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Jane Cornwell creates soothing and emotional art that speaks to the soul I was accepted for Glasgow School of Art age 16 and I loved it... I have a notebook from school, age 5, with a little drawing of me standing at an easel. I’ve always had a compulsive need to draw, paint and make…
Continue reading ➞ Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Jane Cornwell
*No spoilers "We all live in patterns we do not see. We are all following magic ravens, even when we are lost. Otherwise there would be no story." ~ Sarah Moss, The Tidal Zone. Sarah Moss is now my favourite writer. She seems to be a occupied with the lives of women. However in this…
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss
"The main threats to humankind were once posed by the forces of nature. Now they are self-inflicted. We are the cause of our own problems and they can only be solved at the level of the society that created them. One help would be to collectively rediscover the ancient virtues of frugality, moderation and the…
Continue reading ➞ How to Counter the Anthropocene: Frugality and the ‘Joy of Missing Out’
One of the oldest English words recorded is Anglii used first in the year 98 AD by Roman historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56-120 AD) Anglii i.e "the Angles," literally "people of Angul" (Old Norse Öngull). Tacitus wrote in 98AD in his book 'Germania' about the various Teutonic tribes he came into contact with including…
Continue reading ➞ Ancient Words of the Day: Anglii/Angle/Ankle
Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green Barely known outside of his home country when he was alive, the legendary Japanese ambient composer Hiroshi Yoshimura has grown in popularity in recent decades. He is known as one of the pioneers of Japanese environmental music. Throughout his life, his work featured in TV commercials, art galleries and more. Originally released…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting things I Found on the Internet This Week #18
Learn some new words in Māori during Mahuru Māori/Māori Language Month. Here are the various times of the day...enjoy! Waenganui pō - Midnight Te Pō - Night Atapō - Before Dawn Ata Hapāra - Breath of Dawn Atatū - Just after sunrise Awatea - River of Light Ata - Morning Poupoutanga o te rā -…
Continue reading ➞ Wāhanga o Te Rā/ Times of the Day in Māori
A Shelf-Portrait with Alanis Morissette Rock goddess, highly sensitive person and all-round legendary bookworm Alanis Morissette talks about the books that have shaped and improved her life. A lot of great non-fiction here about mindfulness, spirituality and personal growth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwrLSpHz4lk The mystical beauty of an Ancient Egyptian daughter of Osiris (1913) An anonymous autochrome photograph…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Interesting things I Found on the Internet This Week #17
This week is Māori Language Week/ Te wiki o Te Reo Māori. So I will be sharing some beautiful poems, proverbs and words in Māori and English for you to enjoy. Here is a poem by Haare Williams from his incredible book of wisdom: Words of a Kaumātua. E Pii, e Paa tiny bees swarming…
Do you need some hope in your life? Do you want to feel some love and light in your bones and restore some wairua (spirit) to your life? Here is a beautiful Māori waiata (song) Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art). I'm not really that religious, but this song made me feel something in my…
Continue reading ➞ Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art) by Hollie Smith & Teeks
The Māori language is one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Here are 60 proverbs for you to keep and use. #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori.
Captain Edwin Dyason, master of the freighter Woodfield will welcome any ablebodied seafaring cat wishing to join the crew of his vessel, sailing today for Manila and China. "We missed the ship's cat shortly after we put into port here," said the Captain. "Her name was Cleopatra. She joined on in Fremantle, Australia and did…
"When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann This book could have become a shallow antidote to the internet term for FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. Yet the Joy of Missing Out is brimming with exciting, novel and interesting ideas. It’s a slender book of around 90 pages that’s jam-packed full of…
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann
“Wisdom is oft-times nearer when we stoop than when we soar.” ― William Wordsworth, The Excursion 1814 “Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.”― William Wordsworth “With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.”― William…
Max Frey's Magical Monsters Max Frey (1874-1944) was a German painter and graphic artist associated with the Symbolism and New Objectivity movements. His work in 1920s and 1930s is particularly inspired by Magic realism. Five of the world's weirdest wild dogs I discovered a nice blog run by a pet shop and pet supplies business…
Continue reading ➞ 10 Quirky Things I Found on the Internet this Week #16
Nadir ˈnā-ˌdir (from Arabic) The lowest or worst point. The sunken place of great depression or degradation. Astronomically, it is the point to opposite to the zenith. Merlin by Ralph Waldo Emerson He shall not seek to weave,In weak unhappy times,Efficacious rhymes;Wait his returning strength,Bird, that from the nadir's floor,To the zenith's top could soar,The…
New Zealand is no stranger to woo, religious cults and strange pseudoscientific 'cures' for various ailments. Have a look closely at this vintage 1932 poster from the New Zealand Railways, advertising Rotorua as a 'health spa destination' and peddling all sorts of odd 'miraculous' treatments! Then learn more about the unusual cults that are tucked…
Continue reading ➞ A Compendium of New Zealand Woo, Cults and New Age Claptrap
Great historical novels are fully immersed in time, place and have a tangible effect of bringing you into a time period that you may otherwise never know. This is what’s truly exhilerating about the historical novel. The setting and surroundings become like a fully formed character in the novel. Whether we’re talking about a British…
Continue reading ➞ Seven suspenseful and unforgettable historical novels
*No spoilers Patrick Hamilton isn't really as well known as he should be, which is a crime and a shame. He is a fantastic and yet underrated British writers of the post-war era. You may recognise his work in the play Rope which was turned into a well-known Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name.…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b6h4hYBSgM [I will write a poem about a place that I've been each week with music to match] Neist Point on the Isle of Skye Swirling batons of time Erasing thoughts and hushing life and death On a clear day you can see all the way to Iceland it's said In any case there to…
Continue reading ➞ Words and Music: Stases & Neist Point on the Isle of Skye
A Love Letter to my dog by Leena Henningsen Empath and spiritual seeker Leena Henningsen's videos all have a cosy, gentle and inspirational vibe. She moved from the stressful bustle of Hamburg to rural Norway along with her beloved dog Aivy and her partner. In this intimate and moving short film she talks about why…
Continue reading ➞ 10 uplifting and quirky things I found on the internet this week #15
Here is 10 hours of BBC deep ocean footage in 4K without narration or music. Bliss out and enjoy these wondrous and cute creatures that dance on the ocean floor. No need to watch news just escape to the world of the ocean. No wonder people in ancient times mistook these animals for monsters! https://youtu.be/t_S_cN2re4g
Noun: Vellichor from the Latin Vell (paper) and ichor (essence). An ethereal perfume that is extruded from the earth and infuses old book stores with mystery, wistfulness and nostalgia. Books are worlds unto themselves that reveal tiny and huge universes all co-existing side-by-side. The aroma of books is the smell of the passage of time.…
Soundtrack for story - Hear playlist I saw your name on a wall. I paused and couldn't look away. It was a busy day in our cathedral to capitalism, our hive of activity where there was a lot of people milling around but mostly they were seated, with headsets on like train drivers of the…
