if cows can fly

a fairytale in our hood

2011-04-01T20:09:00.003+02:00

she probably has her own story to tell, but i like to think she wont mind if we make up our own. she has that kind of aura dont you think, that inspires one to tell whatever story tickles the wind beneath your very own set ot wings... so wings do that to me, they make me see things through an - ok, so a-wanna-be-polaroid-application-kinda-lens, but isn't it beautiful? the little girl with wings and her companion dragonfly... come fly with me.

introducing huck

2009-12-06T14:04:00.006+02:00

lets not go there, shall we? i know its been almost a year and i have no excuses and lots to catch up on, but seriously, life is full of surprises, so lets just take it one post at a time and perhaps we can pretend i never dissapeared at all!

i want to refer you to my very first post i wrote; 'this is my pirate'. it all started on a very interesting day when my cousin had her first baby and i was talking about ships sailing and wanting to be my own captain for just a little longer... well, alas! my ship now sails for two! yes, i am pregnant - actually i am almost half way to full term and i'll be honest; i am so excited and my hubby is loving us so!

im happy to say that we are still in cape town (after quite some ado and for those of you that might be wondering, life in charge led us straight back to where we came from, and yes, its been great...) with summer in full swing and 20 weeks pregnant, i am back! i'd like you to meet the little boy inside my belly; tummy-time name: huck.

one more thing; i have decided to drop my alias sarah-jane and go with my real name. im karin, nice to meet you! xk

murphy and the eleventh hour

2009-01-02T21:04:00.009+02:00

here follows a series of events that makes murphy look like an amateur:

it was the 31st of december 2008.

my friend that is studying medicine has had a bit of trouble with her placement for her zuma years (internship) and wasn't sure where she would be heading. there had been a lot of worrying and uncertainty, when she got a call the day before she was meant to relocate and attend orientation in kwa-zulu natal (though even this placement wasn't really secured yet), and was offered a spot right here in cape town... somewhere in her relief and excitement, she mentioned the 11th hour...

that morning we handed over the keys of our house to the landlord and then set off to my studio to pack up the last of my tools of the trade and left these keys for the next creative to take over my beloved studio!

i headed over to the municipality.

now that our bags are packed and we are ready to go... (how cute are these kids?) our bed, tv, fridge and washing machine all sold! ready and willing to bid this city farewell... as if handing over keys had finalised it all!

i was standing in a queue (you should know that it was the wrong queue) at the municipality just before early closing for the new year, wanting to cancel our electricity account and was chatting to this guy that was rushing to finalise paperwork for his car. it had to be completed that day or he would be fined(i should have realised then that i was in the wrong queue...); he joked that it was the eleventh hour and i said it sounded more like the twelfth...

i literally was there in my twelfth hour, for by the time i got to the right office, they were closed... i left without getting the job done (hmmm...)! this is when my husband called to tell me about this amazing job opportunity right here in cape town, really, it could be the perfect job... (this is crazy! when i figure out how my mind is coping with all this, ill write a new post dedicated to the miracle of the human brain). we are still waiting to hear of more details, so uncertainty still looms, but seriously, speaking of the eleventh hour!

murphy, are you taking notes?

ps: i apologise for my ramblings, honestly, but can you blame me!?? oh, and i hope its a happy new year... i really do! xk

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

right at the robot, then right again...

2008-12-27T12:22:00.010+02:00

well that was lovely!

the move went very well, we packed through the night and was still awake by the time the truck came at 10am and very efficiently moved our life into one garage!

so, we sold quite a bit on gumtree and the new tenants very conveniently needed some kitchen whites and deck furniture...

our fish we sadly donated to the pet shop and the rest as they say is history!

life has once again taken the lead on pointing us in the next direction. don't you just love it when that happens? such a big help when it comes to making decisions! we should be heading for the UK by mid january and although we don't know exactly whereabouts just yet, we have our hearts set on the south coast, cornwall/devon or surrounds. not quite ready to leave the ocean behind...

so how, you may ask, did we manage a Christmas picnic in the sun if our life is in storage?

let me just say that as much as this is a time of uncertainty for us, it sure has worked out as though someone knows whats going on - i wish they would let me in on the secret! everything has worked out as though planned for months! my cousin is away for Christmas and new year and offered their home to us - hence the pretty Christmas tree and we had a picnic/braai at the pool - only thing missing: family!

but we cant have our bread buttered on both sides now can we!?

oh, and these pics are just snap shots with my nokia e51, not meant to impress! happy Christmas!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

im hoping its still friday somewhere in the world... bit late for photostory friday!

'tis the season

2008-12-19T18:59:00.000+02:00

so with all the commotion going on, it has really has not felt much like christmas this year! with our life in boxes (meaning christmas decorations also) and still the uncertainty of our future looming, life seems to go on...

oh, dont feel sorry for me, its ok, really! its only my favourite time of the year!

i love the season, i do, but honestly, i think its just not the same without the cold and at least the possibility of snow, as beautiful as our country is, i still dream of a white christmas every year! so, ultimately, ill survive!

while our life is in limbo, life for the rest keeps on keeping on and as this is the season of giving, it seems it means the season to get hitched! i dont know about you folks in the rest of the world, but as our summers fall over the festive season here, i suppose it makes sense to get a bit of wedding fever around this time of the year. who wouldn't want to start out their new lives in the best of times, right?

i was honored to be the lay photographer at a friends wedding in the winelands of the cape, it was a beautiful day with beautiful people!

my amateur hand followed the 'real' photographer around and i had fun incorporating him in my shots, i wanted the shots to show i wasn't the official photographer! this way, the photo's were a little off beat and stress free!

i had fun and these are for lyn!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

as sure, as the mountain is.

2008-12-12T16:55:00.000+02:00

it seems like everybody is taking strain at the moment. the world is in disarray and we all have to cope! in these uncertain times, we all want something to hold onto...
i'm not political at all, so i don't have anything profound to say, but i feel as though i should...

...still, i have my life to deal with and for now i am changing my mind everyday or even 3times a day and sometimes others change it for me...

so, no! we still don't know where we'll be heading! sometimes its exciting...

this is table mountain, our mountain!
us capetonians are very proud and very possessive of this beaut that makes the mother city what it is... some say the mountain has healing and calming energies, it would have to for us to cope with the vicious south easter we refer to as the 'cape doctor', that blows as if to keep up with the big bad wolf!

...at least with the three little pigs we know how the story ends!

for now i have found something to hold onto.

this is cape town.

and this is table mountain.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

which way to home?

2008-12-06T11:06:00.011+02:00

so we find ourselves at a crossroad! while writing my last post i would never have imagined the events that would follow... due to circumstances beyond our control and life's little way of shaking things up a little, my husband and i have decided to leave the beautiful city we have called home for the past three years, thus far, we have two options of where to head and they couldn't be more worlds apart...
so on monday, we had a home, tuesday, our decision started to sink in, on wednesday i contacted our landlord and on thursday, our home was gone... (don't worry, we have a lease until the end of the month!) ...but change is good, right!?

as i see a road trip of some sorts in our very near future, with the possibility of actually leaving this beautiful country (but never for ever...), i thought it good to reminisce and go through some odd shots from past trips and adventures... some are shot with my husbands camera phone and others with my sisters digital, so these are not intended to be world class shots, but rather in aid of sorting through the 1001 fly-by thoughts my brain is so admirably shuffling through!

us humans are amazing creatures. how different we all are. all with the same basic instinct of survival. we may all deal with circumstance in our own unique ways, but somewhere, somehow, the answer always presents itself, it's up to us to recognize it.

through troubled waters and uphill hikes, eventually we find ourselves at the top of the mountain and the view makes it all worth while. in times like these, we grow, we realise just how strong we are and usually exactly, when we leave our little footprints on this world. really, isn't that what life is all about!?

hmmm... i swam this crossing once before, but how inviting that escape route sounds right now and where is park HQ when you really need them!?

of light, life and everything else

2008-11-29T23:19:00.006+02:00

first of all... for those of you that were sending out a rescue squad, do not fear! ... i have been busier than ever! i just had my very first art exhibition last night, all went very well! ...hence my disapearance from the blogging world. as this is a very exciting event in my life, i thought id share... above are only six of my thirty paintings i have on exhibition - as this is not my art blog, that, im afraid, is all you get here 'where cows can fly'...
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however, last night got me thinking, as many people attending our exhibitioin were very interested to know where i got my inspiration from and as i am still learning, every single day, i had to try and communicate as best i could what made me tick as an artist! everything and anything might get that fire burning at any given moment in time, but one of my many small delights are light and colour. below i have posted two black and white photos, glimpses of light taken at my nephews christening... i know, i said colour; then why the black and white? well, they scream colour, never mind the shades of blacks and whites, but the impression of purples and blues... this is the joy of black and white film photography; the colour, oh the colour!

but there is just something awesome about light. in these cases two different aspects thereof... the stained glass window reflecting light, right on great grannie... what an awesome moment! it tells a million stories... the other; the basic instinct of mother protecting her child from the sunlight in his eyes... oh, don't get me started!

so, what inspires me... where to begin? light... life and everything else!
...i hope to be around a bit more...

little old orphan annie

2008-10-05T16:15:00.004+02:00

when i was about ten, we went to see 'annie' at the civic theatre in my hometown. i remember crying my heart out, but trying to hide it from my brothers and sisters, 'cause could you imagine if they had caught me?! but mostly, i remember being on top of the world!

honestly, im not sure if it was the story about the little orphan annie alone that moved me so or if it was the pure joy of seeing a live musical and at that tender age, not being aware of the power and magic such a live performance could conjure up, found myself in emotional overdrive...

but really, what is it about musicals, good ol' theatre or even street performers? who gave them the power? some do it for money, others do it for hardly any money at all. but perhaps its because whatever the reason; one cant help but leave a piece of ones self on the stage, on the street to be scrutinized and judged. i'm not sure, is there a certain kinda beauty in being this vulnerable?

what can i say. you either love 'em or you hate 'em. but i cant help myself. whenever i see a busker, performing their hearts out for their bread and probably no butter, i'd always pour out my wallet and in return, they fill up my soul(don't even go there!).

unless they're really bad off course. but then they sure do make for good photography ...and i'll always have 'annie'.

all on a good day!

2008-10-02T13:54:00.012+02:00

i have the flu - antibiotics-kinda-flu! and no, i'm not feeling sorry for myself! but this morning, i thought if it were a nice enough day outside, i might wrap myself in a duvet and have a nap on my hammock! alas!
its not a nice day.

so i found these photo's taken last summer and thought i should share as i promised a friend in guernsey to mail him some photo's of the views from our home.

im afraid i lack my usual energy to let my mind wander and come up with some weird and wonderful story to go with these shots, though i thought to offer the
moral of the story: upon having a bad day; remember that this day will pass (and even though summer is taking for-freakin-EVER to come this year... it surely has to pitch up at some stage, right?) and better days are bound to follow.

...all this from my top deck! hope it makes you as happy as it does me.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

leaving a light on for me

2008-09-28T17:44:00.008+02:00

ok, im not sure how my brain wraps itself around these thoughts, but looking at these street lamps, reminded me of an episode i saw of 'extreme makeover - home edition' (what can i say, i can't help myself!)

ty and the guys had built a home for a family whos daughter had run away, or had she been abducted? anyway, the family was doing their bit to help other families with runaway or kidnapped kids. this is how i learnt about the 'light the way home' awareness campaign, where families leave their porch lights on, night and day, to always welcome home their children, if and when they were to return home!

ultimately, it reminded me of family in general and mine has really been there for me - especially this week.

every family has there own stories to tell, but if you've ever watched an episode of 'brothers and sisters', you might understand a little, if i told you what my family is like! i sometimes think we'd make a good reality show! ...seriously!

off course, none of us are addicts or married to a senator (we have other issues - we're only human!), but mostly it's the everybody-knowing-everybody-elses-business-bit i'm referring to.

your secret becomes a family secret and your private affairs well, a family affair! but if you are tough enough (and lucky for us, most of us are... most of the time) to make life's little choices on your own, despite the 'only-cause-i-care'-opinions of those nearest and dearest, you might just manage to avoid the drama that becomes the intrigue of the hit tv series we have all learnt to love and possibly even come out the other side something, seeming to resemble an individual. after all, life is not a reality show (unless you're an osbourne or a lohan) and drama suits actors better than real life brothers and sisters!

so when life gets a little tough and the endless pool of self help, power of positive thinking and the seven habits of highly effective people (this reading material has become a bit of a family heirloom), is all used up and it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel, my sometimes-interfering, yet always-interested family, always seem to be there, no matter how far i try to run, still leaving a light on for me...

...like the umbrella's, these are just a few (i seemed to have formed an obsession with certain objects) mostly from the south of france. i found myself snapping away at every possible street lamp. these are for my mom.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

what's the story, morning glory?

2008-09-18T11:33:00.012+02:00

umbrella, parasol, brolly or bumbershoot. call it what you like.

this is the south of france and well, these are just a few...

i just love the surprise element of film photography. ok, so i love surprises in general, but lets not get off the point! i find myself being more aware of what i photograph, careful perhaps. or is it too careful... i try harder! I'm not saying I'm against digital photography, not at all! one day when I'm big, i would like to go digital too! but I'll never stop using film!

...one day when I'm big, id like a darkroom too....

sorry, being sidetracked again. oh, I've had my share of disasters! you know what i mean... you tell the whole world you took the most amazing shots and you're sure there will be some serious winners... and then you have heads cut off or the focus is on the stranger behind your long lost, childhood friend. with limited knowledge of photoshop and with a headless hubbie, one can only do so much!

...but such is life!

its the discovery that comes along with the surprise I'm talking about... learning something new about yourself, or others; I'm a bad photographer, there is no hope... or, what was i wearing...what was she wearing? or you discover ghosts from your past - sometimes even literally (but that is a whole different ball game)!

so we get back from our trip and all we have left is our photographs. no souvenir can beat the anticipation over coffee after handing in the film at the one hour photo lab (cause I'm not grown up and i don't have a darkroom yet)!

...and you guessed it.

...they're everywhere! brollies here, brollies there, brollies freaking everywhere! and i realise: i like 'em! i like brollies!

its a revelation!

but lets be honest. its not really about the umbrellas is it?

its the art of making pictures. of storing a memory and sometimes, when you're lucky, a discovery.

you know what i mean!

...i think maybe I'll get a big yellow one? what do you think?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

this is my pirate

2008-09-13T15:09:00.001+02:00

at thirty two i often hear my ship is sailing. i say; i am the captain and this is my life! my mother likes to say that at my age she already had four of us ( and there are five of us). we don't talk about it anymore...

<...but isn't she cute!?

zaza is having alexander today, her water has broken and she is having a party at the hospital. we are all invited. i like babies and i like parties, so why do i find myself starting a blog when i should be drinking champagne in the waiting room of the medi-clinic?

then there is noah, my nephew - you'll meet him- he is beautiful, no really- gorgeous! big blue eyes and blond hair. now how can i live up to that?

...but i love kids.

i want to be the captain for just a little longer.
so this is my pirate and for now, my ship is sailing...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek