Change

Away from home when big ass earthquake hit New Zealand, felt weird

Best friend moves four blocks from the Eiffel tower, phenomenal skype dates.

Oceans away from my loved ones

Quit smoking

Loved one passed away

Booked tickets to India (today)

Science appreciation

I love scientific illustrations. There is such a wealth of drawings, garage sales are sometimes a gold mine. I was no good at science in school. My teacher was very brilliant but got frustrated when I couldn't understand something. She yelled a lot. After 16 I shunned any interest in science forever.

My boyfriends Dad is both a very interesting man and a scientist. He knows about krill and barnacles and things I didn't know even existed. He even named a crustacean after his wife.  What I like the most is how passionate he is about his work. It's quite inspirational and makes me wonder what on earth I am doing. I appreciate so many things but when I go to take a tentative step in one direction my efforts are shaky and I feel like scratching them out before I have even begun. I guess you just have to be brave and say 'yes this is what I'm doing and even if I fail I really love it so that's that. The end.'

All the colours of the woollen rainbow

The old ladies who work around the corner from me are craft wizards creating glorious masterpieces from their rapidly clicking knitting needles. I can't sew a button on straight but I can appreciate the skill and devotion that goes into these cushion covers. Delicious delicious craft. 

Durer

Two years ago I was walking across the car park opposite my parents house when I found an outstretched decapitated wing much like Durer's rendition above. It was so strange. Where had it come from? And why was there just a wing? What happened to the poor bird? 

Durer has never failed to amaze me with his attention to detail, something I am entirely incapable of due to my lack of patience. To be precise is one thing, Durer also depicted what he saw with emotion. He favoured neither the beautiful or ugly. Anything that was honest was worthy of depiction. His drawing of his mother, above, is one of his best. While she is clearly ugly, old and tired she has been drawn truthfully and with love and adoration without shying away from how harsh her life had been. When I first saw her I was repulsed. Like most good things, she's grown on me. 

Stationery heaven

I had to run out of Loft before I bought everything in sight. Panicky shopping excitement!