musings

Exhausted but Content

The above photo was taken on one of the rare moments in Kuala Lumpur (KL for those of you not in the know) where I was able to actually sit still and breathe while waiting for friends to join me for a coffee. Just before a dental appointment if I remember correctly.

It's been chaotic. It's always good to return home, especially to see the family and friends I've missed, but two weeks just isn't enough time in which to catch up AND run around to complete all the chores and errands on my Malaysian To-Do list.

Here are photos of my mum's garden ... more inspiration for my senses and drawings. I didn't have any time in KL to pick up pencils so had to wait till I got back to France and, here, I was finally able to flick through the photos and get some badly needed therapy with the heliconia drawing I eventually produced.

Of course I arrived back in a state of complete exhaustion and then promptly caught a cold. I hate being sick, so am fighting a losing battle with my body as it's insisting I get some rest and stop working. I may eventually have to listen! It is good to be back home in France where the colours may be less vibrant but the air is full of soft, clear light. Now, what should I draw next? ...

Procrastination is not ALWAYS a good thing!

Which is what I constantly tell myself, till I decide that it can wait till tomorrow ... really, it's not THAT important ... and I then discover that a lot of tomorrows have flown past and I have not written a word in here for er, far too long ...

SO I decided to take a walk with my dogs and show everyone the sights while I chat and try to catch up on things.

This is what we see when we first emerge from the driveway and begin the 1 km walk to the village ... it just puts me in such a good mood in the mornings that if I ever miss out on this the day just seems lacking in clarity.

The fields used to be full of poppies and wildflowers but a few days ago, after I'd taken these pics, the tractors came round, razed everything, compacted the lot into neat little bales and left a cropped landscape. Picturesque in its own way to be sure, but I do miss the tangle of so-called weeds ....

We finally get to the village, and it's a complete change from the winter landscape I was first exposed to ... I arrived back from my 6 weeks in Malaysia to find that the world had turned a fresh green, reinvigorating, yes. All the cliched statements that want to flow effortlessly from my 'lips' just can't seem to help themselves: I've found a reason for their existence. Seriously, I am now reduced to a bundle of extremely apt cliches that I shall try to avoid boring you with.

So we finally get to our cafe. Have to admit that it's not the one with the best coffee, as it tends to be a bit on the milky side but it has these sturdy railings that separate it from the newsagent (where I buy my French local paper for practice every morning) and I can slip the dog leashes over them so that I have both hands free to stir, read, relax and inevitably text a friend way on the other side of the world just to share the glorious moment with -- not always a welcome text depending on the mood they're in :D I am discovering that I am actually able to sit still for at least 20 minutes without stressing out over what needs to be done in my life. It is changing me.

On the way back I take the dogs into the huge field/green ("prairie") in front of the chateau so that they can get a good run. Not that they don't have the countryside as their backyard to dash around wildly in, but for some odd reason this walk is still the highlight of their day, despite the fact that they are mostly on their leashes (Bella still gets antsy at other dogs though Bertha is far friendlier now). They get extremely upset and sulky if we miss out on our morning walk. Must be the bonding experience :)

Ok, had to add this photo as I'm glad I took some of the poppies before they were turned into neat, rectangular anonymous bales. Wild and free.

Here's one pic of us on the way back, the dogs loose and allowed to run ahead. I didn't want to get too boring with repeat pics ... I have to add that I'm completely overwhelmed by the fact that my dogs will now walk with and beside me, even OFF leash if I tell them to. It's a miracle and has taken time and a huge amount of work, but the end is always worth it, isn't it? Not that this is the end by any means (when is it ever?) there is still a lot work ahead of me and Bella has to learn that other dogs are not threats, but we have come this far and that's miracle enough for me ... for now.

Wait, I HAVE to add a photo of the snails. I didn't manage to get the millions that were in the back yard as the gardener turned up with his huge machine and er, crunched them all to bits oh dear. But there is much evidence left and here are some of the promised photos ...

Yes, they have climbed and are clinging onto a wire fence. They are everywhere. The gardener just shook his head when I asked him about it and said that they eat everything. As I don't have a veggie garden at the moment it doesn't affect me but ... it does rather feel as though it had hailed snails while I was away.

Can't leave this post without the definitive photo of France, of the view that I see just about everywhere I turn ...

I still cannot quite believe that I am here. And I will say that, despite all the problems and pitfalls I've gone through in the last 7 months to get right where I am (and despite the fact that I may just be tempting the notice of a Fate with a twisted mind and humour by saying this), that I have not felt this good and strong and clear about myself in years. I now know why so many have picked up their lives and decided to move here, setting an example I am thankful to have followed. Au revoir and bon journée to all of you, for now.

 

In France!

I can’t believe that I’m finally in France! I think that it’s only now beginning to hit me, now that I’m less stressed about the whole planning and preparation and packing and moving -- and now that the “getting things done” side of things is almost over with. I’m in Aix-en-Provence. It’s a beautiful, charming and chic mini-city and I’m renting a tiny place right smack in the middle of it. I can’t begin to tell you how lovely it is to be able to walk everywhere, down narrow streets and charming alleys or up the Cours Mirabeau which is the main avenue lined with trees and cafes and glorious stores. In fact, I’m proud of my restraint so far where shopping is concerned, as the January sales are on and the shops are lined with beautiful goods. And there’s the markets too … they sell just about anything you wish for, from fresh foods to Deli-style delicacies, fruit, meats, olives, tapenades, yummy breads and cheeses … There’s a market daily in this area--every morning until lunchtime--including a colourful and glorious flower market (I MUST buy myself a vase) and the clothes and goods market three times a week that, on Saturdays, stretches right down to below my window.

Phew. I think I’ve spent most of my time so far just trying to settle in, get back on the internet, get the phone hooked up, TV (so I can listen to French all day long and hope through osmosis to magically absorb it into my clogged brain cells) the dogs settled with a routine and a nearby park to walk in, bank account opened, apartment to rent, etc etc etc. If it hadn’t been for the couple of really great friends I have here, I think I may have ended up crying on a sidewalk!

This is where I stayed when I first arrived in Provence ... in the cute little apartment on the ground floor, thanks to a friend of mine!

I liked this photo that I took, of the area front of the apartment, so much, that I turned it into a card on Zazzle.

But I arrived in Provence to a place to stay, thanks to one old, close friend who has a holiday home there and who provided me with a beautiful little apartment as a base from which I could dash around getting everything prepared for my move to Aix. Then there’s my other also old and very close friend who lives in Toulouse but left her husband and two beautiful daughters in order to stay with me for a week and help me get things done. It’s not just the language that’s a barrier (which is a surmountable one as I find I can make myself understood, and understand others, even with my disgracefully embarrassing and limited handle on the language) but what to DO to get things done. I mean, who knew that one had to get a Livebox (sort of like a flashy looking modem) in order to hook up the phone, internet AND television? And that one had to have a French resident guarantee you in order to open a bank account?

Ah well, it’s all done now and I’m able to sit back and relax. I’m in a tiny studio apartment temporarily and at the end of the month I move to a tiny two bedroom just around the corner, so there’s still another move to go but it’s a small one as I haven’t much with me but a couple of suitcases full of stuff. I have to admit to discovering a lovely art store nearby and, as I hadn’t any art supplies on me, I splurged and bought a set of watercolour pencils and sketch books and paper … it HAD to be done!

So I shall finally be able to sit back and do some drawing again and I plan to eventually attend some art classes here. This is the land of Cezanne, and one of my “missions” for the near future is to visit his atelier just north of the city, for some inspiration. There are also some great-sounding museums that I’m going to have to browse through. It’s amazing living in a town once again where I can explore museums and galleries and just walk, walk, walk.

Will keep updating as I go along. And start taking some photos too and drawing some of the sights around me. Unfortunately I do need a bit of a routine in order to truly get into a drawing mode, so it’s going to be sporadic for a while. Still, drawing is just as therapeutic as ever so I doubt if I’ll be able to go for too long without sketching SOMETHING, even if it’s the deliciously deep red mug in front of me that I acquired from a stall at the market last Saturday :D

It’s good to be back blogging and thank you to everyone who has messaged me asking when I’ll be back, it’s a shock and wonderful surprise to me to discover that I’ve actually been missed. Hugs to all of you and Cheers from Aix!

Trip to France

Oh my, I'm exhausted. So much has happened lately that I'm not sure where to begin. As it is I'll have to be short and sweet about it all, firstly because there's just too much to write down without boring everyone silly and secondly, I'm just too tired to think properly never mind formulate sentences ...

I arrived back two days ago from a wonderful 2 week trip to France, although almost four days of that was spent traveling. I went to visit friends in Provence and then Toulouse. The trip was planned with a particular aim in mind and the upshot of it all is that I'm going to be moving to France in January, to live there for about 6 months and figure out if I'd like to be there for even longer.

Took a few photos of the countryside and a couple of the little villages we visited:

I loved everything, the character, the pure clear light of the Provencal region, delicious food, hillside villages with narrow winding lanes, glorious fall foliage in deep burnt oranges, russet reds and ochres ... It justifies, in my mind, the apparent insanity of my actions -- moving half-way across the world to where they speak a different language -- but I feel that I want to take the opportunity to indulge my instinct while my old bones get too weary!

The trip there and back, however, was incredibly long and tiring and I'm still recovering while trying to catch up on work and everything involved in the planning of such a huge move. My head hurts just thinking about it but the excitement of what lies ahead (interspersed with slight panic attacks at my madness!) keeps me going.

I haven't slept much at all since arriving back and have a LONG list of to-dos to take care of, so I should really get down to it. My excuse for the lack of a proper travelogue is that I'm just too mentally spent to think. So, right now I am going to rest the weary bones and will update again very soon. Cheers!

Byron Explained

This is for you lot who have been asking me about Byron Bay. It's copied from an article in the Sydney Morning Herald online at :

http://www.smh.com.au/news/New-South-Wales/Byron-Bay/2005/02/17/1108500192958.html

Hugely popular destination on the North Coast which has attracted by alternative lifestylers and wealthy refugees from city living.

There can be few towns in Australia with a more contradictory identity than Byron Bay. On one hand it has, historically, been associated with the alternative lifestyle movement of the 1970s and seen as a kind of interesting hippie retreat in northern NSW. On another level it has been seen as a very upmarket get-away-from-it-all retreat for wealthy southerners not wanting to mix with the hoi polloi who inhabit more vulgar coastal townships like Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. And over the past twenty years it has acquired a reputation as the residence of the rich and famous with Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski moving into a mansion in the hinterland (which they have subsequently left), John Cornell and Delvene Delaney doing the same and owning a local hotel, and the likes of Olivia Newton-John finding the place an ideal retreat from their LA lifestyle. She, too, has moved on.

Recently the writer Craig McGregor argued that it was really like the Californian coastal towns of Carmel and Monterey in its evolution moving from surfers to artists, tourists and celebrities.

The truth, if it can ever be gleaned from these rather exaggerated images, is that for the most part, Byron Bay is a quiet, pleasant little seaside town in northern New South Wales. Certainly this is not a town like Nimbin. Nor is it an overtly upmarket retreat like Noosa Heads. It is just another ordinary country town which has experienced a population boom because it boasts excellent surfing and plenty of good land. Without the publicity few people would drive off the Pacific Highway and only holiday makers would decide to stay.

The overwhelming impression is that it is a town hiding behind Cape Byron and nestled in between the rocky headland and the hills which rise to the west. In the past five years it has grown dramatically and now spreads in every direction - both up and down the coast and well into the hinterland.

One of the things that makes it special, as Craig McGregor observed, is that 'Public pressure has halted both Club Med and McDonald's from moving in; the green-dominated Byron Shire Council has banned drive-in takeaway food outlets from the town centre; buildings have been restricted to three storeys in height; and a moratorium has been placed on high-density development until the sewerage facilities catch up.' In those actions lie the heart of contemporary Byron Bay. It is different.

Byron Bay is located 790 km north of Sydney and 173 km south of Brisbane.

Hmmm, that should give you an idea. :)