A Tentative Foray into Poetry

Apologies for what is largely a repost, but I wanted to add something to this collection of images and it seemed best to repeat the information about the sculpture.

George and I spent a week in northern NSW and southern Queensland over Easter. Among other things, I was hugely taken with a sculpture in Brisbane called Forme del Mito by Arnaldo Pomodoro. It tells the  story of Agamemmon from Ancient Greece. Fabricated in cast bronze each piece has its own identity. ‘The Prophet’ Cassandra, ‘The Machine’ Aegisthus, ‘Ambition’ Clytesmnestra and ‘Power’ Agamemnon King of Mycenea.  I think it was commissioned for the World Expo that was held in Brisbane in 1988. 

It was, presumably, inspired by the gold death mask of Agamemnon, which is displayed in Athens after being found at Mycenae:

Last semester I studied the poetry of the early and middle twentieth century - mostly European, with some American and a very small amount of Australian poetry (the omission of Australian poetry was essentially because of the very late adoption of modernity by Australian poets, compared with the rest of the world). During the course of this (very interesting) subject we had to write poetry as well. This is a bit of an experiment - it will be the first time I have posted any of my creative writing in this blog. One of my poems was inspired by this sculpture. The style owes much to the Russian futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Here's a couple of pictures of the sculpture:

FORME DEL MITO, ARNALDO POMODORO

It’s three o’clock

                should you be asleep?

Broken stars collide with bats

                so much for sonar

Fruit bats don’t need satellites

                actually they do

No, not clouds

                not rain

                                not fog

                                                not plagues

The Milky Way has vanished

That can’t be good

What is the morning?

                the colour of twelve

                                the hunter’s stew

The death mask four ways in a Brisbane square

The dog at the door and

                the wolf at the fold

And the colour of twelve

                and the water-rat drowning

Where can you get a drink, I’m hot

C Judy Edmonds 2015

The Adventures of Bobby and MoMo - Fiji

It became necessary for George and I to visit Fiji for a week. He was working a lot of the time, so Bobby and MoMo came along too, to keep me company where necessary. They thoroughly enjoyed the luxurious Westin Hotel on Denauru Island. The beds were very comfortable.

We visited the Marina, had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe - and Bobby got a bit excited about the cocktail menu. Don't worry, we all drank iced water. I rarely go to a Hard Rock Cafe, though now I have been to one in America (cannot remember where), Paris and now Fiji. Three in 25 years is probably allowed.

Later, we stopped for a refreshing beer. I rarely drink beer, but Fiji beer suited the Fiji weather (mid to high twenties, pleasant breezes) so I drink more beer in that week than I do in a whole summer. It wasn't very strong. Bobby tried to steal mine, but I resisted,

 On Denauru Island there is a cute shuttle bus for tourists called the Bula Bus, for which you pay F$7 for a day ticket and can travel as much as you like. We used it to travel between the hotel and the Marina, and back. It has a thatched roof and is a bit of a tourist gimick, but quite fun and useful. MoMo and Bobby were a little disconcerted about it though, sitting on long benches with no windows.

They were all worn out when we got back to the hotel room. Can't blame them, so were we!

 At breakfast every morning I was given a hibiscus. I tried wearing it once and George laughed at me, so I let MoMo have them. They looked better on him anyway.

 And then good old Bobby got hold of it. Made a tasty snack after the photo op, I believe.

Now here, for once, is a genuine photo of Bobby with a bottle of water! I must admit I had always assumed Fiji Water was just a marketing lurk, but it turns out it actually is bottled in Fiji.

Finally it was time to leave. Bobby and MoMo relaxed for one last time under a vase of tropical flowers before we left for the airport, slightly tanned and having had a great time.

Bobby the Ram and MoMo do Springwood

George has been spending a lot of time working in Sydney recently, and as uni was finished for the semester we decided that I should pop up for a weekend - as it turned out, not in Sydney itself, but in the Blue Mountains, in Springwood. It was a most delightful weekend, staying in a cottage with an open fire and pottering around.

It's been a while since Bobby the Ram and MoMo had had a decent break, so they came too. And posed for pictures.

In the brief time I had in Sydney before meeting up with George, I spent a while in the Queen Victoria Buildings, enjoying coffee and cake and admiring the restoration.

Edited to add: in view of the tragic events that happened at the QVB on Sundau night, which were reported after I had published this piece, I have removed the photos and other references to my time there, as it seems inappropriate.

Then I was able to meet up with George and we ate a delicious French meal in a tiny French restaurant. Bobby's time in rehab has obviously been a complete waste of time :(

There is a fabulous secondhand bookshop in Springwood. These books followed me home - useful for Lit studies, of course.

Bobby and MoMo enjoyed brunch in a trendy Springwood cafe.

We went to the Norman Linsday museum, and of course, there had to be a Magic Puddin'.

Alice Springs Beanie Festival 2013

George promised that if I entered at least one beanie in this year's festival, we would go and visit.  So I did the maximum two permitted. The theme this year was 'Friendship'. I must say I had trouble working out wht most of the entries I saw tonight had to do with friendship! But they were all amazing.  I didn't win any prizes, which I hadn't really expected to do, but sold one of them tonight, which was the opening night.  Without further ado, here are the two entries and their stories:

I admit to being obsessed with Dr Who. They are Dr Who entries.

The red one is based on a fez, though it's much taller - imagine the really ridiculous hats worn in the medieval series of Blackadder, and that's what it looks like on.  I took the words from C.S. Lewis's the Four Loves to signify various forms of love/friendship.  An overriding theme, to me, of Dr Who is the way he always has to leave his friends behind, no matter how much he loves them, and outlives them by centuries.

It is knitted in two strands of red DK pure wool and felted in the washing machine, about five times, and dried over a flower pot on top of a large tin of dog food.  And the words embroidered with black knitting cotton.

THE FOUR LOVES

This one was inspired by the Van Gogh story in a previous series of Dr Who where the Doctor and Amy Pond jollied Vincent along and he painted Starry Starry Night with the Tardis in the sky.

It is a standard cloche shape knitted in DK dark blue pure wool and felted in the machine, then dried over a Pyrex mixing bowl.  A variety of dyed Wensleydale locks were needlefelted in swirls around it, using my trusty (but not much used) cheapo needlefelting machine, then holographic star sequins were sewn on in clusters.

STARRY STARRY NIGHT

 This is the one that sold!!!

The opening night was huge fun.  I will blog more another time.  I bought three beanies, one sober manly one for the sober and manly George, and two madly frivolous ones for me.

We are having AN ADVENTURE.