The Ghost of Easters Past

So here we are at Easter already. 

Another year is speeding by like a 15 year old bombing a sick hill on his Bustin Mechanic. 

(Trans. :- boy skateboarding with unnecessary speed down a steep bitumen road.) Note how I try to fit in with the local dialect around here?

This year I feel very happy to see Easter. 

Two years ago I came home from hospital on Easter Sunday. Two days ago I got a big pat on the back and congratulations from my surgeon for getting to the third year and past the danger zone. I'm laying both arms firmly on wood as I type this.

Last year I kept remembering the year before. This year I'm celebrating being here on THIS day regardless of what the future brings. 

There have been no beautiful crafty Easter things unless you count the fifty or so roboturkeys made with year 8's before the holidays. I glazed mine in a pseudo Bitossi orange but didn't get it out of the kiln in time for this Easter.

Next year.

It's been good to enjoy home without the rush of school lunches and the guilt of after school care.
We've done a lot in two weeks. The small one has taken to having a brekkie tea some days with me out the front with the nanna tea set.

We have loitered around GOMA a lot and been back to see the animal sculptures in the Falling Back to Earth exhibition more than once. If you're local it is well worth the visit just for the serenity of that blue lake and the photo opportunities.

BYO animal.

 It's free for all the under 13's which makes it very economical for such a big exhibition. While you're there, the upper level houses an eclectic exhibition of all the State year 12 finalists for the Excellence in Art Award in 1013. If there's one thing kiddos will look at in an art gallery, it's other kiddos' art.

Like many valiant parents, I also survived the Lego movie. There were bits I laughed out loud at, others I felt intimately familiar with and parts where the five year old was burrowing her face into my shoulder in response to the sensory overload. SO many spots! If you did it in 3D or LSD, I respect but do not envy you.

None of this is very Easterish. In fact the only Easterish thing around here is the stash of eggs in the Big-High-Cupboard. It's been more about seeing some truly good friends, hanging out with my children and family, making memories and enjoying this beautiful city. The weather is sublime, the company even warmer and the next year lies undiscovered and full of hope and new life.

Happy Easter to you all!

Hookery Pokery

There has been a little more hookery going on although it is not the most seasonal activity. My niece told her mother that she liked the big bag I made a while ago so I've made her a smaller version for Christmas. Yes it's late but it'll be Sydney-side very soon.

 

It follows the Attic 24 pattern (sort of) until it got to the size I wanted then I just went straight up. I used treble where she uses a tighter double crochet stitch.

 We used to call these dilly bags when I was a child. The draw string was an add on, just crocheting up a long piece of chain stitch and threading it through every two stitches. The flowers just look pretty and stop it coming undone. These two were left over from the other bag.

I'm thinking a black and white one in cotton yarn might be noice in a Dr Seuss kind of way.

In further hookery news, the radium rug is almost done. Only three (tedious) rows to go crocheting the turquoise border to join them up as I go. The momentum is running down. 

My crochet mojo is finally slowing after enjoying quite the revival through last year. How many rugs do you really need in the sub tropics? Regardless,  I'd like to have one for each child so there may be a stripey theme for next winter's boy rugs to come.

Meanwhile back at GOMA for some more Gomalicious indulgence.....

The way in...

Seeing...

Doing....

NOT touching...

Shooting...

Lala went Dada and was moved to photograph these visually arresting pieces...

The way out....

They got all Dr Who on me in the zombie tunnels. Rest assured, this only happens if you over Goma-ise yourself with more than two visits in three days. Normal transmission has resumed.

Oh...My...Goma!

Oh GOMA!
 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
Your box canyon can reach when growing out of sight.

For the ends of Seeing and ideal Space.

I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and movie light.

I love thee freely as they strive for bright:

I love thee purely, as they turn their face.

I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,

- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!.... It really is one of my favourite places in the world.

(Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for paraphrasing her lovely words but they kept coming into my head as we wandered around the gallery.)

In fact we loved it so much we're going back for more today. How lucky are we to have this glorious building so close by. My friend and I kept waxing lyrical about the views, the spaces and of course the ART! If you are in Brisbania we might see you there.

Gomalicious 2

Somebody asked me recently what we would miss if we left Brisbane. I didn't say the family or friends or my home- it was the Gallery of Modern Art and the beach. It is shameful I know but, how much do I love thee, GOMA? Enough to hug your toughened glass panes? There is so much to love...

like trawling through the GOMA shop which is like a big real life etsy page full of things you would normally only find on line or in other cities. Running one's fingers through some fresh Dinosaur Designs is always lovely.

There is also wildlife for the offspring,

crochet fruit for the mother,

craft heaven for little girls of all ages

and cool places for big boys to hang out and chew the fat with the aunty.

But wait! There's more!

If you can tolerate the crowds this week particularly in the morning, the spot themed exhibitions were truly mind boggling and as much fun as ever. We've been to this one a few times over the years since the boys were little and it never gets old. Yayoi Kusama was first commissioned to create the Obliteration Room in 2002. They change the scenery to mix it up each time but it's all about doing what you normally are not allowed to do and going crazy with stickers in the 'good room'.

Our eyes were a bit spirally by the time we left. The boys couldn't even stop sticking it to the couch for a photo.

Seriously, this is a lot of fun! It's like Ikea on hallucinogens.

Even the non-kiddy areas were fairly spatially challenging and fabulous fun. I have a dear friend who recently told me she never takes her kids to art galleries because dusty old paintings on walls is not her idea of a good time for kids. Mind you a manky, noisy, over priced theme park of tawdry, tired ideas is. This treasure trove is FREE!

There is some truly psychedelic stuff which they might not completely get but they can simply experience in so many sensory ways.

The offspring always like a good film.

Shorty and the bunny were getting a bit overcome by this stage. This felt like being inside a dalek.

It is lovely for the wee-uns to realise that art comes in so many forms

including the seat of the niece's pants. There's a good idea!

Back at the sugar and spice, girly glitterscapes,

I'm always a sucker for a ceramic bambi or two.

The boys loved the screens where you made your own animated films but the highlight for Shorty...

was the special, shorty bubblers that she could reach- over and over and over again. A simple respite is sometimes necessary in a sea of kaleidoscopic colour.

If you're in Brisbane don't miss this trippy and wonderful day out. It is guaranteed to calm the childerbeasts and put a big smile on your face too!