Archives for posts with tag: relationships
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Pavlova succumbs

February 16, 2013 //
2

pavolova thinking

Pavlova is not a particularly convivial companion. She is very focused on her work and defines herself by her successes rather than the amount of friends she has. Instead of going out to parties she prefers to stay at home and have a glass of red wine and win a game of chess against her partner. Harvey is not really a challenging opponent for her, but he plays anyway to keep her happy.

Because of this she still hasn’t been formally introduced to the other Dedes. Harvey is very keen on getting her to meet the others, particularly as he finally became aware that he has a reputation of being a douchbag. He is convinced that when the others see how well he treats his new girlfriend they will change their minds. Little does he know how long it takes to sway the opinion of others once they are firmed up.

I certainly support Harvey’s efforts to get Pavlova to meet everybody and I suggested we should have a little informal get-together tonight as we haven’t had a party for a long time. Harvey virtually begged me to invite Pavlova personally. Only then will there be a chance that she shows up. First of all I thought what a prima donna, but when I spoke to her, I realised she is just very, very shy.

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Categories Art, Digital art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Social Network

First sight of Pavlova

February 12, 2013 //
6

harvey and pavlova

Of course the Dedes are watching Harvey’s every move as they are so curious about his fiancee Pavlova. (They have already agreed it is a very unfortunate name). Last night, they finally got the long-awaited first glimpse of her when the two love-birds had a clandestine meeting in the back garden, where they spoke under their breath.

Gee, she certainly isn’t a stunner with her extremely long teeth and the huge gap between them. Harvey doesn’t seem to mind a bit. He looked at her so tenderly but he might be wearing rose-tinted glasses. From where the Dedes were standing they didn’t look like a close couple. In fact it appeared rather one sided and they gave the impression they had some sort of problem.

After overhearing the prying crowd’s conversation I would advise Harvey to introduce Pavlova as soon as possible to the rest of the Dedes before gossip becomes rife. Unfortunately it can happen… a new puppet appears on the scene and the first remarks by the close-knit group of Dedes are nothing but scathing. They jump on every exposed weakness. I had to tell them not to be mean. Poor Pavlova. She might have a rocky road ahead of her!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Harvey’s news

February 10, 2013 //
6

harvey smuggy

Remember the gambling rabbit, Harvey, who cheated his way into the Super Dede competition before Christmas? He made himself scarce after he realised he offended a few too many Dedes, in particular the female ones.  The ladies were really upset about his behaviour. One of them, I think it was Foxy Lady, said they should have left him in the 1970’s, the way he talks! She certainly wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole.

Now he is back!

And by Dede he has changed! He has got quieter. Gone is the hyper-activity and loudness. The Dedes were stunned and wanted to know where he was and how he’d fared. He told them he had dug himself a burrow on the hilltop and watched the sun rise and set each day. He knows now the way he treated women was totally wrong. If he had continued like that a serious relationship would remain a pipe dream. And he can reveal it now, this was his New Year’s resolution… he desperately wanted to find a partner.

One day, when he was down, he poured his heart out to Philosopher. No woman, at least none of the marrying kind, wanted to stick with him. Philosopher suggested he should go into recluse for a while and ponder about the importance of life. Because if he wanted something so badly, but couldn’t get it, his approach must be wrong.

“And?” Mouse, the little gossip asked outright, “how is the love-life then?”

“Great!” Harvey rejoiced. “I found my princess!”

“Who is it?” “Do we know her?” “What does she do?” Everybody wanted to know more.

“No, you don’t know her, she just moved here. Her name is Pavlova…”

“Oh, don’t tell me!” Smuggy said deprecatingly. “She is not one of those, is she?”

“What do you mean?” Harvey walked up close to him and looked him in the eye “I recommend you too should sit on a mountain top for a while. It would do you a world of good. Honestly, you don’t even know her. Only because she has a foreign name doesn’t mean she is one of … as you call it… those! I forbid you to talk about my fiancee like this!”

There was a noticeable silence. Mouse and Foxy Lady looked at each other –  this was indeed a novelty… Harvey defending the reputation of a girl. They knew there and then, that she really must be someone very special.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Lost interest

February 8, 2013 //
8

Devil and sculpture-1

I should have known it, really! After what I said yesterday about Sunny… he has lost interest already. He is not known for his stickability! He left his sculpture lying on the doorstep and walked away. Just like that!

This morning when Devil got up he saw a little white dot sitting on the edge of the jumbo bin. Nobody knows how it got there. It must have walked and climbed all night. And now it was sitting there, looking into the abyss.

Devil was out in a flash and called: “Don’t jump, don’t jump!” The little sculpture looked up and Devil continued in a soothing voice: “I know you are not real, but there is no need for this.”

A thin little voice answered: “I know I am rubbish, just let me go where I belong. Then it’s over and done with.”

“No, no, please don’t” Devil said, “You are a cute little thing. What was said on the blog yesterday wasn’t about you… it was about Sunny. Him not having ideas of his own.”

“But they said I am a fake… And it is so true.”

“Don’t worry, you are not the only one” Devil shook his head. “We still love you.”

“Really?”

“As long as you don’t pretend to be something else!” Devil added quietly.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Exhibition

February 6, 2013 //
6

sunny scavenging-1-2

Today is a holiday in New Zealand. It is Waitangi Day. On this day in 1840 some (but not all) Maori chiefs signed a treaty at James Busby’s house in Waitangi. The document put the inhabitants of this country under English protection. Unfortunately the translation into Maori sounded somewhat different from the English version. And of course it is wide open to interpretation.

I am relatively relaxed today and finally summoned all my courage to tell the Dedes that I will have a Solo Exhibition at the end of June for two weeks. I haven’t signed the contract yet, but it is pretty much teed up. So, why did it take me so long to tell them?

When I first started to discuss the exhibition with the gallery back in November, the curator suggested I should sell the puppets at the show. But I am very hesitant, after all they are the protagonists of my books and my blog. I can’t just sell them off. But of course, the gallery needs to earn some money. So I will have to have something to sell. Fortunately I still have four month to think about it. It could be large photographic prints (but would someone be interested in buying them?) or some specially made puppets that don’t appear on the blog (How much use is a single puppet?). Questions and more questions and I don’t know the answers yet. I had to promise the Dedes though, that all the existing puppets are safe. Don’t tell them, but I crossed my fingers behind my back, when I promised. I admit, it’s not a very nice thing to do, but who knows what happens in four month. Never say never!

The Dedes seemed to have mellowed a bit since I last broached the issue of sales back in November. Then I had a riot on my hands and it took nearly a week to calm them down. Today, they just said it was wonderful news and they are looking forward to having a gig in the real world. Then they went off and continued doing their own thing. It makes me wonder if some of them aren’t ready to emigrate. Maybe Bobby is looking for a new job, or Cash Cow wants to move out of the garage. Who knows!

After my announcement, I made myself a cup of tea and sat on the deck for a while. I watched Sunny scavenging through the builders rubble and putting stuff to one side in a little pile. Sunny is a wannabe artist and he even imitated L’Artiste’s dress today. Personally, I don’t think I have ever seen him do any work. Though he is very good at talking about what he is going to do one day, when he has found a patron. So, I was more than surprised, seeing him dragging bits and pieces onto the deck.

“What are you doing there?” I asked as the stash grew.

“An artwork of course, I thought, now that you have organised a gallery space, I might be able to slip one or two of my artworks in. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“I can’t promise right now, I have to see them first.”

“I have this brilliant idea and you have to brace yourself… You will be blown away, just wait!”

First I have to see if he actually finishes something by the end of June.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Lou’s heartache

February 5, 2013 //
2

love sick lou-1

With the new crammed living conditions, Lou’s heartache flared up again. He is head over heels in love with Skeleton and doesn’t know what to do. Skeleton on the other hand finds his attention extremely scary and doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. She is in a steady relationship with Monster and has no intention of leaving him. Young Lou is quite depressed about it all and lies around a lot, doing nothing but staring into space.

This of course affects all the Dedes in a way and everybody has an opinion. I had to think long and hard about how to deal with it, and finally made up my mind last night: I am going to write a follow-up book to ‘Hermit’s Web’ in which Lou’s sufferings of unrequited love are recounted. A book just gives me that much more space to characterise everybody involved in more detail. I am really excited about sitting down and writing a longer story again and of course taking all the pictures to go with it. And don’t worry, the reports of daily life will continue on the blog.

When I told Lou about my plans, he just shrugged his shoulders and said: “Who cares, she still won’t love me”, but I thought I could detect a slight smile around the corner of his mouth. I think he might be just a smidgen pleased that somebody finally takes his pain seriously, even though he would never admit it.

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Categories Art, Books, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Caught

February 3, 2013 //
4

pig catflap

A building site does have a strange attraction, doesn’t it! There is so much to see and do. No matter how often I tell the Dedes they shouldn’t go there, they just can’t stay away.

This morning they kept their voices down so they wouldn’t alert me to their whereabouts, but of course I could make out the pitter patter of their feet in the old living room. When I opened the door a fraction to check out what they were doing now, I heard the ca-lonk, ca-lonk of the cat flap opening and closing and saw them all escaping onto the deck. Only fat little Pig, the last one, got caught in it.

Pig’s mate Professor was very distressed about the accident and tried to pull from the other side. It must have hurt a bit, as Pig was  squeaking and squealing. I’m pretty sure the entire neighbourhood thought we were preparing it for our  Sunday roast. My biggest worry was that the noise would attract Nosy Neighbour’s attention and he would come over.  I couldn’t have coped with him on a Sunday morning, so I quickly helped Pig out. But I was certainly not impressed that they had ignored my warnings yet again.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Rough and tumble

February 1, 2013 //
2

rob riding boar

I thought it might be difficult for the Dedes to find something to do in their new confined space. Quite the opposite has happened. They are livelier than ever. It is like they have been let loose in a lolly shop. They are not doing much together at the moment. Instead, they are all exploring their new surroundings by themselves. Last night there was a big roar and when I looked behind the sofa I found Rob’s blue eyes staring at at me, as if he had done something terribly naughty. It seemed like Rob had found himself a new mate on the first day. That is surprising, as he doesn’t make friends easily. I’m not quite sure if this is a two-way friendship though. The old boar looked very exhausted from the rough and tumble play with Rob.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Relatives found

January 31, 2013 //
0

deutsch fraulein book

Deutsch Fraulein (German Girl) is a relatively quiet one who doesn’t cope well on her own. She always needs to be in a relationship and when she is in one, she is very clingy. Regrettably, this drives people away from her. For a while she was together with Monster, but this ended with a really bad break-up. Then she hooked up with Bad Conscience and this seems to be an on-and-off sort of relationship.  I don’t know whether it is currently on or off.

When we moved, Deutsch Fraulein found an old family album that was handed down to me. She has looked through it every night since. I realise now how important family is to her and I assume she would like to start one of her own. She wants to know who all these people in the photographs are. Sadly, I have to admit I don’t have a clue. It is a pity and there is nobody left I could ask. All I know is that they are somehow related to me. I should have asked when I still had a chance.

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Categories Art, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Here comes Chance

January 24, 2013 //
2

minor and rob-2

Chance kept her promise and met up with her niece Minor. After a long warm hug, they sat down and Minor immediately started spluttering on about her mother Detail. She plainly doesn’t understand her anymore. She has become increasingly short-tempered and the most infuriating is that she seems to be able to listen to everybody else and give good advice, but not her own daughter. All her friends come flocking to her and pour their hearts out, but when it concerns her own daughter, she is incapable of listening, let alone  understanding. She constantly pesters Minor to let go of Rob, the scoundrel.

“Mum, just doesn’t know Rob as I do” Minor said. “He has a heart of gold and he really loves me.”  She showed this photograph and Chance agreed they look like a lovely couple. Then Minor went on to tell her aunt that Rob hadn’t had a good start in life. He is not entirely sure where he comes from, so there they have something in common: Minor doesn’t know her father. But unlike her, Rob just fell in with the wrong crowd. Yes, he has done some naughty things in the past, but he wants to change and she, Minor, is the one who can save him.

“Can’t you talk to Mum?” she beseeched her aunt in the end.

“Mhm, I would love to, but you know as well as I do, if I say something, the shit would really hit the fan. Wouldn’t it? This would infuriate Detail even more.”

“I don’t know what I should do. I am at my wits end” Minor said resignedly. “She just doesn’t want to see my point of view. Maybe I really should elope with Rob. That’s what he wants! Start a new life somewhere else, where nobody knows us.”

“No, you can’t run from your problems, Minor. It would break your mothers heart and it will take years to mend.”

“I don’t care!” Minor responded huffy. “She doesn’t love me anymore.”

“Now, that is not right. On the contrary, she loves you too much.”

“So, tell me, what shall I do then?”

“Whatever you do, don’t burn your bridges! And don’t deliberately hurt in anger. Maybe write a letter to your mother. Explain to her how you feel. She can read a letter in her own time and take in what you have to say.”

“A letter? You mean on paper?” Minor exclaimed… “Can’t I just send her a txt?”

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network
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