This is a much better image of a Tui bird, than the one I took last weekend. I have taken this one seven years ago. I remember clearly, there were no cats on the premisses… It makes a huge difference.
When I received the Sunshine Award recently, I had to think for a while whether I will participate in passing on the award or not. In the end I decided to go for it. Mainly because I appreciated the gesture of the person who gave me the award. I know she is a regular reader of my blog and judging by her likes and comments, she obviously enjoys it.
To answer the questions was relatively easy. I believe the answers say more about the people answering the question than meets the eye.
The third part was the most difficult one, passing the thing on. After a bit of deliberation I viewed passing it on as an extra acknowledgement. Not just a like for one particular post, but a big like for the entire blog for various reasons. I left some of my favourite blogs out as I assumed (assumptions are often flawed) the recipients wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. All those people who received the award from me can be sure I check their blog regularly, even if I don’t leave my mark (like). And be assured, I can very well understand if you don’t pass it on, it’s up to you :).
Unfortunately, one of my recipients got tired of receiving too many awards. There is a bit of work involved in passing an award on and to make his life easier he packaged his latest three awards into a new one: The Super Nova Blogging Star Award. The new award is given to two bloggers only and to simplify once again he bounced it back to the last two people who gave him an award. So, I got lucky again :)
I believe his intentions were to make the award system easier, by just asking one question: “Why do you blog?”. Mmmmhm. In my opinion, this question is in desperate need of the right intonation! It could be a simple innocent question (which most bloggers answer on their About page) or it could be a real anti-award statement, basically saying “I don’t get it… Why do you blog?” And then it would be anything but an award you would want to receive.
Once again, since this blogger reads my blog, I will go with the first of my two interpretations and accept the award.
The dede puppets correct answer to the question “Why do you blog?” can only be
We blog, therefore we are!
And the two new recipients of the award are… Now this depends on who wants it?
I invite you to apply for it! If you have something to say about the subject, go for it. As you have read this far I guess you must be interested, so have your say and leave me a comment. I will choose two recipients in due course!
The award was donated by Christopher Charron on his blog Off the Wall: http://christophercharron.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/more-awards/
I have to say, for me the expression “making friends” has taken on a new dimension. Yesterday my Dedes and I were invited to hold a workshop with elderly people in October. So it is still a while to go and I have heaps of time to think how I am going to do it. However, after our last outing I have a fairly good idea what could work. And I am looking forward to it.
Yesterday I finished the Fairy Godmother. While I was watching TV, I played with her for a while, to figure out her traits. No matter how I turn her, she looks very benevolent. A good thing for a Fairy Godmother, right? However, I wanted my one to be a retired Fairy Godmother by the name of Mrs Esta Blished, but this just didn’t work out. I can’t see Esta in the finished work at all. So Mrs Blished will have to be another puppet. I definitely want her too.
This morning, when I opened the curtains in the living room, the Fairy Godmother was still lying there and she looked as if she has just awoken from sleep herself. I couldn’t resist taking her photo as she was.
I wanted to start this day by taking a photograph of a Tui. These native birds love to congregate in one of our trees in the front garden. Their beautiful song is just such an invitation to get up and get going.
Unfortunately Tuis never sit still and it wasn’t an easy task to catch one. The sun just touched the crown of the reasonably high tree. Only one of them popped up long enough for me to get a couple of mediocre shots. It’s good that I don’t need high res images, so I could crop it drastically. It’s not an artwork, it’s just to show what the birds look like with their shiny black plumage and the two curly white feathers on their throat.
I walked around the tree to get a better angle, and there I found this mean looking little cat sitting under the same tree also waiting for the Tuis. I guess he thought the song was an invitation for breakfast.
I thought I would finish this week with a generic feel good photograph I took this morning in the garden. It is a glorious day out there. Monday is a public holiday, courtesy of the Queen. It’s her birthday (as an aside for all those people who are not living in the Commonwealth – or is it Common Wealth? Ah no, impossible!).
I have a lot of stuff lined up I want to continue on. The dede puppets had some news this week, but they are still pondering whether it is a blessing or a curse, so they are not making a statement just yet…
I’ve just got my first award… I know there a quite a few different ones out there and I don’t know what they mean. But it is very nice to find out that someone finds your musings interesting enough to bestow you with an award, even though it is sort of a modern day chain letter. Can you remember these chain letters? They always scared you, you will get the plague or something similarly undesirable if you don’t pass them on. I never passed them on, because I was curious about what will happen… But I am digressing….
So I’ve got the
Sunshine Award
These are the instructions for earning this award…
Link the award to the person who gave it to you . . .
I’ve got Sunshine Award from Mindretrofit . Thanks Angel, despite my spiel above it is very much appreciated.
- Answer the questions that come with it
- Pass it along to 10 people and let them know they have received it
Here are the questions:
And my answers
Favorite number:
My best friend’s phone number
Favorite Non-alcoholic drink:
Is there such a thing? Just kidding! It’s definitely hot lemon juice.
Facebook or Twitter:
Sorry, neither nor… A 3H Pencil and Paper!
My Passion:
This certainly goes to my Dede puppets. If I say anything else I would get into trouble with that lot again.
Favorite pattern:
The pattern of behaviour, but only once I’ve figured it out.
Favorite Day of the Week:
They are like children, I simply can’t favour one.
Favorite Flower:
The Flower Power = Peace!
The next part is much more difficult: but what the heck, we all need a little sunshine… and as you don’t get the plague if you ignore it… So, in no particular order:
When I met the senior citizens last week, an elderly gentleman asked me whether I make the puppets first and then invent their character traits, or whether I conceive their story first and then make up the faces.
It goes both ways. With Chance for example, I accidentally pushed her face in when she hadn’t dried properly. I looked at her, and not wanting to throw work out, decided she must become Chance, the weird ol’ bird. I strongly believe in every mishap lies something good.
At the moment I am working on a new character and in this case I have the complete story and will make the puppet (hopefully this weekend). The puppet is called Mrs Blished, the Fairy Godmother. In lieu of a photograph, here is a very rough draft. And, yes, her eyes look suspiciously like the ones of my blind cat.
Okay, Mrs Blished is the only one who insists on being addressed as Mrs, but we all know her first name is Esta. Hard to believe she was young once and rebellious (it’s amazing what you find out when you visit a rest home). Now she lives by a very rigid set of rules and keeps herself busy protecting her assets, while her wand collects dust in the attic.
Her rule thing would be okay if she needed it for her comfort. Unfortunately she expects everybody else to adhere to the same rule set. I might be a bit naive, but our opinions differ a lot lately.
Recently the Dedes and I had an outing to meet some senior citizens. A friend of mine runs a social morning and we were invited to come along. The puppets were in fine form and behaved themselves (as long as I had them under control). Some of them became a bit cheeky when they mingled with the folks. They are brilliant performers and were quite a hit. I thoroughly enjoy watching people engage with them.
I have to set a record straight: Chance is not Lady Fortune. Chance is a dear friend of mine, but I am not acquainted to Lady Fortune. Apologies… this is not entirely correct: I knew her way back at school, when she still was Miss Fortune. I haven’t kept in touch with her. Why should I, I couldn’t stand her then and I wasn’t the only one wary of her, nobody liked her. She, on the other hand, was attracted to a few of us and followed us around like a bad smell. We just couldn’t shake her off. Only when we left school our path parted.
Thinking back now, she must have been very lonely. She was an only child and inherited the title and a lot of money when her father died. Devil says he meets her from time to time at the pokies, and the punters there, really love to see her. It’s a bit sad, isn’t it? But I won’t go there.
dedepuppets 