I picked this theme, and Claire is right I picked it with something in mind only it wasn't what she thought. The fair is in town, and with it about 20 South African kids who work it for the summer - imports from places like Krugersdorp, Brakpan and something or other 'fontein'. I was very excited to go this year and snap 'cycle' photos to my hearts content, the Ferris wheel, the shells, the spin-so-fast-you-stick-to-the-wall thingy. My week was such that this is how close I got:
And that was at max. zoom driving by. Oh well. Last night I was so tired I sat down on my bed, picked up the remote to find something to watch and woke up this morning. The fair is open for a few more days but that brings me to another kind of cycle, hurricane Irene:
We have been on a hurricane watch for the last five days, watching to see if Mother Nature is going to calm down or throw a doozy tantrum with this 200 mile wide storm. Of course, I am convinced this is all because I chose 'cycle' as a theme, thankfully it turns out that her walls are weakening and although we are expected to get strong winds and a lot of rain tomorrow, it is not going to be anywhere near as bad as it could have been - phew. I would not have liked to please explain to America that this was my fault. We still had to make sure all potential flying objects (patio chairs, bicycles, trampolines) were brought inside or tied down so that is how I spent my morning so all things being equal, I am not getting closer to the fair than that photo! Love it!
Okay, so on with TUTT + 1! Claire took this photo of her step-daughter and posted it with a lovely blog on what it means to be a step-mom which I loved. The photo is beautiful and whimsical and I love the pram - which you own Claire!
Mariette's photo is also very clever, I agree with Claire, you should SO check out a photography course, I too think you would be very good at it:
I like it I do! I could totally picture this printed on a canvas and hanging in some hip urban chic apartment somewhere! Linda made me homesick, only in South Africa would you see this:
I loved this photo, it made me smile! I agree with the ladies on how vibrant everything seems to be from back home and although the consensus was that it could be attributed to how 'uncolorful' the background is I think it is more than that. It is a country full of contrasts. Wealth and poverty, rugby and soccer, young and old . . . there is no 'mediocrity' and extremes coexist everywhere: love with hate, joy with violence, pride with shame. It makes living in a first world country very . . . m.o.n.o.t.o.n.e. . . which if you ARE a South African, is both a good thing, and a bad thing ;-) Ja well no fine!
My ACTUAL photo for cycle this week since the fair did not work out was of our newest babies:
Ahh cute! No, not really. Let's be honest, as far as chicks go we picked the ugly ones. But we didn't pick them for looks, we picked them because they are a heritage breed on the endangered list and so we get to have fresh eggs and help save a species - how cool is THAT?!? Here is what they will look like when they are all grown up:
There is hope for them don't you think? We got one cockerel and three hens - their feathers are coming in so they are nearly ready to come out from under the lamps and within another few weeks they will be able to go outside.
So that's it from me this week - the transmission on our van gave in, we picked up a nail in the back tyre of our other car, Mark did double shifts at work because he was actually working at work, and manning the company booth at the fair in the evenings, and we had a bumper SSO week - and all this with juggling transport. It seems fitting that the week should end with a hurricane somehow!
The TUTT team have been together for a whole year! Shew, time flies. I can't believe I have been following these two ladies for 12 months. Even though I haven't been with them on the whole journey, Linda, Mariette, Claire and I were together accross the finish line so to commemorate this most auspicious occasion we decided to choose our favorite picture from one other person's blog and as Linda put it, we ching-chong-cha'd via email to find out who that would be and I had the privilege of choosing my favorite photo from Claire's blog. So last Monday, I set some time aside and disappeared down the 'Inspiration for the Soul' rabbit hole. What a journey.
How the heck anybody is supposed to choose a favorite from Claire's photos I just don't know. She is so talented and has such an interesting perspective that each photo is unique and special for a different reason. In the end, I chose this one:
If I remember correctly these lights are in her home, and that is a wall in the background. It looks more like warm lights on a misty night creating a swirl of shadows as the fine droplets roll in and are displaced from the heat of the lights. Romantic enough for you Claire?
I think it is just beautiful, I can hear music when I look at it. Of course, this also just goes to show that you never really have to go very far to find inspiration if you choose not to see what in plain sight - lights against a wall! Which brings me back to Claire's interesting perspective . . . you have a curious way of seeing Claire, and I think it applies to the people you meet, perhaps that's why you love portraiture photography, and perhaps that's what makes you so good at it.
Well, we're BACK! Sort of. We have agreed that we will work to a strict time frame, ignoring it completely when necessary i.e. roughly one blog every two weeks. Give or take. More give than take I am guessing. I am going to do TUTT as well since I have been enjoying it (as long as they will have me of course, they may give me another week or two and decide they miss the intimacy of their old duo which I would completely understand). Until then, we will just go where the wind blows.
Heidi waxed all sorts of lyrical about how demanding we have all been, she can only be talking about her fans. I know she wasn't talking about me, her very own sister. Shame Stinks, it's hard to be popular like Charlize Theron, they never leave her alone either. Besides, I know you well enough that when you run and hide, it really is time to panic and it is very hard to panic from the other hemisphere, on the other side of the world!
I chose the theme, no rhyme or reason really. Heids made me home sick with this photo:
Heids made my mom's recipe for butternut soup. I promise you, nothing can instantaneously bring my mother right into the very room than this soup. I wanted to cry. Big tears. Miss you mom. Good job Heids! And by the way, this is April's MOST favoritest thing to eat in the whole world and I am the coolest, most awesomest mom on the planet, no wait, in the whole universe when I make this soup for her. Maybe one day she will be sitting with an i-pad device writing of her memories of butternut soup.
And speaking of April . . . my photo:
We don't get much time these days, but one thing we try to do every Sunday is make waffles or pancakes for breakfast - from scratch, not from a box. I like to think of it as the time-strapped modern day version of Sunday lunch. Remember those? The family, all together for a roast with all the trimmings? My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I think mealtimes are important for families, they create memories and then seal them forever in the smell of fresh gravy or the sound of sizzling roast potatoes (or the sight of a steaming waffle I hope). I love our breakfast tradition, especially in the winter when it is all dark and snowy outside and we can stay in our pajamas forever.
Heids has chosen the theme for our next blog, we gonna get up close and all personal! Two down, one to go . . .
Gracious, one day I was on top of everything - the very next I was THREE blogs behind. Okay, going to do my best but they are going to be short and sweet this week, on this, my favorite topic!
Mariette chose the theme, which is kinda funny since she only likes to admire horses from the ground and from what I understand, preferably from the other side of a fence!
Claire's, taken with huge time constraints in between driving rain and wind:
You'd never have known, it is just beautiful and smooth and woolly it and makes me want to sink my hands into those locks! Beautiful as always Claire.
Linda, funnily enough probably had the best opportunity of all of us this week and she put it to good use:
This is her take on 'less is more', and it does tell a story. How soft natured does this pony look? Nice job Linda.
Me? Well, I found this rusty tractor on my travels this week with it's hood popped and thought - wow, that would be amazing! A different kind of 'horsepower'. Except I left my camera at home - I am such a duns! I still managed to catch this one though . . .
I liked it, that belly is so gorgeous and so is the tail. His tail, it is a he. For me, horses are like karma sorbet - it doesn't matter what color the flavor of the moment is, when you walk away from a horse your palette is neutral. It's a beautiful thing. Claire, you should spend more time hanging out with that little pony.
I also took this photo . . .
I loved it also. One blog down, two to go. The frogs chirping outside my window are my own personal cheering team, I can do this!
Oh my hat - where do I go with this? When we first got the topic I thought, well, okay. I can do a self portrait without taking a photo of myself - for sure! And then I read the fine print. Bugger!
Claire, who picked this theme and is both loved and cursed for it, took this photo:
Great photo Claire, it is interesting, creative and shows good wit and so, a good self portrait! PS - I do remember the tree, but as I recall it had been drinking and so there should have been dire consequences for what it did to my car! Mariette next . . .
You haven't changed a bit my dear! You look the same as I remember you from how many years ago now . . . is it ten? More! Gracious, let's rather not count - you are still just as pretty as I remember! And Linda:
Linda may not like photo's of herself, but to me of all of us she has 'come into her own' the most. More than ever before she knows herself, knows what she likes, and even comfortably defines her style. She has generous lips and kind eyes and a self assuredness that I think is very attractive. Or maybe attractive is an inadequate word, but I think it draws you in to her - is there a word for that?
My photo last:
This photo is of me with my big black boy, Johnny Walker Black. We had a rocky start he and I, but our relationship grew into something very beautiful, and something I will always treasure and it also brought a very dear friend into my world who is also a part of me. Johnny taught me so much, like to know what you want when you are asking for something, and to ask with conviction. To never take things at face value, and to always look into someone's eyes because they truly are windows. And because no self portrait would be complete without a symbol of the other parts of me that I love being, I included my wedding band and my children's initials. A wife and mother. Roles that allow you to wear your heart outside of your body, regardless of the potential for damage.
Something Claire experienced a little of this week - sorry my friend. It is hard for us mama birds to watch our babies flap their not yet fully formed wings, and throw themselves from the nest in their desire to fly. Just remember, it is us mama birds they have been watching against the sun in the sky, all the while feeding their own dreams to feel the wind over their wings. She isn't gone, she still needs you.
So. Four women, four corners, four time zones, four photos - isn't technology amazing?
Also, as a quick update, our chickens will only arrive this coming week. Seems we may think we are in charge here on the planet since we are top of the food chain, are civilized and capable of logic (blah de blah blah blah) but every now and then a chicken can remind you that even though the postman comes at the same time everyday, delivery of chicks will still only happen when they are good and ready - to hell with your plans.
The country music show was fun, better than I expected and yes, I wore rhinestones! Well, sequins at least. And the place was sold out, I never would have guessed that there were so many closet country music lovers living in New England. Go figure. Martina McBride was very enganging and funny - and again, this is for us moms and this week, it is especially for Claire! See ya'll next week, I get to keep my cowgirl on for the next challenge!
So we are plus one this week - welcome Claire. Aren't Linda and Mariette great? They are like the SPCA for bloggers, providing temporary shelter for us the lost and homeless!
I love the photo Linda, I know you weren't sure if the sun rays made for a bad or good photo technically speaking, but since photo's are art, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder I am going to go with you on this one and say it is just gorgeous. The composition is perfect!
I LOVE this photo. LOVE it. It has such great depth and activity, and your eyes just keep moving around it seeing new things and the color is perfect. I think on a hot sunny day everything would have been washed out, the light is perfect, the shadows are so subtle - it should be a postcard. And happy birthday Maxine! Double digits are a big thing!
What I love about this photo is the smile on that grown man's face. It says 'yippee!' on the inside. Or maybe 'woooo hoooooo!' And if he was a few decades younger he would be looking over his shoulder for his mommy in the crowd. Can you see it? A picture is worth a thousand words and this one definitely has a story to tell, great job Claire.
Finally, it is my turn:
Today I was stopped at TWO railway crossings waiting for trains and went under a bridge while a train went over me. Plus I had to go to Quincy and they have this awesome bridge on cables that lifts so that ships can pass under it, AND I drove by an animal feed place that had an awesome tractor parked outside, and a vintage car dealer who had some beauties on display, AND I saw a weird motorbike with two front wheels. Too little to late, I cast my eyes heavenwards and spoke aloud to Destiny, Fate, and Murphy who were all with me in the car 'Really? so this is how it's gonna be? Well, thanks for your cooperation but my photo was due YESTERDAY!' I swear, I have tried all week to capture something, anything to do with transport, but no luck. My photo was taken in my back yard at 6pm last night as I lifted the tarp covering my little two-wheel horse buggy with one hand and pointed the camera with the other! Whatever! As my mom always says if you need something done then get up and do it yourself (clearly she figured out long ago that Destiny, Fate and Murphy will be of no help whatsoever).
So that was the topic of this week, but what was the theme of the week? Well, more of the same I guess. Our chicken coop is coming along and I plan to order our chickens tonight. Like everything else in this country - they come in the mail! They should arrive mid-next week so regardless of the topic, in my next blog you can expect to see some chick pics. We have a full weekend ahead and have been invited to go to a summer series concert on Sunday night to see a country singer (Martina McBride). Something different, and I can get my cowgirl on! This is the artist, and I am playing out with this song because all TUTT + 1 members are mothers to little girls (even when they are not little anymore they are), and my sister who is sabbaticalling has two of her own. It is for all these women, but most especially for Mariette . . . see y'all next week!
