Love at the laundromat

it's magic

(out for a walk the other day - King St Newtown -Sydney)

Let them know it's *&^%$#@() time - 25 year anniversary - old favourites - some lovely music to listen to - scroll down first, hit play... any play, pop on your old Koala suit and have a read

"I heard the news today oh boy"  It's 25 years since a who’s who of should-never-have-been (soon to be has-beens) utterly boring popsters sang that annoying song about all the starving people - Look at us boring rich popsters making you feel guilty about gorging yourself at Christmas time - let them know it's Christmas by donating all your money to their despot governments and corrupt officials... Oh, go get Knighted will you! (song - Let Them Know It's Christmas time by Band Aid - in case you want reminding!)

I think it was with that song and all that yelling at crowds when the clever guilt-trip scripting began.  Psychologically refined, it is now employed by backpackers on holiday working as charity collectors....
Smiley healthy young things that call to you as you walk toward them, next to them and away from them saying, "Do you care about the environment / refugees / eyesight ...?"

Unlike the coin collecting Koalas, it's hard to ridicule these nice acting  English / Irish / American folks - likely part of a guilt-trip brainwashing conspiracy because suddenly we all have to be nice, don't we - maybe it's the folate they add to flour...

I measured my not having owned a car or motorbike for 15years, turning off all appliances at the power-point, been using those bloody light saver globes for years (- they save money but they're a bit dim and if you don't see the booger on your face, you walk out of your house with that booger on your face
in public -)
 ...footprint  and said "Fuck off" to someone.
I didn't want to say fuck off... Now that I think about it you know I didn't actually say fuck off, I really said "Oh, get fucked".
I said it as I walked past a visiting clipboard carrying man who spoke to me even though I didn't make eye contact but he didn't ask if I cared, he said, "DON'T you care?" **

But what should a person really do when faced with feeling helpless (refer**)??
SING. 
Yes, that's right, get out a cake tin, give it a tap and have yourself a singalong.
You can simply clap your hands... or not.

It's been a long time since I took some leisure time at RatherGoodDOTcom - close to 5 years - gosh.
 An old favourtie AH and I often sing around the house is La la la la Football - we mess up the words and only sing the easy bits but it's a jolly song (oh except we didn't barrack -am I supposed to spell that Barak from now on lest the lightening comes for me - for England - we cheered on all the underdogs and then the Germans and mostly the women's finals anyway...):


I really like the totally unsound one by those naughty hedgehogs... but I've chosen one of AH's favourites to show here - it really tickles her and for me, well it's another jolly and catchy singalong (and maybe a little nudge about GM and adding things to food and water for the good of the public):





**I'd just heard a report that some scientists have suggested that due to global warming, the carbon monoxide in Eucalyptus trees may become so high that nutritional levels in leaves will drop drastically and Koalas will die out. There really will be drop-bears - dropping out of trees, dead (insert unhappy face made of semi colons and brackets).  The report really shook me up and I figured I would continue to donate independently and when I can to the Australian Koala Foundation rather than give my personal banking details or credit card number to a foreigner standing on a street corner with a carefully scripted set of words.
- "when I can" meaning, oi! EVERYONE, stop being so Nihilist and buy art.
buy my art!  then you see,  I can donate to worthy causes... wow, that's a trip!


A classic sing-a-long:

I’m the Zoology Dragon,
I drive around in my Dragon Wagon,
I invent animals,
(that are) MADE OF CUBES

I’m the Zoology Dragon,
I’m always buzzing and I’m never flagging,
I’ve made more animals than you can imagine,
SO PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR SURFACE TENSION

COW! CUBE!
COWUUUUUBE!
COW! CUBE!
COWUUUUUBE!
I’m the Zoology Dragon,
Making animals is my passion,
I made the elephant and the donkey,

BUT BE CAREFUL BECAUSE THEY HAVE GOT INFINITE DENSITY
COW! CUBE!
COWUUUUUBE!
COW! CUBE!
COWUUUUUBE!

The Queen Comes to Katoomba NSW Australia 12 February 1954

(watching the parade - photographer unknown)

In 1954, the year after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to tour Australia.  The tour included  70 country towns and in Katoomba, an unknown person took photos of the event from the crowd.  These snaps are now a part of my small photography collection.

My Mother was 22 years old and working in a photo development shop in the Blue Mountains with her best friend.  One of the other girls working there, after processing & printing 18 Brownie shots of someone's day during the Royal Visit, printed a set each for her co-workers. 
Mum is good fun when she tells me of slightly naughty things in her younger, pre-marriage years (this week is her 55th wedding anniversary) - normally well spoken, she gets a twinkle in her eyes and with not quite a full giggle tells me stories with the punch line or main anecdote spoken through one side of her mouth, putting on an earlier Australian accent.

The Queen's visit was a huge event for many Australians and remains the most popular Royal Visit to Australia of them all.

A few years ago when visiting my Mother, she showed me the photos and told me about the fun they had at the shop - sometimes there wouldn't be any work* so they'd take corny posed shots of each other, hand to forehead - glamour puss at lunchtime.
Wondering why I'd want those old things that weren't very good anyway, she gave me the unknown photographer's snaps.

One of my activities is restoring old photographs & here is the original scan of the above scene:

It's hard to see all the splotches & scratches here but you get the idea about the exposure & straight-forward development (no dodging, these are direct contact prints from the negatives).  Taking photographs during a bright day in February would always be tricky.

- especially if the photographer appears to be short:

can they see anything? 

* in another shop where my Mother worked in main street of Leura (- she lived midway between Katoomba & Leura -) her kind boss kept her and her friend on the payroll during Winter even though there was hardly any work.  "You could let off a gun in the middle of the main street and you wouldn't even hit a dog"  - on ya Mum

Australia is not a Repulic yet but it may get its independence one day - I do hope my Mother gets to see it happen.

Oh, by the way, none of the photos shows even a tiny glimpse of QEII or even her car!

Monday - quiet & cloudy

Cloudy yes but quiet, no.   Today it's surround-sound power tools - a drop saw just down the way, somewhere else likely an angle grinder & next door a bit of everything that vibrates the wall...

Meanwhile it's a lovely gentle day - low temp, clouds hiding the often too bright sun and a hint of breeze.

looks a bit like this:

modern art

can't remember where I nicked this - somwhere sometime online

Location Location Location

AH and I are vaguely looking at places for rent and I noticed that a Mary Street Newtown house is once again up for rent 6 months after the last time again for $400 a week.
Real Estate agents describe it as:
"We love
The abundance of natural light and air
The short walk to the heart of Newtown
The open plan loft style second bedroom
The leafy rear courtyard, timber benches
The large neat and tidy eat in kitchen "

complete with pretty pic:

doesnt that look nice...

I walk past this house often on my way to our post office box and I can tell you now that the above photo is from over 6 months ago and of course they try for the most flattering looks.  (I suppose only 6 months old is better than the photos of houses for rent that stupidly have digital date stamps on them from 2005 that I've seen recently.)

If you walk just past number 3, well, right next to it you will see an electricity substation. That's right, a big load of lectrickery is your next door neighbour.  Opposite the 1/2 house is a drop in place, a phone company depot (read vans driving in and out with big roller door) and a pub with an exit on King Street and Mary Street (read men urinating on their way home).  It really is only 3 doors away from King Street - the park is at the other end of the street but the transport, lots and lots of it - trucks, buses, cars, really is at your doorstep.

Not long ago I was walking down Mary Street, early evening but still daylight & watched as 2 meth boys smashed a car window and stole what looked like a laptop bag right in front of me.  Now, I do realise that once a gel is over 40 and not of a breeding age, she often becomes the invisible woman but that was ridiculous and just a tiny bit scary.

Does this house come with off-street parking? No, don't be silly, that would mean lots more rent.

This is what it REALLY looks like:

I took this at the end of last week.
Notice all the bakery trays - they are there most of the time.  Notice the open and over-full wheelie rubbish bins? same.   Check out the (lack of) gutter above the verandah - one could think of that as a statement as to the condition of the rest of the house.   In the background I see a palm tree - that must be the "leafy" bit - they drop their dirty great branches with big spikes, heavy enough to kill your cat (they allow pets) but that doesn't matter because if the animal gets past the barbed wire, it will be electrocuted anyway.
Security? I am not going there but I reckon the contents insurance premium will be plus a few hundred and if you have a car...  But remember: location location location!
That's not location that's being certifiable.
By the way, it's better revenue for real estate agents to lease every 6 months then to have long-term tenants.

I just read that it's been rented. 

More from my eclectic collection - Lovely, lovely women

Another from my collection- a real 8x10 photo of Julie Christie Sept 1968 - photographer likely Ron Galella* / during the making of the film, In Search of Gregory  - 1969 (do you suppose that's a real cross-your-heart-bra?)

Lovely Julie Christie... Memorable films with Julie Christie playing excellent roles in that I will always watch again: Farenheit 451, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Go-Between & The Return of the Soldier.  I am not discounting other performances but these are the ones I will always see again.

And while I researched the origins of my real (phowr) photo, I was playing some of my small collection of Francoise Hardy 1960s picture cover EPs & 45s like this gem from the same year as the the JC film, 1969:

To my delight, she does a French version of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne on this record and this is what I'm listening to at the moment:

Comment Te Dire Adieu (love those 3 dancers at the end)

==

*yes it's that Ron Galella the pioneer of paparazzo, famous for losing his teeth to Marlon Brando's knuckles & having his car tyres slashed by Elvis Presley's bodyguards.  I did not know anything about the Julie Christie photo when I originally bought it - it had no information with it.   (I can only assume Galella was allowed on film sets at one time before he began following people (my pic is from 1968 & he bothered Brando in 1973)

Grimm Days

acrylic paint (except for nun shot - digital eraser) cut & paste - once was a little Grimms Fairy Tales Book.  bits from: National Geographic 1953 (boy & guard & dentures), women's weekly 1950s (hungry bird), internet (dildo), unknown (bubbleman), holy card (nun), Grimm's Fairy Tales (script)
(beavis and butt-head sentiments disguised as art - I may need advice from Daria)

I'm not even an Austin fan but I found this fun just the same - now you have to do the quiz

I got sucked in and did one of the quiz thingies but this one flows on with the book theme below - minus the distended belly commentary - and naturally I would not have put this link here unless I scored Elizabeth Bennet.  I suspect a lot of people end up with her as she's the most modern of Jane Austins gels... But still, hah hah, I scored Elizabeth

here's where you go to play the quiz

revisited and in another mood Feb 2011 and I end up being:

Take the Quiz here!

Read any good books lately?

Not today - the temperature is sitting somewhere around 41C (that's 106F) and in Sydney, that feels like oh, 45. We washed 3 loads of clothes, hung them out and brought them back in a few minutes later - well, that's and exaggeration but you may know what I mean.

So, relaxing and reading a book? I don't think so. Anyway I can't drip all over a book today because I'm currently (still) reading the Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor and if I finish it too quickly, there won't be anymore and the writing is just too good not to savour.


Photograph: When they closed Rozelle Mental Hospital, 1000s of old medical books were taken away to be pulped. Lomo fisheye camera. April 2008

I opened one of those books  at random - here's the result (lovely!) oh and that date - it's 1905, not 2005!:

I killed Sally

Well, maybe it wasn't Sally - Sally Slug (pronounced Ssthally Ssthhlug with lots of lisping spit please)- but likely one of her relatives, offspring, neighbours - slugs who would potter about our shower & get fat on mould but I haven't seen any for weeks, months even.  That is likely due to the nasty stuff I use to clean the shower & bathtub with - Sally had been a bit slack & too stingy to employ others so I had to do the cleaning.
Slugs in Sydney grow big and the Sally variety, Limax Flavus (clever, hey - I looked it up) is introduced and a particular biggy, growing up to 10cm long - gross to look at too, all sssthloppy and sssthlimy

like this one but way bigger and lots more slimy (photo from Wikimedia under GNU Free Documentation Licence, which I tweaked a little)

So, it was 2am (I'd been sort of working late as the builders next door can't use circular saws at 2am... but for how long!) and I'm tired, about to brush teeth and, in my favourite shoes ever (10 years old and still going) - not only do I step on an unseen slug but I slip about on it a while.  Stepping on a slug has a feeling about it like nothing else.  For one, they are quite solid and two, to propel themselves along, they use volumes of mucus that I suspect goes into overdrive production upon realising imminent death, in this case while death is taking place.

I figured the poor old slug had just come in under the back door to find a cool respite in one of our tree root bound drains after anticipating the heat wave coming this week .
At least death took place on tiles but it still took an effort to clean up and I ended up squirting the bottom of my shoe with carpet cleaner as Sally mucus would not rinse off.

The floor resembled the remainder of a visit from Warrant Officer Ripley's friend, Alien

come on Sigourney-Ripley, slugs can be nice

(An hour later and I'm all over the place reading about director Ridley Scott & the casting of the 1979 film, Alien and looking for a photo of the Alien extending her jaws dripping lots of mucus - and that's why blog writing takes so long!)

==

Years ago we had a slug plague in our lounge room in a house we lived in; in Erskineville (I should mention our eventually mouldy house in Erskineville).  I told AH that salt kills slugs.  So thinking, like fly spray on a fly, this would quickly eliminate the slugs, she sprinkled salt over about 6 large slugs on the carpet just before going bed.  I did not say how the salt would kill them and the resulting mess, just that it did.  Being a real city kid, they didn't have a lot of suburban bugs, slugs and things to poke sticks at in her part of Berlin growing up, AH had no idea what we would wake to the next day.  The stains are probably still there and the bigoted landlord is probably still ripping off his tenants.

(I stole this photo online from a guy in Wales who keeps many varied and often exotic slugs & snails as pets and posts them on a favourite pets website)

Books unbound

A few months I began mucking around with an old German language dressmaking book - painting over a bit, pulling out a page here & there, wanting to but not feeling collage inspired.
A couple of weeks ago I read of a group show in the US called Altered States where artists get hold of a book, any book & make their own alterations.
A favourite illistrative artist, Shannon Freshwater  was included in this show and I got totally inspired. (when you click on her link scroll down her October 2009 blog to view her book alterations and then hit that arrow button & come back to me)
Sadly, as I've found out in the past, I can't draw for shit (probably why I really like artists who can!).
I retrieved a little UK printing of Grimm's Fairy Tales out from under the desk where I'd kept it for something - to cut up initially rather than stick things into.  I remembered a small pile dated photography magazines destined for the recycle bin & began cutting.
===

1. Bits On The Cutting Board #1-

(currently reading Joe Orton's "Head to Toe" a trippy story of parasites on a giant & other hallucinations  - not sure if it shows in the collages.. but what stimulations don't show? - next on the nocturnal reading list is Flannery O'Connor's complete stories - Southern US gothic with splashings of Catholicism)

2. More Bits On The Cutting Board #2

(had a little read of "Teach Yourself Ventriloquism" published 1917 before wondering what I'd get for it on Ebay - may hang on to it and practice putting words in other people's mouths) 

3. In the book - a city streetscape

4. In the book "The Waggish Musician" -

best refer back to reading Joe Orton... but who'd have thought how useful Judy Garland's hand on a microphone could be.  Is Judy worried?  See if you can find her on the cutting board...

I had a chat about my happy scissor distraction with artist Megan Yeo who has suggested we get a group show going for next year - good O, how fun (love to see what Meggs has in mind!) but why did I pick a book with so many pages in it!!!

Got to go,I've just found some old National Geographics - including the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - includes men in fancy red outfits & little children in their best coats - goody.

nice fly

Hover Flies are about - they are a nice little fly that kills evil aphids and flit about the garden being happy sunny little hovery things.
but how long do they mate for???
this pair was out the front as I waved off AH just now... I watched them a while, chatted, pointed them out,  went inside, looked for the little point & shoot camera, came back out the front & they were still there...

so here they are - fucking little flies:

and what a good time they had!

the sun has set but what's the bet they're still out there...

Still Life at Midday Sunday

I repeat myself when under stress I repeat myself when under stress I repeat myself when under stressI repeat myself when under stress I repeat...
...
- anything in repititon has me reciting the above lyrics by King Crimson - (*here's) the song but you don't hear that line unless you let it play 2 thirds through -
*Postscript February 2010 - the link to the Youtube clip was removed and the only other version I could find was a live one but it's not such a good version - a bit over acted so I'm not replacing the "removed due to (some) violation"

but I'm not saying why I have the same 8 copies of the National Geographic

Spooky #4

shop window Parramatta Road, Camperdown the night before they cluttered it up

Spooky #3

more like - gosh, this looks like a job for Dr Who!

ouch, right in my eye (oh dear, my third eye!!)

Holy card bought in collectables shop yesterday - a bargain at 50c

there wasn't any other script on it - the back is blank, not even a prayer to recite in order to stave off Christian guilt

Still Life at Midnight Sunday

(corner of the kitchen counter - snip snip)

New exhibition...maybe (- part 2)

Re Wednesday's blog - mentioned it to AH - but I got stroppy because any reaction except for cheering sounds like negativity when I'm thinking out my next/current/past - any personal - work... I began with the title 'close to home' no, 'home?' hmmm "Burb?"
Burb ...
sounds good.
So, that's the working title and likely the title and now I've named, no one else is allowed to use it, ok?

Speaking of 'burbs' it's bucketing rain at this moment, which means the builders next door have to go home  

did I say next door? how about right above my head where I am working... then there's the guy that keep walking on the roof - our roof.  "Oh sorry," he says, "Did I give you a fright?"

no, just get off the fucking roof will you

burb:

New exhibition in the making...maybe

I've been going through images & negatives and have come up with the working title "Close to Home" for all the images I've taken in the last while in and around places I've lived in the Inner West of Sydney.

Below - the pie & drinks trailer for the Emu Plains Soccer Club was parked in Newtown a few years ago.  Not something I could easily walk past.

Spooky #2

Doolin - west coast of Ireland (October 2000).  No ghosts here but no paved road - this 500+ year old church & graveyard is off a long walking track - all tall, wet grass, slushy path (the waterproof treatment wore off my shoes the day before...) & brambles.  In the grounds the thick grass hides large holes where graves have sunk - not so much spooky as scary if you don't look where you're walking - that and the occasional stone that falls from the church wall.

Looking at this has prompted me to get some black & white film out of the fridge & load up a camera (stay tuned). 

Stand by your man (till you can stand it no more)

check out this advert a friend sent me (click on it & have a read)

Lysol as a 'feminine hygiene' product -this is a true advertisement.

Her husband is being indifferent towards her so she's told the cause is she pongs.

Lysol, toxic to fish & other creatures I'm sure, was a useful suicide tool, so the thought of using an old rubber bladder with hose filled with Lysol to flush out one's uterus & vagina is beyond me to find a singular word to describe my reaction.


Hopefully she knows to dilute it but if she believes this advert she's pretty bloody stupid.


Where Lysol can be very useful for her if hubby still won't let her sit on his lap and well, really her life is over. Forget turning to vodka or gin - a quick scull of everyone's household favourite, Lysol and her fame will be forever linked with poets and industrial leaders' wives.
Death by Lysol:

English poet, Charolette Mew in 1928
American 'singing' poet, Vachel Lindsay in 1931
Mrs Eleanor Lawson in 1921 (wife of the president of the Allman Gas & Machine Co USA)
and, of course it is the slow death favourite by the dispossessed and poor alcoholics.

Perhaps William Burroughs suggested using Lysol as a douche - although he was more into women using a popular brand of cola (can't remember which book - The Naked Lunch, Nova Express & Junky all merge into the same images of puss and disgust - hmmm, it was likely Nova Express, the most graphic of the 3 me thinks - I read them over 20yrs ago).
 Likely it was one of the promo men with a particular fear dislike of women that thought it would be good. Love and marriage is all about pleasing your man.
 (excuse me while I find a paper bag to yell/vomit into before committing gratuitous acts of heterocide)

love and marriage

she'll soon be using Lysol to hang onto her man...

Hyde Park Sydney Australia 2001 - The groom had a destination fixed in his head as he and his bride were being photographed on 'their day'.  I watched as she battled with her frock & shoes through the heavy mulch in the garden area following his lead.  He did not look back once. Paved walking areas are all over the park.  Such a nice start to a life partnership.

Spooky

I've been trying to find a particular negative - found it after looking for, oh about 2 hours... and along the way I've scanned up some old images such as the above.

This local front door, somewhere in Newtown, I spotted in Spring 2001 - seeing as it's October - season of eallra hālgena ǣfen - (All Hallows’ eve) well, one day really but may as well spook the whole month through.  31st Oct is also All Saints Day - so the word bubble 'help' could be anyone trapped in some foolish religion...

(Ilford HP5 black & white film)

torn

I'm having a series of a personal moral questioning moments today.

Roman Polanski is one of my favourite filmmakers. I've seen many of his films from his student shorts (thanks to SBS TV) and own DVDs of Macbeth, Repulsion, Frantic & The Tenant.
This week, as most people who listen to the news know, he's been arrested in Switzerland at the request of the USA authorities in order to be extradited to the USA for a 1977 offence, which he pleaded guilty of (of a lesser offence) but was not formally charged as he took off as soon as he was able - no formal charge = no statute of limitations.
In the last few years, there have been many priests of various religious denominations that are being charged with old crimes of rape and abuse and the general public is applauding that - "doesn’t matter how the bastard is, lock him up!" The people abused by these clergy are able to resolve some of how they feel and have ended up due to the horror of their childhood.

This is a comparison I've chosen but it's an uneasy comparison - many of the guilty clergy were systematic in their abuse & Polanski, although photographed talking to a couple of (very) young women in Europe around the same time (I recall the photo - he has a bicycle & is in white shorts talking to the girls - but it's in the open folks and everyone has their clothes on), is guilty of one crime at one time.

But what a crime! He talks the mother of a 13yr old into letting the child come unaccompanied to another man's house to photograph her, which he does but he does he drugs her and rapes her, including anally - the kid is 13. I mean, fucken hell, that's appalling.

So where is this girl's Mother? She lets her 13 year old go with him unaccompanied. I mean, does she trust this guy because he's a director? Hasn't she seen his films? In his films there's allsorts including in some; rape, descent into complete madness as well as murder... fabulous films, wonderful films but who lets their 13 year old be taken out of sight to be photographed?

I think when a parent breaches their duty of care with their child, that child is no longer theirs. The Mother had a duty of care, Mother blew that one, didn't she. Wonder why? The sparkle of a big star in her eyes? Her kid gets to be a movie star? This is reminding me of those child pageant fanatics.

Being highly creative and drug-fucked is often the excuse or reason in some cases for dreadful behaviour (John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas is claimed to have raped his daughter on the eve of her wedding while both under the influence of masses of drugs) but there are plenty of other people who have not behaved this way under the influence and his pre-meditation is obvious when he asked to take photos...

Dreadful things have happen in Roman Polanski's life - he was separated from his parents as a little kid early in WW2 and survived the Krakow Ghetto in WW2 but his mother died in the Auschwitz concentration camp (his Father survived Mauthausen-Gusen).

Then, as we all know, his wife and their child in utero were brutally murdered by one of Charles Manson's followers.

Again, it's difficult to reason his raping a girl with his own sorrow and horror - can you imagine all Holocaust survivors and people whose partners have been murdered going around raping children? - then world comes crumbling down.

Having blog-bleated about all this, I need to mention the most notable argument for releasing RP is the survivor of the rape does not want this to go any further. She said no then and meant it and she's saying no again* and again, no one is listening - well the US authorities aren't - and they are the ones that surely should be.

(*now known as Mrs Geimer, the survivor has filed a legal declaration in Los Angeles formally requesting that the outstanding charges against Polanski be withdrawn and she also sued RP & was monetary compensated - so some of his due is "paid" )

The next point is the same as everyone is asking, why now? The clergy cases were not known of and have only come to light now. The Polanski case is 32 years old and the American authorities have no excuse, really.

Maybe the USA is just one big ego trip - and the ego does not want to be seen as being mocked by a foreigner who did a runner.

My last point is the guy is getting older, has made worthwhile contributions to society (- without art there is no society, I reckon -) and has not re-offended since.

The Swiss, who don't ever seem to offend anyone, are really setting themselves up to being immensely disliked.

The Scottish just let the Libyan, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (say that 3 times fast!) go home because he's old and crook - he responsible (with others never caught) of killing 270 people (the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that went down in Lockerbie, Scotland).

Scales of Justice? getting a bit wobbly at the moment I reckon.

I don't know where my soap box is today - it usually begins to crumple sometime but I am perplexed today. I don't think I'm even sitting on it.

How can a strong feminist - me - stick up for a rapist?
I'm not.

My dilemma is reconciling how much I really enjoy respect Roman Polanski's films with what he did. Is he sorry? Has he remorse? His victim, the survivor, has forgiven him but has he asked for forgiveness? To say he does not think about his crime is ridiculous and he surely does feel remorse. If I have any respect for his works, which I do, I have to believe this - just wish I could find his statements about all of this

I'm not reading any of the articles and opinions since I got 1/2 way through an article that parallels what Nazi war criminals did... mmm. Do I smell a celebrity lynching gathering momentum?
I have no respect for the American authorities and I think they blew this one - best you let him go, bow your heads and be humble for once otherwise you may have to explain why you didn't bother for all these years when the opportunity has always been there? He's never been in hiding.

Just when I was going to steer off and mention the USA authorities locking up Australian Greenpeace protesters in hand and feet chains... ummm, and how they treated an innocent man, Australian, Mamdouh Habib in Guantanamo "detainment camp"... oh yeah, Guantanamo...

...there it goes, my soap box just found, has now crumpled.

Postscript 2 October 2009 - It occured to me while discussing this over dinner with friends that none of us know what happened to Roman Polanski when he was alone, 'relying on the kindness of others' as a young child... Again, it's hard to comprehend any of this.
Also, I forgot to reference my information - it comes from all over the place - partly my memory & Wikipedia & various online newspapers - Australian, British, USA

picture this

One a wet day this winter (we did have a couple as I recall) - the only image maker I had on me was the old mobile phone but I had this image printed 48x39cm and it looks fab. 
 Paddington, Sydney Australia 2009

Mary Travers - if the cancer don't get you, the chemo will

Mary Travers - November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009

How sad that Mary from Peter, Paul and Mary has died from the chemotherapy that was supposed to kill the cancer she had - guess it did but it killed her too.

Peter, Paul & Mary played a role in my growing up. When I was little we had limited choices of music to listen to - consisting solely on my Mum's records for many years. Of the few I remember Julie Felix (we played the Old Grey Goose (is dead) a lot), Glen Campbell (bit too boring to a kid although I know the songs - scary!), Harry Seacombe - the goon sang but it was too operatic for us kids.

The record we did play and played and played was the double live 1964 album, Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert. Not only was there some beautiful harmonised singing, it was funny too - Paul Stookey was also a stand up comedian (I still mimic "here they come, there they are, don't look at them!" about teeny girls 'not' talking to boys).
This record made such an impression, I bought myself a second hand copy of the LP as an adult and my Mum tells me that another of my sisters has done the same. I think there's a few of us who have this record (Mum had 7 kids).

PP&M sang folk with political & spiritual themes. Some of the music is early English folk - Oh Waly Waly (called "There is a Ship" on the album) & The Three Ravens - 15th Century songs performed more recently by Counter-Tenor Superstar, Andreas Scholl (sound bites of his versions can be found here ) and it's these folk ballad about loss and death I enjoy most. Even the more religious type spiritual songs of theirs move me... but the roudy folky all together now... well that will do for the moment...(let's not get too carried away)

- I was writing this blog this morning as I waited for the vet to come & have a look at my near 20yr old moggie to confirm the inevitable - that the cat would have to be put down.

 I telephoned my partner to come home from work & the deed was done.

I already had the PPM record on the turntable so I sat the needle to play 500 Miles while my very sweet little animal died.

Compostt - a sweet animal - and really fun company 1989-2009

From my collection - One a Penny Two a Penny Hot Cross Buns

One a penny... (photographer unknown) circa WWII

I have a couple of World War 2 photographs in my small photography collection that I can only make guesses about. 
This one is a real favourite of mine and I've just scanned it larger (it's a standard 3x4 inch shot) & have begun to clean it up.
This image has such a story - Airmen between jobs resting - but where? I thought it was a classroom but the chairs tell me different.  The old English Hot Cross Buns rhyme on the blackboard could possibly give away the time of year (originally thought to be Polytheist or Pagan, Hot Cross Buns is also used by Christians & is thought to have first been mentioned in the early 1700s & the 4 squares represent the 4 phases of the moon) - the cursive writing next to the hotxbuns is not in focus.  The clock looks like it's just after 4.30.  The Airmen are reading & resting - the one on the far left looks like he is reading a letter or he could be flipping through photos taken by the person taking this shot. 
I especially like the boot in the window - do you think it's smelly & getting an airing or was it wet...
The hats suggest (and I'm pretty sure here) these are Australians.
It's printed on Velox paper (a standard Kodak paper of the time) but there is nothing written on the photo - I have no names, or providence except I acquired this one in South Australia over 20 years ago.

"stop buying things online and come for a walk" - so I find a camera to buy

AH got me out of the house the other day - we had a look at some outdoor markets where I scored an excellent Ricoh rangefinder camera, complete with case & box, circa 1960.  I got the guy down to $40.00 (that's AUD) - a good price for a mint camera.  And it looks good too:

mmm, so shiny

So I put a roll of film in it and wound off a few.  The camera doesn't have a light meter so I have to wing it or cart around my rather clunky spot meter - I chose to travel light.

Oh, this little camera is my new good friend (Camperdown Cemetery Sept 2009)

Here comes Mother

My Mother-out-law is visiting Sydney next week. Partner, AH has booked accommodation.

We considered Bates Motel but found something better.




Folks gave up a few years ago in thinking it's OK to stay with us.
Seems I'm really grumpy with visitors in our little house... works for me.

City South End

(Sydney Australia October 2008)

Escape!

(Camperdown August 2009 - this follows the photo in the blog below when I looked up)

Number Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine

(POSTSCRIPT - 29 September 2009 - Oh pooh, the short life of a rating in the speedy world of the internet - my ranking today is now 16054
POSTSCRIPT 10 October - now it's in the 500s - I love the site once again...
POSTSCRIPT Later that month - spent over a week at number 1 & to date at 2 November am at No.2 - has it generated any fine art photograph sales? no but I think someone from Latvia is nicking off with some digital copies...)

That's number 5779 out of 10,000 of the best websites worldwide - gosh!
my website is on the site: Top 10,000


According to their site:
Top10000.info is a compilation of the best websites on the Internet. We scan thousands of websites daily to provide users with the most up to date information.

annnd, people can write glowing reviews (hint hint, begging now...)

"Best" websites - yaye!

gosh, best I update my website... it's been a couple of months... a few


I would also like to point out that the site is my design, not the embedded hosts that put the framework together after which I spent 45 hours getting to look like it does. This is what an artist can do on a minimum (read: nil!) budget and by learning a basic CMS, one is also able to be in control and upload or change anytime.

==
Can't upload a new post with just script so here's a new photo:



sort of matches the subject...

Camperdown 25 August around midday - a bit of a trick to work it out but it's the straight shot as I saw it and I was standing when I took the shot, not squatting in a gutter.
Maybe that lets on I'm a shortarse...

Newtown

dusk sometime earlier this year taken with old mobile phone - while waiting to meet a friend

Francoise Hardy

been having a week of Francoise the Vogue years 1962 - 1967


Merveilleux!