A Summer tradition

After racing home from work this afternoon, I quickly loaded the car and marked off the checklist.. "an assortment of cossies (tick), summer dresses (tick), the Italian racer (tick), provincial quilt (tick), new novels (tick), Christmas left overs (tick) and champers (tick, tick)"...

Everything was in order.

Then after grabbing a take away latte from the Elwood Bakery, I perched the sunnies upon the bridge of my nose and accelarated out of Melbourne.

As sea views came closer into view, new stamina surged and I felt ready to spend a glorious week away with the "Girls" at a Villa by the coast in Rosebud.

I'm heading South to escape.
See you in 2012.

It's going to be an amazing year...

Christmas day bliss

 

Christmas Blessing

Wishing us all love, peace & trust in our dreams.

Trust

If you take responsibility

for yourself,

you will develop a hunger

to accomplish your dreams.

Les Brown

Happiness

Happiness cannot be

traveled to, owned, earned,

worn or consumed.

Happiness is the spiritual experience

of living every minute

with love, grace and gratitude.

- Denis Waitley

Riding like the wind

What JOY!

Christmas cards

Sending Season's Greetings and love your way soon.

RACV

Isn't it suppose to be the joyful and festive season?

Between Mum and I, we have had 'four call outs' for RACV Roadside Assistance in 48 hours.... If the Universe is trying to send me/us a message, please note: "We can't comprehend what it is!"

Can someone PLEASE explain, what is going on...?

Sculpting our vision

Apparently to cultivate our dreams, we are encouraged to "change how we see our world, for it will change what we see".

Collaboratively we worked together to create our vision.

Sculpting weekend in Gwen's Studio. 

Stage 1. 

Beautiful Passing

After sipping on cocktails and oysters in Melbourne's Art niche, tonight Mum and I went to the Melbourne Recital Centre to hear the Australian National Academy of Music performance of Steven Mackey's "Beautiful Passing" (2008).

The performance was strategically presented after Beethoven’s first symphony and one of Strauss’ mesmerising works, 'Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kmnKvXUvvE

A wonderful evening.

Beautiful Passing, was performed in two halves and separated by a violin cadenza. It was described as..an interaction between the sharply contrasting materials of the violin and the orchestra. The orchestra develops something of a group mentality, a mass hysteria that is both scary and funny. It isn’t so much malevolent as it is mechanical and oblivious to the nuance of the violin. That insensitivity is threatening but like a bull in a china shop, also somewhat funny to observe with enough distance. Gradually, a few members of the orchestra hear the voice of reason and become supportive of the violin. After a cadenza that impresses the orchestra with fluttering delicacy the violin introduces its own version of brutality – crushing triple stops – which command, for the first time a consensus between the orchestra and soloist. In this second part they retain the individuality but conspire toward common goals, unlike the first part.

The governing metaphor of the work has to do with the violin gaining control of its own destiny, competing with, commanding and ultimately letting go of the orchestra. This metaphor arises from my experience, during the composition of the piece, watching my mother gain control of her destiny to the point of predicting the day she would let go, predicting the day of her death. Her last words to me were “Please tell everyone I had a beautiful passing."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2vmz6H5eNU&feature=player_detailpage



Happy Birthday Lee

I loved our Friday night celebration at Movida in Melbourne.

We are truly blessed to have one another in our lives.

Our promising future

A photo of my StV's and ACU nursing students - Such a cohesive group. 

They were delightful, showed immense maturity and initiative and made every attempt to absorb the opportunities that were presented to them during their clinical placement.

I wish them all the best with their nursing careers and look forward to furture teaching opportunities within the Nursing Education Unit.

 

Joanne, Hei Wie, Eillen, Tanya, Barbara, Yu Li, Grace and Disha

Beautiful in pink

Isidora Lamme

Christmas preparations begin...

Festa di fine anno 2011

Tonight the Italian Institute of Culture, Melbourne, invited its members and collaborators to a special end of year function in South Yarra.
The highlight of the evening was Annamaria Colasanto (who won an oscar for her music in "La vita è bella" starring Roberto Benigni) and her operatic performances including some moving Napolitan love songs.

I also enjoyed the black and white photographic exhibition by Giuseppe Leone. The 40 images in "The Image and the Memory" represent Sicily today and yesterday through special moments and places including children playing and adults gathering to talk and be in the middle of beautiful cobble stoned piazzas.

Melbourne by Night