older female geeks

Natalie d'Arbeloff, artist, cartoonist, author of the amazing 'The God Interviews' and blogger with alter-ego Blaugustine continues to inspire me with her colourful career and many talents, her humour and her energy.

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FOUR

    Researching how long blogs have been around, I was surprised to not find a definite answer. Let's just say, this one here still seems to be a youngster on its fourth birthday! The writer behind it is slowing... [Continue Reading...]

January tree fest

The holidays are not quite over yet, today is the 8th day of Christmas after all, AND there's also a new Festival of the Trees to cheer us. The Festival of the Trees is a monthly blog carnival devoted... [Continue Reading...]

trees of my year

Many of us are looking back on the past year as it's nearing its end. Photography having become more and more a passion for me, I like to look through the year's photos. They may be observations of the little... [Continue Reading...]

Looking back: Lucia's Day

I am finding that one of the downsides of being a blogger for more than two or three years is that I feel that more and more I begin to repeat myself. Yet, readers come and go though there are... [Continue Reading...]

a stimulating weekend

On Friday, November 16th, our youngest grand-daugther had her second birthday. November 16th is a significant date for me and as this blog is kind of a diary as well, I enjoyed looking up past posts on this date.... [Continue Reading...]

witchy trees

    Come, my dearies, for a tour of my woods         See, here is the witches' castle         Meet Witch Hazel         and Witch Rowana         Here's Raven         There's our resident treehugger witch.... [Continue Reading...]

moved by beauty

We had a warm sunny day today, almost blindingly bright after a long spell of gloomy rain. The beauty of the fall colours in the trees lining many of Vancouver's older streets gave me great pleasure as I headed... [Continue Reading...]

the artist and the environment

I've been thinking about what I could contribute to the world wide discussion raised today with Blog Action Day. I decided to talk about my behaviour as an artist as well as a homemaker. As an artist concerned for... [Continue Reading...]

Seven years and Thanksgiving

The amazing wood s lot is 7 years old, and that's a lot in blog years! In addition to his ever rich cornucopia, for the past few months Mark has been posting his own beautiful photos of his home... [Continue Reading...]

forest in our backyard

    About two weeks ago, I made a long overdue first visit with some of my family (who'd been there before) to the very popular, though awkwardly named Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve located in the North Shore mountains behind... [Continue Reading...]

rock-flipping

    Today, thinking about finding some rocks to flip for the International Rock-Flipping Day, we thought the beach might offer up some interesting possibilities. So we checked the tide tables - low tide at 4:00 pm. We headed out... [Continue Reading...]

August 12th stardust

Like Mouse in France, I wanted to wish on a star, or actually on the Perseids, last night but it was raining. I have more than one good wish and remembrance on this auspicious day: Happy anniversary to our... [Continue Reading...]

about Photoworks

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my favourite sculpture

First I saw Ossip Zadkine's De Poeet, then Tuumailua's challenge to bloggers to post their favourite sculptures. So here's my choice of current favourite, especially one located in Vancouver: Magdalena Abakanowicz' Vancouver Ancestors, posted a year ago. I'm wondering... [Continue Reading...]

catching up

This blog has taken a back seat for a few days while I've been enjoying a visit from our eldest daughter. She lives with her partner some five hours by car northeast of Vancouver in a tiny community, half an... [Continue Reading...]

interview, revisited

Two years ago on May 11, 2005 I wrote: Melanie McBride of chandrasutra felt that Big Media has been misrepresenting bloggers and decided that it was time we spoke for ourselves and let them (and everybody else know) who we... [Continue Reading...]

thinking blogs

Wow, this blog has been named a "thinking blog" by Peter - poet, writer, husband, father and spiritual guide extraordinaire of Another Country! I'm thrilled and honoured to be included in such good company, and especially pleased that Peter... [Continue Reading...]

connections

I have often mentioned that finding connections and being inspired by them is very much a part of the way I think and find ideas for my art work. One of my print series is even called Nexus, which... [Continue Reading...]

broken blog

On Thursday evening (March 1st) this blog suddenly appeared very odd in design and showed only some of my very earliest posts from 2004 on the main page. The links (underlined as of yore!) went to wrong pages using the... [Continue Reading...]

THREE!

ONE, TWO, now THREE years of blogging! I've surprised myself, when I recall my very tentative beginnings with this "art" project, as I like to think of it. Thank you all for your inspiration, encouragement and warm friendship. UPDATE:... [Continue Reading...]

five things

I've been tagged for a meme called FIve Things You May Not Know About Me, thanks to Jean at This Too. My, I had to think long and hard on this since I've already revealed much about myself on... [Continue Reading...]

a blog survey

If you are a blogger, you may be interested in filling out this quick survey Why Do You Blog? It took me only a few minutes to do. Thanks to Cassandra Pages for the pointer.... [Continue Reading...]

first time

Qarrtsiluni's current theme is "First Time". I'm happy to note that my submission "First Love" is up, so please go have a look.

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must-see artworks

The new Guardian's Art Blog looks interesting. Critic Jonathan Jones kicks off with his picks of 20 great art works for a definitive list of the 50 works of art to see before you die. Readers' suggestions to add... [Continue Reading...]

wombat's world

checked out a link back to my blog from Wombat's World -the writer was going to Finland to see the Astuvansalmi rock paintings!

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rock paintings & blogs

I'm thrilled whenever I come across images of ancient rock art unexpectedly and this has just happened twice over two days. Regular readers will know that it's a subject of great interest and inspiration for me even in my own art making.

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September 1st

Hey, it's September 1st already! For much of my life it has represented a beginning of a new year, as a child going to school, then as a university student. Later I went to school as a teacher for... [Continue Reading...]

a malady

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meeting bloggers

For the first time in two and a half years of blogging, I personally met another blogger face to face yesterday. Susan and I haven't known each other for very long, but when I learned she and her partner... [Continue Reading...]

short shorts

'Short shorts' is qarrtsiluni's summer theme. If you haven't yet, do read the eclectic and thoughtful submissions so far. Consider submitting your piece of writing, art or photograph. Rachel's Chevra kadisha is movingly beautiful and sad. It made me think... [Continue Reading...]

artist's hand

Many Finnish bloggers have jumped on board Valokuvatorstai or Photo Thursday. Each week Thursday a new theme is presented. Inspired by this...

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thirteen cent pinball

Our youngest and very talented daughter has caught the blog bug! I am proud to introduce Erika's blog thirteen cent pinball.

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I'm back!

We just arrived home this evening from a very interesting six-day driving holiday to Alberta and back, with lots of stories and photos to share for several days to come! A warm thank you to everyone who emailed and sent... [Continue Reading...]

human or robot?

I am seriously considering setting up comment registration with TypeKey. It is free for everyone, even if you don't have a blog. It requires registering only the first time. I know it's a bit annoying, but isn't it a great way to find out if the commenter is a human or a robot?

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Art Daily returns

As Sam plays 'As Time Goes By' once again, Ignacio Villarreal announces the return of Art Daily, like the phoenix arising! He writes movingly of overcoming health and financial problems and bringing back his 10 year old pet project and... [Continue Reading...]

prunings, rockpiles & pennies

Some recommended reading today: 1. PRUNED is a blog about "landscape architecture and related fields", which includes earth art. I've been browsing through the archives finding treasures like panographies. PRUNINGS I to XX on the sidebar offers many eclectic and... [Continue Reading...]

troubles and treats

Saturday morning I had a major shock on opening my blog and finding a commercial page on it and my own contents gone! It's been hacked and stolen, I think! My email was also down, though the alternates on different... [Continue Reading...]

introducing poplar road

© Anita Rathje "Warning: the following story is not suitable for young readers or anyone with a sentimental attachment to rodents (or chocolates, for that matter). [...] I felt inspired to relate the latest in our little Nutcracker battle,... [Continue Reading...]

introducing appleturnover

"i am finding that one way to connect my children together and to myself is to find something very simple to do. today my big girl built a nest out of bedding and was a robin in it, and i... [Continue Reading...]

a welcome back

A funny thing about blogging - one meets other bloggers and after a while many feel like they are good friends even if we never meet. When one of them quits blogging it's like losing a friend. This happened to... [Continue Reading...]

thank you

On the occasion of the second anniversary of this blog I offer all my dear readers this virtual bouquet of thanks for your wonderful friendship! What an amazing network around the world has opened up with this blogging phenomena.... [Continue Reading...]

Four Things Meme

Another meme! I've seen variants of this floating around the blogs for some weeks and now I've been tagged by Linden! Here goes, it's tough to limit some of these to four: Four Places I Have Lived Varkaus, Finland in... [Continue Reading...]

live each season

This blog is nearing its second anniversary and I'm forgetting some of what I've written, so almost every day of late, I am looking back at entries of a year ago that day. It's like I sometimes would do... [Continue Reading...]

baking and a meme

Today I'm baking stollen with marzipan filling, a German Christmas bread that is one of our very favourites. Because of food sensitivities to wheat and dairy in two daughters and yours truly, I'm also experimenting with a small batch... [Continue Reading...]

Art Daily gone

THE END, it says in white letters on black, like a death notice. Art Daily has closed forever and I'm very sorry. Ever since I found it in my early days of blogging it had been on my daily rounds... [Continue Reading...]

first of December

The first day of December already! I just learned that 'the name is from the Latin "decem" for "ten". December was the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February',... [Continue Reading...]

Mappi & my etchings

Finnish blogger Maria emailed me recently to ask if she could present some of my etchings on her blog and of course, I was pleased to assent. There they are now, beautifully displayed on MAPPI. Reading her very perceptive comments... [Continue Reading...]

a blog adieu

"This blog is thinking about hibernation. I'm an Adorable Little Rodent (TLB blog ranking) with hundreds of hits a day. But I'm getting bored with my humble self and I want to spend time on other things." Sadly for us... [Continue Reading...]

qarrtsiluni

I'm late in congratulating the "parents" on the birth of qarrtsiluni, a new cooperative blog. Beth of Cassandra Pages announced it best, so do go read it. I love the name, an Inuit word which means "sitting together in the... [Continue Reading...]

a rubbing

This is a rubbing I made of a wonderful image embedded in the cover of a book I found in the library a few days ago. 'Indian Rock Carvings of the Pacific Northwest' by Edward Meade (1971) has numerous... [Continue Reading...]

a cultural institution

Yesterday I received this very interesting message (hyperlinks mine): "I'm contacting you from the Saatchi Gallery, London to enquire about your website. Here at the gallery we are in the process of expanding the way information is linked to websites.... [Continue Reading...]

good links

Here's a small collections of links I've been saving to share for your reading pleasure: 1. More about Smithson at Print Australia and Modern Art Notes 2. As a lover of rock art and earth art, I was excited to... [Continue Reading...]

virtual conversations

It's almost 1:00 am, and I'm up after two hours of trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep. These bouts of insomnia come and go, so I accept it and indulge in a cup of herbal tea, some reading and making notes.... [Continue Reading...]

freedom blogs

I rarely touch on politics in my own little blogworld, but thought this international effort worthy of a mention: Reporters Without Borders selected around 60 blogs that, each in their own way, defend freedom of expression. The organisation then asked... [Continue Reading...]

Interview

Melanie McBride of chandrasutra felt that Big Media has been misrepresenting bloggers and decided that it was time we spoke for ourselves and let them (and everybody else know) who we actually are, who we link to and why we... [Continue Reading...]

anniversary & rocks

Well, today is this blog's first anniversary and what a wonderful ride it has been. Many thanks to all you faithful readers and commentors and the still growing numbers of visitors who have been and are still making this new... [Continue Reading...]

Blogging and Art

A few days ago I made a short reference to the PEW study about artists and the internet. Ivan Pope has also linked to it, and continued to blog about how the web is creating a generation of Pro-Am (Professional... [Continue Reading...]

artists & the internet

"Artists, Musicians and the Internet: They have embraced the internet as a tool that helps them create, promote, and sell their work. However, they are divided about the impact and importance of free file-sharing and other copyright issues." This is... [Continue Reading...]

an artist's blog

Anna sent me an email suggesting I read and comment on Rachael's post of Thursday about artists blogging. Go read Rachael's first, including the comments, then come back here for my response, which I decided to post here: I've... [Continue Reading...]