Death in the Garden

This is a recent painting that I did, and I actually like it. The best art I create takes the shortest amount of time, but I have to be "in the zone" to get there. This painting started with a feeling I had of something huge crushing down and tearing me apart. It took about 20 minutes to complete. That's true of my best collages and poetry. I'm convinced that my "inside people" (aka "alters") work out what they want to paint or what they want to say, and use me as a vehicle towards expression. Sometimes, I can write a three page poem in 20 minutes, and won't have an idea of what it means until I read it over when it's completed. Surprisingly, it has many characteristics of well planned verse. Well, I say surprisingly, but it really isn't.




This is a recent collage. I hope you can see some of the detail, pictures, print, etc. Since I was diagnosed DID/MPD, collage has been one of the most effective methods for trying to understand what's going on "inside". As in the painting above, I do the work, and the story unfolds. (Click on the image for a closer look.)

Four more years

The Ocean, a Little White Fluffy Thing, and Tragedy

Yesterday, Tim and I went to Pearl Beach on the Central Coast. It's a beautiful beach which is also somewhat dog-friendly. Sammy and Karma love beaches, especially when Tim takes them on a good long walk. I think the salt air makes them even sillier than usual. We last visited Pearl Beach Christmas Day 2005, when Tim's son, Gavin, and nephew, Ben, were visiting.

The tragedy happened yesterday when a tiny white fluffy dog (Maltese, Shitsu, Fox Terrier cross), got chased into the surf by a Staffie puppy, and was instantly swallowed up by the huge surf. The surf was much worse than it was two and a half years ago. On that day, Ben and Gavin went swimming and we also easily got our kayaks into the water. Yesterday, however, you could see the rip tides and the surf was breaking so close to the shore - well, the little thing didn't have a chance (it probably weighed two kilos soaking wet).

The dog looked similar to this:

Although this just isn't something you expect to happen, I talked to a couple of "locals" who were walking past, and they mentioned that this wasn't an isolated event. Anyway, Tim and I kept scanning the water with the owners looking for the little dog, but we all finally had to give up and head for home.

Poor Soaked Wretch

This poor wet Australian Magpie, that we fondly call "Randal", was begging for food on our balcony today. There has been a pair of them hanging around recently, and I suspect they are trying to feed and care for a new family. I've been giving the Magpies and the Kookaburras doggie meatballs (not meatballs made out of dogs) which they can't seem to get enough of. They are all cheeky enough to take the food right out of my hand. The maggies are particularly amazing to watch because they can pluck a piece of food out of thin air while in full flight mode. The kookaburras are not so nimble. They wait for the food to drop to the ground and then grab it.

We still have our regular rainbow lorikeets that visit (Benito and his wife), and during these rainy days, they huddle together on the "roost" I made for them enjoying relative dryness. Lorikeets are very affectionate with each other.