Don't forget to be awesome...

Holidays!!! My only time when I can sit behind my desk, draw without having to check the time, worry about marking or preparing lesson.  It is MY time.  So during this holiday I did some drawings - not as much as I like to - keeping to my journal stuff because it is small and I can complete it relatively quickly.  But I feel the itch of a canvas or two coming on.  But alas, the holiday is over..... So here are the fruits of my labour:

"Nature"

"Hello there"

"Cosmic Nature"

"Peace"

"Joker"

Flower girl"

"Leap of Faith"

"Two friends"

Different angle "Nature"

Have a lovely day!

Art eventually again.....

Re-thinking my philosophy on the itchy feet syndrome D4-7 and birthdays

I can remember sitting right here in front of my computer in January contemplating our son's Gian departure to Europe(with trepidation and same time immense pride for taking this bold step). Since then he has traveled to Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the UK. Got himself a plum job, accommodation, new friends - and this week he is embarking on yet a new adventure: walking the El Camino de Compostella (The Way of St James) a 600 km trek from France to "the end of the world" in Santiago, Spain. I am secretly very envious.... wish I can walk that road. God (and St James) speed your travels, my son.

 

And we are getting ready to let the next fledgling spread his wings.
Thymon is embarking on a exchange year at the University of Sussex in Brighton at the end of the year. I always wanted our children to travel. As we dragged them across the world to live in three different counties while growing up, it is probably expected that they also have inherited the itching feet syndrome that the mother suffers from greatly. That is why we are going on a walkabout ourselves - myself and the less itchy feet hubby Giart. Long services leave.. those elusive words every person with his nose close to the grindstone dream about. We are going to walkabout in Africa, UK and Europe for 3 long months. Can I heard my feet sing? YES! and the best is that we will embark on this walkabout with our sons. Bring on October!

On the topic of feet... Again for the third year in a row we walk the Oxfam 100 km trial walker. A not too bad 28 hours later and sure that we have made a difference in the lives of people who are less fortunate than us, all four of us finished. I reckon it is also an excuse to quiet the those itching feet. Our team, The Styx (Thymon, Brodie, Aaron and myself) with a extremely well organised and supportive back up team, (Tricia, Nat, Kay, Brad, Jan, Sally and Judy)  have now walked 1200 km collectively and raised over $6000 for charity. I guess it is one way of keeping those itchy feet happy.

 Team Styx 2013 - 20 hours into the walk

Team Styx 2012

So I guess walking is fused into our genes - this urge in humans to find out what is over the next hill.  Research show us that only a few of our species left their ancestral home in the African savannahs and began that long walk to the ends of the earth which allowed homo sapiens to colonize the world.  The rest stayed behind ... Apparently these wanderers had a particular genetic profile - a higher percentage of an exploratory and novelty-seeking gene than those remaining behind. It is called the D4-7 allele gene.  I think I have that gene.. maybe it looks something like this:

 D4-7 Allele

Well, to all the wanderers out there - the ones that look up with longing when they see a plane fly overhead, the compulsive Google Earth googlers, the ones with more travel books on their bookshelf than money in the bank - I salute you.  I know the feeling.

As the good man J R R Tolkien said:  "Not all those who wander are lost..." 

Birthdays....
I also had another birthday in between all these other things happening in my life.  These days a birthday is marked with less fervour counting the candles on the cake and more enthusiasm drinking champagne.  This year I celebrated my birthday in Toowoomba whilst playing hockey in the Queensland Master Hockey championships.  All I can say is that fun was had by all.  My team pulled out a birthday cake with sparklers  and champs.  
A real surprise was the beautiful mandala drawings I got from Brigid, Caitlan,Charlie and Annabelle -  daughters of dear friends Liz, Theresi and Lisa. I LOVE them - each one with a special birthday messages on the back. These drawings now have a special place in my art journal. Thank you young ladies!! I feel an art weekend coming on...