This & that

And I really can't do better than that at the moment, sorry.

I am starting to decorate the blog for Christmas.



I love poinsettia, and always have to have one - ideally, I would have great banks of them, but the house is too small and I need to leave room for other festive things.

Speaking of which, went over to join the rest of the Coven last night at the usual place (jolly tolerant neighbours M has, I must say, putting up with the girlish shrieks and less-than-girlish dirty guffaws every week). Nearly drove the poor little Jimny straight through someone's garden wall when faced with the sight of a six foot, inflatable, interiorly illuminated snowman. Talk about gross - even worse than one of those climbing-up-the-wall/drainpipe to assault you inflatable santas that have been around for a year or three. All of us bar one where shrieking (see...) about it when Freyalynn arrived, who claimed not to have seen it. We couldn't understand this, as it was...just a tad...obvious. But on leaving, it had completely disappeared, which left me with the 'orrible image of it floating away on the strong wind last night to hover over the M62 scaring all the pub refugees half to death. Ugh.

So, today, culture, kind of. Went with a friend to the Bankfield to see the John Allen exhibition that has been on for a while. H'mm. What to say. Love the work in itself, some pieces very much so. But I was left with a slightly uncomfortable feeling about it in some ways. Aboriginal art is unique and very culturally specific and John Allen had drawn very heavily upon it for inspiration. Not quite to the point of imitation/emulation whatever you care to call it, but probably more than I felt easy about. Oh, I don't know, maybe I am being overly sensitive, critical? I need to think about it some more.

I include a couple of photographs that I took (with permission from the museum) Not totally good images, but these are two of my favourite pieces in the exhibition. I love the playfulness of the dingoes, if I were lucky enough to own this, it would make me smile every day. (I'm not sure of the technique, sorry. My vision can cause me problems at exhibitions, etc - I can see the work fine from a distance, or close up with glasses on, but this piece was behind a "barrier" to stop you getting too near and I couldn't read the card. Woven, I think, rather than knitted - there were some rather jolly knitted tapestries, for want of a better word.)



Looking at this again, it is a bit dim - I will see if I can play around with it when I have a bit more time. This other one is also one I could live with - I love the colours and the simplicity. I think this is one that he did the design for and had his workshop in Nepal actually weave.



Guild and secret santas (hopefully, none of them inflatable!) tomorrow. Decorating on Sunday. Now, what else could the blog do with? Must have some tinsel, of course.......