Taexalia

wild.life

Three Card Reading

After a hectic day organising for something that at once fills me with anticipation and dread, I decided to stick my hand into my SoulCollage card box and withdraw three random cards for a reading. As the first card showed herself I immediately felt a sense of calm as if the message was "now you can be at peace"...The second card also brought stillness and contemplation and I thought about stopping there and sitting with these still cards and calming my frantic mind.But my hand sneaked ... read more

Oily Thorn

"It's Scotland's oil." This has long been a call to arms for nationalists in Scotland. I have even been known to mutter about the fact that Scotland is oft referred to as the only nation in the world to have struck oil and become poorer. I remember seeing graffiti as a youngster, I think it was on that railway bridge on the A96 that now has traffic lights (ye ken the een that has the 45 degree blin corner and sometimes a neddie in the field on the richt heading North?) - the graffiti said ... read more

Zero Tolerance for Mike Tyson

News today is that a planned corporate event in Glasgow has been cancelled after politicians and groups like Rape Crisis spoke out against the appearance of Mike Tyson. The general message appears to be that showcasing, honouring or otherwise lining the pockets of a convicted rapist is not welcome in Scotland. I'm right there with them.Mike Tyson was convicted of rape in February 1992 and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. He was released in 1995 after serving 3 years of that sentence.One might ... read more

My camera doesn’t have night fox vision…

...but here is some blurry evidence of the foxies in the garden tonight ~There were three different ones scurrying about and one of them even sat down and looked up at me. It was much darker and these images are brought to you by the wonders of photo editing software... I want a fancier camera with more bells and whistles!

More foxes in my garden

Creative Space and new SoulCollage

Today I have been concentrating on my creative space. I am not sure quite how it happens, but this room seems to gradually creep into disarray. I prefer it tidy and organised and the theory behind the creation of this room was that it was to be a Den, a Haven, a place for Creativity. But it also functions as Taexalia Towers - a hub of financial files, bubbly envelopes and pretty things winding their way to happy customers. In short Clutter Creeps.So I'm tackling the untidy piles, some leftovers ... read more

Pathfinder

I am the one who reads the signsI am the one who makes choicesI am the one who follows old routesI am the one who blazes new trailsI am the one who leaves footprintsI am the one who knows the ... read more

Walker

I am the one who walks in the worldI am the one who stridesI am the one who is prepared for the journeyI am the one who exploresI am the one who enjoys natureI am the one who moves forwardI am the one who steps into the ... read more

Loch Water

I am the one who resides in the loch watersI am the one who watches in silenceI am the one who dances as mistI am the one who carries mysteriesI am the one who is felt at duskI am the one who is melancholyI am the one who is ... read more

Personal Landscape

Yesterday I mentioned I was musing over the concept of Personal Landscapes and that idea is still exercising my mind today. My work with SoulCollage is one process of mapping my inner selves and my inner landscape. I also work with my inner landscape in dreams, dreamwork, meditation and journeying (although these pursuits are somewhat challenged in my life at this time). But this concept of Personal Landscapes is something more than the inner world, although I think a Personal Landscape is held ... read more

Fife and the Firth

Today we caught a train from Edinburgh to Aberdour with the intention of finding a new beach to explore. Neither of us have ever been to Aberdour other than when the Aberdeen train whizzes past going North, so it was all new :)We left the train and followed the signs to the Fife Coastal Path:The path is flanked by the railway line and it's a peaceful haven of leafy trees, wildflowers and plants. Some folk seem to have missed the fact that leaving their dog poop behind is against the law - ... read more

Odense Calling

I have been putting off choosing work and sending my registration for the Odense exhibit. I feel bad for being late, but I finally got over the block and put everything together and sent it this morning - before 9am too!I'm a bit disappointed not to have a painting in there but my Inner Painter is hiding again. I chose five photographs and they all have a water theme. One of them, Kelpie's Lurk, was there last year but there were requests for me to show it in a larger format - and it looks ... read more

Crow King

...Crow is raucous and I look up to see what the fuss is about today. A black shape slinks off the fence and under the Sparrow Bush sending the sparrows into a panic. Crow and Magpie dance up onto Skeleton Tree and Crow continues to scream.Cat appears from the nettle bed and walks across the lawn. Crow is relentless and flies down to stalk her. Cat seems unimpressed but unwilling to take on Crow and they test their boundaries for several moments. The energy is tense and Birds and Squirrel ... read more

Only the atom bomb is worse than Big Brother

According to a survey by the Museums and Galleries Month 2008, the worst invention ever is the atom bomb and the second worst invention ever is reality TV. Apparently watching Jade Goody is worse for some people than capital punishment, the destructive presence of plastic carrier bags and the red shoe dance of credit cards.BBC articleMy top five worst inventions:I agree - the atom bomb is the lowest of human endeavours, alongside weaponry in general.Laminate Flooring in upper flatted properties ... read more