The white of the owl's widely spread wings seems to bring a comforting glow of light to the earthy worlds below. And the child's upturned face...hope?— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 30, 2020
Thursday 30 April 2020
book cover...
grand old seer...
Clearly this grand old seer knows how to manage the winds and the tides and the seasons of time... And the result is eternal beauty... https://t.co/jwZitrCXE9— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 30, 2020
a memory just jolted me...
a memory just jolted me...
2 teachers from my high school days
one taught Latin and the other French
I adored both subjects
and both teachers
French seemed almost like 'second nature' to me at the time
(I have since learned that I have a strong French connection in my DNA)
Latin was more a love of all things ancient world
I craved to learn more...be it language, history or culture
but I digress
2 teachers
both were passionate about their subject
and both were keen on engaging us 'ignorant?' Western Sydney students
in some of the finer experiences of life
and so it was
2 teachers escorted 5/6 of us
by train to
a Greek play at the University of Sydney's
Stephen Roberts Theatre
(demolished 2005?)
I remember being fascinated by the masks used by the characters
but more clearly
I remember the rather large, thready tear in the velvet curtain
tucked to the side of the stage
and couldn't help being slightly amused by the squeak of stage floorboards
often at inappropriate moments
The same 2 teachers took us to the newly opened Macquarie University...
There we saw Son et Lumière...
I still remember how the artistic effects seemed to dig deep inside me...
Afterwards, I felt as if I carried them away with me...
But these 2 teachers went further...
Such experiences were usually rounded off with tea at their home...
One teacher had the tiniest apartment...
We sat on bare floorboards eating spaghetti bolognese...
We always ate spaghetti bolognese there
(She couldn't really cook)
The other teacher lived in a rambling old house
suffering renovation blues...
Again, the floorboards were the place to enjoy a meal...
She could cook it seemed
But often, we did not really know what we were eating...
We smiled anyway
Just glad to be there
O, and her music offering always was classical music...
She asked me what I would like to hear...
I looked at her collection absolutely terrified...
I chose 'Handel's Water Music'
just because the title sounded appealing...
Aaah those days...
Such outings would not be allowed today
No excursion forms involved...
Just nodding parent consent
I am so grateful to have such a precious memory
that decides to pop up now and again
to say hello...
NOTE
The biography of Sir Stephen Roberts represents intriguing reading.
He began academic life in Melbourne and ended up reinventing the University of Sydney.
He extended the elite university and
He took great pride in celebrating the graduation of Charles Perkins, the first Aborigine to complete a degree at the university, and he worked enthusiastically to support the training of Pacific Islanders and Papua New Guineans in the university's medical faculty.
Read more HERE
2 teachers from my high school days
one taught Latin and the other French
I adored both subjects
and both teachers
French seemed almost like 'second nature' to me at the time
(I have since learned that I have a strong French connection in my DNA)
Latin was more a love of all things ancient world
I craved to learn more...be it language, history or culture
but I digress
2 teachers
both were passionate about their subject
and both were keen on engaging us 'ignorant?' Western Sydney students
in some of the finer experiences of life
and so it was
2 teachers escorted 5/6 of us
by train to
a Greek play at the University of Sydney's
Stephen Roberts Theatre
(demolished 2005?)
I remember being fascinated by the masks used by the characters
but more clearly
I remember the rather large, thready tear in the velvet curtain
tucked to the side of the stage
and couldn't help being slightly amused by the squeak of stage floorboards
often at inappropriate moments
The same 2 teachers took us to the newly opened Macquarie University...
There we saw Son et Lumière...
I still remember how the artistic effects seemed to dig deep inside me...
Afterwards, I felt as if I carried them away with me...
But these 2 teachers went further...
Such experiences were usually rounded off with tea at their home...
One teacher had the tiniest apartment...
We sat on bare floorboards eating spaghetti bolognese...
We always ate spaghetti bolognese there
(She couldn't really cook)
The other teacher lived in a rambling old house
suffering renovation blues...
Again, the floorboards were the place to enjoy a meal...
She could cook it seemed
But often, we did not really know what we were eating...
We smiled anyway
Just glad to be there
O, and her music offering always was classical music...
She asked me what I would like to hear...
I looked at her collection absolutely terrified...
I chose 'Handel's Water Music'
just because the title sounded appealing...
Aaah those days...
Such outings would not be allowed today
No excursion forms involved...
Just nodding parent consent
I am so grateful to have such a precious memory
that decides to pop up now and again
to say hello...
NOTE
The biography of Sir Stephen Roberts represents intriguing reading.
He began academic life in Melbourne and ended up reinventing the University of Sydney.
He extended the elite university and
He took great pride in celebrating the graduation of Charles Perkins, the first Aborigine to complete a degree at the university, and he worked enthusiastically to support the training of Pacific Islanders and Papua New Guineans in the university's medical faculty.
Read more HERE
autumn is my home...
autumn is my home
I feel close to this season
of russet songlines
a veil of rain and wind beneath grey clouds today
but a brief moment in the front garden
when a brief burst of sunlight bathed my favourite autumn colours
spelt happiness
I feel a little rainified sunshine...
I feel a little rainified sunshine in the cold, late afternoon winds...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 30, 2020
Refreshing dessert... pic.twitter.com/SZLi6eoc1a
1918 city teachers...
1918 Spanish flu 'All city teachers ... would be assigned to a portion of the school’s district, which they would patrol several times a day, breaking up any gatherings of children. https://t.co/vDe0IbvPbo— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 30, 2020
Wednesday 29 April 2020
some days...
*Perhaps I really should have said...'No matter how hard I try...'So strange— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 29, 2020
Some days attract sweet vibes
They dance and evolve and sing
It seems without any particular
Defined impulse
And then other days just seem to be
A melee of discord and tangled webs
And scattered leaves
No matter how hard you try
To look to the sky
And smile... pic.twitter.com/esQyxx7Uyq
visual echo...???
Dr Thomas Tuttle on the left - 1918 Spanish flu pandemic - prescribed face masks + social distancing. Dr Fauci, today on the right. Is there a visual echo? #covid19https://t.co/Jwvu4U2BOT pic.twitter.com/1kJt6E65nS— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 29, 2020
beyond darkness...
beyond darkness
night wings seek magnetic
light vibrations
NOTE
Last night, I found this white moth on the carpet in my lounge-room...
I have not seen a moth quite so white
nor one with fringed wings quite like this one...
There seemed to be some kind of overlay, or extra wing either side of the moth's body...
I kept checking to see if it would fly...
But it didn't...
I didn't want to force it to fly...
Better to let it be...
The moth was still there when I went to bed last night...
I took this one photo...
This morning,
it was gone...
the day travelled smoothly...
NOTE TO SELF
remember
the day travelled smoothly
till this afternoon
you helped
you encouraged
and many thanks flowed your way
till this afternoon
and then you let a burst of words and questions hurt you
from someone who just did not understand
let it go
it lasted moments
not hours
let it go
hang on to the
mystique
of your own colours
and remember
most of the day
travelled smoothly
early morning skies...
The dreamy wonder of early morning skies... gonna tuck them in my pocket and re-visit them if the going gets tough today... pic.twitter.com/SnjtIyzqNe— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 28, 2020
Tuesday 28 April 2020
messy thoughts?
And finally this one... It speaks to me “Count each day as a separate life”. - SenecaEmbarked on a few philosophical meanders (borrowed thinking) and found:— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 28, 2020
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
― Joseph Campbell
“I must find a truth that is true for me.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Monday 27 April 2020
Inspiration lost...
Inspiration hasn't found me tonight... Perhaps, after my huge weekend of endless Blogger + Twitter posts, inspiration needs a break from me awhile...Perhaps I just need to close down and enjoy a limbo state...or read more of 'Pillars of the Earth'...hmmmm— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 27, 2020
clean lines and shadowed tones...
Love the clean lines and shadowed tones... https://t.co/BUFFoNCs7S— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 27, 2020
Sunday 26 April 2020
1620...
This also happened to be the date when the 'Mayflower' sailed from Plymouth, England...Almost prophetic?...both the stone itself + comment?... (even though the decade beginning does not really roll in till '21). In 1620, the Separatists (believed the Church of England had not completed the work of the Reformation) demanded full separation from the Church. https://t.co/t0DWdrF8b2— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
So 17th century life was being overturned in 1620?
NOTE:
1. James Wright posted this image and comment on December 31, 2019.
2. This same gravestone was making waves in 2016 The Jeremy Vine
3. The gravestone, it appears, is actually part of the Fowler family graves at Southwell.
A collection of 17th and early 18th century headstones at Southwell:
Easter Fowler the mother of these children died March ye 19th 1711
Geo Fowler the father of these children died Jan 27th 1706
Geo Sep 5th 1700
WTF 1620
a nest, a favourable wind and a tryst...
Paul Bond's 'A Favourable Wind'
new beginnings
inspired shared journeys have
new wings to fly
Paul Bond's 'The Tryst'
a special hunger in winter...
This is one kind of freedom I never tire of feeling when I walk by the sea...Winter walks there are especially exhilarating...There is a special kind of hunger that drives me out for a winter walk... https://t.co/dtorGqVMgv— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
Sunday night...
A beautiful article on the Morpeth community in NSW by Tim Mallon...Sunday night, my Sunday night, is also called 'stress' - the result of weekend procrastination. I have favoured— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
creativity to attacking a pile of lesson preparation...Yes, my Monday's suitcase is brimming and the locks refuse to lock... https://t.co/rZHQXeFIyS
A special place called Morpeth - May 2, 2017, 'The Maitland Mercury'
'And there’s an earthy, easy, solid feeling that’s part of Morpeth. There’s sandstone and stories and people walking hand in hand. There’s things that are beautiful and nice that aren’t really trying too hard to be beautiful and nice - they just kinda are, and that’s right.'
Shelley and quarantine...
More details about Mary Shelley and her husband's heart onThis would have to be the most bizarre outcome of quarantine rulings. It is said that wife Mary wrapped the heart in a silken shroud and carried it with her. When found in her desk, it was wrapped in the pages of one of his last poems, 'Adonais'. https://t.co/gUKThNsWii— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
Mental Floss - Mary Shelley's Favourite Keepsake
1919 Spanish flu, quarantine + Point Nepean...
Aerial view of the Point Nepean Quarantine station on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919.
12 temporary wooden bunkhouses (shown above, bottom left) were erected at the site, to cater for passengers, many of them soldiers returning from WWI, who showed symptoms.
At the peak of the pandemic, several thousand people were interred at the station.
Around the turn of the century, a modern disinfecting station, had been built.
The disinfecting equipment was state of the art,
and consisted of a large scale ‘oven’ and rail delivery system.
Patients would be sent to the disinfecting area on first arrival,
discard their clothes and luggage, which would then be run through the oven and heated,
to destroy bacteria.
These improvements were the last undertaken by the state government;
in October 1901, Australia’s new Federal government would assume control of the facility.
Source: The Museum of Lost Things
I took the following photos in January 2012...
The photos below I took in September 2013
slowly, slowly...
PASSING THOUGHT - While it may be OK for Q'ld to lift some #covid19australia restrictions, I am not sure we should be too hasty in applying the same decision to southern states. The flu season is looming. We live in the 'cold' Australia in winter. Keep winning. Slowly, slowly...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
beyond mere trash cans...
It even seems that these are not spare trash cans, but the ones still scheduled for use. That means he is multi-purposing them, so that they don't stand around idle all week. Very clever. https://t.co/66egP1Crrn— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 26, 2020
Tomas Kopera...
Tomasz Kopera (b.1976) is a Polish visionary artist who now lives and works in Ireland.
'Human nature and the mysteries of the Universe are his inspiration. His paintings permeate with symbols that often relate to human psyche and man’s relation with the surrounding world.'
This particular painting intrigues me...
It suggests that
there is, in life, always a spring and an autumn
a downturn and an upturn
a yin and a yang
both need each other
to grow
as one
Gandhi...
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.
As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.
We need not wait to see what others do.
You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is like an ocean;
if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
kindness marches on...
Giving all they can to show appreciation...This must be the ultimate gift...Feels good to know that kindness progresses undaunted in these tough times...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
Melbourne Timbuktu cafe owner receives pensioner’s government coronavirus payment https://t.co/tX3TvI4oYD
Saturday 25 April 2020
Spirit of the Anzacs...
#MusicFromTheHomeFront #Channel9 Adored Lee Kernaghan and the gang singing this tonight. Total winner. Uplifting. Speaks to community strength and spirit. (Video will be my record.)— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
Lee Kernaghan - Spirit of the Anzacs (Official Music Video) https://t.co/cIWZ2hxv1T via @YouTube
Carry You...
#channel9 #MusicFromTheHomeFront @missyhiggins Missy Higgins singing 'Carry You', midst candle glows in a cosy room, was just exquisite...We need to remember the beauty around us is still there...We just need to look and listen and feel... pic.twitter.com/ZR9hxYAHBz— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
impulse programming...
#Channel9 #MusicFromTheHomeFront This must be impulse programming at its very best...From the website https://t.co/Xx8ybm7Jpv— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
'Update - 24 April, 2020: More acts have been added to the Music From Home Front line-up'...
We're in crisis. Creativity + skill have stepped up to help.
voices across the waters...
#Channel9 #MusicFromTheHomeFront Rep. the Aust-NZ connection, smiling Sam Neill introduced 'Crowded House'...He has a wrinkle or two, but the magnetic appeal still glows...Interesting images behind him...all emotive black and whites...Still loving this parade of talent... pic.twitter.com/kYd1nCaFLh— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
Music From The Home Front...
#Channel9 #MusicFromTheHomeFront What a splendid line up for all ages...from The Wiggles for the kids to James Reyne for older groovers...and so very many in between...a grand finale to a unique ANZAC Day...Loving it... pic.twitter.com/lKdWQ3qgyk— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
animals know...
Animals know..They understand...Helping an animal is worth the special 'ping-back' you feel...Priceless... https://t.co/e95ixJdduW— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
ANZAC Day sunset...
ANZAC Day sunset— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
silhouettes and glowing clouds
on final parade#haiku #AnzacDay #ANZAC2020 #ANZACspirit https://t.co/s1lvSXJ3k4
a beautiful tribute...
I particularly like this tribute, because local names are highlighted, giving the tribute a very personal touch...Such a beautiful tribute...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
Eltham Cemetery ANZAC Day Commemoration https://t.co/mnw6iaPWwk via @YouTube
ANZAC Day cameos...
Vernon Daulby, his wife Beth and Shannon Hartwell on horseback
gathered on their driveway in Bridgetown.
Source: ABC News South West
ANZAC Day thoughts...
After browsing many Twitter posts about ANZAC Day,
I have come to the conclusion that today has emerged into something ultra-special...
Traditional celebrations may be non-existent...
Perhaps that is good...
For there has been a HUGE injection of spirit
creative spirit
into the day.
Suddenly there is a public demonstration of personal connections with the day,
personal values of the day.
Perhaps we needed this ultra-special time
to appreciate what this day is really all about...
ANZAC Day art...
ANZAC Day art— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
a fence becomes a voice
from yesterday#haiku #AnzacAtHome #AnzacDay2020 #ANZACspirit https://t.co/GzH2wfXXXj
I especially love this image...
it takes just one light...
it takes just one light— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 25, 2020
to pass on
many precious words#haiku #AnzacAtHome #AnzacDay2020 https://t.co/zQr27qTIWx
remember them...
glorious tones in this moving image from
Rebecca in Adelaide
remember them
remember their loss is
our gain
framed in darkness...
framed in darkness— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 24, 2020
a small room spotlights
the hat of legend#haiku #AnzacDay2020 #AnzacAtHome https://t.co/QeJ7qr83MD
a real Anzac Day story...
Anzac Day 2020 - dawn light over the front balcony of my grandson's townhouse in Wollongong...
When my daughter sent me the above image from her son's home,
she told me that she forgot to tell me the following story (related to the last post here)...
When we stood out the front, an old fella across the road stood quietly with his candle.
He had medals on his jacket.
We could hear two trumpets playing the Last Post.
One was from in the centre of town, which was clear.
Then a neighbour, a few streets away to our right, played a rusty rendition of the same.
A number of families did the same as us in town.
I was so glad we were standing with our candles when the old fella came out.
We faced him holding our candles
without a word...
ANZAC Day Dawn...
ANZAC DAY dawns...
And this driveway in NSW glows with candlelight...
My daughter and her little family are there
remembering
the ANZACS
Lest We Forget
NOTE: This is the first time since 1919 (Spanish flu) that there is no dawn service on ANZAC Day...
Friday 24 April 2020
late afternoon walk...so blissful...
I escaped...
computer closed...
front door open...
car humming...
not far...
brief shopping
and then...
the prize...
just across the road from the shops...
I don't think I have ever been so happy to watch...
seagulls...
on the sands...
by the sea...
suddenly
they seemed very beautiful...
some looked like playful
ALIVE
rubber duckies
in a bath
a BIG bath...
a GINORMOUS
endless
bath...
and then
THE moment
the finale
take-off
almost
last post...
Darwin doctor Sarah Lynar prepares for Anzac Day dawn reveille...
Image Source: Darwin doctor to honour diggers
There's medication for the body and medication for the spirit... This one slips into the latter category... https://t.co/lb0qcsCJks— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
bonding...
The Australian Flag projected on Mount Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps
as a sign of hope and solidarity during coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Light Art by Gerry Hofstetter
Suddenly, a flag can transform into a bond between 2 countries... beyond a symbol of patriotic isolation...There is hope... https://t.co/ILhsc8WbSv— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
Australia is having a hard time with the bush fires and now the Coronavirus. Today we think of the Australian people and send hope and courage to get through the crisis well. #Australia #Zermatt #Matterhornhttps://t.co/qFjiKuZNsE pic.twitter.com/qFKgakRlbp— Zermatt - Matterhorn (@zermatt_tourism) April 23, 2020
feelings now...
Tim Mallon lives in Australia ...by a river...
The leader, the inside spin sipping tea or coffee, empty streets by night light, the eye, the bridge, the dark street curving to an unknown and the final long darkness...A powerful glimpse of current inner worlds... https://t.co/ziLkKhKUGH— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
Such a sharp cameo of the world outside and maybe beyond... https://t.co/OBpgvGvpcX— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
Thursday 23 April 2020
I live in my own little world...
Great words by Lauren Myracle... So great, that Amazon is selling T shirts and even a sign for the home wall with this quote. Strangely, fame doesn't connect with when or where this quote was actually written. I have Googled it with no luck... https://t.co/ilnGCg0Dey— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
Go and Open the Door...
'Go and Open the Door' - Miroslav Holub...This poem became a part of me as a young, first-year out teacher...It is still a part of me... pic.twitter.com/KTU2OFBkoq— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
in maybe a long time...
In maybe a long time, some are suddenly seeing the world as it should be...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 23, 2020
"I’m ALIVE. Thinking about it, noticing it, is new. You do things and don’t watch. Then all of a sudden you look and see what you’re doing and it’s the first time, really.”
― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine https://t.co/uKjKMMLEfg
Wednesday 22 April 2020
I missed today...
I missed today
I missed the chance
to slow down
to look beyond the window
to look up
was the sky blue
or cloudy
I thought I heard rain
but then
that may have been
some ghostly thin sighs
my sighs
randomly escaping from
the tapping
keyboard keys
I missed the chance
to slow down
to look beyond the window
to look up
was the sky blue
or cloudy
I thought I heard rain
but then
that may have been
some ghostly thin sighs
my sighs
randomly escaping from
the tapping
keyboard keys
Tuesday 21 April 2020
a tree standing together with you...
I must be a kapok, the image of— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 21, 2020
A tree standing together with you;
Our roots closely intertwined beneath the earth,
Our leaves touching in the clouds.
With every whiff of wind
We greet each other
But no one can
Understand our words. - Shu Ting 'To The Oak' (extract) https://t.co/pFMJGb5FoT
Monday 20 April 2020
inspiring...
Isn't it amazing how the most dire, challenging situations can bring out the most inspiring creativity. https://t.co/oAp2vPLOSq— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 20, 2020
Sunday 19 April 2020
Teachers' stress, grief and exhaustion...
After 3 days of online teaching 6 large classes of Years 7-10, I was wiped out...Huge amount of time spent checking that each student had a Google docs (linked with me) so I could view progress. English + Humanities programmes completely overhauled. Marking? Yet to be resolved.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 19, 2020
two trees and two hills...
two trees and two hills— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 19, 2020
two souls eternally sharing
storms, winds and sunshine#haiku https://t.co/04tkBdBtnh
standing and staring...
Note to self... This is what standing and staring and breathing and being at peace with self is all about... https://t.co/POXxvu3iL0— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 19, 2020
Garcia Lorca drawings...
If you love the discordant appeal of Lorca's wild poetic landscapes, browse his drawings - as perhaps a small key to his themes and motifs in his poetry. A clear Dali influence.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Barbarous Nights: Lorca's Drawings https://t.co/PMUcUpOd2j
a snail tale...
In this grand, extended 'holiday-from-the-daily-macro-peak-hour' dramas,
I have decided to get closer to the microcosms in my own little world...
Last night, I sat on the steps outside my front door
by my faithful little bear guardian...
and there...on his hat...
was a friendly snail...
clearly, the snail was keen on exploring his new friend...
I am just not so sure about my little bear's point of view...
Perhaps he may have been blind-sided...
Saturday 18 April 2020
Lean on Me...
Can't have too much 'Lean on Me'...Playing for Change is brilliant...And Saritah of Melbourne, Australia features in this one...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Lean On Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World https://t.co/9hBr1PpDJv via @YouTube
teacher keep on teaching...
Teacher, keep on teaching...Lover, keep on loving...Keep on trying, till I reach higher ground...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Higher Ground | Playing For Change | Song Around the World https://t.co/jdiWUz5zl8 via @YouTube
Playing for Change...
As I wander YouTube songs tonight, I notice many others are doing the same...right now...Seeking some message, some strength for 2020...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Stand By Me | Playing For Change Band | Live in Brazil https://t.co/LzqTHB4Bld via @YouTube
Walk of Life...
Adore this fun/serious song. And the visuals demonstrate all the fumbles and foibles that our lives can churn out and how, in retrospect, they can be funny...Let's keep that in mind in 2020.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life https://t.co/r8zJCptjWl via @YouTube
Leonard Cohen sings Garcia Lorca...
I've played this over and over...So moving...Original poem - Spanish poet García Lorca -— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
'And I'll bury my soul in a scrapbook...with the photographs there and the moss...'
Leonard Cohen - Take This Waltz [Official Music Video] https://t.co/Cwo5RUBEca via @YouTube
Always wanted to dance with my partner...
But in this world, it could not happen...
Yet now...
I feel it has...
Now in Vienna there's ten pretty women
There's a shoulder where Death comes to cry
There's a lobby with nine hundred windows
There's a tree where the doves go to die
There's a piece that was torn from the morning
And it hangs in the Gallery of Frost
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take this waltz with the clamp on its jaws
Oh I want you, I want you, I want you
On a chair with a dead magazine
In the cave at the tip of the lily
In some hallways where love's never been
On a bed where the moon has been sweating
In a cry filled with footsteps and sand
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take its broken waist in your hand
This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz
With its very own breath of brandy and Death
Dragging its tail in the sea
There's a concert hall in Vienna
Where your mouth had a thousand reviews
There's a bar where the boys have stopped talking
They've been sentenced to death by the blues
Ah, but who is it climbs to your picture
With a garland of freshly cut tears?
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take this waltz it's been dying for years
There's an attic where children are playing
Where I've got to lie down with you soon
In a dream of Hungarian lanterns
In the mist of some sweet afternoon
And I'll see what you've chained to your sorrow
All your sheep and your lilies of snow
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
With its "I'll never forget you, you know!"
This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz
With its very own breath of brandy and Death
Dragging its tail in the sea
And I'll dance with you in Vienna
I'll be wearing a river's disguise
The hyacinth wild on my shoulder,
My mouth on the dew of your thighs
And I'll bury my soul in a scrapbook,
With the photographs there, and the moss
And I'll yield to the flood of your beauty
My cheap violin and my cross
And you'll carry me down on your dancing
To the pools that you lift on your wrist
Oh my love, Oh my love
Take this waltz, take this waltz
It's yours now.
It's all that there is
Hope is a thing with feather...
Emily Dickinson's poem gets an eerily refreshing upbeat...— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Trailer Bride, "Hope Is A Thing With Feathers" https://t.co/ZaUxEgqLDI via @YouTube
shift your energy...
Shift your energy to what you can create...and keep creating... https://t.co/CfoE2pn6xb— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Why do we read and write poetry...
'Dead Poets' Society' continues to reach out and stir us into valuing our inner, poetic insights...
In this scene, John Keating (Robin Williams) teaches his pupils the reason for reading and writing poetry, quoting Whitman's 'Leaves of Grass'...
The Ancient Mariner begins...
The Ancient Mariner Big Read, commissioned by The Arts Institute at Plymouth University, will see the 150-verse poem divided into 40 readings.Jeremy Irons' reading of the first several stanzas of AM is dramatic and moving. He sets the stage with flourish and deep, disturbing undercurrent.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
Reading No.1 - Reader: Jeremy Irons, Artist: Glenn Brown https://t.co/j5FArfCIxJ via @YouTube
barbecue circle...
barbecue circle
ghostly connections with
Stonehenge
My neighbours, a few weeks ago, set up this outdoor barbecue area in their backyard...
It has been used once...
when you connect...
When you connect to the voice within you, that is when you can make sense of your own song. https://t.co/k3KJeyY5PP— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
an odd one...
I've a sculpture of William Shakespeare. Not so unusual, but the back story is. It was made by an old man who sold his artwork and odd collectibles from his garage and driveway in Appin, NSW at weekends. He selected his art customers. 'Not for sale' if he didn't connect with you. pic.twitter.com/qgcqB7sspK— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
covid-19 mobile tracking app...?
Too many opportunities to turn a tame airship (in the interests of science) into an 'all out' zeppelin (in the interests of a totalitarian scout and bomber). It has happened before. https://t.co/1Qq9esrU5E— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020
poetry?
— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 18, 2020Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004) was a Polish-American poet who won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In exile from a world which no longer exists, a witness to the Nazi devastation of Poland and the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe, Milosz deals in his poetry with the central issues of our time: the impact of history upon moral being, the search for ways to survive spiritual ruin in a ruined world. Source: Poetry Foundation
resilience in fire and drought...
This morning I ventured to Story Lounge presented by the City of Melbourne Libraries.It’s the weekend, time to relax and listen to Story Lounge – our storytime for adults!https://t.co/ykSFtlLKly— City of Melbourne Libraries (@melblibrary) April 17, 2020
Our next live session will be on Wednesday 22 April at midday. pic.twitter.com/g7K7OVX2ag
(I am trying to explore new worlds in this pandemic to keep my curiosity polished and alive.)
There I found 2 writers I know nothing about...and loved instantly...
They were Alice Bishop and Cate Kennedy - 2 Victorian writers...
The main themes for both writers involved disasters and resilience
Alice Bishop - A Constant Hum
Maps (micro short story - just a few sentences)
'there's something calming when I see no blackened scar through green'...
My comment recorded on City of Melbourne Libraries YouTube:
The Alice Bishop story has a sense of taking in the breath and holding it...a sense of breathlessness...a sense of waiting at a crossroads to find a sign ...Absolutely beautiful piece of sharp, intense, 'soul shaking' writing...
Cate Kennedy (from the hot and dry north-western Victoria region)
- The Taste of River Water -
8 by 10 colour enlargement $16.50 (Cate Kennedy reads her poem HERE)
'This was the first moment my children ever saw rain...'
'the tired love in her husband's hand..'
'another untold story and that's why I'm telling you now...'
My comment recorded on City of Melbourne Libraries YouTube:
The narrator in Cate Kennedy's poem is an enigmatic, interesting voice...almost like a watcher... a journalist seeking that special insight beyond the mainstream news? Reminds me of Frank Bongiornau's challenge to record/journal - April 10, recorded on Twitter. He challenged us all to our personal record daily life in the midst of this current pandemic. How are we surviving? He pointed out that we could be establishing primary sources for the future historian. I have taken up the challenge and I'm recording the highs and lows of surviving...trying to include many kinds of surviving e.g I am churning out haiku and micropoetry to represent the inner tides. In short, I am trying to record beyond the ever-changing mainstream politics and policies...I guess, ultimately I could be like the narrator of the poem... I could even be the very woman who won 2nd prize for her photo. Enjoyed your readings. Beautifully paced. (Sorry...Perhaps I am raving...I'll stop)
P.S.I am good at being awarded 'second prize' because I don't follow 'the rules' exactly.
I may even sink to 'highly commended', because somehow I just don't fit the labels and tags required.
swearing can be good for the soul?....
Inspirational. Swearing is not usually my habit. I feel that there are more 'fragrant' or dramatic words according to the occasion. However, lately, my attitude is changing fast. I am at the point, I can see that swearing is desirable. It gets straight to the point in no time.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 17, 2020
Friday 17 April 2020
possible new education 'normal' in the future?...
We could then have more 'education readiness' for a crisis. Students could develop a more enhanced sense of being independent learners. Teachers would have the opportunity to develop online skills and keep better pace with technology.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 17, 2020
hope in remote schooling...
#remotelearning Today is the 3rd day of online learning. I am so exhausted from adapting to new online learning platforms and dealing with anxious students and parents. But some surprise news. Many 'lazy' students are working harder than I have ever seen before. There is hope.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 17, 2020
Margaret Atwood wisdom...
Ken Follett - master novelist of the past - and Margaret Atwood, a leading seer of future worlds...
My 2 favourite writers in these times...
Margaret Atwood: It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. Make the most of it https://t.co/nC7CLGtXvE— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 16, 2020
Wednesday 15 April 2020
remote schooling is challenging...
#remotelearning Just now, 6pm have I stopped dealing with the demands of teaching online. I started at 8am this morning with a very short lunch break. Yes. It's a great idea to offer varied activities to students. But the poor teachers keeping pace checking. It's 1st day I guess.— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 15, 2020
Tuesday 14 April 2020
Bob Marley thoughts...
'Some people feel the rain, others just get wet' ~ Bob Marley
'None but ourselves can free our minds...'— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 14, 2020
~ Bob Marley https://t.co/pDlqae1Zhx
a sleeping tree...
Another delightful painting by Melissa Launay. It speaks to me...
a sleeping tree— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) April 14, 2020
in a world of white and
one stubborn colour#haiku #micropoetry pic.twitter.com/W9bUTdEg3a
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