Somehow ... it was all this and more

Somehow, without intention... without preparing for it all, I have been busy.

Monday, I interviewed the lovely singer/musician/yoga teacher, Luc Acke.  Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending his sneak preview concert, the one where he and Spring Groove performed tracks from the album they're making together ... HOME.

I was interviewed by a student of journalism on Wednesday.

Wandered city streets for the photography workshop on Friday.

All the while, preparing for a massive dinner party/party on Saturday.  Erik Rasmussen was in town and it seemed like a good idea to catch up with him, Paola and Simon, Cloe and Brian, pre-party.  And so we did dinner.

There was this really fast  turn-around, and we were ready as everyone started arriving for the party at 8pm.  It was a good party.  10 nationalities, excellent people, intense conversations, and much laughter too.

My carriage turned back into a pumpkin around midnight and voila, I fell into this horrible cold that's going around.  I've spent the last two days dozing and napping, only venturing out into that 'other world' called Facebook, when the notion of slowing down and stopping has become too much for me.

But this week has to be quieter, even I know that ... although the headache has gone, the cold remains.  I might just chill out a few days more and make sure it goes.  I  play Missy Higgins and listen to the sea in her track, sure it has some kind of medicinal property.  I wash dishes and do laundry quietly and slowly.  It's okay.

Gert meanwhile, has been caught up in preparation for Belgium's local-body elections.  Last night, the country watched as the Flemish Nationalists stormed to victory in Flanders, and so I'm curious. 

Back in New Zealand in 2000/2001/2002 ... what was I studying

The European Union, of course ... via political anthropology classes with the author of this book, Douglas R Holmes.  He was fascinating and we were lucky to have him for more than one paper down there at the bottom of the world.

So you can imagine, perhaps, I'm bemused to find myself in the centre of this nationalist victory here in Flanders.  Other countries in Europe will surely be watching to see how it all plays out as Belgium begins to walk towards their national elections in two years ... with a nationalist government in power in the Flemish half of the country.

I shall observe with interest.  But anyway, meet Luc and Spring, taken during their Friday performance ...

Autumn Garden ...

Gert has begun preparing the garden for winter and I couldn't resist photographing the colour of the decaying rhubarb leaves yesterday.

The red raspberries are almost finished.  The parsnips are almost ready.  He harvested a huge load of silverbeet (Swiss Chard/Bietole) and we froze some.  Then he cut back the Thyme and the Rosemary too.

We had a wet warm Spring and then there was enough rain in the summer for the garden to grow madly well.  This morning I was on the school run and as we left the house at 7.30am, the air was Crisp ... with a capital C.  We're losing the light now ... the door to the garden stays shut while we eat breakfast, and the big metal shutter isn't opened until after 8am.

I'll miss Summer ... well, until I reach New Zealand anyway. 

Fans of Flanders ... an interview with 3 New Zealanders in Belgium

Last week was an action-packed rather stress-filled week.

I did a lot, learned a lot, worried a lot.

Monday 24 September and there was a lovely film crew here at the house.  They titled the interview

Life's a Beach!

We had so much fun but I think that comes through.

We were so delighted by Lies editing too.  I imagine many will get a sense of what else might have been said during the hours of filming and conversation that went into this piece.

Thursday there was a corporate photography shoot that became huge.

Then yesterday ... Wednesday 3rd October, there was the launch of CameraJourneys.net.

In-between, a million other things too. 

There was the launch of Benny van Loon's Retro Food project. 

On Sunday, Gert's parents came over for a pavlova and coffee and conversation about Istanbul.  His mum is wandering there now ...

My Nespresso machine was finally sent off for repairs today.  The house is clean. The last of the rhubarb was picked and the plants have been 'tucked up' ready for winter.

The temperature dropped to 10 celsius in the rain today.  I froze.  Quite unprepared for it all.

Maybe that's all ... it's been a mad-busy couple of weeks though, mad-busy.

Travel Ephiphany, Frances Mayes

One of those flash ephiphanies of travel, the realisation that worlds you'd love vibrantly exist outside your ignorance of them.  The vitality of many lives you know nothing about.  The breeze lifting a blue curtain in a doorway billows just the same whether you are lucky enough to observe it or not. 

Travel gives such jolts.

Frances Mayes, from A Year in the World.

A new portrait series ...

Yesterday I spent some hours over at the Radiant Light Yoga Studio here in Antwerp.  These last few weeks have seen me working on a new project that involves creating a series of yoga portraits.  It's probably clear in the portrait below but I am absolutely loving this attempt of capturing the truly lovely yoga folk I find there.

Today was the day when I could no longer resist dipping my toes in the 'water' of this discipline that was causing me to relax even while I was photographing the classes.  Today I attended my first yoga class. 

My body has suffered quite some damage over the years and I was slightly concerned about how it would go, this desire to make the stiff and unbendy bits of me supple again.

I loved it and I can barely wait to return although the next few days are busy and I'll have to be patient ... so patient.

Huge thanks go to Yogalates Instructor, Lama (pictured below), for being so patient with me as she worked her way through a series of moves from her yoga practice and for permission to post her image here.