tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358343810689099272024-03-14T13:14:57.884+10:00Doing What MattersDoing what matters: this blog explores a range of experiences including: health, community, creativity, leisure and life in general. The overarching theme of 'doing what matters' comes from acceptance and commitment therapy, with a large sprinkling of art therapy. I encourage you to leave a comment and join the conversation...claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-54019617496195160282023-07-31T07:23:00.000+10:002023-07-31T07:23:56.107+10:00gut feelings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-52720950199973734062017-09-26T17:15:00.000+10:002017-09-26T17:15:08.956+10:00Losing the coffeepot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Japanese garden at University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba</div>
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It starts with a text from my son: 'please mum, can we take the coffee pot on holiday next week...' I reply 'yes, sure' So I get the old espresso coffee pot down from its' high shelf, and tuck it under my arm, fully intending to bring it with me when we meet up a short time later for brunch.<br />
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Only thing is, that was 2 days ago, and I still can't find the coffee pot. I 'must have' put it down somewhere. So clearly, there is the suggestion of rhyming slang in the title of this post.<br />
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In the meantime, I turned sixty. Surely, a coincidence?<br />
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Bank Lane - with an actual bank</div>
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We were in Toowoomba last week for the <a href="http://tcof.com.au/events/">Carnival of Flowers</a>, which was awesome as ever, but it turns out there are also many great examples of street art in Toowoomba, from the <a href="https://www.firstcoat.com.au/">First Coat Project</a>, now running for several years. There is even an app., for finding the murals, although finding murals is a lot easier than finding coffee pots.<br />
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Apart from that, I'm now basking in the joy of having received Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, and Neighbourhood, by Hetty McKinnon, for said birthday. And also <a href="http://angry-chef.com/blog">the Angry Chef</a>, by Anthony Warner, who writes about pseudoscience and fads around food. And how it makes him feel.<br />
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I am still following (Annabel) Crabb and (Leigh) Sales' hilarious <a href="http://www.chat10looks3.com/">Chat10 Looks3</a> podcasts, which have now expanded into a Facebook page/cult of the same name. Its actually a delightful, if full on, private but huge FB group, from which I have gained recipes, book recommendations and various other life hacks. Many participants have observed how different it is from other social media groups, as everyone is so NICE.<br />
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In July I went to Adelaide to learn the art of <a href="http://robruhn.blogspot.com.au/">Slow Journalling</a> with Ro Bruhn at the annual Quilt Encounter. This is actually a 3 day fabric journal-making workshop, which I loved so much I have signed up for two more workshops with Ro when she comes to Queensland this November. </div>
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I also learned how to make cheese of various kinds from the<a href="https://www.cheesemaking.com.au/cheesemaking-courses/"> Gourmet Cheesemaker,</a> Graham Redhead, in July. I note there is a Slow Food logo on his website. These creative pursuits take TIME, which is pertinent, I think, to turning sixty. My psychologist friend, who is 4 days older than me, and who invited me to the cheesemaking workshop, is apparently planning to give up psychology soon. </div>
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I have no such plans, but doing a bit less sounds good. </div>
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Teapots are also a thing in Toowoomba</div>
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Its good to be back. </div>
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More later.</div>
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<br />claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-27345158402943906972017-01-31T16:23:00.001+10:002017-01-31T16:36:07.678+10:00Two sides of the same cloud: Happy New Year 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two sides of the same cloud - rainbow and grey</div>
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Last year was an almost total write off for blogging, But I did make a cloud cushion or two...<br />
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Its now been 8 years since I launched this blog, and life has often got in the way of maintaining my blogging habit, as it does with many good intentions and other resolutions. However, I will start this new year on a positive note, and try to return to more regular posts - I'm sure I've said this many times before, but I do enjoy the process, once I sit down and start...it seems to be a pattern, this tailing off thing, and not just with me...<br />
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I also wonder if blogging is now just too reflective a process, in the current 'instant' social media era? Twitter is so much faster...not to mention Snapchat, (which is also ephemeral, I hear, but I know very little about it - I heard it is intentionally difficult to use for 'older than millennials' - so I'm clearly of the wrong generation!).<br />
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In the meantime, for much of last year, I had three jobs (this has become a bad habit), with significant changes to adjust to in all three, some good and some not so good. I am now back down to only two jobs, and I am planning on keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. (If you know me well you will be saying 'good luck with that' right now!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5DhsDC1bKzGUYs_iWXj1t0ddNBIX7YUWi-JAmNozXIm6ESp7BaoDE_x9nZ6h9M6qAk1BBkHoNGW3pRykakgYSoNkDeb1wplgbeC_DGs03XaorX3k3wm0SknIGEuabJeQ7amUZd1YP0aW/s1600/DSCN2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5DhsDC1bKzGUYs_iWXj1t0ddNBIX7YUWi-JAmNozXIm6ESp7BaoDE_x9nZ6h9M6qAk1BBkHoNGW3pRykakgYSoNkDeb1wplgbeC_DGs03XaorX3k3wm0SknIGEuabJeQ7amUZd1YP0aW/s640/DSCN2961.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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holiday reading mostly</div>
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Something I am prouder of is reading a lot during the spring and summer holidays, which somehow makes up for the lack of writing: if I'm reading, at least I am feeding my imaginative brain with lots of nourishing words and ideas. I am using my local library a lot, and have had many books on hold at various times.<br />
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<li><i>Just Kids</i> by Patti Smith - a compelling and fascinating memoir of artists in New York in 1960's and 70's</li>
<li><i>This House of Grief</i> by Helen Garner - about the murder trial of <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Robert Farquharson, written in Garner's unique and wonderful voice</span></li>
<li><i>Dying: a memoir</i> by Cory Taylor - a Brisbane author, who really was dying when she wrote this</li>
<li><i>Wasted</i> by Elspeth Muir - tragic true story of Elspeth's brother, who died after drinking to excess and then jumping off the Storey Bridge in Brisbane, but this is also an examination of the Australian drinking culture more generally</li>
<li><i>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</i> by Rebecca Skloot, see below</li>
<li><i>The Atomic Weight of Love </i>by Elizabeth Church - fiction set in 1940's and beyond, about a marriage between two academics, and the development of the atomic bomb, in New Mexico</li>
<li><i>Everywhere I look</i> by Helen Garner - more Garner musings in this collection</li>
<li><i>A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women</i> by Siri Hustvedt - still to read this, but its a collection of writing by Siri (no, not that Siri...)</li>
<li><i>The Birdman's wife</i> by Melissa Ashley - fiction based on the real life character of Elizabeth Gould, bird illustrator, and her marriage to John Gould, bird collector and ornithologist extraordinaire in the early 1800's, set in both UK and Australia.</li>
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Most of these books are non-fiction, which is also surprising to me, but my reading last year was heavily influenced, if not totally hijacked, by the<a href="http://www.chat10looks3.com/"> Chat 10 Looks 3</a> recommendations from (Annabelle) Crabbe and (Leigh) Sales...which given they are both ABC journalists, have an understandable bias towards non-fiction...<br />
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Most astonishing story (all the more so for being true) is <i>the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</i>, about the continuing survival of a group of cervical cancer cells, taken from an impoverished, black American woman in the 1950's, which have been and are still being used world wide in cancer research, and many other medical research programs. Meanwhile, her surviving family didn't know much about her story or her legacy...until the writer of this book came along and started investigating. The story within a story, about how Skloot slowly gained the trust of some members of the Lacks family, is also quite amazing and shows how important this process is in telling the stories of others, especially those who have good reason to be mistrustful.<br />
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The Church and the Ashley novels in this list are reviewed <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/review-the-birdmans-wife-by-melissa-ashley-and-the-atomic-weight-of-love-by-elizabeth-j-church-20161103-gshg3x.html">here</a>, It is interesting and weird that both the main female characters are ornithologists.</div>
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In addition to the above list, I also read<i> a Little Life</i>, by Hanya Yanagihara, which was a tragic and compelling story about childhood trauma and the consequences, (I know, who needs to invent this stuff, right?), whilst on the lovely North Stradbroke Island in September...and the beautiful <i>Our Souls at Night</i> by Kent Haruf, about ageing, love, families, and expectations, which I finished in transit from Canberra this weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSUrIzmBeVYKXOH2JIhItC4Uq1xycpUbqynAG5iYSf8PSRq7CK6nd0NmTkcz87139sSQ27MJPMW6mu2Q_9Qtjdqh1bSF-ZMT1OaJTan476Vh__oQkPKZwkIeE-sdyoIFjvATzu5e5DewM/s1600/DSCN2956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSUrIzmBeVYKXOH2JIhItC4Uq1xycpUbqynAG5iYSf8PSRq7CK6nd0NmTkcz87139sSQ27MJPMW6mu2Q_9Qtjdqh1bSF-ZMT1OaJTan476Vh__oQkPKZwkIeE-sdyoIFjvATzu5e5DewM/s320/DSCN2956.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
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bamboo pots from air b'n'b Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island, September 2016</div>
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In Canberra, I saw <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/a_history_of_the_world.aspx">the History of the World in One Hundred Objects</a> exhibition at NMA from the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nrtd2/episodes/downloads">British Museum</a>, and the <a href="http://canberra.crowneplaza.com/canberra-accommodation/accommodation-packages/versailles-treasures-from-the-palace/?gclid=CMHL-Z3e69ECFYOavAodsvMLTg">Versailles, Treasures from Palace</a>, from well, the Palace of Versailles, at NGA. The 100 objects has finished, but the Versailles exhibition continues until April. So good to see them both and to appreciate the richness and diversity of human invention, in this amazing world.<br />
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Well, looks like I just got this out in January, more later. </div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-33592712025571011152016-05-22T12:01:00.001+10:002016-05-22T12:03:34.361+10:00'Will you stay in our lover's story?' <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69TgiJ8_nhcDpUkYiY8tugixQt4ZbS0uP107LXtM_HUZG48xcP_tH7UdTrSQ8SRQ83mtstuN6FA4YL4leb-Xd8FEHxxS26s51xyokijByTz4e6nXNxjIm6vlJ0LpPpsGnn-_hgfQE_viY/s1600/20160513_161916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69TgiJ8_nhcDpUkYiY8tugixQt4ZbS0uP107LXtM_HUZG48xcP_tH7UdTrSQ8SRQ83mtstuN6FA4YL4leb-Xd8FEHxxS26s51xyokijByTz4e6nXNxjIm6vlJ0LpPpsGnn-_hgfQE_viY/s320/20160513_161916.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw50QQlOzCYl044UOai0QMmmEkqFTcuRKjTpMfDPovziMvy20gKDMG0W698GzT49664aaYhSK9RX2ggDaiTTTw0U0r7CAqpsDU4FlSiOPM42qvCVer5ck-8MAi9ZUCx5LujcT_2BdKxh3t/s1600/20160513_162756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw50QQlOzCYl044UOai0QMmmEkqFTcuRKjTpMfDPovziMvy20gKDMG0W698GzT49664aaYhSK9RX2ggDaiTTTw0U0r7CAqpsDU4FlSiOPM42qvCVer5ck-8MAi9ZUCx5LujcT_2BdKxh3t/s320/20160513_162756.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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'Fight for your right to be arty' plate and red chair</div>
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Photos in this post come from the magnificent new <a href="http://kookykidclinic.com.au/#philosophy">Kooky Clinic</a>, a 'therapeutic imaginarium', launched a week ago, a result of the creativity, hard work and vision of child psychiatrist and part time craftivist, Dr Shannon Morton. I am so privileged and grateful to be able to work in this fantastic space, which includes an actual Art Therapy Room. Yay!</div>
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Shannon talks <a href="https://soundcloud.com/onlyhuman4zzz/170516onlyhuman-kookyclinic-dr-shannon-morton?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter">here</a> about her long term dream of creating a different and 'kooky' space for young people with mental health issues and neurological challenges, where they can gain much needed acceptance, empathy and support. How fitting that in the interview they play David Bowie's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsSlOGzPM90">Kooks</a>', (from <i>Hunky Dory</i>, 1971) which apparently Bowie wrote for his son. I particularly love that line: 'cause we believe in you..' Something everyone needs to hear. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGep3oMcs_iHb0MErwgikBYY0l_NEPdWJKGbJlzrg-NzVzaQ6gMBxJT4xErz2xdVwMIfq6DcOVuhVpIXa1HEn6ol0hvhgdMiHFS4cdS0I6krhlpWsbLZd0J90e17izIwh1bglmN_4jxOW/s1600/20160513_163202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGep3oMcs_iHb0MErwgikBYY0l_NEPdWJKGbJlzrg-NzVzaQ6gMBxJT4xErz2xdVwMIfq6DcOVuhVpIXa1HEn6ol0hvhgdMiHFS4cdS0I6krhlpWsbLZd0J90e17izIwh1bglmN_4jxOW/s320/20160513_163202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieax-fi4REStT3H7LF4Pc9SHOcA8q4eP8gkar6LqoJJVKb6p3UOGYvNTETQYnEfq4SuJjDiKFwp5sQPSGrsNpSxQpCFVqIOQB3LK04FuQV_vkcEIbSdnmug76wB77xsl3gHGNOLAu9UWxq/s1600/20160513_160454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieax-fi4REStT3H7LF4Pc9SHOcA8q4eP8gkar6LqoJJVKb6p3UOGYvNTETQYnEfq4SuJjDiKFwp5sQPSGrsNpSxQpCFVqIOQB3LK04FuQV_vkcEIbSdnmug76wB77xsl3gHGNOLAu9UWxq/s320/20160513_160454.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Local street artist <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/blu-art-xinjas-guerrilla-campaign-through-brisbane-20151104-gkqwtb.html">Blue Xinja</a>, who created the gate to the clinic from Brisbane river driftwood.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjxyh-wiyptYt1Rv5-Uf-SkwMEJICjwYA5SmPvB683oyTticSxQPTA6MwJwBEtpGmFoqVAXnXb1ygVar1Veil0Lr-t5YjTFWBzLfkF_f7KhpCYiJBcVMZbKY0L-F9gqV6cp6QzeWDbkFp/s1600/20160513_162541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjxyh-wiyptYt1Rv5-Uf-SkwMEJICjwYA5SmPvB683oyTticSxQPTA6MwJwBEtpGmFoqVAXnXb1ygVar1Veil0Lr-t5YjTFWBzLfkF_f7KhpCYiJBcVMZbKY0L-F9gqV6cp6QzeWDbkFp/s320/20160513_162541.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHcRzuWNCwbLnI53HlHYvZTbuZUIIDp2su2iabuCWsU4nGrPyBHtJGVSRAkbspgfA_rllbgcCD8p3UDO3s1AsGRtubbk4nG3m91lB-z16mdh1hO9ay5cGF2ouKo9k9M38MXoHirPXDNMT/s1600/20160513_163213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHcRzuWNCwbLnI53HlHYvZTbuZUIIDp2su2iabuCWsU4nGrPyBHtJGVSRAkbspgfA_rllbgcCD8p3UDO3s1AsGRtubbk4nG3m91lB-z16mdh1hO9ay5cGF2ouKo9k9M38MXoHirPXDNMT/s320/20160513_163213.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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more Kooky views</div>
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As I wrote in my previous blog post, I often compose blogs whilst cycling. I think the process should be called 'clogging', (or even cogging?) as a clot of related thoughts starts to form and then just sits there, waiting for me to do the next bit...obviously, most of them never get posted. This time I am more optimistic. I think the theme for this post, including the awesome new clinic, should be <i>pleasures shared</i>. So here are some more.</div>
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This year I have been excited to discover <a href="http://www.chat10looks3.com/">Chat10Look3</a>, a (fairly) regular podcast from ABC TV journalists Annabel (<i>Kitchen Cabinet</i>) Crabb and Leigh (<i>7.30</i>) Sales. So called because, since no one can see them (its an audio recording), they don't have to worry about how their hair looks. So these two smart women just get together at random times and chat and rave on about their reading, and baking, and laugh a lot. Its a wonderful celebration of friendship. They recently had a spin off series, <i>When I Get a Minute</i> on ABC I View. And considering how much these two are doing, its well named. Crabb just completed a book about Malcolm Turnbull, and shot another series of <i>Kitchen Cabine</i>t. When does she have the time to actually bake?</div>
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And in brief: </div>
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<li>My foodie pleasure at the moment is Jamie Oliver protege <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/anna-jones">Anna Jones</a>, who wrote two lovely <a href="http://annajones.co.uk/">cook books</a> and now has a Guardian gig, so we can all have access to her recipes.</li>
<li>Recently, I have been trying out the <a href="https://www.headspace.com/">Headspace</a> app. as a meditation tool, with some good outcomes. And in a similar vein, there is this helpful blog about managing anxiety from <a href="http://www.dailylife.com.au/health-and-fitness/dl-wellbeing/clementine-ford-how-i-quell-the-panic-when-anxiety-threatens-to-take-over-20160511-got2gm.html?&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=social&eid=socialn%3Afac-14omn0101-optim-nnn%3Apaid-25%2F06%2F2014-social_traffic-all-postprom-nnn-dailylife-o&campaign_code=nocode&promote_channel=social_facebook">Clem Ford</a>.</li>
<li>Finally, I am just going to mention British poet and novelist, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/kate-tempest-how-books-save-us/7425286">Kate Tempest</a>. Heard her for the first time this week on <i>Q&A</i>. A brave voice in the wilderness. </li>
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More later. </div>
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<br />claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-58257500008089897462016-01-24T15:18:00.001+10:002016-01-24T15:18:20.994+10:00Planet Earth is blue: Once you Find your Space, hold on to it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceJweOvbkdt-Y_khJjjwQD7VX3tVzM6mayEZxBi3s8BWOKu6aVVjP5hlX0_6YmB0Dq2CbSLFqt7Il9ZwM9ikGGsG7FCy46qZxpf_EGwdk-8zomIQmVg9wWUPixzrSv0p_zkLSKDtMzR-9/s1600/20151206_082805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceJweOvbkdt-Y_khJjjwQD7VX3tVzM6mayEZxBi3s8BWOKu6aVVjP5hlX0_6YmB0Dq2CbSLFqt7Il9ZwM9ikGGsG7FCy46qZxpf_EGwdk-8zomIQmVg9wWUPixzrSv0p_zkLSKDtMzR-9/s320/20151206_082805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This post has been a particularly long time coming, and has in fact been written many times already - in my mind, anyway... The image above is very fitting, as for me, blogging has always been about Finding my Space, (which is why I named my blogspot 'Virtual Art Space for Therapists: VAST). The photo is from a panel of graffitti I cycle past most Sundays, alongside the Brisbane river, which is an area of frantic building development at the moment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWItj9_AiHXpSskp9XevavrupYBirr1kzYrtTK4odCAyTRB2ysIuHoKMFeoF1rotrthDPmINebsms6QPquKA15OJ9IF7qUUjwl-gXDLciiK0D8sC5w44bbarGIr2hqRIgWTipUc3DdoPu2/s1600/IMG_20151206_091919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWItj9_AiHXpSskp9XevavrupYBirr1kzYrtTK4odCAyTRB2ysIuHoKMFeoF1rotrthDPmINebsms6QPquKA15OJ9IF7qUUjwl-gXDLciiK0D8sC5w44bbarGIr2hqRIgWTipUc3DdoPu2/s320/IMG_20151206_091919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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An anti-development statement</div>
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Whilst cycling on a Sunday morning, I often mentally compose blog posts, or at least brainstorm topics I want to blog about, as I pedal furiously over the Go-Between Bridge, up the steep (to me) hill into the City Botanic Gardens via QUT at Gardens Point, or along the Boardwalk at South Bank, by which time the excellent coffee from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cafeonthegoodwillbridge/">Brendan's</a> on the (Goodwill) Bridge is kicking in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMOdTVdIQ5FmuDXZo25f5HuwQ25b9KnvNKX2GQHUHy5ynsHSXitOv2SMhh-unG4PwLhQcDWWIIjOzOfgGmWZM_iz_NRvb5rDdiodPcJAK3jgNJdxqPnZDaEx_YNg2Fp0w4dHGjiWFSa6Z/s1600/20160103_084616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMOdTVdIQ5FmuDXZo25f5HuwQ25b9KnvNKX2GQHUHy5ynsHSXitOv2SMhh-unG4PwLhQcDWWIIjOzOfgGmWZM_iz_NRvb5rDdiodPcJAK3jgNJdxqPnZDaEx_YNg2Fp0w4dHGjiWFSa6Z/s320/20160103_084616.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Petunias - City Botanic Gardens</div>
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Before I go on, I have to ceremoniously observe that I have been blogging since January 2009! Although to be fair, I didn't really <a href="http://virtualartspacefortherapists.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00%2B10:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00%2B10:00&max-results=2">get going properly</a> until late 2010/early 2011. Which makes it either 7 or 5 years ago, depending how you look at it: 180 posts and almost 20,000 'views' later....its something I have absolutely enjoyed and I wish could have kept up as regularly as the Sunday cycle...sadly the pressures of full time study and then full time work over the past 4 years have made that too difficult to maintain. </div>
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Having my reflective space has been really helpful, however, and I think it has resulted in some big decisions and life-changing moments. Four years ago, I went back to university to study Social Work, so I could become a Mental Health Social Worker. And at the end of last year, I threw my eggs into one (ok maybe two) baskets, and resigned from my main, permanent job, which had been very stressful at times, and often frustrating. It was a tough decision, as it creates financial instability, and I had to leave some wonderful colleagues. But the stress involved was just not worth it. Instead I decided to just focus on private practice and art therapy education for now. And better self care. </div>
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We lost this elderly canine family member, Jess, on Christmas Day, 2015. Earlier that day, we took her for a long walk on beautiful Peregian Beach. A happy memory from a very sad day. (I also recall that the last time we were at Peregian Beach for a holiday, our house was burgled. Next time I go there, I am going to be a bit nervous.)<span style="text-align: center;"> And going for walks are just not the same anymore.</span></div>
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Creative supervision. </div>
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This was the last time we (our peer supervision group) met in 2015, and my collage is about busyness, moving on, and the intimacy of the therapeutic space. The images are all sourced from <a href="http://www.frankiepress.com.au/shop/single-issues?filter_id=19">frankie</a>, which I subscribed to for a year or two, so I have a nice collection of back copies to use for collage (it took me a while to feel ok tearing them to bits, but now there is no looking back, literally). </div>
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Lastly, a sock bat (unfinished). Its actually black in real life. </div>
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So, more like a real bat.</div>
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Finally, I will briefly mention two books I've read in the last few weeks. (Its not all about sock creatures). The first is <i>An astronaut's guide to life on earth</i> by Chris Hadfield. Hadfield is the guy who sang <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo">a Space Oddity</a> from the International Space Station. suddenly more poignant since the shocking (to the public, anyway) and sad recent death of creative genius David Bowie, a hero of my adolescence. Turns out Hadfield can write, too! Its about how he learned how to live on earth, based his experience as a fighter pilot and astronaut. With gratitude, mindfulness and humility, as it turns out. And being calm. </div>
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In space you learn, through extensive hands on training, to be calm in any imaginable situation: calmness, and the capacity to problem solve, are essential for survival. You need to be constantly thinking 'what is the next thing that can kill me?' as Hadfield explains. And then fixing it. </div>
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I am also enjoying <i>Big Magic</i> by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is about creativity, and how to live a <i>creative</i> life. In this case, its also mainly about overcoming fear. Being creative is actually a lot less dangerous than space, thankfully. </div>
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Seems like<i> how to live</i> is a common concern.</div>
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Be calm, be humble, call your mum. </div>
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More Graffitti, West End</div>
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more later.</div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-73701730880184390702015-11-29T14:35:00.000+10:002015-11-29T14:35:52.870+10:00Creative Arts in Counselling and Mental Health - some exciting news, and a big decision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This excellent, and mainly Australian, book recently got <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781483302850?redirected=true&selectCurrency=AUD&w=AF45AU96QKSVTTA8ZR8K&gclid=CjwKEAjwsvmvBRCT5ozK-dmY7D4SJACyIoJm2B3HtAA9al7P_6sZwcrAVPp4q7kXKpomw0h5hHceRhoC3mXw_wcB">published</a> by Sage, which is very exciting. As I mentioned in a<a href="http://virtualartspacefortherapists.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/back-to-basics.html"> previous blog post</a>, I co-wrote a chapter in this book with my colleagues psychologist Robert King (who also co-edited the whole book) and social worker and psychotherapist Tom O'Brien. These amazing humans assisted a group of art therapists (including myself) establish an art therapy program at University of Queensland in 2004, in the School of Medicine.<br />
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We recently graduated another talented pod of art therapists, who will go on to do fantastic work. So its particularly cool to have this collaborative work in the public domain.<br />
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The chapter in question is a systematic review of art therapy outcomes research; its exciting for me, as I believe it provides the most substantial evidence so far that art therapy is effective. Which is very important to those of us in the art therapy world, and indeed to anyone who wishes to include creative activities in their therapy practice.<br />
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We can now say that art therapy is as effective as other forms of psychotherapy. Of course, it has the added advantage of introducing creativity into the therapeutic space, thereby producing an enriched environment. But we already knew that.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/V2hloBgMsu/">Instagram bee tattoo design</a> by Henrietta Harris</div>
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We now have our own bees, who make superb honey. Coincidentally, I have been feeling as busy as one, but without such great outcomes...until I recently made a big decision to leave one of my three jobs, and try to stop spreading myself too thinly (extended honey metaphor, apologies). </div>
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So I am now in the stages of winding down that job, (three weeks to go!) which has taken up way too much time and emotional energy in the past two years, and I'm feeling excited about how next year will look. </div>
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Of course, there is an element of risk in doing this (leaving my job), but I am feeling fairly confident I have made a good decision. Change is always scary, but as my hairdresser told me yesterday, we need change to feel alive (or something like that). But then, she would say that...<br />
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Also looking forward to blogging more often again. Its been a long time since I had spare energy for such things.<br />
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more later.claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-55232840422747467942015-06-26T09:58:00.000+10:002015-06-26T09:58:42.344+10:00Cathy Malchiodi, guilty pleasures and time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aImdUFTeotgeXbCtzSIEpHfvHRT6qAkFCwx5K7F4mn1z0vhGe1UgbcV11vJpXyj7xmXc1LW7ZURQo56HrlRh8ZivI4JwwQKPPBSAVOgSMMcmsmrb2m70AUFUtna58ws9I0fBY1At-zax/s1600/DSCN1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aImdUFTeotgeXbCtzSIEpHfvHRT6qAkFCwx5K7F4mn1z0vhGe1UgbcV11vJpXyj7xmXc1LW7ZURQo56HrlRh8ZivI4JwwQKPPBSAVOgSMMcmsmrb2m70AUFUtna58ws9I0fBY1At-zax/s320/DSCN1749.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxyM-8OXI3j2osPyEV2WcQWfNH0-hYkLKStl5pOg-UMWcGcFTqbrhUYMhCiSl-WPsfc6H0OpolesgbDEnJGWR_aRNRfqQV4pVnd8Z36oPKUwe1cWH5U1tROiqXCtCyfPIwGAntu4PLX7T/s1600/DSCN1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxyM-8OXI3j2osPyEV2WcQWfNH0-hYkLKStl5pOg-UMWcGcFTqbrhUYMhCiSl-WPsfc6H0OpolesgbDEnJGWR_aRNRfqQV4pVnd8Z36oPKUwe1cWH5U1tROiqXCtCyfPIwGAntu4PLX7T/s320/DSCN1746.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Collages from Cathy Malchiodi's Brainwise workshop</i></div>
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I created these 'stress-less' collages in a workshop I attended recently, by the very inspiring <a href="http://www.cathymalchiodi.com/2013/01/19/the-first-art-therapy-tedx-talk-on-planet-earth/">Dr Cathy Malchiodi</a>, who has contributed so much to the global art therapy/expressive therapy community.<br />
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Cathy's particular skill, I believe, is to communicate clearly and effectively about art therapy - she has published numerous books on a wide range of art therapy topics. This link, above, is to the first TED talk by an art therapist...and yes it was given by Cathy Malchiodi.<br />
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When I studied art therapy, there were very few books published on the expressive therapies. How that has changed. Often, serendipitously, one of Cathy's books appeared, just as I was thinking, 'what we need is an art therapy book about...' So I am grateful to Cathy for making art therapy more widely known, and for making my job as an art therapy educator much easier than that of my past lecturers at Goldsmiths in London in the 1980's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie37-jOnbFPqTjnGKocW26_FiZGFrmjU91K4cWNHSIxJQjiKovuir88SRI4WCg2T8UCGd_3u20USkPi8dAE67XJp7yiUdYXnP7IazWOLNTB_NNkJ4PlhWtVyHQTycqHZgBBuZtiSvXLloY/s1600/DSCN1750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie37-jOnbFPqTjnGKocW26_FiZGFrmjU91K4cWNHSIxJQjiKovuir88SRI4WCg2T8UCGd_3u20USkPi8dAE67XJp7yiUdYXnP7IazWOLNTB_NNkJ4PlhWtVyHQTycqHZgBBuZtiSvXLloY/s320/DSCN1750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Tangle doodle hand, from</i> <i>Cathy Malchiodi's Brainwise workshop</i> </div>
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Cathy's workshop was titled <i>Brainwise Creative Interventions with Traumatised Children Young People and Familie</i>s, and was hosted by the Australian Childhood Foundation. What was impressive about the day, was not so much the content, which was familiar to me, (although seeing it through the lens of working with the military was different), but seeing what a huge number of people attended, and were therefore interested in this creative and neurologically sound approach to working with trauma. And many of them were friends, colleagues and graduates of our UQ program.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt22Vgds6aN_JaQVFuaL6g91USCxHY6iBnQX-PFidiCynpaSeGJpEVbnt0aDF6LgPewvbFpNGAbkU-tIDaelwhg37ZTvYruEx7MywgQ1aoNFchRF-U95MC4DuI-2xLrYl_ODtr2Ae8uQd8/s1600/2013-02-06-LeftBrainRightBrain21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt22Vgds6aN_JaQVFuaL6g91USCxHY6iBnQX-PFidiCynpaSeGJpEVbnt0aDF6LgPewvbFpNGAbkU-tIDaelwhg37ZTvYruEx7MywgQ1aoNFchRF-U95MC4DuI-2xLrYl_ODtr2Ae8uQd8/s320/2013-02-06-LeftBrainRightBrain21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://definingsolutions.ca/resources/">left/right brain</a></div>
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I have been continuing to work three jobs this semester, which, much as I love teaching, is now, thankfully over. A few weeks respite before it all starts again...<br />
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The very exciting part about work, namely<i> that third job</i>, is that earlier this year I started working at <a href="http://kookykidclinic.com.au/#philosophy">Kooky Kid Clinic</a>, which means I am now back in private practice, after a long break. I'm loving it!</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Being so busy has a down side, of course. I've just noticed I appear to have needed a week off work before sitting down to write both this and my last blog post, back in April. Its a shame, that I can't manage to post more often, but its not surprising. </span></div>
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And I have to thank Michael Leunig for this wisdom on recharging:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYWR1Uk1vK2ql7pIwTg4bxLkT1aMnNaVevELKCVWG9LWEbU275bwv96DER12vQrV4OjiwCxQLVIpf5qrcLTjYSv2bbL0kTRb6X0Qp8uqsJ1WfQH1BxhBGYfSDAlePW2jYO3Ng6c53PAzB/s1600/leunig+cartoon+recharging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYWR1Uk1vK2ql7pIwTg4bxLkT1aMnNaVevELKCVWG9LWEbU275bwv96DER12vQrV4OjiwCxQLVIpf5qrcLTjYSv2bbL0kTRb6X0Qp8uqsJ1WfQH1BxhBGYfSDAlePW2jYO3Ng6c53PAzB/s320/leunig+cartoon+recharging.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other thing I appreciated about the <i>Brainwise</i> workshop was having time to make art. Ah, time, what a strange phenomenon that is...half an hour in a workshop dedicated to making art is a luxury, but time off in general can sometimes be anxiety and guilt provoking. Or is it just me? So much unstructured time, so many possibilities, but also so much potential for guilt, if I don't make totally good use of that precious time. Sigh.<br />
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I wrote recently about guilty pleasures, and Disney was included in there. So yesterday I watched <i>Frozen</i>, mainly as 'research', because so many of my young clients refer to it. And I am looking forward to seeing Pixar's <i>Inside Out</i>, about the emotions of an 11 year old girls, also for work-related reasons. Honestly.<br />
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Apparently, speaking of guilt, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/24/having-a-working-mother-works-for-daughters">mothers no longer need feel guilty</a> about working outside the home - although I noticed the benefits were based on their daughters' career success, status and income, not 'happiness' or something equally hard to measure, but probably much more important. </div>
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Anyway, there are many other things we can pin our guilt to. (According to Cathy Malchiodi, we can now be virtual hoarders, thanks to Pinterest.)</div>
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Like colouring-in for example, as I may have mentioned in my last blog post. The media furore around this continues. I have now done three <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/how-to-beat-stress-by-colouring-in/story-fnn8dlfs-1227403970342">interviews</a> about the stress-relieving aspects of colouring in. And I have been practising, and (guiltily) spent serious money on a set of Copic markers. Can't wait for them to arrive. </div>
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More later.claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-62260677475402071852015-04-12T17:06:00.002+10:002015-04-12T17:06:45.415+10:00Colouring-in, why its now a thing...softies, and anxiety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For me as a child, colouring-in was a guilty pleasure, rather like reading books by Enid Blyton (not a broad enough vocab.), watching commercial TV (too tacky) or Walt Disney (do I need to explain? If so, check out the movie <i>Saving Mr Banks</i>, for Emma Thompson's brilliant portrayal of PL Travers, struggling with the Disneyfication of Mary Poppins...).<br />
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Sadly, the drawings in children's colouring-in books are less than inspiring - as an older child, I preferred <a href="http://www.altairdesign.co.uk/Altair.swf">Altair designs</a>, which were also more acceptable to my artist parents, as they were abstract, less prescriptive, and encouraged creative interpretation. But sitting down with some coloured pencils or felt pens and having some time out colouring was just - really - cool. <br />
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However, I could never have imagined or predicted the current level of interest in colouring-in books - for adults. Yes, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/adults-who-love-to-colour-in-20150404-1meg95.html">colouring-in</a> is now definitely a (grown-up) thing. A <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Secret-Garden-Johanna-Basford/9781780671062">Secret Garden</a> by Johanna Basford is a best-seller, and there are numerous other beautiful colouring-in books currently being produced.<br />
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Including this one,<a href="http://curlypopsfundraising.bigcartel.com/product/the-breathing-to-a-new-beat-technicolour-dream-book-pre-order"> Breathing to a New Beat</a>, which I have contributed a drawing to. This is the third project by Curly Pops I have been involved in...and I have to say, after rashly agreeing to produce an image, and then wondering for a couple of weeks why I create more stress in my life, by signing up for these projects...ultimately, though, its so worthwhile, thanks to Camille's fantastic creativity, encouragement and organising skills...and for a good cause. I feel very privileged to be included.<br />
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And of course, as an art therapist, this is all <i>very interesting</i>.<br />
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And now for some recent softies: <br />
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Baby rabbit in Hungry Caterpillar pyjamas - the free pattern is from <a href="http://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2015/04/free-bunny-softie-pattern.html?utm_source=Shiny+Happy+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=7f32c5230d-IttyBittyBunny4_3_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_070490877c-7f32c5230d-311267437&goal=0_070490877c-7f32c5230d-311267437&mc_cid=7f32c5230d&mc_eid=2d087da6b3">Shiny Happy World</a>. </div>
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So is the pattern for this <a href="http://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2014/04/warren-charity-bear-free-teddy-bear-pattern.html">bear</a>, which I made into a bean bag. I am going to try using him with clients, to help them with mindful breathing. </div>
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And then there is my anxiety monster, which I shared a drawing of in my last blog post. This is the 3-D version, fully stuffed and sewn. I recently read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Age-Anxiety-Dread-Search/dp/0307390608/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424062522&sr=1-1&keywords=anxiety">My Age of Anxiety</a> by Scott Stossel, which absolutely puts everyday anxiety into perspective. Such a brave thing to write this book...it struck me how much its about embarassing bodies, really. And how they let us down...<br />
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Having just had a relaxing week off work, I am doing pretty well with my self-care. Since writing that previous post, I have made more of an effort to keep up my meditation practice. My sleeping pattern is improving, bit by bit...<br />
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My next challenge is to start saying 'no' to some requests for work (or even art projects...). In the last three months, I have had four jobs, and in one week, I did all four (there was a bit of an overlap). This seems a little ridiculous. <br />
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Kit Bag for Anzac Day</div>
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I'll share one more picture of a recent TAFE art project, working with new migrants with very little English, for Harmony Day.</div>
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more later<br />
Namasteclaire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-61193324933738319862015-02-15T20:41:00.000+10:002015-02-15T20:41:23.999+10:00Back to basics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A month on from my last post, and I am struck by how perspectives can change so much in a short time. I was feeling very under-employed in January - now I am feeling the opposite, and at times, I've been quite overwhelmed in the past week, as I've struggled to adjust to this 'new normal'. <br />
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Self-care was a topic I wrote about last month, and its actually a constant theme in my thoughts, as I work in a stressful and emotionally demanding area, as a therapist with children and families. Increasingly lately, this has been impacting on my sleeping patterns, which are becoming unhelpfully unreliable. <br />
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Last night, whilst awake when I didn't want to be, I tried imagining an
'anxiety monster', as this would be something I might ask my clients to
do. This is how it looked in my mind, sort of. Its more 3D than this, and I am planning to make a soft textile version... <br />
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I have tried to keep drawing, and posted some of my daily drawings on Instagram for a week.<br />
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I can see self-care creeping through in this drawing! Its been important to me to try to stay healthy and keep up my exercise regime and meditation practice, but the meditation has been slipping of late, which I suspect is impacting on my sleep. Everything is connected, somehow. <br />
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This collage was prompted by a dream of walking along the muddy banks of a river, probably the river Dart, which flowed through the town I lived in during most of my childhood, Totnes in Devon, South West England. It was completed in my peer supervision group, and it is also anticipating some exciting new work projects.<br />
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I attended a great training workshop with <a href="http://lianalowenstein.com/">Liana Lowenstein</a>, a Canadian social worker, and prolific author, who also works with children, in private practice. And this week I am going to another of her workshops, this time in Sydney. The drawing is of my family as Brassicas, which I completed in Liana's workshop. <br />
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My younger son has been overseas, and this has been inducing some anxiety, although its also given us an early taste of having the proverbial empty nest. And that has been fine...<br />
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A chapter I co-wrote with a colleague has been published in a <a href="http://www.ccthomas.com/details.cfm?P_ISBN13=9780398081287">new book</a> on working cross-culturally in creative therapies. This is really exciting. There is another chapter on the way, in fact, just about to go to the publisher, which has some great research results for art therapy. That may take a while to be published, but its even more exciting, as its the result of collaborative work with two of my colleagues over almost a decade.And I believe its ground-breaking. <br />
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There is certainly a lot happening on the work front. And its mostly all good. I just hope I can keep a good perspective on things, not get overwhelmed too often, and get back into daily mindfulness meditation. <br />
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I'll keep you posted, excuse the pun.<br />
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Namaste.<br />
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more later<br />
<br />claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-70086032917942656682015-01-12T17:05:00.000+10:002015-01-12T17:05:09.137+10:00being moved by moving pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGlXI0OXN6x7XciJr1KCyJKb-RaNfNiZ_VVoMVSCGvON3sUgybn81isAns20O7YiC_IX5eJBAKZHbr3fQT4gKzQsuxm91NtLc3tp1mQyKEMc-nplXqJ9pZuFbTFiLUcKLpsh7PPeK4uOP/s1600/tasmania+1214+200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGlXI0OXN6x7XciJr1KCyJKb-RaNfNiZ_VVoMVSCGvON3sUgybn81isAns20O7YiC_IX5eJBAKZHbr3fQT4gKzQsuxm91NtLc3tp1mQyKEMc-nplXqJ9pZuFbTFiLUcKLpsh7PPeK4uOP/s1600/tasmania+1214+200.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have always loved the cinema, and can remember being entranced by a range of different films - seemingly overlong children's movies like ChittyChittyBangBang, which excitingly included an intermission, obscure foreign films at the beautiful 14th century <a href="http://www.dartington.org/barn-cinema">Barn Theatre</a>, Dartington Hall in Devon as a teenager, more obscure foreign films at University, and more recently, less obscure, but preferably art house films in the independent cinemas in Brisbane. <br />
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In Hobart, on holiday at the end of last year, we naturally gravitated towards the <a href="http://www.statecinema.com.au/Page/Home">State cinema</a> in North Hobart, and coincidentally saw two films about women behind cameras:<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2353767/">1,000 Times Goodnight</a>, and <a href="http://www.findingvivianmaier.com/">Finding Vivian Maier</a>. Both were also about trauma - the first is about a woman, played by Juliet Binoche, who is a photo journalist in dangerous, war-torn places and it examines the devastating impact of this frightening work, and her absences, on her family. The first part of the film shows her filming a suicide bomber about to detonate herself in a busy market in Afghanistan, and is incredibly intense and psychologically shocking.<br />
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Recent events in France make it more so. And I couldn't help noticing, that the backgrounds of at least three of the suspected French terrorists, if that is what they were, grew up in care - they were 'looked after children'. This has to tell us something important about how people can become brutalised and have empathy deficits later in life. Basic Attachment Theory 101. <br />
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The second film we saw was a documentary about an American woman, Vivian Maier, who left a vast collection of photos, and undeveloped film, behind when she died. The film maker John Maloof found the huge body of work, which had never been seen before, and decided to investigate. The film showcases her street photography, mainly from 1950's and 60's, and also explores and relates what is remembered about her life, by those who knew her. This is a fascinating story of secrecy, survival, and also of a traumatic life, as it turns out. <br />
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Two more recent films we have seen are <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=imitation+game+trailer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=bXGzVMOOE4LJmAXb7YHADA">the Imitation Game</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfLoE6hanc">Birdman</a>. Both are great, go see them. <br />
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Quote by Vivian Greene - one of my favourites, its very ACT</div>
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On a different note, I just re-completed the Happiness survey, and scored 84.3 %, higher than <a href="http://virtualartspacefortherapists.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00%2B10:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00%2B10:00&max-results=2">when I last did it</a>, in December 2010, which is effectively when I started this blog. Up by almost 10%. I know how stats can be manipulated, so I am not making any claims, but its interesting. And yes, I have to admit I am excited about some things that are happening at the moment, which I hope to write about soon. Meanwhile, I am going to yoga soon. Its been difficult, with all my self-care strategies being on a break. How are we supposed to take a break, if our mechanisms for doing so are also on a break? Hmm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm_ImlQKYDhNSNXzOsQDlCa836vHlQXCBxbZe3CoXpcgPwsfbiEiZvwNMzNZ3tClEj24Y6iIuLyYd4YwOUvXdbV0z2f1q1fxMQpun4lIofGc8nKR8r6donsX0qpv4i6HvgKcBZKLgK50A/s1600/take+a+break.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm_ImlQKYDhNSNXzOsQDlCa836vHlQXCBxbZe3CoXpcgPwsfbiEiZvwNMzNZ3tClEj24Y6iIuLyYd4YwOUvXdbV0z2f1q1fxMQpun4lIofGc8nKR8r6donsX0qpv4i6HvgKcBZKLgK50A/s1600/take+a+break.jpg" height="320" width="259" /> </a></div>
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-41695457341733276222015-01-04T19:23:00.002+10:002015-01-05T07:51:56.891+10:00Out of Tasmania - Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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This series of bird images derives from a sewing project, in a book called <i>Scandinavian Stitching </i>by Finnish textile artist Kajsa Wikman. <i> </i><br />
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I used the leftover paper cut outs of iron on bird shapes to collage this image in my visual journal, above. I then almost ruined it by drawing on the back, with markers, whilst creating the image below. I tried to rescue the first image, and sort of succeeded (its a bad photo), by using a white paint pen. I really like the whimsical bird images, and decided to keep exploring them, although I don't usually work with other people's designs. <br />
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In this image, I started with the numbers, which span across two journal pages, and then cut out the 'one' and the 'five', leaving two empty spaces, into which I then drew birds, on the page beneath. So there was a pattern of each page being influenced by the previous/following one. Kind of like days, and years, really. No such thing as a clean slate!<br />
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This is the original image on quilted fabric, using random scraps of material, and using the same bird design. I treated it as quilting practice, really, as its something I'm still not very experienced in. I had fun with this!</div>
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Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Peninsula</div>
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I read three books by Tasmanian authors at the end of last year - <i>The Sound of One Hand Clapping</i> by Richard Flanagan, <i>What Days </i><i><i>Are </i>For</i> by Robert Dessaix, and <i>The Dirty Chef</i> by Matthew Evans. The first is a well-known, moving and much-loved novel about
migrants in Tasmania, and the impact of loss and grief on two generations. The
second is Dessaix's memoir - musings on mortality and what he calls life's layers, after a sudden heart attack, and the third is a fascinating
(and often mouth-watering) account of novice farmer, former food critic and city dweller Evans, as seen on SBS's series
<i>Gourmet Farmer.</i> All are aiming for authenticity in their own sphere - and it was good to read them whilst in Tasmania. <br />
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I love these images of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Peninsula">Tessellated Pavement</a> on the Tasman Peninsula. The shapes, although naturally occurring through erosion, are quite regular, and the straight lines are unusual in nature, so it looks quite surreal. <br />
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A nice rave about 'detoxing' for the New Year, by Oliver Burkeman, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/oliver-burkeman-column/2015/jan/01/detoxing-debunked">here</a>. Happy New Year, and please leave a comment, if you want to. I've had over 15,000 visits to this blog since I started five years ago, in late 2009, which is amazing!<br />
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more later.claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-43376692479106854522014-12-30T13:21:00.000+10:002014-12-30T13:21:13.783+10:00What's Wrong with Work?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Monday soon, after I arrived at work, I experienced some classic migraine symptoms - flashing zigzag lights, and photo phobia - but weirdly, without the throbbing headache (believe me, I'm not complaining). My GP says no one really knows the cause of migraines. But still. Work stress, I am wondering...<br />
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Why write about work in the holidays? Well, I guess its that time of year, when we take some perspective on things. and a big part of 'things' is work. Its what we do, literally. But work is a difficult topic to write about, because if you are employed by an organisation, big or small, there are restrictions on what you can express in the public domain.<br />
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Some are stricter than others. In <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/mark-isaacs-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-nauru-detention-centre-20140314-34rur.html">The Undesirables</a>, Mark Isaacs describes working on Nauru's (really, Australia's) offshore detention centre, as an untrained, and totally unprepared, young employee of the Salvation Army. The work contract included the threat of being sacked if there was any 'leakage' of information about the appalling conditions for asylum seekers on Nauru, created by the Australian government. Isaacs no longer works on Nauru, and the Salvation Army no longer work there either. Which proves the point, from both sides, really. <br />
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In my case, work is not so draconian, but it is challenging. I took on full-time work this year, after two years of full-time Social Work study. My aim in studying was to get Mental Health Social Worker status, which I now have, and which enables me to work in private practice. And not be a full-time employee.<br />
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So, what was I thinking? Well, its easy to get into these kind of situations. When there is no one else in the immediate family with a permanent job, for example. These are<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/04/middle-classes-employment-earthquake"> the conditions we are living in</a>* at the moment. Threatened and real redundancies, and rising unemployment, create an atmosphere of <i>work status anxiety</i>.<br />
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It takes courage to leave a job because the conditions are bad, or the system is screwed (and the 'system' could be the Public Service, or a 'not for profit'). Especially if you believe in what the system is trying to achieve, overall. But I think it also takes courage and resilience to <b>stay </b>in a job where the conditions are bad, or the system is screwed - let's face it, we don't all have the luxury of acting on our principles, all of the time.<br />
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These two collages are called 'problems' and 'solutions', respectively. In the first one, things are out of kilter, fake, and there are chaotic, juxtaposed elements that don't make sense. In the second, there is greater coherence, respect for traditional knowledge, and living in harmony with nature. The real, and the ideal. The second image makes me feel at peace. The first makes me feel sick. Perhaps I should try horse-riding.</div>
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Well, I have made one decision about work, and its in progress as I write. I have reduced my hours back to four days instead of five, which frees up one day a week for pursuing other things. This starts next week, in the New Year. I'll keep you posted, excuse the pun. <br />
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Purging and Setting Intentions<br />
The idea of a symbolic purge intrigues me. Throw out all your 'bad stuff', on 28th December, which is <a href="http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/good-riddance-day">Good Riddance Day</a>, apparently. Or is that only in New York? Seems like it hasn't really caught on here yet. But I have participated in a similar ritual, on a meditation retreat, of writing down what you want to let go of, and putting the paper its written on in the communal fire. Honestly, I don't feel the symbolism, but then I am no good at setting intentions, either. When I do yoga, thats my intention. Just to do yoga. Not to think about what I intend to achieve by doing yoga. But I guess some people find it helpful.<br />
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Grumpy Old Mentor<br />
I heard this expression today on Radio National, talking about Bill Murray's character in the movie <i>St Vincent</i>. I think this is something I could sometimes be described as, and aspire to. <br />
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Ordinary<br />
One more thing, I liked this piece by Leigh Sales, about how journalists often write about how surprising it is when terrible things (sieges, massacres, acts of terrorism, plane crashes) tend to happen on 'ordinary days' - the fact that they do is obvious really. That seems to be the whole point, its surprising that we are surprised. Appreciate what (ordinary life) you have, while you can, is the overarching message. You never know when the ordinary may become extraordinarily bad. <br />
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A hyperlink won't work as its in <i>the Australian</i>, and its a pay to view article. You can see it on Twitter, go to <a href="https://twitter.com/EClaire172">@Eclair172</a>.<br />
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That's all for now, more later. <br />
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N.B.<br />
This post was somewhat prompted by my brother's imminent retirement. He is almost 2 years younger than me; this demonstrates the power of the sibship, and how we measure our 'success' in life! And again, I am not complaining!<br />
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*not sure if I agree with this writer, but I liked the metaphor of the 'middle class earthquake'. I don't blame <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/">airbnb</a>. It seems like a great idea. Its capitalism I have a problem with.claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-21445893306202360762014-12-20T17:39:00.002+10:002014-12-20T17:39:44.390+10:00In Tasmania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lime Bay, Tasman Peninsula</div>
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This post features a selection of photos from our recent trip to Tasmania, the first holiday without children for 26 years! We hired a campervan, and followed the coast from Hobart, via the Tasman Peninsula, up the East Coast, including Freycinet, and then headed West as far as Launceston. We then drove South back to Hobart, where we stayed for another week. </div>
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Lime Bay</div>
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The rocky coastlines are so different from Queensland. </div>
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Near Lime Bay</div>
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This was supposed to be a lagoon, almost completely dried out. </div>
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Near Lime Bay</div>
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Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Peninsula<br />
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Interesting rock formations, partly eroded into grid-like patterns. </div>
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Winery, East Coast</div>
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Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Peninsula<br />
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Its a tough walk to reach this view, but worth the effort. </div>
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Wineglass Bay</div>
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Wineglass Bay</div>
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Wallaby, Freycinet </div>
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Blue Wren, Coles Bay, Freycinet</div>
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This bird was at the campsite, in the Freycinet National Park. </div>
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Rock lichen, the Gardens, Bay of Fires</div>
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Amazing colours on the rocks. I would like to explore this area more, but the road stops here. </div>
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Colourful Cow</div>
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Ashgrove Cheese Factory, Elizabeth Town, Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail, Bass Highway</div>
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I bought lavender flavoured cheese here, from the nearby Lavender farm at Bridestowe.</div>
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Yum.</div>
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Rainforest, St Columba Falls, near St Helens</div>
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Rainforest, St Columba Falls, near St Helens<br />
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This was a beautiful walk down to the base of the waterfall. </div>
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Musselroe Bay, North East coast<br />
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A very remote area, hardly anyone there, just some holiday homes and one other camper. And lots of rabbits. Very peaceful. </div>
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Bridport, North Coast</div>
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Sweet peas and foxgloves, Hobart Botanical Gardens </div>
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Artichoke, Hobart Botanical Gardens<br />
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There was a team filming a segment for the ABC's Gardening Australia while we were there. Something to do with pumpkins.<br />
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That's it for today. I hope to be a more active blogger again in 2015. I could blame working full-time, which has taken its toll - and that is going to change in the New Year. Some exciting new projects in the pipeline - will write more when its more definite. </div>
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Happy Holidays! </div>
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more later. </div>
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-74319376411963225132014-11-16T12:16:00.000+10:002014-11-16T12:16:54.628+10:00Should 'hate' be banned?<br />
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Someone told me the other day that they have banned the word 'hate' in their household - and what did I think?<br />
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This caught me my surprise, and I had to think on my feet, but I ended up saying 'hate' is just a word, it describes a feeling, and all feelings are ok. Its hard enough for children to talk about their feelings, without having to navigate the parental equivalent of political correctness. Which, confusingly, I generally believe to be a good thing, and now there is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/oliver-burkeman-column/2014/nov/13/political-correctness-science-conservatives-liberals">proof</a> that it works, as Oliver Burkeman reports.<br />
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Its actions, not feelings, we should be worried about. But is saying 'I hate you' an aggressive act? Is 'hate' even a feeling, or a thought? And can I express how I feel, when I am angry, without being verbally aggressive? Non-violent language tries to address this, but it can be challenging at times. I had another incident like <a href="http://virtualartspacefortherapists.blogspot.com.au/search?q=losing+it+and+getting+lost">this</a> this morning, of getting 'lost' on my bike...no bike throwing occurred this time, but S and I lost each other again, and I had no phone, keys or money, again.</div>
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Meanwhile, we are in the middle of enjoying a fantastic British Film Festival, at the Palace cinemas, this weekend: we saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441953/">Testament of Youth</a> last night, in which Vera Brittain, who became a pacifist, bravely speaks out against post-war sanctions on Germany, after losing her fiance, her brother, and other friends in the First World War. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. </div>
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Other festival films we have seen include Jimmy's Hall, Mr Turner and the Love Punch, with one more today, What we did on our Holidays. I am also keen on the Imitation game, but may be running out of cinema stamina, although being indoors and eating ice cream seems very sensible in this heat. Record* high temperatures of
40 degrees and above are anticipated today. </div>
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Brisbane is currently hosting the G20. Twenty
five years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Brisbane is like a
police state this weekend. with wall to wall cops and prison vans. The
city is otherwise deserted. </div>
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The highlight of G20
yesterday was Obama's speech at University of Queensland, which clearly
called for action on climate change, amongst other things. Tony Abbott's insistence that 'Coal is good for humanity' is seriously being challenged. Finally. By an American president. Who would have thought?</div>
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more later</div>
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*for November - its still only Spring... </div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-12924959744973645122014-11-02T18:45:00.000+10:002014-11-02T18:45:10.812+10:00What I love (and hate) about Australia - 2 lists, 25 years today!We arrived in Oz 25 years ago today. So here are 25 things I love about Australia, not in any particular order:<br />
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<li>Frequent sunshine</li>
<li>The great outdoors - spectacular scenery and a healthy lifestyle</li>
<li>Amazing produce, and excellent food in (some) restaurants and cafes</li>
<li>Space - room to breathe</li>
<li>Wildlife</li>
<li>The beach</li>
<li>Plants, from native orchids to flowering trees, like poincianas, jacarandas and frangipanis</li>
<li> Shaun Micallef's <i>Mad as Hell</i></li>
<li>Matthew Evans' <i>Gourmet Farmer </i></li>
<li><i>Gardening Australia</i></li>
<li>Mangoes, lychees and other tropical fruit (but especially mangoes)</li>
<li>Rainforest</li>
<li>Tasmania </li>
<li>Proximity to New Zealand and Asia</li>
<li>Denise Scott, Wendy Harmer, Julia Zemiro and Judith Lucy - and all the other women who make me laugh</li>
<li>No longer having to pay a mortgage in London</li>
<li>Really good coffee</li>
<li>Priscilla, Queen of the Desert</li>
<li>Birth Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, where J was born</li>
<li>Aboriginal art and culture, and Aboriginal people's relationship to the land</li>
<li>Laughing Lotus Yoga - simultaneously nurturing and challenging classes</li>
<li>Food Connect - veggie box scheme sustainably connecting farmers and consumers</li>
<li>Higher Education - UQ for establishing an art therapy program, and QUT, for teaching me to be a social worker, when it was still affordable.</li>
<li>Friends, new and old</li>
<li>Family - both near and far</li>
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" 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And then there is the not so good... </div>
<ol>
<li> Immigration policies - see #4 above - we have lots of room to spare</li>
<li>(Lack of) climate change policies in current government</li>
<li>Car culture, poor public transport</li>
<li>Hideous pubs</li>
<li>High levels of domestic violence</li>
<li>'Casual' racism and sexism</li>
<li>Nowhere near Europe or UK</li>
<li>Dependency on coal mining and other fossil fuel</li>
<li>Very hot days</li>
<li>Commercial TV, truly trashy</li>
</ol>
more later claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-40090507880406894272014-10-24T11:53:00.000+10:002014-10-24T11:54:27.283+10:00October is the purplest month - and a significant anniversary approaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_jW5DQWyf5sjzmc78BxopDyKwTP7PobLn6rWdmoU828-ppBsgnxdizBdarQEAeUk2o71dtc87n67-lDkXDakiT1SMj8uuN8UFkF62c8YN4zr8rsjNi4NLN_I5TPTLbi43tF_s-J3DZTo/s1600/oct+14+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_jW5DQWyf5sjzmc78BxopDyKwTP7PobLn6rWdmoU828-ppBsgnxdizBdarQEAeUk2o71dtc87n67-lDkXDakiT1SMj8uuN8UFkF62c8YN4zr8rsjNi4NLN_I5TPTLbi43tF_s-J3DZTo/s1600/oct+14+004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Jacaranda flowers bloom in Grafton" src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/3613284-3x2-340x227.jpg" height="227" title="Jacaranda tree in bloom" width="340" /></a></div>
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Why Purple? When I first arrived in Australia, my first job was working at St Lucia, University of Queensland's main campus, processing student enrolments - paper ones! That was 25 years ago next month. I think we missed the best of the jacarandas that year, but the following year was amazing.<br />
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In October, jacaranda trees were flowering all over the place, signalling the arrival of spring and - exams! I learnt that this association was strong for those who grew up here, as it meant that the end of the academic year was approaching. <br />
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And, yes, jacaranda time means exams, for some and for me, marking...and graduation of our Masters of Mental Health Art Therapy students. At UQ - small world. <br />
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My previous experience of jacarandas, was the Jacaranda Garden Cafe in Brixton, London, where I used to live - now Craft Beer, apparently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQbqW8rZqonQuEJgXYsSHDBRSY0QpJ5_5gxWfNSNG8f2vYIwNQ2eEWcXYroc_NGE1K6DQ0X7PtxNiX9ZtSM0TNyddna71ZGZqgvMiIK-roJgHB9AvhfbhDNwb_MoXN8xHRmO9LR26eFAE/s1600/oct+14+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQbqW8rZqonQuEJgXYsSHDBRSY0QpJ5_5gxWfNSNG8f2vYIwNQ2eEWcXYroc_NGE1K6DQ0X7PtxNiX9ZtSM0TNyddna71ZGZqgvMiIK-roJgHB9AvhfbhDNwb_MoXN8xHRmO9LR26eFAE/s1600/oct+14+006.JPG" height="320" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp7rMacOgG5WyOAOR0W7pNUReozgomVrDRDQ9-fzE8_SBRqAK6zARZnhGi4d1tqD5HE-I8MbiU4i4aQiNSyIrRtDt-7e8O6dOKrFZ1kMItCRqyLfhyphenhyphenqQWXjt9hxCfEm0c9XRkTilVKtyZ/s1600/oct+14+015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp7rMacOgG5WyOAOR0W7pNUReozgomVrDRDQ9-fzE8_SBRqAK6zARZnhGi4d1tqD5HE-I8MbiU4i4aQiNSyIrRtDt-7e8O6dOKrFZ1kMItCRqyLfhyphenhyphenqQWXjt9hxCfEm0c9XRkTilVKtyZ/s1600/oct+14+015.JPG" height="320" width="258" /></a></div>
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Some more slightly purple artwork. <br />
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This time last year, I was stressed out by jacaranda time. I was just finishing my Masters of Social Work. I have (as a result) been working full time since March, and feeling stressed in a different way. No assignments, yay, just adjusting to spending more time at work, and having to ignore the garden, blogging, and other creative pursuits most of the time. In a way, this is harder, as there is no 'end' in sight - life (unless you are a teacher) does not come packaged in semester-sized chunks - so noticing the great (big and small) stuff everyday is more important than ever.<br />
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Remembering to be grateful, I am appreciating my TOIL day off today, anticipating being on holiday in Tasmania soon, (first holiday without children, as they both are now officially adults) and listening to music (a mix tape, almost!) for this year's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCh1jaHT50A&index=26&list=PLPW0Ebc_91LUrJlm_SY-DZjcXcM8QWOEA">Woodford Folk Festival</a>.</div>
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I enjoy reading anything by <a href="http://www.sustainablycreative.com/">Michael Nobbs</a>,
because he writes about how to still be creative with less time or
energy available. Michael reminds me to notice the creative milestones,
which signify progress towards our small achievements.For me, this is
almost 4 years of (fairly regular) blogging, since December 2010. 170 posts, which is over 40 a year. And almost 14,000 views. </div>
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In this new phase of life - I need to remember that maintaining good self-care is still very important. Eating well, sleeping well, keeping fit and staying connected. Noticing the good stuff. And of course, regularly celebrating milestones.<br />
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-35553852408627908632014-09-03T19:47:00.002+10:002014-09-05T13:37:11.496+10:00TV, the brain and being sick.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I made a commitment in my last post to continue to blog more regularly - why? Well, I enjoy it. I also think its good for me, as it makes me write, and reflect! And I miss it when I don't do it. Three (four?) reasons right there...<br />
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So anyway, I have been sick and staying home for the last five days so have been watching some TV...<br />
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I have been appreciating the ABC TV documentary <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/war-that-changed-us/DO1245W001S00">The War that Changed us</a>, about the First World War. (Thanks Philip Adams for alerting me to this on Twitter.) Its content is mainly derived from letters and diaries, as well as historical reenactments of real events, which provide very personal stories of the horrors of WW1, including Gallipoli, trench warfare, and the unfathomable levels of death and injuries, both physical and emotional.Its very moving, and the singing is amazing. It brings the emotions to the fore so effectively.Hard to believe so many men volunteered to go to war. Unthinkable now, its only a small minority who would choose to go...<br />
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<a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/australian-story/NC1456Q031S00">Australian Story</a> this week featured a young man who caught a rare and hard to treat form of TB overseas, and had to spend many months in isolation, just like the days before antibiotics. He started making You Tube videos about his illness, often involving rapping. Which is kind of similar to how art therapy was developed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Hill">Adrian Hill</a>, when he was recovering from TB in a Sanatorium in the 1930's in Britain. The inherent need to be creative (when sick or bored).<br />
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Creating a verbal narrative is also supposed to help us to heal from trauma. I went to the Childhood Trauma conference in Melbourne last month, hosted by the Australian Childhood Foundation. Big international stars like Dan Hughes, Pat Ogden, Dan Siegel, Allan Schore and Kim Golding were there. I particularly enjoyed the animated Dan Hughes, and Pat Ogden, who talks about Sensori-motor Psychotherapy.<br />
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Interpersonal neurobiology is so interesting, and so affirming of right brain therapies like expressive (arts) therapies. Needless to say, I have a few books on order since the conference. Last week I went to a two day workshop on the Social Brain, by <a href="http://www.mediros.com.au/">Dr Pieter Roussow</a>. Its the second workshop of his I have attended in the last few months. Its starting to make a lot of sense, although I struggle with the science. <br />
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Oven G/Love</div>
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There have been a couple of TV shows on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) recently, on ABC (Extreme Boot Camp) and SBS. The <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/317553219794/insight-s2014-ep28-obsessed">SBS Insight</a> program talked to people with OCD, and outlined how it was much more serious than people who jokingly say they have it can probably imagine. Its more than having to have the same coloured pegs on your laundry. Its more like believing that if you don't do a whole lot of time consuming rituals, someone you love will die. <br />
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The neurobiology of mental illness is a new science; its not been generally integrated into psychology or psychiatry yet, and so, unsurprisingly, it was not mentioned on the Insight program. According to neuropsychotherapist Dr Pieter Rossouw, all mental illness probably stems from unhelpful 'avoid patterns', created through interaction withe our environment, rather than 'chemical imbalances in the brain', AKA the soup theory of neurobiology.<br />
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The brain gets stuck in a neural loop, based on avoidance of unpleasantness and pain. In neurobiological terms, the rituals and behaviours in OCD sufferers stem from, and then reinforce, neurological patterns that build up over time - <i>neurons that fire together, wire together</i> - which is why it can often get worse without help. Like depression and other forms of anxiety. <br />
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Hopefully, this explanation kind of makes sense. Meanwhile, as I said, I have been off sick from work with the flu. In my cotton woolly mental stupor I have been sewing (see counted cross stitch above - will eventually be a rabbit in a dress) and visiting <a href="http://www.shinyhappyworld.com/">Shiny Happy World</a> for quilting tutorials. I wish Shiny Happy World really existed. Its such a cool website. I learnt a new stitch on my sewing machine today, from one of the tutes. The stitch with small and large zigzags, like a stat chart or a heart monitor! Great for applique. <br />
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thats me done for today.<br />
more laterclaire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-14070659785628650552014-08-25T07:58:00.002+10:002014-08-25T07:58:43.211+10:00A community-focused rainy weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am challenging myself to rediscover my blogging habit and this starts now!</div>
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So, the weekend involved FOUR community events. </div>
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On Friday night, a group of art therapists (and UQ graduates) had their annual art exhibition opening in Paddington, at the <a href="http://www.percolatorgallery.com.au/percolator-home.html">Percolator Gallery</a>.</div>
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On Saturday we visited the Coopers Plains Library, reopened after extensive renovations, including the pencil posts, below....</div>
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And this surprising ceiling picnic in the kids area, above - too bad mine are all grown up.</div>
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Then we went to Annerley Uncovered, another community event in a nearby suburb, and ended up working on the barbecue, in the rain, for an hour or so.<br />
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Cycling between rain showers on Sunday morning, we found a mandala in the Botanic Gardens, and an almost deserted Goodwill Bridge for coffee.<br />
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Later on Sunday there was the Picnic in the Park to Save our Salisbury Parklands from property development. <br />
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Its been a whirlwind weekend, phew!</div>
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more later</div>
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-61757151914749285312014-07-01T07:48:00.000+10:002014-07-01T07:48:14.686+10:00gratitude, brains and bike number three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>ACT* in a nutshell</i></div>
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With an increasingly long time between posts, I'm feeling more stuck about what to write, as so much has happened. Did the whole of June just go by?<br />
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I'm still having a big adjustment to working full time, in the same place, with the same people, five days a week. I'm already bored with myself saying this. I'm not sure if I'm working harder, but the consistency makes it seems so, and experiencing the team dynamics is challenging, at times. On the plus side, its helping me to get acclimatised more quickly than if I was there less often.<br />
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Today is a TOIL (Time Off In Lieu) day, which I am grateful for. And today I'm going to think about gratitude, which is a core component of positive psychology. Recently a good and long term friend of ours, Perry Else, died unexpectedly. He was a <a href="http://www.shu.ac.uk/faculties/ds/deci/staff/else-perry.html">Professor of Play</a> at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, which is just about the best job title you could have. Perry was indeed a kind, creative and playful man, and his death in his fifties is shocking. He speaks about his illness <a href="http://www.sheffieldbloodcancertrust.co.uk/2014/04/perry-else/">here, </a>just three months before he died.<br />
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Being grateful for just being alive, then, seems a good place to start. And some other things, in a list, for brevity, in no particular order.<br />
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<li>Dr Pieter Rossouw, another professor, who gives amazing workshops on neuroscience, trauma and psychotherapy. This is his <a href="http://www.mediros.com.au/">website</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1920945/">Good Vibrations</a>, a fantastic new movie about man, Terri Hooley, who opened a music shop in Belfast during 'the troubles', and who embraced punk rock in the late 1970's. Made me feel like I'd live through a significant part of recent history, even though I was in Essex and London, not Belfast. The best line: 'New York had the haircuts, London had the trousers, but Belfast had the reason' (to appreciate the ethos of punk). So true. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.eatstreetmarkets.com/">Eat Street Markets</a>. Maybe not the most gourmet experience, but a (high carb) dinner of empanadas, BBQ pork steamed dumplings, Japanese 'pizza', Okonomikake, and lime and coconut gelati would be hard to organise elsewhere. Makes me realise how much Brisbane has changed in the (almost) 25 years we have lived here. </li>
<li>Family - for everything, really. Just discovered some new relatives, this seems to happen to me fairly regularly. This time, we share the same (Irish) great grandmother, and our grandmothers were sisters. As usual, the reason we don't know each other is historical feuding, probably around something someone found shameful. At the time. Amazing. </li>
<li>Spin class, 6am, Mondays and Wednesdays, despite being given bike no 3 last week, which is the one that makes a loud ratchet noise when you stand up.And despite another annoying instructor, who turned my gears up without my permission...</li>
<li>Winter sunshine. And the Sunshine Coast.</li>
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<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Food Connect</a>, which had a film night last week: the films were not really for a general audience, being about Latin American soil chemistry (well timed for the World Cup bandwagon, perhaps?), but the food was great. So was the ambiance, with over 100 people in the packing shed on a cold winters night, eating pulled pork rolls with red cabbage, yum... </li>
<li>Supervision with my art therapy colleagues, much appreciated last night. Thank you. </li>
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<i> holding on tightly to something precious</i></div>
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<li>Meditation</li>
<li>Sourdough</li>
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(Numbers restarted)<br />
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I have to go to work now. More later. Probably much later.<br />
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* Acceptance and Commitment Therapy</div>
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-88597511477120728842014-05-27T07:53:00.001+10:002014-05-27T07:53:47.483+10:00the courage to feel: sewing, and birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>e for emotion: quilted fabric on card</i></div>
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I must write a hundred blog posts in my mind to each one I actually publish, these days. The next four weeks will be really busy, and then hopefully July a bit less so. But enough of the excuses. An interesting article on being <a href="http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/too-busy-to-live-in-a-contemporary-world/article17758066/?service=mobile">really busy</a> here... <br />
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<i>from little things - fabric applique</i></div>
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I made this last weekend, which is a good reminder to me that I can make something quickly (and well) when I try. The applique, which still has some tacking in it, was made for our 10 year celebration of Masters of Mental Health - Art Therapy at the University of <br />Queensland, which we are hanging next week. And speaking of trees, I think this one needs a bird. I knew it wasn't quite finished...</div>
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<a href="http://www.healingthemovie.com/"><br /></a></div>
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<b>Two movies about powerful emotions, and birds: </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.healingthemovie.com/">Healing</a> is a beautiful movie about, well, healing. A grownup <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064541/">Kes</a> (1969) for the modern age, perhaps? It really is about the courage to feel, and the power of relationships, both personal and professional. The amazing Don Hany stars as an Iranian man in jail in Victoria, who finds his way back to life (no pun intended) with the help of Hugo Weaving's prison officer and an eagle called Yasmin. This movie may not be in cinemas much longer, as its showing at midday, never a good sign. It deserves better.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024519/">Broken Circle Breakdown</a> is a Belgian movie about loss and grief, and country music. Its very sad, but as someone once said, grief is its own medicine, if you hang in there. There is a wonderful and powerful section of this movie about a child and a dead bird, which resonated with this <a href="http://theknittygrittyhomestead.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/the-dead-bird.html">blog post </a></div>
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- sometimes children just get it. </div>
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I could go on, but I should feed my birds (chooks), and dog, and go to work. </div>
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More later. </div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-20066089529007420662014-05-05T10:45:00.001+10:002014-05-05T10:45:44.848+10:00routines, on the other hand, are really helpful too...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Street art in Annerley, raffia</i></div>
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Good morning! The artwork in this post is particularly colourful, and I guess its been a colourful week. On Saturday I participated in a workshop facilitated by a dance movement therapist, as well as talking about my own work as an art therapist (with help from my framework quilt), to a group of music therapists. Some great synergy right there. One of the songs we 'danced and moved' to was 'True Colours' by Kasey Chambers. See below.<br />
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Three days of separate training about trauma, after two weeks of broken routines and long weekends (which involved less exercise, and more chocolate than usual) have all taken their toll, however. Getting the balance more or less ok is a constant process, and it feels pretty good now, after a more normal weekend, albeit buffered by the bonus of having Friday and Monday off. Yes, another long weekend, but this was different, as it felt quite restorative. <br />
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And this time, the gym was open. Phew, I have missed the spin doctor...<br />
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<i>crazy quilt #1,2,&3</i></div>
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Yesterday I worked on my crazy quilt, which is gradually taking shape, in a collection of squarish nuclei, (as in the top two photos), spiralling outwards in a rectangular form, until they reach the optimum size. Another one begins, and the challenge is to join them together. This is what leads to the craziness, I suspect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_GrnBZl_3LX7T2xZsEojomypoIRJlQNwpMAHyHsHvnEagrq1QXkjNNWRJUlyfKFfcY2eXGZnq8wf2LqNvoNzEMa_Rh4RagvzRXsAKdgQO7Qw_g5q9L13fyw9ZOJSAORHdpYptF9YDsTg/s1600/easter+2014+068.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_GrnBZl_3LX7T2xZsEojomypoIRJlQNwpMAHyHsHvnEagrq1QXkjNNWRJUlyfKFfcY2eXGZnq8wf2LqNvoNzEMa_Rh4RagvzRXsAKdgQO7Qw_g5q9L13fyw9ZOJSAORHdpYptF9YDsTg/s1600/easter+2014+068.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Tree of Hearts quilt, applique on felt -</i></div>
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<i>Their present from me </i></div>
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I recently made this for my ex-colleagues, to leave a piece of myself there, and also to help me process leaving. Its full of symbolism, with many layers of meaning, and references to shared experiences: it was very therapeutic to make. They seemed to like it!</div>
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<i>True colours:</i> In the ensuing conversation and gift sharing, I heard a bit about what 'my colours' are from my colleagues recently - everyone's version was different, which is fantastic: <i>I can have them all</i>. There is a small wonky rainbow on the quilt, above. And no, it doesn't have all the colours. But that is ok too.</div>
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I have noticed how much of my textile work is squarish, and that includes other people's work that I am drawn to. This crochet rug is from the op shop at my previous workplace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqynaLv7mJ5st8X4xq8hPnqMXF_h6eJCeJ5fTJG0RuUdQdrbknrH6qWU68jPXd0-ERzuOm-aCbkRHkqfxh1RwG9mif4fZSHNqNpbjg68ftELJskF5fQpcjllGfG1FM88i0DXKPLQR7qaO/s1600/easter+2014+051.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqynaLv7mJ5st8X4xq8hPnqMXF_h6eJCeJ5fTJG0RuUdQdrbknrH6qWU68jPXd0-ERzuOm-aCbkRHkqfxh1RwG9mif4fZSHNqNpbjg68ftELJskF5fQpcjllGfG1FM88i0DXKPLQR7qaO/s1600/easter+2014+051.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<i>Youth week Street art, Goodna</i></div>
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I suspect I have found the source...</div>
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Although
this actually don't have many squares, but the design is based on a
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEdAcKgTf0HuLzphowm-1-YhEBLIhWq5ikdyEhEaysjP-l44Jc3XSRe5779eYoomIk7r4g_1ol4PSFN9xb-NPUW-ktiN5DA65Z0gUkesn0EBE6BnN5K6spCKCYF_5NaZAP9UtWL2t6aKM/s1600/may+2014+012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
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<i>detail of one of Dad's untitled paintings</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4Edhv5xUKWJloU5rV-tWPxlabG0WMOLze3MYwt-2LQiEpJwoEmN_AATupY-FeNaDnkGZFG2zJRrLQ61_JnRxUWA_JqbUfmGI2de27kIfLo3CrFLCpMyOIB8TPoaLBimUysbjwPD7aC0g/s1600/may+2+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4Edhv5xUKWJloU5rV-tWPxlabG0WMOLze3MYwt-2LQiEpJwoEmN_AATupY-FeNaDnkGZFG2zJRrLQ61_JnRxUWA_JqbUfmGI2de27kIfLo3CrFLCpMyOIB8TPoaLBimUysbjwPD7aC0g/s1600/may+2+001.JPG" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
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<i>Definitely not a square - crocheted cactus from 'the succulent garden' -</i></div>
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<i>My present from them </i></div>
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Interesting <a href="http://www.laughinglotusyoga.com.au/blog">Laughing Lotus</a> yoga class in Mt Gravatt last week, which is usually quite strenuous. This time it was 'Yin Yoga, because its a new
moon'. I have no idea what this means, but it involved carefully draping ourselves
over bolsters, and having blankets draped over us, for rather long poses. Really
relaxing and great for my spine, and overall sense of wellbeing, apart from some persistent pins and needles in the soles of my
feet, afterwards. </div>
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Was offered, and accepted, the opportunity to work 5 days a week, just until the end of June. Will definitely need more Yin Yoga, during and afterwards. Shame there is only one new moon a month.</div>
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Well I am on a roll today, ticking stuff off my list. What's next, food
prep for tomorrow's work foodfest? The main aim of which seems to be -
(one of our core values) - compost!!</div>
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more later </div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-35736190751611124592014-04-27T14:48:00.000+10:002014-04-27T14:48:57.874+10:00Bluesfest, blogging and perspective taking: how it all helps <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ1Gxo0fL9yI0YLB8-RC1M3VCSmDGpdpjYCUMm2O7JyZmfGbYRaIWIw1-QrJ_-VM9fD69OWabcLU-wcgxUikmErbNjEeGNZ14ETEuxffP4liGLmgxQutgdW4iimnpc12bCIQVfy2IRyd_/s1600/easter+2014+046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ1Gxo0fL9yI0YLB8-RC1M3VCSmDGpdpjYCUMm2O7JyZmfGbYRaIWIw1-QrJ_-VM9fD69OWabcLU-wcgxUikmErbNjEeGNZ14ETEuxffP4liGLmgxQutgdW4iimnpc12bCIQVfy2IRyd_/s1600/easter+2014+046.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<i> Bluesfest acrobats</i></div>
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Seduced perhaps by the immediacy of <a href="http://instagram.com/#">Instagram</a>, I have been finding it hard to get back to this blog - sort of a blog-lag? (My Instagram name is <b>eclair57</b>, if you want to find me there...)</div>
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Other excuses could include: starting a new job recently, and having spent a bit more time out and about having fun...over two long weekends in a row...however, the real added value for me in being away, is being able to put things in perspective, and this is a really helpful skill, for those of us who tend to be anxious at times. Oliver Burkeman describes it well <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/29/column-change-your-life-get-ahead-move-perth">here</a>. Giving new meaning to <i>the devil is in the detail...</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SDonw1l7xjzrh6jAbgDyr-AhCYUIcfPESDVCz_FYdgc-zHk-aQ4czZXEDvDCbn2MQZrO0QLZCb7kWOGALR3gPRXRgQhCnu6s7AJcwWIYKetLnfMJH9iXobg1OLSrIOBHpccsl4GhzjhL/s1600/easter+2014+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SDonw1l7xjzrh6jAbgDyr-AhCYUIcfPESDVCz_FYdgc-zHk-aQ4czZXEDvDCbn2MQZrO0QLZCb7kWOGALR3gPRXRgQhCnu6s7AJcwWIYKetLnfMJH9iXobg1OLSrIOBHpccsl4GhzjhL/s1600/easter+2014+054.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Bluesfest good friday lantern parade 1</i></div>
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Very uncharacteristically, I went to <a href="http://www.bluesfest.com.au/?ATOK=DF3BB3731D">Bluesfest</a> at Byron Bay for the first time ever, having almost given up on live music about 20 years ago. Apart from Billy Bragg, of course. Why? Too loud, too annoying to stand up for long periods, too unsure what I really liked. I did start to challenge this negative perspective, by going to Woodford early this year, though. And, come to think of it, Reggae for Recovery three years ago, after the 2011 Brisbane floods.</div>
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Well, perhaps this new job can also assist me in my leisure pursuits: inspired by my new colleagues, I decided to plunge into Bluesfest on good friday. It happened to be the 25th anniversary, so the line-up was particularly impressive. S was also willing, which helped. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTt71ZeOK_NmT3sSs6POJ-WAZctOEb3YhROx2GQ3hGd9HyKm1hz7D3-N8Jk1P5U3a3w3aedoCv0XhUJ9IdYTspDhe2FNjZ_JkCBRY6C4tX0lj0U2_Q1K7Jej1v9Y9WDZJjUbNdnP59lA_/s1600/easter+2014+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTt71ZeOK_NmT3sSs6POJ-WAZctOEb3YhROx2GQ3hGd9HyKm1hz7D3-N8Jk1P5U3a3w3aedoCv0XhUJ9IdYTspDhe2FNjZ_JkCBRY6C4tX0lj0U2_Q1K7Jej1v9Y9WDZJjUbNdnP59lA_/s1600/easter+2014+056.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Bluesfest good friday lantern parade 2</i></div>
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Hard (for me) to capture live music in images, especially on a smartphone, but it was really good fun, and we saw some great acts, including: India Arie, Aaron Neville and Dyson, Cloher and Stringer, three female singer songwriters from Melbourne. Not to mention Rockwiz (a live music t.v. quiz, for the non-Aussie readers), Boz Scaggs and Joss Stone. Phew. </div>
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Then the following night, we saw KC and the Sunshine Band, a real blast from the seventies, at the Tivoli in Brisbane. Wow, that was also really fun. At 63, KC has some health issues, but he is still boogie-ing on down. (His best joke was that he was thinking of changing his name to KFC...oh dear!)</div>
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I just spent another long weekend away, this time at Springbrook National Park, in the Gold Cost Hinterland: a beautiful rainforest environment. We walked and relaxed, and last night, we saw two planets, Saturn and Mars, and Alpha Centuri (nearest star) through the <a href="http://springbrookobservatory.weebly.com/">Springbrook Research Observatory</a> telescope, before the clouds set in for the night. Now that's taking perspective!</div>
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Looking at very old trees can have the same effect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigbZOLzn81q744ZMwIvc_qCQ7bDm3IuEOBVJux7vsRANZgjQfzzQakwnu_YrI8Ny0PzwQXPQYCosh6_zAcucDzNkIcDl35eKFzEy2sr37q9u1uej6QaGkmzHLhPEZtlYNIueayadzDUyj/s1600/springbrook+april+14+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigbZOLzn81q744ZMwIvc_qCQ7bDm3IuEOBVJux7vsRANZgjQfzzQakwnu_YrI8Ny0PzwQXPQYCosh6_zAcucDzNkIcDl35eKFzEy2sr37q9u1uej6QaGkmzHLhPEZtlYNIueayadzDUyj/s1600/springbrook+april+14+021.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>ancient Antarctic beeches at Springbrook National Park 'Best of all Lookouts'</i></div>
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As can this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqtdayj7VvqEZ3xZAkuW6zj_EpJ1dd9QBxXprcaBKw0xle2uoh2lNE9xFX60kuQHfm3BBTAwaJMGB7tzBu5X-7wt4Sbt6NTw8VFTwBnaEEdb97fcvdBFijIy3RkLp2_6KD59O0znwZ9TO/s1600/springbrook+april+14+046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqtdayj7VvqEZ3xZAkuW6zj_EpJ1dd9QBxXprcaBKw0xle2uoh2lNE9xFX60kuQHfm3BBTAwaJMGB7tzBu5X-7wt4Sbt6NTw8VFTwBnaEEdb97fcvdBFijIy3RkLp2_6KD59O0znwZ9TO/s1600/springbrook+april+14+046.jpg" height="240" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<i>Perspective-taking: we can either focus on the detail... </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZP_2wObsWlK66bT_nzoj_PaDRUDHdKyeDRtlX4VEhdVqUq-BTdTbqXaRSXOZebkziNibsCvH6-L60CHF8s6_5Akpo0uovs_P8SMIT3CgyeOVeZxdqde55xmNYskQWpBDecUOmh98yq8R/s1600/springbrook+april+14+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZP_2wObsWlK66bT_nzoj_PaDRUDHdKyeDRtlX4VEhdVqUq-BTdTbqXaRSXOZebkziNibsCvH6-L60CHF8s6_5Akpo0uovs_P8SMIT3CgyeOVeZxdqde55xmNYskQWpBDecUOmh98yq8R/s1600/springbrook+april+14+036.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>...or the big picture</i></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqtdayj7VvqEZ3xZAkuW6zj_EpJ1dd9QBxXprcaBKw0xle2uoh2lNE9xFX60kuQHfm3BBTAwaJMGB7tzBu5X-7wt4Sbt6NTw8VFTwBnaEEdb97fcvdBFijIy3RkLp2_6KD59O0znwZ9TO/s1600/springbrook+april+14+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
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Blogging also helps a lot with perspective-taking, as do both art and mindfulness, as they all develop capacity to observe and reflect as well as react. <i></i><br />
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Meanwhile I have been making something special for my old work colleagues: this is a sneak preview.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRbPZg2QdfDtXZeq8oliX6JSSCdaC1-08d30qwDVmpKqo5a51s0U90YHoLRBO0YhLi7ExiEIPZZeikGn7Frkksna8u7OsIiHV5msLjzrmKUExhdm0DtNlU0DcGuneRxA3-XF_OcGr150h/s1600/easter+2014+070.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRbPZg2QdfDtXZeq8oliX6JSSCdaC1-08d30qwDVmpKqo5a51s0U90YHoLRBO0YhLi7ExiEIPZZeikGn7Frkksna8u7OsIiHV5msLjzrmKUExhdm0DtNlU0DcGuneRxA3-XF_OcGr150h/s1600/easter+2014+070.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> tree of hearts detail</i></div>
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On
the work front, I am slowly adjusting to my new
environment. I have booked to go to the International Trauma
Conference in Melbourne in August. Trauma, at least, is a given, and a source of continuity.
How comforting!</div>
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more later.claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-27128908582540384002014-03-30T16:17:00.000+10:002014-03-30T16:17:52.198+10:00Kayaking adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOC7RFIiHt5DNJ1cYToUsl3r-DfxuYi4trh8a0DdzbSq7MWEZNSYUA6t1jmXyjTrqaixStnVAMF_gUZyxjOX3vIPqpRGeBUTnL6cSanQFjTnsd8ASOhNC_RPnNIbxkUuCYqcdaWJ7St-3/s1600/march+14+kayaks+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOC7RFIiHt5DNJ1cYToUsl3r-DfxuYi4trh8a0DdzbSq7MWEZNSYUA6t1jmXyjTrqaixStnVAMF_gUZyxjOX3vIPqpRGeBUTnL6cSanQFjTnsd8ASOhNC_RPnNIbxkUuCYqcdaWJ7St-3/s1600/march+14+kayaks+015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Brisbane City Council has a<a href="http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/whats-on/type/Recreation-programs/growing-older-living-dangerously/"> GOLD </a>(Growing Older, Living Dangerously) Program, which we now qualify for. This Sea Kayaking activity at Nudgee Beach today was free! Ok, it rained, but it was still awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKph0FvQNrW2zDiGTnyexqgAn8QXUmCJ8x3s0Y4zJayDPqXhYhio7q8Jsib1qROwD8q_8j07uOtvSzCKWR63OwEK7a6OQGqDSqQiBXl7YNLr0KWw3NLsCr09wmmtQbI3qEEHKfWx2u_zCK/s1600/march+14+kayaks+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKph0FvQNrW2zDiGTnyexqgAn8QXUmCJ8x3s0Y4zJayDPqXhYhio7q8Jsib1qROwD8q_8j07uOtvSzCKWR63OwEK7a6OQGqDSqQiBXl7YNLr0KWw3NLsCr09wmmtQbI3qEEHKfWx2u_zCK/s1600/march+14+kayaks+023.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The best part was paddling amongst the mangroves on the coast at high tide...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsYgFYBObGn_ZL-kMln2I_unJq0vspViMcwNRW7s3HjSyyoy4GkTxFBRG_Bm3EfIOTCqEyRbZFjqiRRAbpzYFlIgNNpY1Dh1mUKDisiIOXYxvXK0vYlB_IAGNiMFzD_hj-cRvVit11Vx6/s1600/march+14+kayaks+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsYgFYBObGn_ZL-kMln2I_unJq0vspViMcwNRW7s3HjSyyoy4GkTxFBRG_Bm3EfIOTCqEyRbZFjqiRRAbpzYFlIgNNpY1Dh1mUKDisiIOXYxvXK0vYlB_IAGNiMFzD_hj-cRvVit11Vx6/s1600/march+14+kayaks+024.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFn9kOdYr-N9d4pc5GXboyvaT64010XfYHrYcYPyL4QMGaBx_lsg8yWg70QmVZXu8NQRs_hF0qyA8re0RlP3Wusb2kvlTfGdGkRmgEEdza6EhN3jgJtP398-tkwED4MGW3fPwrFsi043-E/s1600/march+14+kayaks+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Avoiding the other paddlers...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFn9kOdYr-N9d4pc5GXboyvaT64010XfYHrYcYPyL4QMGaBx_lsg8yWg70QmVZXu8NQRs_hF0qyA8re0RlP3Wusb2kvlTfGdGkRmgEEdza6EhN3jgJtP398-tkwED4MGW3fPwrFsi043-E/s1600/march+14+kayaks+046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFn9kOdYr-N9d4pc5GXboyvaT64010XfYHrYcYPyL4QMGaBx_lsg8yWg70QmVZXu8NQRs_hF0qyA8re0RlP3Wusb2kvlTfGdGkRmgEEdza6EhN3jgJtP398-tkwED4MGW3fPwrFsi043-E/s1600/march+14+kayaks+046.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And seeing the birds like this egret...<br />
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And the cormorant spreading its wings in the sun. When the rain stopped.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfFvk_cmYfgjINsHFDTsOcecD8U1LW74iCNA3CRvh05ggMdk8b9YVan5Ur68lr9oM2HGgCG8oPEW-uNayD2OfM9Z3m93omaGJJb8ZIIJa2YGICQkGyRkZlo8Fs0zJGJOtj_70EL_DJPgY/s1600/Rainbow_Brooch_front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfFvk_cmYfgjINsHFDTsOcecD8U1LW74iCNA3CRvh05ggMdk8b9YVan5Ur68lr9oM2HGgCG8oPEW-uNayD2OfM9Z3m93omaGJJb8ZIIJa2YGICQkGyRkZlo8Fs0zJGJOtj_70EL_DJPgY/s1600/Rainbow_Brooch_front.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rainbow brooch by <a href="http://curlypopsfundraising.bigcartel.com/product/curlypops-rainbow-brooch">Curly Pops</a></div>
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If only I hadn't done body combat and pump the day before, my arms may have hurt less.<br />
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One more day in my old job, and then I will have Mondays free-ish.<br />
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Looking forward to April.<br />
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more later.<br />
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claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-51132972140733793152014-03-23T16:20:00.000+10:002014-03-23T16:20:05.418+10:00heartfelt gallery/crop fest remix <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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heart #1: felt and applique pocket</div>
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After what seems like a long break, I'm back on the blog again.<br />
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Meanwhile, I have been trying to adjust to full-time work - in fact, I'm currently doing three jobs, as I am still in my old job for another two weeks, as well as teaching at UQ, and in my new job with Mercy (aka Sisters of Mercy) Services. Which, considering I was basically working only two days a week between November and February, is a huge culture shock!<br />
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Change has been pretty much a constant for the past six months. Perhaps longer, it depends when you start counting. But that is when S. resigned from his public service job, which threw things into flux. <br />
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heart #2: deflated patchwork heart</div>
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heart #3: oven g/love heart</div>
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Finding things that stablise me has been really important. Art has surprisingly not been a big part of this process, at least recently. Art takes time. I did try to tune in to some tutorials by <a href="http://www.sustainablycreative.com/">Michael Nobbs</a> at Sustainably Creative, but found I was too overwhelmed. I remember dad (also called Michael, who was always busy, and who died four years ago this month) saying he played the jazz trumpet as a substitute for painting, as it was easier to pick up and put down again. But I don't play an instrument: basically, yoga, meditation and body combat are my jazz!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fLTmljvmAFDF9OlMedMfpcqsBe9avoDwsSIhGP9vBAFg8Q-QPh9gAlxMKxxjlrkBPsD9FzUWLtGI7wIq_b5tXqIrn_vBzJAQrJHT4uIw4RhezgZzdq6CSGI9icbkgoSE4ceys_nDqpau/s1600/march+hearts+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fLTmljvmAFDF9OlMedMfpcqsBe9avoDwsSIhGP9vBAFg8Q-QPh9gAlxMKxxjlrkBPsD9FzUWLtGI7wIq_b5tXqIrn_vBzJAQrJHT4uIw4RhezgZzdq6CSGI9icbkgoSE4ceys_nDqpau/s1600/march+hearts+070.jpg" height="320" width="296" /></a></div>
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heart #4: Sustainably Creative Heart, drawing</div>
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heart #5: origami</div>
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Dad often painted squares when he did paint, being influenced by Joseph Albers (who painted squares) and Frank Stella (who painted stripes) in bright Pop Art colours. I must admit I love the almost ritual quality of the repeated shapes, and patterns, which he claimed to work out on graph paper. which leads me to my repeated heart shapes in this post. </div>
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The idea came from <a href="http://curlypops.blogspot.com.au/">Curly Pops</a>, aka Cam, blogger and fabric artist, who is creating a tea towel of Instagram heart pics to raise money and awareness for heart and lung transplant recipients via the <a href="http://tourdetransplant.gofundraise.com.au/cms/home">Tour de Transplant </a>currently happening in Victoria (22nd to 30th March). Cam had a lung transplant last year.</div>
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heart #6: flowers and planets</div>
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On Friday night we went to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1379224128983291/">crop fest</a>, at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/532961130125919/">Wandering Cooks</a>, at 1, Fish Lane, West End. </div>
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Sustainable veggie soup, music, and a good community vibe - what more could you want?</div>
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wonky felt rainbow: detail of bigger picture fabric collage</div>
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This is a sneak preview of fabric collage I am (secretly) making for my old workplace, Silky Oaks: its going to be called the Tree of Life, and it features hearts on trees. Now the secret is out.</div>
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I also have to mention the wonderful <a href="https://www.billybragg.co.uk/toothandnail.php">Billy Bragg</a>, who we saw and heard on Thursday night at the Tivoli (yes its been a busy week). Bragg is a great communicator, singer and songwriter with a big heart, who creates an instant community at his gigs. I know, I've been to a few now...</div>
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Here is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/21/busking-billy-bragg-jack-monroe-do-something-challenge">Billy busking</a> with Jack Monroe of <a href="http://agirlcalledjack.com/">food blogging</a> fame. Worlds colliding again...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHcMPn75rxwpSwmVhua1IpjDxVTr73QRLccR_HrtTebjEI_xylJ4uKR9WZFmM4GHbvva8pxsMLYIk16j64WDnRw7mmhZDuWMuo65oAoP2lK2fR9kQXTbTBsasm3WmdxctG_rDfm0Xam2q/s1600/march+hearts+057.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHcMPn75rxwpSwmVhua1IpjDxVTr73QRLccR_HrtTebjEI_xylJ4uKR9WZFmM4GHbvva8pxsMLYIk16j64WDnRw7mmhZDuWMuo65oAoP2lK2fR9kQXTbTBsasm3WmdxctG_rDfm0Xam2q/s1600/march+hearts+057.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a> </div>
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from Mercy Centre, where I attended a mindfulness retreat last Sunday.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHcMPn75rxwpSwmVhua1IpjDxVTr73QRLccR_HrtTebjEI_xylJ4uKR9WZFmM4GHbvva8pxsMLYIk16j64WDnRw7mmhZDuWMuo65oAoP2lK2fR9kQXTbTBsasm3WmdxctG_rDfm0Xam2q/s1600/march+hearts+057.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Perhaps things will settle down soon. </div>
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more later</div>
claire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-735834381068909927.post-30527410935842257622014-03-02T17:30:00.000+10:002014-03-03T07:44:09.593+10:00secular Buddhism 101: 'mudita' and the everyday sublime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>reverse applique felt, embroidery (using rainbow thread) and button mandala</i></div>
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Since becoming aware of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) almost 4 years ago, when I attended my first <a href="http://www.actmindfully.com.au/">Russ Harris workshop</a>, I have also been discovering (and rediscovering) various forms of meditation and mindfulness practice.<br />
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I first learnt Transcendental Meditation (TM) when I was fifteen, thanks to my friend Susan, who suggested we attend a talk one evening after school at the Adult Education Centre in Dartington, South Devon. We went on to learn TM, which involves the repetition of a mantra (or sound), and focusing on the mantra instead of thoughts, which leads to a deep level of relaxation, and change in brain wave patterns, quite quickly. We practised regularly for a while, but being teenagers, we didn't like the feeling of being monitored by the teachers after the class - to be fair, they were only being supportive, but I was very rebellious.<br />
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<i>water soluble oil pastel Buddha face</i></div>
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I practiced TM intermittently since, but started to do so regularly again after seeing the value of mindfulness in my clinical practice, and also as a self-care tool, soon after learning about ACT. My teenage clients are fairly unimpressed with the idea of regular meditation, so I often talk about mindfulness in daily life, instead. This means noticing what your senses are telling you, rather than your thoughts. <br />
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I have just realised I have been doing TM incorrectly, after reading <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/01/transcendental-meditation-does-it-work?CMP=fb_gu">this article</a> by Stuart Heritage, who points out that you are supposed to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes, whereas I have been doing it for 30 minutes once a day. So I am in a ten minute deficit, but no doubt some is a lot better than none. <br />
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I am also curious about the secrecy surrounding the mantra that Heritage refers to. The cynical part of me suspects this is a way of keeping the teachers as the experts, so new learners don't teach their friends - its a pretty simple technique. There was quite a ritual to the giving of the mantra, and it being specially chosen to suit our personality: however, when Susan and I eventually told each other our mantras (against instructions - but we were rebellious teenagers, what did they expect?) we realised we both had the same one, which was kind of deflating. Perhaps that is another reason for the secrecy...<br />
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<i>appliqued new and vintage textile labyrinth meditation path </i></div>
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<i>(which formed part of my social work frameworks presentation - social work is represented by the embroidered tablecloth)</i></div>
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The idea of the labyrinth as a walking meditation path is an ancient one and occurs in a variety of cultures including christianity. I became aware of the potential of the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/au/market/finger_labyrinth">finger labyrinth</a> as a meditation tool through one of my students, also an ACT afficionado, who conducted a pilot research project into using finger labyrinths.Basically the finger traces the path, which resembles a walking meditation path, but is obviously much smaller.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSeAPpZSeIWwbpDEPd6cpIGt_CFLLY2550qEUZ6igC1tOoWR5l0gkcxuKt4lmOeDkF_GYiJI6bW2nNdn3_ocMG046JDviqURVt5p-f_1E2m51wLAvXMkhudEG-EHMNmRks3tkzO7VmKyc/s1600/today+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSeAPpZSeIWwbpDEPd6cpIGt_CFLLY2550qEUZ6igC1tOoWR5l0gkcxuKt4lmOeDkF_GYiJI6bW2nNdn3_ocMG046JDviqURVt5p-f_1E2m51wLAvXMkhudEG-EHMNmRks3tkzO7VmKyc/s1600/today+065.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>sitting meditation - pastels</i></div>
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This weekend I attended talks by Martine and Stephen Batchelor, who teach within the Buddhist tradition, but from a secular and contemporary perspective. The talks included walking and sitting meditations, with a focus on developing 'mudita', or Appreciative Joy, which is one of the four virtues/divine states of dwelling or 'feeling tones' as Martine described them. The other three are Loving Kindness (metta), Compassion (karuna) and Equanimity (upekkha).<br />
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Stephen then talked later about the Everyday Sublime, (he also said to be very wary of any nouns beginning with capital letters, but anyway). This equates to mindfulness in everyday life, and includes appreciative joy, but also suffering, which Buddhism is often concerned with. This all fits very neatly with ACT, which emphasises the human tendency towards'experiential avoidance', or how we try to avoid feeling anything we label bad, sad or mad.<br />
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The main point of Stephen's talk was the role of the arts and the artist in practicing the Four Noble Tasks (often called Truths, but he prefers Tasks, which is also very ACT-ish, as it emphasises action). The sublime is a term from aesthetics, which includes terrifying yet fascinating experiences and the emotions they evoke, as identified by the Romantic poets, for example. Stephen suggests the role of the artist is to articulate the everyday sublime, and this includes:<br />
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<li>Embracing Life</li>
<li>Letting go of Reactivity</li>
<li>Affirming Freedom from Reactivity and </li>
<li>Cultivating this way of life, </li>
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which together leads to Awakening or Enlightenment (more capital letters). <br />
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All very interesting and I feel very inadequate in trying to relay the concepts, but I am hoping this will help me remember and understand, as much as anything. This is quite a long post, and now I am going out to dinner. It was my (our) wedding Uni-versary (we got married on Leap Year Day) this weekend. <br />
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Congratulations if you made it this far, which is also a good thought for an anniversary, albeit not a 'real' one.. embracing the everyday sublime, appreciating the joy, and the wisdom to know the difference, or something.<br />
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more laterclaire edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975955888433883305noreply@blogger.com2