Discuss

I've had this on my studio wall ever since I found it on a pole at the Woodford Folk Festival, many years ago. It reminds me that good thoughts come from everywhere and to be vigilant about where to find ideas. Nothing slack about this code:

- There is always a right place and a right time.
- Respect the power of the line and be aware of effects on others and surroundings.
- Things don't come half-balanced.
- As a slackliner your focus brings you much awareness and power.
- First foster your awareness within, then expand to all. When expanding out never lose the essential awareness within.
- Aways come back to the awareness within.
- Keep your head up and look forward, while always remaining in this present.
- Relaxation is to allow yourself to come to a more malleable state, allowing natural intelligence to flow through you.
- In a relaxed focus, reflexes are sharpened and agility is born organically.
- Actions move with the speed of thought.
- Your thoughts create your reality.
- Strength does not come from physical power. It comes from indominable will!
- Balance is a state: experience it.
- To step into the thread of balance is to step into alignment with what is.
- In the state of balance there comes evolution!

Test patterns

OK, so bear with me here.

I'm testing out this basic blog template, but I don't think the Title font transfers easily between users, despite the promises of the developer. Can you see them as a bold, sans-serif, almost wood-type kind of look?
I like the simplicity, not sure about the spacings, but it's lovely and flexible -- I despise overly long line lengths onscreen when the main point is comfortable reading -- so that you can adjust the width of your browser window and set your own comfort zone. The biggest yuck for me is the narrowness of the gutter between the posts and the side bar, but if I widen the window, the text gets too long. *sigh*

Thoughts, anyone? I may change a few times before I'm happy, but this is pretty close to what I like.

End of an era

I have been thinking over the last few weeks about drawing a line in the sand with this blog and starting a new one. One reason is a change in headspace (I think, apart from the pithiness and ease of Facebook, I've had a bit of Share Fatigue) and another is the request of my son to STOP BLOGGING ABOUT ME. He is growing up so much!

So I've been mulling over my options. One idea was to start fresh, with a new blog provider, call it ARSEQUACKERY (or something a tad more dignified) and see where it got me. But then some of my  FB peeps, who have been blogfriends for many more years, expressed their love for the &Duck space and suggested that I just revamp it and stay here. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, especially since this one is being Pandora'd and I'd be pretty dumb to let that opportunity slide (thanks for the reminder, GT).

So. I'm going to draw a line in this sandbox, give it a bit of a redesign and start writing again, this time with more an eye to my work and thinking, and trying a bit of more creative writing. I'm moving into PhD territory with my printing (yes! Got in, but with no scholarship yet, so embarking part-time at first), and I want to get the brain juices flowing again. Of course this will be interspersed with the cats, since they are an important part of my thought processes, so things aren't going to change THAT much, really.

Before I rejig, let's say a little farewell to the family side of the blog... with a few photos.

Best Beloved recently got what we call his Masters of the Universe:

As you can see, Bumblebee discovered hair dye. He's taller than me now.

He's also a proud Uncle, and adores his half-sister's now-nearly-two y.o., who lives in WA but comes to visit a few times a year.

His taste in entertainment flavoured our Christmas tree, which was simple but eloquent:

I don't think his Stah Waz obsession will EVER go away.

Everyone wave goodbye to the public Bumblebee. *byeeeeeeeee* {sniff}


Best Beloved is totally in love with his kitties, as am I. Our devotion is constant and goes to fairly silly lengths, so let's just get down to some cat shots.

(long hours being studio cats, poor things)

And here was their Christmas:

So with Pooter happily pilfering his Christmas prawn for eternity, I bid the family version of &Duck a fond adieu. It won't totally go away, but it won't be so present in my blogging activity. Thanks everyone for your kind interest in everything Bumblebee has done over the years as he's grown up in front of you.

Back soon, with a new look. Remember to breathe!