wednesday - today

Jose Gonzalez drove me home from school this afternoon, with the splishing and sploshing of rainwater hitting the undercarriage of the car as i bumped over cracks and potholes. my school day quickly faded from memory as i dreamt of the chewy, salty ginger bickies i was going to make when i got home (they're baking themselves in the oven as i write...).

i had to stop at the shops to pick up the necessary raw sugar, ground cloves and ginger - it was a minor inconvenience - having to slosh through rushing gutters, in completely silly, inappropriate shoes. my feet now still a little damp, i sit, waiting for my afternoon tea and preparing myself for a night of peaceful creativity.

a.

. : heat energy : .

driving home from school this afternoon, with the windows down and the hot, hot air blowing past my face, i considered the power of this heat. the way that it has really dramatic affects on things; it's not just a temperature, but an energy source that has real time and place effects.

i was thinking about how timber and other materials expand and warp in the heat. the heat has the muscles to physically change such a solid material - but it can do it without the muscles. and how the heat casts its spell on our bodies; that with the same amount of sleep, food and drink we can feel so much more weary on a scorcher' than on a tepid day. you can see such fast effects on plants in hot weather too. mature leaf plants shrivel and crumble inward as if to writhe from the encasing heat.

its oppressive, i've decided. not in a completely negative way. but the way the heat pushes down on your shoulders like a heavy weight when you step out into it, really isn't that positive either. don't get me wrong, i love the heat. i am a summer girl. born and bred (literally). i guess it always happens, this time of year. we welcome, even if begrudgingly, the heat that is the Australian summer.

welcome, heat. i will escape you, momentarily - off to the water i go...

a.

call me a winner!

i'm blogging about this...because i want to win - there's no simple way to say it.

i mean - who wouldn't want a gloriously soft leather purse from After the Apple to call their own. hmm, didn't think so.

a.

picture books

while in the library at school, supervising (babysitting) students, i had the pleasure of encountering some of my favourite stories from when i was young - but probably too old to be reading picture books. the colourful, contemplative and deceptively 3 dimensional like picture books of Jeannie Baker.

i saw the book Window lying on a desk and immediately had memories of pouring over each page, finding new things in every image - little creatures, things in trees, old coke cans in the grass. strong memories of the books theme came flooding back; the way we drastically change our environment, the way we don't notice over time. but i always liked the way the book watched this little red-headed boy grow, from his first trip home with mum to the day he started his own family. i followed this family, and i knew them. Baker builds such a joyous and real family story, and opens our minds to the way we affect our environment.

"...by opening a window in our minds, by understanding how change takes place and by changing the way we personally affect the environment, we can make a difference." Jeannie Baker

she was onto something back then.

a.

heat - wave

so the weather is hot. has been, for about a week now.

the sun is punishing, the westerly air is warm and the flies are out. Days have reached 34^ at their peak, sapping what little energy and motivation i have - especially at school. Who want to argue with teens when there is sweat rolling down your back. (gee, sorry about that)

so ive sought refuge in any place i can - most often an early trip to the beach, or an afternoon dip in the in-laws pool. the cool aqua blue soothes so nicely. i dip, i bask, i dip, i swim and i dip. such awakening refreshment.

stay cool.

a.