Friday Chill and Colour

Last night was the inaugural 'Chill and Colour' workshop held as part of the reboot of ann.russell.art classes. Essentially the premise is that people get together, book the studio and do some arty things along with some drinks and nibblies as a Friday night wind down. The ladies seemed to enjoy themselves and produced some great work in a limited amount of time. If you are interested in organising a group yourself, contact me at ann@annrussellart.com.

Taking a moment

Last week I was taking the back roads to get to an appointment and was stopped in my tracks by this beauty. I had to stop to avoid running her over, and decided to stay until she had completely crossed the road safely, just in case someone came from the other direction. The weather is cooling and she was moving pretty slowly, so the road crossing took about 5 minutes. So nice to take 5 and be in the moment with this beautiful creature.

Real Men Don't Hate Cats

Recently, I heard a male television presenter - one I had hitherto respected - declare that he doesn't like cats. I experienced immediate disappointment and expressed to my family that on this basis, I didn't like him as much as I had.

My daughter immediately dismissed this as nonsense and a stupid way to determine a person's likability. Perhaps. But I maintain that the stating that 'I don't like cats' is indicative of some deeper issues - ones that smack of misogyny and a considerable distance to travel before becoming a socially and spiritually evolved individual.

Why? Well for starters, 'I don't like cats' (or worse, 'I hate cats') is a very different statement to 'I prefer dogs (or fish, or birds, or guinea pigs...or whatever)'. A lot of people I know prefer dogs, including lots of women. Totally fine by me. This statement indicates a general affinity for animals, but a preference for the characteristics of dogs (or whatever). 'I don't like cats' writes off the entire species, and makes no allowance for individual differences. Further, it indicates a dislike for the characteristics common to cats and for anything they might stand for.

And consciously or otherwise, they stand for the feminine. We've all heard the saying 'Cats were once worshiped as Gods and cats have never forgotten this'. In point of fact, Cats were primarily worshiped by the ancients (like the  ancient Egyptians) as Goddesses, female Gods. Goddesses such as Bastet, an Egyptian Goddess were associated with the moon, considered feminine due to the similarity of its cycles with the cycles of menses. The link with cats was due to the moon-like qualities of cat's reflective eyes.

Cats are enigmatic - as Sir Walter Scott says, 'a mysterious kind of folk'. They can't be nailed down, they are visceral and other worldly. They are often moody and are fiercely independent. These are characteristics often associated with women. We call difficult, contentious women 'catty' or 'bitches' (the derogative term synonymous with that which refers to female dogs). There is something overwhelmingly feminine about cats, and as such, they don't appeal to some men.

Men who 'don't like cats' often talk about how the only good cat is a dead cat, and apparently fantasise about ways to eliminate them in the cruelest and most undignified ways. I don't have the best experience with horses - suffice to say horse-riding lessons were a disaster. But I still respect horses as beautiful, even magnificent wild creatures. I would never do anything to hurt them. Non-cat people, though, are often highly amused by inventing ways of torturing and maiming cats. I have no well-researched evidence, but I am willing to bet that the majority of cat-hating men, tend towards the chauvinistic. How many male perpetrators of domestic violence have 'I hate cats' on their CV? By contrast, many learned and creative men are self confessed 'cat people' : Christopher Walken, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jules Verne, T. S. Elliot, Sigmund Freud and even Chris Hemsworth among them.

Yes, real men, the ones worth knowing at least, don't hate cats.

Coastal creativity

What has become an annual break at the Sunny Coast proved to be a relaxing and creative break, despite the odd trip back to Brissy to take care of a few things that couldn't be done earlier. Some photos, including some art work that I managed to do whist inspired by the magnificent view.

Peacock

The other day when I got home, my daughter told me she had heard a bird call that sounded like a peacock. I admit that I dismissed it at first. But very shortly I heard the same call - definitely a peacock. Probably half an hour later what should stroll past the lounge room?  This beauty. He had obviously absconded from somewhere and was strolling around our estate. Haven't seen or heard of him since. Hope he got home okay.

Koala spotting

A bit hard to see due to fading light, but this koala was in one of our trees at the front of the property this evening. Koalas are very vulnerable due to indiscriminate land clearing, particularly around here, so it is good to know that our little patch is sustaining some individuals.

Spring

Spring has sprung, and I have been inspired to photograph some flowers. These ones are just from plants under my patio the other day...orchids (yes, I have orchids - they are alive and everything!), a slightly out of season zygocactus and the weird and wonderful broms). The hot weather has convinced them to all pop out, although today it is wet and cool. Not that there is any such thing as climate change, mind!