They're IN the House!!

Shew! They made it! They moved in. These two just can't help it, they so bloody cute and adorable, no matter WHAT they do!. Agree?

Cats ON a House

So, I bought my cats a little house yesterday. It's made of fabric, and built like a little igloo. I bought the slightly more expensive one, with a well sized door and enough space inside so that they can snuggle together. I lined it with a special crocheted blanket, hand made by my very own mother (I think...?), cos she was not inclined to knitting or crochetting in the slightest and either she made this one under the careful coaching of her friend Esther Klugman, or Esther made it herself and I remembered wrong, but in any event, (excuse the long sentence) it's a very precious blanket and one befitting of our Royal felines.

So far, Ed walked in, took a look around and walked off disinterestedly. Scaff tried to chew her way through the entrance, perhaps she wanted a more regal doorway, I'm not sure. I placed it next to the couch, on the couch, facing the tv, away from the tv, on the floor of my bedroom and even ontop of my bed. To no avail. They just not interested.

So this morning I threw it on the floor and walked away. Later I came back and found that the two of them had moved in on the top floor.

Oh Well! They look happy enough. What can I say. Some people just like to sleep on the roof of their house.

i

Family in Israel

WoW!!!

On the first Sunday evening of being in Israel, Gabi, (2nd from Rt) organised a fantastic evening of extended family get-to-gether. Unfortunately quite a few couldn't make it. But these did. Sitting on the floor, from left, Itamar, Ray, Mel, Tony, Eric.

One level up, on chairs, from left, Danny, Lesley, Ugo, Ayla (with Chananya on her lap), Shifra, Susan, Shiffi (?), Lami, Stan (with Naama on his lap), Gabi and Warren. Frank is behind them, and right at the back standing is Gita with Allen and Tehila next to him. I think I got that all right?

Missing were, Noa (at the jazz fest in Eilat), Archie and Edi, Marlen and Micky and family, and most sad of all, Safta, whose lift didn't pitch.

As I said, WoW!

Quite a gathering

Mel in Israel

Visiting Israel was an experience on many levels for me. I can hardly put it all together myself yet. I'll try sharing some of it through the photographs I have. Here is the very first view I ever had of Jerusalem. If you click on the pic to enlarge it, you can see the very famous "Dome of the Rock", the golded dome in the old city, next to the Ancient Wall (Kottel). This was probably the most moving moment I had in terms of really cognisising that I was there, in the Holy Land, the Promised Land, the holy city of Jerusalem. I loved that moment. As did I love the moment of sharing it with my brother. The pic of us together was taken by my cousin Allen who took us on a tour of Jerusalem that day. It was an interesting way to visit for the first time as Allen is ultra-orthodox religious and therefore put the slant on from that perspective. I later returned to Jerusalem with Luc, and experienced it quite differently. But in this first moment of seeing the old city, from this vantage point, I was really honoured and grateful to finally get to see this. Note, I especially wore a long sleeved top, although the heat was scorching, as a mark of respect for the ultra orthodox, who find the sight of a womans bare arms extremely disturbing. My brother on the other hand wore long sleeves cos he's scared of the sun. Perhaps an even better reason for covering up.

Mel & the Fur Kids

It was a bit chilly tonight, you can see by the blankets on us. I think the cats know I'm going away soon cos they both wanted to get as close as possible. Iwas not complaining. Ed got on first, and then Scaff followed. It was delicious. Oh, and can you see I went to the hairdresser today?

Caroline's Necklace

Caroline's birthday was on Weds, 15 August. I finished her necklace the night before and presented it to her on the day. We drank red Cappaccino's and the very very best chocolate cake I've had in millions. She was really thrilled with the necklace and I must say it looks great on her. I think this is the 3rd necklace I've ever made with 100% of my own hand made glass beads. There is pure silver inside the beads, and all the metal in the piece is also pure silver.

I'm busy working on two pieces for presents for Israeli kids. Coming soon.

Reborn Table

This little table used to belong to my mom. I never rrreally liked it. But it was very convenient, and I couldn't bring myself to throw it out. So....it lived with us. Once the new couch arrived, I absolutely could not live with the table as it was anymore. So....., I gave it a coating of black paint and mosiaced it. And voila!!

Naturally, I wanted it to relate to the living room, so I based it on the Indian cloth hanging which is above the couch. I include a pic of the reborn table, in front of the couch with it's new cushions and of course the hanging.

I used only stained glass and mirror of exactly the same thickness and although I worked 'direct method', which I always do anyway, the result is flat and smooth, befitting a table that holds our dinner and cups of tea on a daily basis.

What do you think?

Having a hectic day....

just had to throw myself down on the couch in the lounge today..... I mean someone's got to do it.

I'm in that space where the work surface is covered with boards and mosaic tiles and bits and pieces of things. I keep visiting it every few minutes and I move things around. One piece here, two there, turn it all over and over. I'm waiting for that moment of magic, when something clicks. Then I know it's all happening and I can bring out the glue pot.

In the meantime, the couch is a great place for stopovers.

Glass Bead Work

While I'm on a bit of a roll tonight, I thought I'd include some of my beads for you to see. A pair of earrings I was experimenting with. and the turquoise and silver collection. Some of which were put into the post today. Heading to South Korea along with jewelery pliers, hooks and beady things. You're gonna have fun.

Did I show you these?

Here is the completed NdebeleBeadWork piece, completed and hanging in Holland. I include a bigger pic of the living room so you can see both my pieces hanging together.

Winken Blinken and Nod

I made this for Luke and Jesse when they were little. Just found it, and it's looking a little worse for all the years.....(like all of us)

Anyway, it's very beautiful still (like all of us), and I thought it would make a fantastic subject for a mosaic sometime.

Also, a very beautiful poem to use with little kids. Enjoy.

Fur Brats

Last night when I was busy at the computer, I reached behind me, opened the cupboard door to get some paper for the printer, and of course in no time Scaff jumped in to explore. What fun. she settled down in the box, and then Ed came to visit and climbed in with her. After a while they had a little romping fight inside this cosy place and Ed was evicted. Triumphant Scaff.

Getting Ready to Travel

At last, tonight I placed the last piece of tile on my mosaic. Bravo!! I'll take another pic later withouth that bright light on so you can see the colours better.

I'll attempt to pack it in cardboard and bubblewrap tomorrow so that I can take it to Holland with me. There I'll grout it and frame it. I'm very happy with it so far. What you think?

Birthday Baby

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JESSE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

To my beloved daughter. I'm singing this very loud to you today. I can't remember your exact age in the pic, a bit less than one year old, but cute and delicious as anything.

So I do hope that today, being probably one of the strangest birthdays of your life (??) that you're able to experience some little gems to make your day special, and that you can contain something from this unusual experience to keep as precious. You just never know. Sometimes the strangest experiences can land up containing some of the most precious moments for us.

By the way, the little surfing wave on top of your head was completely natural. It stood up all on its own with no encouragement from me. And that was my shoulder you were about to dribble on.

Beautiful wishes for you on this day. May your year render experiences that enrich your life and lead you to the strength, beauty, grace and power that is really yours.

I love you

Jesse's Birthday

I went for a walk on the beach this evening. It's getting colder, and I had a fleece top on, zipped up. I heard someone say on the radio today that the first whales have arrived. I didn't see one, but the beach has a special feeling at this time of the year. Everything becomes a little more introverted. I was thinking of many things, and missing Jesse. We've had many evening walks like this. For some reason I thought of one of my very most favourite poems. I want to share it with you for your birthday. especially the last two lines. and I found these little pictures too. Think of it as a birthday card

e.e.cummings.

************

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach ( to play one day)

*

****

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and

*

***

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

*

***

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

*

***

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

*

***

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

it's always ourselves we find in the sea

***

*

*

*

*

*******************************************************************************

I miss our walks together on the beach, and I look forward to the time we can do it again. In the meantime, remember all these things we can find. especially ourselves.

Incy Wincy Spider

We found this guy on Sunday when we walked on the mountain. Beautiful web

Jesse and Annie

Fall over from the 'cute attack'!

I love the fingers on her right hand, holding that little bottle. I think the doll was called Annie? Or was it Fran? I'm not sure, but I do know that Jesse loved and adored her very much. She went everywhere with her. I think 'Annie-Fran' was the predessor of 'Pinky'. I don't know what it was that made 'Pinky' stay tho, and the pure Waldorf dolls sort of melted into the distance. Maybe I made a donation of toys to the Waldorf school when my kids grew bigger and they refused 'Pinky'. Too Ahrimanic.

What ever the story, you have to just melt when you see those divine little legs, the stripey outfit, the dinky little shoes and socks, the way she's holding that beloved doll, and the expression on her face and in her body.

Eish!!!!

I Love it!

Little People - big Lives

If you make this pic larger, can you see the incredible expression on Jesse's face?

You don't need to make it larger to see the typical 'Ping' expression on Luke's.

What a wonderful little team these two were.

Luke and Jesse.

It's been quite an amazing journey for me over these weeks, looking at pics from the past in my effort to build something touching and supportive on this blog. It's not so much the specific memories that are stimulated by the photos of times gone by, but the very deep and intense feelings and emotions that go with those times.

These two people were fantastic, incredible characters to meet and grow with. I hold the space inside myself most dearly.

When you look at the faces of children, you can see the whole being already present. Only when they're little it looks more cute and adorable. But in fact the qualities are already there. Present. They already are who they are. It's both a fantastic and a frightening thought.

I think it's part of the reason why I'm placing some of these pictures of 'Essence' here for Jesse.

To remind her and reconnect her with all these unique and special qualities that are really hers.

What an Honour and Priviledge, to have known and loved these two special people. And what Love!!

Viscious Demon

This is the viscious monster who came hurtling out of the bathroom and across the carpet under my desk promptly every evening at 11h15. Scaring the living daylights out of me and forcing me to spend the rest of my computer time with my feet on the desk to avoid any attacks from his part.

HA HA, I eventually captured him in a glass and after photographing him, liberated him into the garden. He was a serious weirdo, and thrashed around inside that glass like a mad alligator. The cats were very interested and tried to tip him out the glass a couple times.

It's been so hot in Cape Town these past few weeks, that there seem to be more insects and geckos at night than ever before. Ah...! Africa.

Beautiful Women

It's been one of the greatest priviledges of my life! Having a daughter. Growing and maintaining love, respect, support and appreciation between us. It's not to say that having a son means any less. Just different.

It feels like one of the greatest achievements in Life.

Thank you my Jesse.

For some reason, tonight I'm feeling sad and very emotional. I've been working on my mosaic, listening to music, and missing Jesse very deeply. The writing that she shared today has moved me very deeply. I hardly know what to say, just that I miss having her around. I love all the moments, all the stages and phases.

Jakey, you're a beautiful woman. Be Proud of this.

I'm behind you every moment of every day.

Take Baby Steps

This pic of Jesse must have been taken in the very early days of learning to walk. (she was incredibly cute, especially dressed in this delicate, but grown-up sized crocheted bed jacket....she loved beautiful clothes even at this age). I love the little legs, and the sweetest little feet. Yummy child. I can see the spirit of adventure in this little person already. A spirit which is even as I write this, becoming more of a reality in her life. As Jesse tries her very best to settle into this next major phase of her Life's adventure, I'm happy to be ablt to chat to her regularly, and share deeply in her process. This morning I wanted to say these words to her..."Take Baby Steps". Don't force yourself or expect yourself to get everything perfect immediately. Looking at this picture now, (Gosh, she was so delightful), I also have a feeling that in fact taking 'baby steps', may not really be a very tender, peaceful or safe experience. It often involves bumping into furniture, and falling over just before you get where you were heading. It must feel utterly tenuous and frightening in those first moments, as you lift one foot and before you know where and how it's going to land. In fact it's damn scary, and sometimes you have to just surrender to the momentum until you either reach the other side of the garden, or fall over the dog on the way. Yet somehow, most of us manage it and in somecases become somewhat addicted to the feeling of being upright and in motion.

So, take baby steps. It may not be graceful. It may frighten the hell out of you. But with enough practice, and maybe a couple of lapses where you have to allow yourself to crawl across the floor if you need to, you'll eventually get the Art of it. And who knows, you could land up dancing in your grandmothers bedjacket.


I'm posting the following piece of writing because I think it's brilliant. One of the 'secrets' I saw on the 'secretpost' blog, was from someone who takes a book from his private collection every week, goes to the park, reads his favourite passage from the book, then wraps it and leaves it for someone else to find. What I love about this idea, is that it also affords him the opportunity to reconnect with a gem in each book. I usually look for the 'Gem' moment in movies. And also the 'Gem' passages in books I love. I actually hated the book 'Life of Pi', by YannMartel, but as I waded through it, I found this on page 161. Brilliant.



"I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread.

Fear next turns fully to your body, which is already aware that something terribly wrong is going on. Already your lungs have flown away like a bird and your guts have slithered away like a snake. Now your tongue drops dead like an opossum, while your jaw begins to gallop on the spot. Your ears go deaf. Your muscles begin to shiver as if they had malaria and your knees to shake as though they were dancing. Your heart strains too hard, while your sphincter relaxes too much. And so with the rest of your body. Every part of you, in the manner most suited to it, falls apart. Only your eyes work well. They always pay proper attention to fear.

Quickly you make rash decisions. You dismiss your last allies: hope and trust. There, you’ve defeated yourself. Fear, which is but an impression, has triumphed over you.

The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you."

Mel's new mosaic is being born

Just for interest sake, here's a pic of my new mosaic. Started this week. It's inspired by the dream I had before my camino last year. Of the path winding and looping through a landscape. Further inspired by the textures of Ndabele beadwork from Southern Africa, and also by the work of a British mosaic artist, Elaine Goodwin.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of this work during the week.

Ever Pee'd in the Snow?

The picture was taken on Feb 08, 2007. I'm 54 years old and it's the most snow I've ever seen in my life. Everything is a first on a day like that. First time walking in the snow, first time holding hands with someone in the snow, ( the same someone who hit me on the head with a snow ball.....ouch). First time building a giant snowball. There are some things you simply have to try at least once in life. The first time you're in the snow, you have to stick your tongue out and catch a snow flake. You have to blink and get one in your eye. You can't help loving the crunchie sound when your boots sink into a pile of snow.

And if you're like me, well then, you just have to pee in the snow. Just because. Net somer.

Of course it's not easy when you're a girl. But it's fun. You have to try it one day.

Or at least try something that you've never tried before.

I'm so impressed with the attitude that says YES. Yes to Life, to new experiences, to challenges and adventures.

Who ever sees this will hopefully be impressed by my chutzpah in posting a pic of myself in such a position, but what the hell. I'm having fun. It was a great experience. Even girls can write messages in the snow. My friend Micky could probably write an essay in the snow. (It's a bit of a story that is). We wondered if anyone's ever proposed by writing in the snow?

Tricks up your Sleeve. (or, how to scale the fence)

There's a great game I once played, where you're asked a series of questions and you fill in the answers. It's one of those psychological tests where the answers enable the therapist to make an analysis of your personality (or lack of one as the case may be).

One of the questions says...."you walk and walk and walk through a long long forest, and suddenly you come to a huge high wall. Too wide to walk around, too high to climb, too thick to burrow through, no stepladders in sight. What do you do?"

Fortunately, being a second born child, I've always been prone to breaking rules and rebelling against the status quo.

I know you can't see it... but the front of the gate in the pic above, has various signs saying, 'Private', and 'No Entry' and various other ferocious things. All in Spanish - which is good because I'm not sure that I would have felt so nonchalant and gung-ho if I'd understood that the property I was about to trespass through was a private hunting/shooting park.

Which brings us to the age old question: if you're not in the park to hear the leaves falling, do they still make a noise when they reach the ground? I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but I will say that what lay on the other side of that fence turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

Walking through that area. The beautiful nature, the perfect companionship of my friend, the feeling of adventure, and getting utterly well and truely lost, and then well and truely found again.

I think what I'm trying to say is....if you don't scale the fence sometimes, and get off the beaten path, and take some exquisite risks, you may miss some of the best days of your life.

Oh, and I also love the concept of keeping a trick up your sleeve. In the classroom, for those terrible moments when the lesson plan fails spectacularly, and you have to either improvise or die. And also in those other moments in life like when you can't read the map properly, or perhaps you have no more money in your purse, or you don't know where to get off the bus, or the path seems to end at a huge inpenetrable wall.

Smile. It could turn out to be one of the best days of your Life.

Cats and Mice

I once read that, that having a child is like learning to live life with your heart Outside of your body. I think that's true. It's the feeling. You can't possibly know what that feels like till you have a child of your own.

How does this relate to the pictures above. It doesn't. I just think they're fantastic photos of cats and mice.

I'm proud to say I have a really great relationship with all the cats in my life.

I loved the party end of last year. What an experience! Going to a party with my own kid, who dressed like the hottest thing in town. The highlight of the night was dancing together. I loved watching her beauty and confidence as a woman.

I'm Proud.

And I love Cats.

And Daughters.

Cuteness Rules

When I was just a little girl.....I asked my mother, "What shall I be? Shall I be pretty, shall I be rich? Here's what she said to me......"
"Que sera sera....What ever will be, will be." Etc..., the song goes on. And the truth is, cuteness only rules so long as you're small and cute. It's that God-chap again. Something in the design of little creatures that makes them adorable. And WoW, was my little Jesse adorable! Huff and puff all you want, but when the cuteness appeal wears off, you have to dig for other resources. Like .....? There are many, but one thing is for sure. When you find yourself on the otherside of the universe, teaching classrooms filled with monster children (whose cuteness appeal is difficult to comprehend), what ever you do, don't let them ever get hold of a picture of you like this one.

Hope you smiling. More later.

Sunday Night Blues

I wonder when the blues begin?

This is a pic of a newborn Jesse. She hadn't even had one Sunday yet when this pic was taken. In fact, since she was born on a Monday, and is about 3 days old in this pic, well....she was just heading for her first one.

If it's true that there's a God, and if God rested on the 7th day, and let's just take the Christian perspective here and say it was a Sunday, well then, do you think that God started getting the blues late that day when he realised that it was going to be work as usual the next day?!

What a thought!

Anyway, Jesse's first Sunday was almost 24years ago. Unfortunately I can't remember her mood that evening, but I do remember that before her first week was complete she'd organised herself into a perfect 4hourly schedule, and never seemed to worry about very much else. She wasnt' fretful or disturbed. She didn't mind visitors, dogs, dirty brothers or noise. She just slept when she was supposed to, woke when she was supposed to, did what she needed to when she was awake, and then popped off back to sleep again. A naturally happy baby.

So when DID the Sunday night Blues begin?!

Inspiration

And may I just add, before I rush off to see what condition my dinner is in, having left it in the oven some time ago before I began all of this... that the inspiration for making this blog spot, is my Fantastic Daughter Jesse. There'll be much more about her too, but suffice it to say for now, that I admire her immensely in her present undertaking. She's in South Korea (oh much much more will be said about all that too), and I want to provide her with some ongoing entertainment in some of her darker moments. So this is for you Jakey. Hope you enjoy. I'll try to post many stories and much tenderness and mirth for you as you navigate through these first trying weeks on your adventure.

Beholding Beauty

Someone told me the other day....(You know who you are!), that my feet are the most beautiful part of me. I'm pleased about this. In fact my feet are hugely important in my life, and as this story develops you'll see why. So I'm happy that there's a pleasing aesthetic aspect involved.

Now that today has arrived, I realise I really am beautiful indeed. Occasionally when I forget this I have a number of friends around whose job it is to remind me.

Welcome to Planet Mel

In the olden days when I was very young, (just before yesterday), I seem to have been beautiful. Of course I had no idea about that at the time.