Seeing the Light

There's a tree out the front of our house that does not belong to us. It is some kind of eucalyptus tree and it is big.  The other day I went out for a walk and I smelled freshly cut wood - really fresh. Obviously a branch has fallen down and blocked the road; someone had phoned the authorities; they had removed the offending branch and chopped it up into manageable chunks. And I hadn't noticed a thing. There must be a moral to this tale, but I have no idea what it could be.

While out on this walk, I came across a little dollhouse that had been put out by the kerb, probably in the hope that someone would take it away and play with it. In the meantime, the sun seemed to be doing a good job of highlighting its best features. 

The kittens remain unimpressed, but they are clearly millennials and, hence, too cool for school. I know they are millennials, because I caught Melantho trying to eat my smashed avocado on toast. Apparently this means she is squandering all her income and will never leave home. Good.

I didn't get to the Enlighten Festival this year, in which 'some of the capital's most loved and iconic buildings' are illuminated with large-scale projections. I did, however, stumble across these designs on the Sydney and Melbourne Buildings in town. Bohie Palacek's illumination, Dandelion, 'draws on the bright flower's ability to heal, its strong roots and its floating seeds to relay a message of care and consideration. A meditation on Canberra's last 12 months.' 

Mikaela Stafford's Proximity, meanwhile 'draws parallels between our natural and built environments'.

And, as usual, I rounded off the week with a circuit of Lake Burley Griffin with the Walking Crew.

Cat Walk

I am dog sitting for some friends. They are away in Sydney and their dogs need to be let out every hour or so to avoid any unfortunate accidents. They're pretty cute office colleagues.

But don't tell my girls I said that.

As well as the actual paid work, I am also working on the upcoming play I am directing. This week I met with a designer and we discussed some of the themes I would like to incorporate including weaving and storytelling; rope and sticks. Here are a couple of my inspirations

Later in the week I got together with the rest of the production team to discuss progress. I'm not saying that because we're all female, we have a better class of food at our production meetings, but...

As usual, I spent most of the rest of my leisure time eating, drinking, walking, and reading.

Chicken Noodle salad at Good Brother Cafe

I encountered this amazing mural at Dickson Shops. It is called In Our Hands by Faith Kerehona and Bohie Palecek. I felt it refers to the recent bush fires, the injured wildlife, and our responsibility towards them and our community. When I got home I managed to find out more about it on-line, where Faith Kerehona wrote,

"We created an artwork funded by cityrenewalcbr about regeneration, hope and bushfire commemoration. Arthropodium flowers bloom from her back, a species which has begun to bloom again after the fires in VIC and NSW. The girl, curled in a vulnerable fetal position, cradles a joey and echidna. She floats in water, the fire encased in her clothing. This mural invites the viewer to consider our collective, shared futures, and what our next steps in addressing climate change should be."

Half of the walking group completed our lap of Lake Burley Griffin and for once I even took photos of the walk itself, rather than just the restorative coffee and breakfast afterwards. 

The lake

Not the lake

The Luminosity at the lake

I've had a lot on my mind, and when that happens, I can't sleep. And when that happens, I need some comfort reading - and when that happens, I turn to Terry Pratchett.