Fable Fairy hears London calling

Hello Campers

Fable has to get a cracking on the PhD. She is going into hibernation for April and May with a quick stint in London which I will post. Anthropologie here I come.  I won't be able to post much til June.
but I will pop in to your blogs.

have a beautiful Autumn

cancel today checklist:

car ran outta petrol on way to work check
forgot lunch at home check
button on dress popped check
need to diet check
wearing jersey like a school girl to hide gaping hole check
forgot nb meeting today check
big presentation tomorrow check


BUTLONG WEEK_END CHECK!

moments like these

Moments like that where the one daughter is so thrilled about the other daughter's performance she rushes up to congratulate the other, they make it all worth it!

Favourite Silver Jewellery Pieces

These are some of my favourite found silver pieces that Stefany Roup helped my fix from brooches into necklaces and necklaces into brooches. I love her work.

Tell me about your favourite silver finds. Church street antique market? Where?



mount nelson vintage crockery

I am ready to break open the diplay cabs and get me some - who'se in?

Georgia O Keefe & Sam Shepard

We have something of an obsession with the American South West in our house.  I did my Masters thesis on playwright and actor Sam Shepard* and the American West; My husband is crazy about photographer Ansel Adams who is famous for his photos from that area, and we both love Georgia O'Keefe. Our lounge pays homage to Georgia. 

I love these pictures of her: Magnetic at any age.

  



From Wikipedia:

 “Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist. Who was a major figure in American art from the 1920s".  From 1929 until her death O'Keeffe worked in New Mexico, collecting and painting bones, and painting the distinctive architectural and landscape forms of the area. 

In 1943, she explained her fascination with the American Southwest, accordingly, "Such a beautiful, untouched lonely feeling place, such a fine part of what I call the 'Faraway'. It is a place I have painted before . . . even now I must do it again."^]

 *”Considered one of America's most influential and celebrated playwrights of the 20th century, Sam Shepard is also an accomplished actor, director, screenwriter and musician. His childhood experience of living in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father would often provide the recurrent dark themes in his writing as well as a preoccupation with the myth of the vanishing West. His writing commonly incorporated inventive language, symbolism, and non-linear storytelling while being populated with drifters, fading rock stars and others living on the edge.

[ From http://www.sam-shepard.com].

 

Onrus - slice of Heaven

flapjacks, honey & cornish crockery - brilliant

This is my gran's crockery - like something country road would do now; The doc's flapjacks and  woolies honey. Just dreamy for an autumnal morning

vintage dog brooches

 I'm off to Jozi for work at the serious crack a dawn, but ljust wanted to post what I found. These were my mum's in the 1950s. Am saving for my gals.  I shall name them Rover and Snowy aren't they too cute?

Dedicationism

When I am completely focused on mothering my children are so happy, but I long for my sewing bag.

When I completely focus myself on artistic pursuits, I am happy with the product, but then my children feel I need to give them more attention.

When I am compleyly immersed in my PhD, I like what I am writing, but my body craves yoga.

When I don't work and the children are at school and I do yoga, my body is so happy, but I haven't earned an income.

I understand the principle of balance, what I struggle with is the principle of good enough. Thats the best I can do at mommy, yoga, work, PhD, wife, friend cos that all the time I got. Be grateful. Move forward.

I still jusge my art/ writing/ work/ mothering as if I had the luxury of dedicated time wheras I should judge it within its context.

I need to remember that next time my kids moan that I did not fetch them or I get feedback my writing is not what it should be etc etc. I need to say to myself OK but its good enough for striving for the juggle.

DESIGN INDABA

I only popped in for an hour or so as I thought I'd be back at least 2 more times. But I got home and the doc has organized a week-end away! Everything packed and about to leave, but just wanted to say:

I saw Angie pants from Lucky Pony blog!

I managed a necklace at the Skermunkil sale and Maritijie your ceramics are gourgeous!

Lauren Fowlers stand look amazing I want to ask her all about an M necklace, but she was busy being mobbed by adoring fans!

Genevieve Motley I nearly made it to you and then got a call to come home!

X X X

Grandpa's things

Grandpa Abel's people hailed from Lithuania and settled in Paarl, in the Western Cape where he became the mayor.  I have only one thing from him which he gave my father who gave it on loan to me - a cupboard we call grandpa's cupboard.

 I want to paint it white, but the doc won't let me.  My sister has the most wonderful table and chairs that match it. It has the original shelves inside, all different heights and the wood slanting. It's not very practical, but the doc says I must preserve it in its original state. What do you have from grandpa?

tea at the mount nellie

A green lung in the heart of the cityx

everybody loves a cuddle in the mornin

Jan. Book Reads & the Fabulous Book Club

This was the plan:

* Sex and Stravinsky by Barbara Trapido (bookclub)

* The new Finula Dowling (bookclub)

 

* Jane Bussman on Uganda

This is the review:

All 3 were fantastic with a special thumbs up for Bussman. She summarizes  SO WELL American and European students who want to save Africa but only for a year or 2 while it fits in with their getting a big UN. EU atc job (I know they are not ALL like that) yet somehow despite being British herself manages a sense of irony. She moves from interviewing Ashton Kutcher in Hollywood to debriefing captured child soldiers and makes one laugh and cry at different points.

No one writes Kalk Bay as well as Dowling who actually lives there plus captures English teacher/ student / acting world SO well.

I have the best book club in the Southern Hemisphere.

We have "celeb" author Henrietta Rose-Innes; The witty and insightful Adam Cooper; The clever bibliophile Dr. Potgieter; The Kindest Psychologist; Yoga teacher, film writer and raw foody Carey McKenzie; Actor Adam Neil; Rhodes and Oxford and Harvard scholar and now mum, Karen Alexander; Genius climate change specialist and author Jessica Wilson  and Fablefairy. Needless to say, they are all deep and smart and stretch me to read facinating books.

Last month I read Ronnie Kasrils's :The Reluctant Terrorist - brilliant- and Nourishment- about a WW2 wife who is asked to write saucy letters to her hubby and complies. Nice.

Best bookclub reads ever?

The Winter Vault - Ann Michaels

Something to Tell You - Hanif Kureishi

Short Stories - Jhumpa Lahiri

Bloggers' Ginger Cats

Have you noticed there are some cool ginger cats in the blogosphere family?

There was Lauren Fowler's cat Ben

http://lostisaplacetoo.blogspot.com/

Then there is Vicky Sleet's cat (Mr Cat)

http://www.iwantthat.co.za/

Genevieve Motley's Ruby is just too cute!

You can see where all her inspiration comes from ...

http://genevievemotley.blogspot.com/

And then there is my darling Jinja

Ginger cats you rock my world.

If you Connect, Protect

I have been so busy, no time to blog! How do you like our condom camapign for UCT ?

We also sponsored all the first year students a stick drive that is a bracelet with info using the same design concept.

I started off being inspired by Steff Roup's blog:

http://steffanyloves.blogspot.com/2010/07/words-and-tattoos.html

We had to use volunteers rather than models due to budget, but at least they look like REAL people.  I am super chuffed with the feedback.

Sante Spa x2

I just wrote a long post about Sante Spa in Franchoek where I spent my birthday. It defies words, but I wrote them anyway, but now they are gone. I am so blissed out I can't write them again.

Sante Spa is the best spa ever. They have an amazing Loyalty club and birthday treat. Go there. The end. http://www.santesa.co.za/

threads of life

I have started getting writing pieces together for a PhD in  Social Anthropology including pieces that I have written over the past 16 years while working in HIV and AIDS. Part of me thinks this is a crazy idea. Working full time and being a mom to a 3 and a 5 year old and blogging and making accessories is already enough...

But somehow the threads of what we end up doing are in there from the beginning.

I tell myself I am OK with this taking 20 years or so and then it doesn't seem so bad.

Grandpa Alfred's things

I have only a few things that belonged to grandpa Alfred who also fled Nazi Germany:

A travel journal written in German pre- 1930

The remnants of a poker set:

The remants of some bottles that may have kept aftershave.



I love these things.