Saturday, February 28, 2009

I like it in threes

A day in my life, phone movies, to be played simultaneously.






S1

The Gingerbread house

Rembrandtweg
Belle van Zuylenlaan
East River Road
Wilton Avenue
Belle Van Zuylenlaan
St Georges Avenue
Rue Roberts Jones
Klikspaan
Rapenburg
Johan de Wittstraat
King's Road
Herengracht
Beethovenstraat
1e Tuindwarsstraat
Karthuizersstraat
Panorama Terrace
Cezar Chavez street
Diamond street
Elizabeth street


At this point in my life I am averaging a new address every 2 years.

This move went relatively smoothly. Just a few well mannered discussions between my husband and I about whose SH*T was whose. We had collected some. We now have the main living quarters up and running. There is still a basement play/study area with a few piles of aforementioned SH*T, waiting to find a spot. but I think we are within days of finishing. There again, this has been said before.




This time we live in a Gingerbread house. Easy to recognize from the street. Each new house is like a new relationship. With each one you get better at spotting the annoying bits sooner. Take the black and white checked tiles in the kitchen. A nice detail, but so difficult to keep clean. Take a man that likes to dance... did you know I am married to the best dancer of the universe?

So, without further ado. In semi- random order, lots of pictures with few words.



The banquet room, one side


The banquet room, opposite side. Lesson 10: how to breakdance


Harry Potter's owl is still around.


Rosie's nook


Jip's room


Stones from Californian coast


Non-functioning fireplace - Danielle Kwaaitaal series reunited


Dutch tulips, planted by Oma, pushing through.


Hallway with dry cleaning. Note: picture by S2


House from the back


An occupant with lipstick


Living room with disco ball, note sparkles in sunshine



Kitchen with those tiles. Soon "Disco mountains" by S3 will hang here.


Jip's room, looking out on kitchen.


Here we sleep.


The view from a room


Our guest room. Please come again.

Love S1

Friday, February 27, 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

miscallaneous



Dear sisters,

I know you are holding your breath, waiting for pictures of our new house - the gingerbread house. They are coming. We are settling in nicely. I am just waiting to add a few finishing touches. So it will look nice, you know. Give me a few days.



For now, I give you V. and a colleague, both better looking than most. He danced for us a while back.



After you left, the blossom trees came out in full bloom in SF, having been tricked into thinking spring had started. Now it rains and rains and rains. Which, as we keep saying to each other, is really good for California, where the reservoirs were running dry. Now it may stop.

In the meantime I am going to my yoga lessons and writing again. Slowly, word for word.

I will be back shortly.

S1

Fearless Firefingers (another story in three pictures)







S1

somewhere in a garden on the other side of the world



Sunday, February 8, 2009

Printing in Praha




Greetings to you all , now that the first semester has ended with two days of discussion and constructive criticism i feel happy to share some of my prints with you so that you have an idea of what i am doing everyday here in Prague . These are my first colour aquatint prints which i enjoyed doing very much. For each colour you need one metal plate and its quite a magical process. Lots of love and peace to you all
S3

Monday, February 2, 2009

randomness is attractive!

Dear Sisters,
Happy new month! Finally coming down from the xmas and new year's visit: I think I always leave parts of me in the ethers up there when we fly, and it takes a moment to reassemble. Of the 2,5 fabulous weeks we were in SF I spent a lot of the time inhaling the particularities of being there, the architecture, the plaster moldings of the woman in the empire dress with the vase and the bird at her feet, the shadow of the window on the marble hallway at night, and the glow of the coloured balls on the Christmas tree, Rosie's Barbie slippers...

On Christmas eve as you all were sleeping I listened to the sudden downpour and watched it rush in a flood down the steeply inclined street. Once back home in A. I exhaled all these sights into my room and felt everything has to change. These are great moments! The impatience tempered, slow progress is steadily being made. Already my room is a new one, with the bed in a much more comfortable direction (thanks for the suggestion S3!) and bagsfull of stuff going out, out, out of the house.

With the new year comes a few other new things. I have a new Chinese doctor, who at our first meeting said: "I'm sorry, I only speak a little bitch of english"... so we started out laughing, and I can only say that accupuncture is great. With it comes the discovery of the delicious and affordable foods in China town (this is called travelling close to home) and also the library. A brilliant resource. Architecture and the availability of good books really does help. They even have a poetry section with bilingual editions in English! It speaks to the poetry nerd in me.

I send you all my love, and hope to see you all very soon. In the meantime, in response to some of your "i am almost 40" musings, S1, I have a little guide for all of us in terms of diagnosing our dancing styles. It is funny how they use the word "diagnose" it makes it sound like a detecting of something unhealthy!!!!(and a hint: apparently randomness is more, not less attractive, but you should check with Dr. Lovatt if you are not sure)....I like the way he starts shouting the bigger his dance movements are. Can't think who it reminds me of..
S2