Uncluttered

  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love. Since adopting Molly the cattle dog, I've been basking in the morning light that hovers amidst clouds and trees to the north-west of our house. Molly and I generally wake about 5 am. We live in an ostensibly ordinary suburb in a reasonably regular town, but the view is often inspirational. The phenomenon of cool air on the skin is also noteworthy.  When I was a teenager, my Great Uncle Geoffrey and Great Aunty Winifred visited Queensland, coming all the way from England. I loved them both and Uncle Geoffrey was an enigma. He was Grandpa's brother, but quite different, I'd say unique, in personality. Joie de vivre oozed from him. He wore a watch on both wrists - one for local time and one for English time - and famously declared that Australians were "terribly un-nosy" because in all of his three to six months here no-one had enquired about the double watch scenario. Grandpa told a story of sneaking out into t...

A year ago, we returned from a scenic holiday and saw this in a carpark in our home town 😀

  Some Tasmanian serenity to promote a sense of calm and optimism 😀

Sometimes, amidst the drama of life, it's calming to look at pictures that embrace space and simplicity.

Started with eyes-closed doodling then added colour and extended lines etc. What do you see?

Started drawing slowly without a plan. Ended up with this. What is it?

Started drawing slowly with no idea what was to come. Ended up with this. Made me think of a bird at one stage but I'm not sure. 

  In real life, we have a dog who is trying to communicate with us. It is almost as though she's talking, but not with words.  On the drawing front, this dog, possibly decorated with pink streamers, came about by accident after the old eyes-closed doodling trick. When I opened my eyes the head shape was clearly there.  Taking an 8-year old dog in is definitely different to having a puppy! It's good though, and probably a stress-reducing scenario (mostly). 

  1. Drew some squiggles with eyes closed. 2. Opened eyes and extended lines to the edge of the page. 3. Saw a characteristic beak.  4. Highlighted with colour.  What is it?

  How many 'nearly triangles' do you see in this? 

Started with eyes closed and an hourglass in mind. Then something else arose. 

  In the last few years, I've tended to think and occasionally say something like, "there's no time for anything." This morning, I read an account about Jesus having time for children and I was struck by the idea of how there really can be loads of time for very many things and people - even in this modern world that we inhabit. So, here's a list of some of the things that I've been able to involve myself with in the last 24 hours: 1. Unexpectedly adopting an 8-year old dog cattle dog (a Bluey) called Molly. She needed a new home through no fault of her owners. She has been and is much loved and now lies near me on the mat of our beautiful Snoopy. Some of you may know that in the comic strip Peanuts, Molly is one of the sisters of Snoopy, so the name we inherited is extremely appropriate.  2. Listening to kookaburras in the morning. They have definitely been laughing. Loudly. 3. Noticing the 'cool' air emanating from a fan. 4. Gazing at Venus, Mars and...

I've posted this crazy eyes-closed doodling dog because I'm very pleased to have been given an actual dog through church connections this morning.  Thank you. 

  Duck Dog emerged from eyes-closed doodling. Close eyes, do some squiggles, open eyes and see what's there, enhance with colour. Relaxing. Not much pressure.

  I found out this week that I'm not the only person in my workplace who: 1. didn't know which alarm at work is for lockdown and which is for evacuation (I know now) 2. has a Snoopy t-shirt 3. watched a lot of cricket over the holidays.  On a more serious note, I find it helpful to remember, whatever struggles I face, or we face as a family, other people have been through similar things.  We're not alone. 

  Is there a source of stability in an ever-changing world?

  This is a section from a larger drawing. What do you think the full picture could be?

Started with the idea of complexity and did some eyes-closed drawing. Opened eyes and came up with this. 

 What do you see here?

1. How do you find calm when there's a lot going on?

Today's eyes-closed challenge (started with eyes closed). Is it a rabbit or something else?

Still on Mt Tamborine in Queensland, I woke up at 4:30 am and the words popped into my head, "the old will be new." It was in a tone and at a speed that suggested that this is obvious.  I stepped outside to take some photos of the new day. Here are some things I noticed: 1. Wildlife hopping along in the near dark, hard to identify but accompanied but thudding sounds on the ground. 2. Squawking birds. 3. A pinky hue in the eastern sky. 4. Less raucous, more thoughtful sounding birds. 5. A light in a nearby house. 6. The strange sensation of feeling cool. 7. Moisture under foot on the grass. 8. A luminous moon floating amidst palm leaves. A new day has dawned. 

 What do you see here?

 What does this represent to you?

  We're staying at a place called Tall Trees and I can confirm that there are numerous vertically impressive trees. There is something about looking upwards that elevates the soul, I find. Softly falling rain and cool air is also rejuvenating.  When we arrived we experienced a bit of an assault on the ears with extremely loud cicadas accompanied by intermittent loud cars. A strange combination, I thought, but overall invigorating.  On the way here, we noticed some extremely dodgy road which seemed a bit crumbly, exposing a sheer cliff. I received a text from my brother saying to be careful on the roads. I can see why! We're now safely indoors watching the Australian Open Tennis, Draper versus Alcaraz. Mum is crocheting baskets.  I hope wherever you are, there is something or someone to whom you can lift your eyes and feel inspired. Also, I find it helpful to look within.  Warm regards from a slightly cooler than normal place. Ruth  

What kind of a mood do you sense here?

  Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but I see a few things, depending on how it's rotated.  The eyes-closed phase and then colouring were relaxing. What do you see?

  Over the last 30 days, people have visited this fledgling site as follows: Australia - 751 United States - 480 Canada - 48 India - 37 Ireland - 35 Singapore - 35 Germany - 30 Sweden - 23 (Thanks for being here from the start) Hong Kong - 18 Netherlands - 15 Austria - 9 United Kingdom - 7 Mexico - 7 Belgium - 6 Italy - 5 Bangladesh - 4 Switzerland - 4 France - 4 Curacao - 3 Other - 61 Mum finds this amazing. Thanks for joining in! Ruth

  Would you like to visit this place?

This character appeared following some eyes-closed doodling, but who or what is it?

I didn't start out trying to draw a heart or a butterfly. With eyes closed, I drew squiggles and curves. There was a freedom and happiness to the process. When I opened my eyes, I immediately saw the heart and highlighted it, then I saw the butterfly. So, the themes of love and freedom emerged from the darkness. The other night, I saw a quote from Rumi that spoke about how we can't lose something we've loved deeply because that something, or someone, will have become part of us. Interestingly, the next night I had a dream in which my late father appeared, clear as day, walking towards me. I wasn't scared, more amazed. Dad looked really good, well, and probably about the age I am now, maybe a little younger! Somehow after that, I ended up thinking about a bible story in which Jesus comes to the home of sisters Martha and Mary. While Martha becomes bogged down with logistics, Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to him speak. Jesus seems to indicate that simply list...

A time for doing, a time for listening.  

  1. Close eyes and make some wavy marks with thin black pen. 2. Open eyes and rotate page observing what is there.  3. Decide which way around the page goes. 4. Enhance with colour and by extending lines. 5. Crop if you wish. What do you see?

  What do you see?

Nothing can separate us from the love of God...

  What really matters to you?

There are many curves in nature, and these are some that I have observed in or our backyard (sort of like a scavenger hunt without having to move much!).  1. Contour of a row of trees 2. Shapes of clouds 3. Tree trunks 4. Leaves 5. Pawpaw 6. Bend in a long blade of grass or weed 7. Flower petals 8. Moon 9. Hail 10. Drops of rain 11. Trajectory of a bird 12. Head and eyes of a bird 13. Marks left by insects 14. Pebbles 15. Planets

What do you see here?

What does your journey look like at the moment? Which part of the journey are you navigating?

  What's the story here I wonder. 

  Today I've comprehensively failed to capture the spectacular cloud art that has featured in the picture frame of our lounge room window. I tried with camera and pens but all efforts were deemed pretty ordinary. I can say, though, that I've seen mountain ranges, diamonds, fish (well one fish), a dog, an elephant and a silver bow in the sky today. The general contours and textures of the trees were arty too, and a bit more constant than the nebulous background. The above picture was taken some time ago, outside the botanical gardens in Tasmania. I was obviously impressed enough to take a photo and I have no idea why I have never seen a heart in the middle before. Okay, so part of the heart might be missing, but it's there with a little imagination. Earlier today, Mum was talking about her experiences when she first came to Australia as a child. She recalled being on a train trip from Sydney to Brisbane and thinking that the landscape was just miles and miles of dull, olive-...

  Which one is the odd one out?

  1. The birds sang in the morning and then again at night. 2. It rained several times and also cleverly failed to rain when the radar showed precipitation virtually everywhere. 3. Dusting occurred.  4. Young chef whipped up some spaghetti. 5. Visitors loaded more of our junk into their trailer in preparation for a visit to the dump. (An important cultural event in Australia).  6. I felt philosophical and then tired. 7. Things fell silent except for the nearby motorway, the tapping of keys, the sound of breathing, occasional animal sounds, the creaking of the house... 8. Thoughts turned to seasons and the gradual shortening of the days. 9. Friends communicated via social media and text. 10. Mum watched Songs of Praise on TV. I heard it from my room while working. 

1. Closed eyes and drew what I thought was a heart and some squiggles. 2. Opened eyes, extended lines and started colouring in. 3. Turned page sideways and saw something different. Went with that.

So calming I may fall asleep. 

1. Close eyes and doodle 2. Open eyes and add patterning.  3. What is it?

  I've heard my generation referred to as the sandwich generation. We're the ones that are helping look after children as well as more senior family members.  I think we might actually be the parfait generation though because there's no dull bread on either side. All the layers of family are incredibly special and each person is unique.

What do you see here?

I see something but I'm sure it's debatable! Drawing without looking can take any pressure off. Not much expectation to weigh the process down. 

  I think this has been one of the busiest holidays I've ever known, and that is despite the fact that my sister and her friend did significantly more work on decluttering than I did. With my osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia firing up, I did my best and took care of various other matters as well. Here are some points about the experience: 1. People do the best they can with the emotional (and physical) capacity they have (Danny Raede). 2. There are kind people in this world who are happy to help. I do not know why I didn't get help before now. 3. There can be a grief component to decluttering. This has a different impact on different people. 4. A young chef creating gourmet meals in the background is good for morale. 5. Systems can be created for maintaining order. For example, coke cans go straight in the recycling basket rather than spreading themselves out around the house in some kind of art deco-style artistic arrangement.  6. Having space is psychologically and physically...