Happy Birthday to me. I am 44 today. I am an Aquarian Fire Horse hear me snort. heh.
This is the year of the tiger and I can almost see the creative electricity in the air. I feel like I am on the cusp of a great adventure and all I have to do is be brave enough to grab hold of the tiger’s tail and enjoy the ride.
Grief manifests itself in many ways. One of the ways that my grief really had hold of me was through my photography. I just could not be bothered picking up the camera at all.There was a complete absence of joy in any photo that I took. I had even stopped taking photos of my grand children that was how deep my despair was.
Then my friend Robin came all the way up here and took me for a drive specifically to take photos. A wedgetailed eagle on a ledge was all it took for me to feel something, a spark of my old self returning.
In the same week along came the bloggies and an echidna. I had forgotten how much I enjoy sharing photographs of my part of the world. And you my readers, old and new have no idea of the enormity of the gift that you have given me. My camera is talking to me again and I feel a touch lighter for it.
I return to my studies next week and I am excited. This year is my final year with my tutor Ben Richardson and I am determined to wring every bit out of this year in the studio that I possibly can.
As a potter I find that I use an awful lot of plastic. Plastic to store my clay, plastic wrap to keep my work damp, plastic plastic plastic. So I am going to see if I can be plastic free in my work by the end of the year. Which leads me on to these stones that I found down by the river I think they will make nice tools to use with my work and the clay has to respond better to them than to plastic. We will see.
Now I am off to buy myself some birthday chocolate. Happy birthday to me.
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Birthday blessings Kim! 44 sounds young to me. Enjoy your chocolate, the best thing for birthdays. I love the natural stones, and all your pictures.
Yay!!! Happy birthday to Kim!! You are SO freaking young woman!! Woo hoo you!! And I’m happy your camera is talking to you again and you are talking back. I can’t wait to see some of the results of your conversations. 🙂
Happy birthday from one Aquarian to another! Many happy returns to you Kim
Happy birthday hon!!!!!
you are still younger than me!!!
And another Happy Birthday to add to the pile! We Aquarians are just fabulous aren’t we? Much light and joy in the year (and years) to come!
Happy Birthday Kim. I hope you have many, many more. With chocolate. And cake.
Good luck with going plastic free. It’ll be a challenge, but I’m sure you can do it.
Happy Birthday to YOOOOOOU!
xx
Happy Birthday Kim! Me, also Aquarian, but you, younger by far!! With your sparkle back, it will be a fabulous year!!
Love the eagle and all those earthy colours!
Happy Birthday! Have a lovely day.
Happy Birthday, all the best wishes I hope you get everything you whish for.
Yay, happy birthday to you!
It’s lovely to hear you sounding shiny again. All that thanks to an eagle. Hurray for eagles, I’ve always admired them, even more so now!
Good luck with de-plastic-ing. Those tools look very interesting.
Enjoy your chocolate. You deserve it.
Happy Birthday Kim!! It’ll be very exciting to see how your pottery work without plastic develops, like an insight into more traditional techniques.
Hope you have a lovely day, love n hugs BG Xx
I’m a new reader (I found you thru the bloggies) and I am definitely enjoying your creativity! Happpy Birthday! And thank you for sharing; Tasmania is BEAUTIFUL!
Happy Birthday!! I hope that the next year of your life brings some healing and perspective (as well as lots more photos – and chocolate!)
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday happy birthday, happy birthday to yoooooouuuuu!!!
Hope you had a lovely one Kimmy.xxxxoooxxx
Oh, happy happy birthday! And a belated congratulations on reaching the bloggies finals, which is so well-deserved. I’m watching a video about echidnas and platypus(ses? pi?) and Tasmania for 10 minutes every morning before getting ready for work. A little bit of coffee and bliss to start the day. May your bliss last longer 🙂
Happy birthday Kim! I hope that the coming year brings you all kinds of fabulous new things and new perspectives. I’m fascinated by the plastic free idea. I will be interested to see what other alternatives you come up with.
xx
I am so glad you’re finding joy in your photography again! I missed seeing the world through your lens, there is so much beauty surrounding you. I don’t think I can begin to imagine the pain you’ve been, and still are going through. The bond with your Mom was an intense one, I know.
Many happy returns of the day Kim, happy happy birthday!! (( Hugs xxx ))
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
Oh!
Belated Happy Birthday wishes, Kim!
Hope you had a lovely day and will have a fab week 😀
Oh Happy Happy Birthday to you Kim! So glad you are talking with your camera again, looking forward to seeing some more conversation pieces as the Tiger roars through this year.
Good luck with the attempt to go no plastic – part of that problem is how to safely dispose of the stuff you have already ;-(
Enjoy your chocolate and I do hope Veronica has made you a cake, Amy will help you blow out the candles lol!
xox
Hi Kim
I’m another new reader who found you through the bloggies. I’m another Tassie girl and I’ve been doing this 44 y.o. thing for a couple of weeks now – so far, so good. Enjoy that choc!
I found you from the bloggies, but I must confess that is because one of my fav Aussie blogs was also nominated, Not Drowning, Mothering. (god, I wasn’t even paid to just do that…)
Anyway, I wanted to comment after looking at your ‘about me’ page. I am 32 this year and very warmed and inspired to hear you say you got yr shit together in your 30s (well, thats my spin on what you no doubt said more eloquently….) So for me – Here’s hoping!
Happy Birthday! All I can say is grief does ease after awhile and you’re left with the good stuff. My mom lived with me for 28 years and I still miss her but I am getting used to it after 2 years. She had 85 years which were good.
I can relate to the feelings of grief. It does ease, and the sun will continue to rise. Hold on to the memories, and remember to take the time to make new ones.
I love that you found stones to work with.
I enjoy working my clay with natural tools and glazes. Post pics once you’ve put them to good use!
Happy Happy Birthday to YOU!!! I can’t believe I’m so late!!
Do you know, Kim, that we are exactly the same age? Yes yes!! Except that I got here about 3 months ago.
Hip Hip Hooray for us!!!
xoxox
Happy (belated) Birthday!!!!
I suck. I missed your birthday.
Wishing you a belated happy birthday while I bash myself around the head with a wet fish.
Happy Birthday, glad you are getting yourself back. Hang in there – things will improve and the Eagle is amazing!
I’m just getting back to reading blogs. Happy belated 44th birthday! I feel like I’ve missed so much in all of my bloggy friend’s lives. It’s going to take me a while to catch up. I’m glad you feel like you are on the cusp of something great. Enjoy the adventures that are surely to come!
Happy belated birthday Kim!!! You young’un you.
A very belated Happy Happy Happy Birthday. xoxoxoxo
Belated birthday greetings, Kim. You’re only a smidge older than me!
A suggestions for the keeping the clay moist from a novice with nothing more than an idea. Remember the old coolgardie used to keep meat cool and fresh, before the days of refrigeration? It involved a cage hung high to keep vervim away, with a colth over the top that had the ends hanging in water. Perhaps something like that would keep the humidity up to prevent the clay drying out overnight. I suppose putting the cloth directly in contact with clay would potentially make it sodden. Anyway, just an idea you may wish to try (from a very amateurish artist!).