I love him - a ten year old's perspective.

When I saw my niece Heidi last, she asked if I could make her a koala. I like to say yes if possible, so I did and thought I'd just figure it out later.

Today is her tenth birthday and I finished this fellow and popped him in the post during the week. He started out as a series of nondescript grey shapes, then a series of grey balls. As I assembled him, attached his eyes, ears and nose, he gained a personality. I felt vaguely worried as I sealed him in the darkness of the post bag and then put him in the letterbox!

Introducing Mr Chub, the koala
© 2014 divacultura

She texted me last night to say hello and let me know that she had learnt how to do a fishtail braid on hair. And that she was watching the Smurfs and that it was her birthday tomorrow. Today she gave the Smurfs five stars.

When we first spoke this morning, she was yet to receive my parcel. I asked her about how her day was going. She told me about her gifts, including a saddle blanket. I asked her to tell me about it and she told me it was red and navy blue with her name and her logo on it, as though it was perfectly normal for a ten year old girl to have a logo. I haven't even sorted out the logo for my business yet! I asked her what my logo should say and she replied without hesitation "Tanya's Knitting Service". 

The child is Nostradamus. About half and hour later Heidi called me again to tell me she had received her parcel. She expressed her feelings: "I love him!" 

This was such a relief. Clearly I will have risen in the Favourite Aunty Stakes. I'm still scarred from when my nephew pointed at my sister-in-law identifying her as his favourite aunty.

"Do you think it's a he?" I asked her.

"Yes, I do," she replied solemnly.

"I like his nose." 

"He's eaten a lot of eucalyptus leaves!" she laughed.

"Why do you say that?"

"He's so fat!"

"Well I had to make sure he didn't starve to death on the way up to live with you Heidi. Is he okay? Is he still alive?"

"Yes. His eyes are as big as Sofia's." Sofia is Heidi's younger sister.

"I know! He's definitely an Edlington."

She laughed and I asked if she had a name for him yet. She hadn't yet and promised to send me a message when she had come up with his name.

A few hours later, I was informed that his name is "Chub". He'd better not lose weight now that he's survived the epic journey.

I'm off to work out how to make a kangaroo for her sister.

Ringing the Federation Bells - it's a celebration!

I made a decision to join in with something this week which has made my first full week back in the world of work and home very intense. The opportunity is unique and I'm glad that I decided to join, even though I'm limping towards the end of the week.

This weekend marks the fifth birthday of the Melbourne Recital Centre. Five years ago I was lucky enough to have a tour and experience the building the day before it opened to the public, thanks to local ABC radio. We even sang Happy Birthday in honour of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch after whom the main hall is named. Now I am working with a group of complete strangers to compose and perform a work on the Federation Handbells.

I've never played handbells before, let alone the special ones, but I figured that I was probably going to be at least as musical as anyone else joining in. Apart from the musical experience, I was curious about the process that would be used over only two workshops, each 2 and a half hours long, to make this happen.

I attended the first workshop last night, after a very long day and found myself being asked to have ideas. Ideas are one of the things I'm pretty good at having, but I had to work a bit harder to keep my brain switched on because I was mentally and physically exhausted after two days playing a bully. Switching on my creative brain proved to be invigorating and I'm pleased with the contribution I made.

There are about fourteen of us in the group, including the musical and the theatrical facilitators. Mostly women and one girl who I think would be about twelve years old. Most people contributed original ideas or enhanced another's idea in some way. We composed the whole first half of the performance. Our score is written in coloured felt tipped pens on a giant roll of butcher's paper laid out on the floor.

At the break, one of the women asked me if I was a "professional plant". I pictured myself as a rose bush, then a cactus and then I realised what she meant. I asked her what I would have been planted for and she said "to come up with ideas". I laughed and told her that that was just me playing. (I did have a brief worry that I had contributed too much, but no one in the group or either of the facilitators was giving me the oh-do-be-quiet-eye, so I relaxed.)

We will compose the second part tomorrow night and have our one and only dress rehearsal. I'm excited to be involved, but wish the forecast for Saturday was a bit easier to anticipate. The temperature is forecast to be 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

If you're in Melbourne, it's a good excuse to get out of the house early before it gets too hot. We'll be starting near Hamer Hall after 9am and arrive at the Recital Centre's front doors by 10am. If you're not in Melbourne there's no need to miss out! You can stream the festivities. Check on this page from 9am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time). Click here for more information about coordinating time zones.

That's all I can tell you.

Oh, and I'll be playing "E".

Your opportunity to support new music.

Remember the fabulous Rose Wintergreen?  She featured here almost a year ago.

One of the things I really admire about Rose is that she sets out to do things and then she does them!  Rose decided to make an album and so started to really focus on her songwriting.  When she had enough songs she booked in the studio and the producer and now she's recording in Alice Springs.

I wanted to let you know because Rose's new record is being crowd funded.  It was Rose's birthday yesterday and my gift is to spread the word about what she needs.  You can contribute to the birth of new music over here.

Rose has put a lot of thought into the rewards she can offer for your contribution.  It's a pretty amazing list - from copies of the finished product, to the gorgeous dress she's wearing in the promo shot to an intimate house concert or personal concert over Skype!  Wow.

You can also opt not to take a reward.  Maybe you could donate the price of your coffee today.

Happy Birthday Rose!  Can't wait to hear your music.

*Disclosure: Rose wrote a song about divacultura for last year's first birthday competition. (Lyrics are here.)  So I might be a bit biased.  Ok, I'll come clean - I'm a fan!

If the sock fits...clash the colours and the patterns!

This blog celebrated its first anniversary back in July.  To celebrate, I gave away the gifts - a pair of my handknitted socks for one reader in Australia and one overseas reader.  

Rose Wintergreen wrote and performed a whole song and was the worthy winner inside Australia.  She  sent me a photo of her wearing the socks.  I just loved all the colours and patterns together so much that I asked her permission to share the photo with you.  I'm pleased she said yes!

Great style!  Great socks!

If you missed Rose's song, you can find it over here.

And you can find out more about Rose over here.

Birthday reflections.

I wasn't going to turn my computer back on today and enter the online world, but at the end of another birthday, I feel the need to say a few things.

Rather than railing against growing older, I embrace my birthdays with exhilaration   How wonderful that I am still around to share and celebrate another year!  As I do grow older I  hear stories of people who do not have that opportunity.

In the digital age, it's great to hear from a variety of people.  Greetings are public, private, personal, heartfelt, auto-generated, funny, surprising, touching, bland.  Whatever they are, someone has made the effort to think of me and reach out across the bandwidth, just for a moment.  I like it!

Today I received a birthday card from one of my Twitter followers.  We were working together yesterday and she recognised me.  Somewhere along the line, I mentioned that today was my birthday and today she presented me with a funny, handmade card.  I was delighted.  What a great thing!  Why not be the kind of person who gives or sends a birthday card to people they have met? It spreads goodwill and good feeling and that's a good thing.

This wasn't a birthday ending in zero so I didn't have a big shindig.  I'd been surrounding myself with friends who had been wrapping me in love, so I didn't do anything spectacular.  I slept in this morning; had a conversation with a prospective client and went off to lunch with a friend.  We happened to be working in the same neighbourhood and she took time out of her day to meet me.  We enjoyed sitting outside in the warmer weather.  I worked for the afternoon and then had dinner with a close friend this evening.  In between I read emails, facebook posts, text messages and took calls from friends and family.  I arrived home and listened to the messages on my answering machine - one from my four year old nephew, exuberantly shouting "Happy birthday Aunty Tanya" .  His message started with the cue from my sister whispering "go, now".

I wore a new dress today.  Rich emerald green.

I examined my face intently.  To me I look the same - except for those annoying grey hairs that I'm sure the hairdresser sprinkles in after each visit - but I know that I do not.  I don't have worry lines or frown lines.  You can see that I laugh.

I feel serene.
I feel happy.
I feel like my hard work is paying off.
I feel intensely interested in my work.
I feel valued.

I feel loved. The most important feeling of all.

Thank you everyone.  I actually feel like this most days.  It's wonderful.

And the winners are...!

What a pleasure it has been to read your comments as a result of the giveaways I've been conducting.  I hope you're all excited, because I'm about to announce the winners!

Firstly, seven people responded in relation to tickets to see The Sapphires, courtesy of Hopscotch Films.  To enter, you were asked to share your thoughts on your favourite musical film.

The Sound of Music is still the One for a lot of people, although Sue B's story about spontaneously breaking into "I am sixteen going on 17" is almost as good!  Little Shop of Horrors, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls and Hot Mikado also scored a mention.  You can read all the comments here.

But KB took the cake with her flattering answer.  Her favourite musical is anything that I (divacultura) am in!  She is clearly very discerning.

My money goes to Chicago, but I'll also quietly admit to be partial to a cheesy Elvis movie!  I love listening to Elvis sing, even if many of the movies were pretty silly.  It was never long to wait for the next song.  When I was a teenager my favourite musical film was The Pirate Movie, mainly because of the presence of Christopher Atkins.  This embarrassing fact did help my trivia team win an important round when I was the only person in the whole room who recognised one of the songs.  So there!  Apart from that, my all time favourite musical has never been made into a film, but will be on stage in Melbourne soon - Chess.

KB, Cat Black, Merry, Kim, Mousicles, Sue B and Paul S, you've won a ticket.  Please visit the "about me" page and use the email link to send me your mailing address so I can send your tickets.e!

The other giveaway is my birthday present to readers to celebrate divacultura turning one.  I have enjoyed reading comments about why you read.  Thank you!  This blog started as a writing exercise for me but is enriched by the community of dedicated readers.  I love reading your feedback here and on facebook and twitter.

I said I would give away two pairs of my hand knitted socks, one to a local reader and one to an overseas reader, based on whose comments I liked best!

It has been hard to decide.  There are many quotes I could use on the "cover" of the blog (or book, when I write it).  Here's what I liked...

"I'm impressed you see details that we often don't have time to appreciate." Mousicles.

"You're like the Oprah of blogging." John B. Cahill.

"I love reading Diva." Danielle.

"Bravo & kudos to you for your massive creative exercise that has honed many of your talents and been a pleasure for us to share in. Very generous of you." Cat Black.

"You continue to ablaze me with your dedication, wit, passion, vocabulary and all round delightfulness." Warwick.

"I love your enthusiasm for the everyday and your sense of humour. Also, I see some qualities in your personality similar to those I most admire in my mum (optimism, interest in politics, common sense, sharp feminine wit)." Tracey Dundon.  

I feel all tingly now!

The local prize goes to Rose Wintergreen.  She wrote a song! Here are the lyrics to read along while you listen.  Thank you Rose! And congratulations.  I'll be in touch to organise your socks.  (In case you missed it, find out more about Rose on Question Time.)

I wanna read Divacultura
I wanna be Divacultura

She's there almost every day
Writing things I wouldn't know how to say
Seeing things differently
Sprinkling colour on everything

I wanna read Divacultura
I wanna be Divacultura

She turns spam into entertainment
Shows that creativity's all how you frame it
Seeing things differently
Sprinkling colour on everything

I wanna read Divacultura
I wanna be Divacultura

She digs deep with her juicy questions
Shining light on things people wouldn't otherwise mention
Seeing things differently
Sprinkling colour on everything

I wanna read Divacultura
I wanna be Divacultura
I wanna read Divacultura
I wanna be Divacultura

The overseas prize goes to Corenne who has also featured on Question Time.  As Corenne said, she's been here for most of it.  Corenne, let me know your mailing address and I'll send you your socks.

I've decided to give away the remaining three passes for The Sapphires.  After a random draw, conducted out of a  cake tin in my kitchen (without government regulators) Danielle, Tracey Dundon and Warwick have all won a pass.  Please contact me via the "email me" button on the "about me" page with your mailing address.

I hope that you continue to enjoy divacultura over the next year.  I'm already looking forward to the second birthday!  Thanks for reading.

Question Time - who is Annemarie Lloyd?

This week's guest is a woman I've never met, but whom I feel I know.  We met over the virtual Scrabble board on facebook over a year ago and she's been beating me regularly since then!  As we started chatting, we discovered we shared quite a few passions - music being one of them.  

I'm yet to see her perform, but it's on my list of "must do's"!  

Lately, we've been pondering the popularity of the Shades of Grey books (we don't really get it) and talking about the appeal that the city of Darwin holds.

1. Who is Annemarie Lloyd?

Annemarie Lloyd as herself

Annemarie Lloyd is a complex individual. While I think I’m hilarious (and am not shy to admit as much), I’m also a quiet corner dweller when it suits the mood. I am at once creative and analytical, and this can cause some internal arguments. I am a capitalist and a hippy all at once. Confused? Try it inside my head.

2. What inspires you to perform?

I love to sing. I love to make people smile and laugh. I am inspired by great songs, great sound and a room full of people waiting to see what you have in store for them. Using my voice in as many different ways as possible is a real turn on for me. If I had to sing the same style/genre every day I would have stopped performing years ago.

3. What's your work routine?

I have two jobs. One a vocalist/entertainer, the other being Remedial Massage. The early/middle part of the week belongs to remedial massage and the business side of my endeavours. So apart from a couple of days a week in my massage rooms, there’s cleaning massage towels (along with costumes and wigs), computer work – accounting, BAS etc along with learning new songs, invoicing and marketing for the months ahead in the music industry. Also reminding/re-reminding people about their massage appointments (via SMS) and then changing and re-arranging according to their responses ….

…. Sorry, just had to take a call about another appointment change …

Later in the week (generally) are the gigs/shows. If it’s a show, the whole day leading up to it might be in preparation – packing costumes, arranging charts for musicians, early setup/soundcheck etc. If I can, I get a rest in the afternoon prior, even if it is in my car. If it’s a simple duo/solo gig, there’s not much prep, just packing, driving & setting up.

4. What's your favourite word?

Cumbersome. A high school English teacher used to use it all the time. I never knew what it meant when she started, it was just this word that rolled around the classroom and has a satisfying amount of consonants and syllables.

5. If you could script your dying words, what would they be?

Ok, that was interesting … what’s next?

6. What gets your hanky in a twist?

People who walk behind reversing cars in shopping centre car parks.

7. What do you want to be when you grow up? Is the answer the same as it would have been when you were 8 years old?

Hmmm..."grow up". There’s a notion. I often wonder why people who are the same age as me seem older. Does it mean I haven’t grown up? I don’t know. I guess I want to be a singer and I did when I was 8 so that worked out ok. As I actually do (kind of) grow up though, I realise that what you do is not who you are.

8. What are you reading?

I’m reading a trilogy that I stumbled upon when I first did a Kindle search for “50 Shades of Grey”. More adventure than dominant/submissive with a lot more wearing of clothes. Definitely a light-weight series, but fun. Entitled the Alexis Stanton Chronicles, the books are called: Colour Me Grey, Shades of Grey and Reflections of Grey.

These books came up on the same page at Amazon Kindle when I first typed in 50 Shades of Grey and have held my interest more. Mind you, I have a healthy sex life so do not feel the need to live vicariously through a submissive to “save my marriage” or various other justifications that I’ve heard on the radio about this fascinatingly dull series of books.

9. Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't singing I'd be a lot wealthier!"


IT'S MY BIRTHDAY & YOU GET THE GIFTS!
As I contemplate renewing my commitment to divacultura for another year, I feel excitement and affection.  Thank you for sharing some of your time with me. As a thank you gift - and so I can gain a better sense of who's out there - I'll be giving away a pair of my hand knitted socks to two very lucky readers, where ever you are in the world (ie two readers will receive a pair of socks each).  To be in the running, leave a comment on this post by Friday 17 August 2012, stating why you like reading divacultura. My favourite responses will receive the prize (my decision is final).  Why not take the opportunity to sign up and follow too! 

And there are still passes to see The Sapphires available here for Australian-based readers.

Happy First Birthday - divacultura celebrates!

Today is divacultura's first birthday! On Thursday 28 July 2011, I wrote "Beginnings", the post that outlined my vision for divacultura's incarnation as a blog.

Looking back on that first post, I struggle to remember what my original title choice was.  After some hard thinking I remembered.  I'm glad that my longed-for title wasn't available.  I have the right title!

One of the reasons I started blogging was to create a daily writing habit.  I had had one many years ago, but had lost my match fitness.  I needed to start exercising my writing muscles regularly; they were a bit flabby.  I was also interested to see how my writer's voice developed and whether I could be as compelling on the "page" as on the stage.  I'm still exploring that question and I think it depends on the subject matter.  I've been delighted to receive feedback from you, my readers, about my written voice.  It's fascinating.  Also a wonderful reminder that applies to any artistic/creative practice, that one's work takes on a new life the moment it is handed over to the audience.

I've done pretty well establishing my daily writing habit.  366 days after I started I have produced 348 posts.  That's roughly 18 days I've missed.  I'm counting that as success on meeting my commitment.  I've had holidays and been travelling for work where it hasn't been possible to post.  When this has been the case, I've flagged it.  (I'm still mystified as to why one of these posts is my third most popular post of all time.) I do acknowledge that some posts are purely pictorial and contain no, or not much, writing.  That's okay with me.  I've started to take photographs again and have noticed myself being more observant and sensitive to the world - ingredients essential for nurturing creativity.   More importantly, I now feel the compulsion to write each day - confirmation that I have successfully ingrained a habit.  


At the beginning I wasn't sure whether many people outside my immediate circle would read.  I thought some of my Twitter followers would come over and read, because divacultura is also my Twitter name, but wasn't sure how long it would last.  While I'm always conscious of audience, in the beginning I was largely writing for myself. Now, I write for my audience and am always curious to read comments on the blog and also on facebook.  So please, if you feel the urge to say something, I'd love you to act on that impulse!


My other commitment was to produce copy that was error free.  I've remembered how hard it is to proofread and sub-edit your own work and from time to time posts do contain typos and other errors.  I'm very lucky to have a very diligent and eagle-eyed post production editor - my Mother.  Mum reads everything and gives me feedback and reactions.  She will also provide feedback on corrections.  Sometimes we have an arm-wrestle when I've made a stylistic choice that clashes with formal grammar/usage.  I win those ones, but it's always provocative and I appreciate having the opportunity to read my work from a different perspective.  My writing is better for it.  Thanks Mum!

A year on, I'm taking stock and thinking about how this body of work is relevant to how I position my business.  A year on, I've become much more aware of other bloggers and have enjoyed learning from their experience.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY & YOU GET THE GIFTS!
As I contemplate renewing my commitment to divacultura for another year, I feel excitement and affection.  Thank you for sharing some of your time with me. As a thank you gift - and so I can gain a better sense of who's out there - I'll be giving away a pair of my hand knitted socks to two very lucky readers, where ever you are in the world (ie two readers will receive a pair of socks each).  To be in the running, leave a comment on this post by Friday 17 August 2012, stating why you like reading divacultura. My favourite responses will receive the prize (my decision is final).  Why not take the opportunity to sign up and follow too!


*****
In the meantime, here are some stats:


divacultura's biggest audience is in the US, followed by Australia, Russia, Ireland and the UK.

You can see the top five posts on the home page.

The next five posts which complete the top 10 are:

6. Photo a day - June round up and July list  (My interest in the July list waned and I haven't followed through on this one.)
7. Secondhand fumes - ever come across someone chroming on public transport?
8. Challenge accepted - the challenge in question was the first Photo a Day I participated in.
9. Prayers to the Goddess of parking
10. Question Time - who is the Lazy Civil Servant?  The launch edition of this regular feature.  It was fitting to feature the person who inspired me to start blogging.

And just for fun, here's one of my favourite pieces - The Man on the Steps.  A purely creative piece sparked by a glimpse while I was out and about.  It highlights the importance of being in the world with my head up and my eyes open and a preparedness to shamelessly eavesdrop!