Awareness

I am coming to the conclusion that awareness is one of the key differences between a good and meaningful life and a life that just trudges through until the end. To be aware of your thoughts, beliefs, actions and reactions and what they mean and then to make your choices from this place of awareness.

This morning I had a rather sharp example of this. While walking to work I finally got some inspiration on what the first line of my essay should be. Finally. It’s taken a while. I was turning this around in my head thinking of the implications when I slipped and fell over.

It was raining, and my shoes weren’t the best for this weather (apparently) as I’d already slipped and caught myself twice, so it wasn’t a completely random slipping over. But the point is that in giving my awareness to my essay questions I went into lala land with regards to my physical space. Now I have stinging palms and knees to remind me.

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The balancing act

Every 6 months I go through a fine balancing act. Well, it possibly happens more often than this, but I can pinpoint specific occurrences at May and November each year. It’s the balance point between being so stressed about impending deadlines that you freeze up and can’t do anything, and the laissez faire attitude that assumes you will get it all done, so you can take a break right now, it won’t matter.

I suppose it’s a bit like riding a wave, where the stressed part is when you have gone too far into it and get dumped in the surf, and the laissez faire part is where you miss the crest of the wave entirely and get left behind.

Neither extreme is going to get the essay done. The trick is to find enough stress to keep you focused on doing the work, but not too much stress that you stress out and get tired and your brain freezes up.

The past few weeks have been a strange combination of the two. I think I am now in the creative essay writing space at the crest of that wave. At least here’s hoping so, I have 2 weeks and 3 essays to hand in. Wish me luck!

Did any of that make sense, or has my brain finally exploded? I find it hard to tell at the moment.

*post script* the problem with this balancing act is that sometimes other stuff falls off as the imperative to pass University takes over your brain space. The real estate agent just rang me to remind me that the rent is late. *sigh* and lets not talk about the library fines I am accruing as I keep forgetting to take them back. Or the friends that I am neglecting as I lock myself away from the world (in a train! …ask me some other time)

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I’m leaving, on a jet plane…

… in three weeks. Into the UK. London and surrounds for a week, Bedford for two days, Nottingham for 3 days, St. Andrews in Scotland for 2 days, Glasgow area for 2 days, Paris for one day.

I’ve never been there.

What should I do? Suggestions please, so I can keep them all in the one spot.

There’s an online itenerary up, which I will update, and has emergency contact info on it. If you’d like to be able to view it, let me know and I will send you the link. I’m not posting it here, as it’s not really supposed to be common knowledge.

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I still have a creative streak

Gaudete Frock!
Originally uploaded by Miss Krin

I finally finished the Gaudete Frock (pura lana virgine, Gaudete. Blame Mistress Bess Haddon of York). Took me 18 months, but it’s done. I blame the Masters degree, and KoL, and general distractions, and maybe a loss of the inspiration that comes from creating a beautiful object.

It is now done, and it’s pretty much exactly what I was after. The skirt drapes beautifully and is weighted properly, the front is flat and has a fantastic line on it. The partlet probably needs to be fixed, based on the photo linked above, or I need to check myself in a mirror before leaving the house, one of the two.

And now onto the next project!

Which I planned out last night. A 1560s- 1570s Elizabethan for Rowany 25th Anniversary, inspired by the portrait of “A Young Lady Aged 21” in the Tate Gallery (I get to actually see it in 4 weeks. yay!) and this portrait of Isabel de Valois, along with some other images from Janet Arnold’s “Queen Elizabeht’s Wardrobe Unlock’d” (of course!)

The initial sketch is below. I am now dreaming red and gold silks, velvets and satins, with appropriate, acheivable bling. Step one, check corset and farthingale, and perhaps plan how to make a smaller farthingale in the next two weeks. Also plan what small project I can take to the Uk with me. Maybe the couching on the gards?

It’s great to have the creative urge back again, I’d forgotten how much fun planning a frock is. Remind me of that in the weeks before 25th when I’ll be struggling with it?

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Trip

This was the last view I had of Sydney on Friday night:

Sunset over Croydon trainsho

Then I got on a shiny rail type thing, then a shiny winged thing, and ended up in Hobart.

This is what I woke up to the next day:

Hobart hills

And this:

Hobart

A completely different universe. Trees and mountains and cold.

Two days later, Monday morning, this was the view out the window when I woke up:

Out the spare room window

And this, the view from the front door:

From the front door

By lunchtime on Monday I was here:

Reflection

Holidays are fantastic. You can see the rest of the photos here. I thought you all needed a break after the recent long text only posts.

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