belles fleurs - the abstract series

belles fleurs

one of the great pleasures in life:  unexpected floral deliveries from very special friends.  (another pleasure:  photographing the flowers to enjoy long after they have gone).

my favourite (eco-friendly) things

my quest to find natural products that actually work has been a long and winding road.  at times it seemed impossible to find things that matched both those criteria, and i wondered if anything even existed 'out there'.   having, eventually, discovered these (now) favourite products, they seem worth sharing - hopefully it might save someone else a bit of time and money along the way.

(clockwise from the back)

giovanni hair products - my favourites are the shampoo and leave-in conditioner from the 'smooth as silk' range.  in the past i've bought these from healthfood stores or biome, however i've recently discovered i can get them for a third of that price at the place i buy my supplements from in the US.  and that makes them incredibly affordable.  

hemp organics lipsticks and lip tints - also available from some healthfood stores, and i am sure online.  i can hardly remember the last time i wore lipstick but it's nice to have one there 'in case'.  the liptints are lovely textures and i have a couple of colours i particularly like.

sante eyeliner - again from biome, although i have had my sister act as personal courier and bring some me straight from germany when she comes home to visit.  (i have tried some of their other products too but was slightly put off when i realised they included ingredients that aren't regarded are truly 'natural')

honeybee gardens 'truly natural mascara' - granted, it's not waterproof, however it's the only natural one i've tried that doesn't clump and i will happily buy again and again.  you can purchase this through their australian online site although, again, it is far cheaper to buy via the US (well, as long as our dollar remains strong anyway).

pure cosmetics mineral foundation - this was the product that caused me the most angst along the way.  all the mineral foundations i tried seemed to cake and look heavy and fake, as well as being incredibly expensive.  i happened upon this one on ebay in a last ditch effort one day.  as well as having what i consider to be the best finish also comes in the most amazing range of colours i've come across.  and - even better - it is an absolute bargain compared to most other mineral foundations.   there are usually samples available so that you can make sure you have the right colour and try before you buy.  refills are available at cheaper rates and they're always happy to put up a custom listing for you if you send them a message.  (the pure cosmetics store carries a huge range of eyeshadows, blushers etc too for those who might be interested)

little lost mushroom

determinedly pushing his way toward the sun from between pieces of timber pathway, catching the light as the day faded away.

press rewind (again) - january 2011

it's been so long since i've posted that blogging feels like a lost art.  i've known there were things that i'd photographed and planned to share, but just haven't had the energy or cognition required to actually assemble anything.  i'm taking a bit of time to myself at the moment though (away from a certain 'evil' social networking site) and hoping this will give me some space to finally catch up on things.

firstly to my cockatoo friends:  at the beginning of the year (just before the floods) - and then again a month or two ago - a couple of these pretty magnificent birds suddenly started visiting.  they are absolutely gorgeous to watch...slightly less gorgeous to watch eating the new railings on the verandah!   

(i wish that my photographs of taking flight did them justice, but can't resist including those to show the incredible wingspan and action - just amazing) 

sunshine on a cloudy day

this is the only vaguely crafty thing i've been up to doing for months now:  suncatchers for some of my family in christchurch.   

 they have had a horrendous six months since the february 22 earthquake which claimed 181 lives:  the CBD remains closed, there have been thousands of aftershocks to contend with, some people are still without functioning sewerage to their houses, so many are traumatised and living with constant anxiety.  roads remain damaged.  'liquefaction', has gone from a foreign word to one every child seems to know.   even though i follow what is happening in 'my' beloved city i find it hard to comprehend what the daily reality must be like.

i wanted to send something (anything) that might bring the tiniest bit of sunshine into their lives, and to let them know that they are never far from my thoughts.

kia kaha chirstchurch.  stay strong.  

art4xmrv

amberlin wu's 'night trees', matt claghorn's 'transparent' and amberlin wu's 'skating into the night'

daniela martins 'hope', and amanda watson-will's 'hope (diptych)'

(and a few of my contributions)

quite a while ago now i promised a little more information about an initiative my friend lee lee developed to raise money for the whittemore peterson institute and research into XMRV (a possible cause of ME/CFS).   above are just a few examples of the artwork which you can buy here.  i've placed a few orders for cards now, and been really impressed with both the quality of printing and the speed of service.  it's such a fantastic way to support research while enjoying the diverse range of talents in the patient community.

my heart belongs to christchurch

...and after the floods came the earthquakes that brought beautiful christchurch to her knees.  words never come close to describing the place this city holds in my soul, so here is a little tribute in photos instead.  

(much of iconic christchurch cathedral - the heart of the city in more than one sense - now lies in piles of rubble.  this is how i want to remember it.)

wise words

'your vision will only become clear when you look into your heart.

who looks outside, dreams.  who looks inside, awakens.'

-carl gustav jung

wise words

'usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. if it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. if it is not, we say it is incorrect. in either case, we learn nothing.'

- thich nhat hanh