium. we'll be hearing about the production, no doubt. in the meantime, why don't you take a stroll on the nieuwpoort location with me?

corner view ≈ mother

i have always felt rather attracted to morose songs about mother, ranging from pink floyd's to morrissey's. not your average feel good mum hymns, which has its reasons.

{img: mum's fork. she won't budge, has been using the same one for over 30 years now}.

thankfully, these days i've come to frown back upon the days past and simply love mother. for all that she's worth, and in gratitude for being the beginning of me.

{img: brussels endives, caramalized in farmer's butter, strictly no sugar added. plenty of black pepper. mum's unfailing recipe}.
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joyce's choice, on jane's corner view, hosted by francesca.

drawing | underwater life / love

to know an alga is to love one. i've always looked for an excuse to draw algae, so i do feel chuffed.

i threw in a jellyfish as well. ☻

{i made do with vintage musical paper for backing, since my blotter ran out of pages. and i've run out of sketchbook too. off to the shops for a new one!}

julia proposes more underwater world features.