There’s no better way to start a four-day week than with some random My Heart Wanders submissions…

a box of wishes from Deborah

wandering heart shadows captured by Joetta

another beauty sent in by Joetta, this one featuring some of her own embroidery work.

playing with wilted petals on the left by Joetta, and playing with potatoes on the right by Ana

chalky love note from Joetta, and on the right, a tiny wandering heart shaped seed captured by Lynne.

And as if that wasn’t enough to inspire you to get your camera out, here are some more!

a daffodil’s heart from indigo alison, and a cheeky submission via Blanche, photographed by her boyfriend Jai Tanju

morning gift by Joetta

even pancakes have wandering hearts, submission from Heidi

Be sure to follow the links to their affiliated sites as there is plenty more inspiration where these came from. I must say, my days are certainly enhanced when I receive new submissions for the book. Those of you who have already participated might be aware that there is something about looking for this little detail in our everyday life that enhances it in a rather subtle, magical way.

Next up: my first readers request! Hint: it has something to do with My Heart Wanders too.

Photography by Ben Dearnley.
Food by Rodney Dunn.
Styling by Pia Jane Bijkerk.
For Gourmet Traveller.

I miss that spoon, it’s sitting in my props storage back in Sydney. Damn oceans, always getting in the way.

photograph by pia jane bijkerk.

I have to admit that I was very apprehensive to post about Tibet, becuase I know we all love the good things of life, we love design, we love good living, and I know some of us might not want to hear about the bad stuff mixed up with the good stuff. But your positive reaction toward these posts have made such an impact on me, and the world at large. My inspiration and my work without doubt comes from the colour, energy and indigenous designs around the globe. And i can’t imagine a world without them. I imagine it would be a stark, soulless life like in those futuristic movies, where we are all wearing the same colour grey tight outfit, hair slicked back so you can’t tell if we are male or female. And nobody smiles. You know those films? That is not what I think our future needs to be – I mean, its all good and entertaining in the movies, but I like the lights to come back on after the film is finished, and to walk back out into our colourful, happy and inspiring world. The goal being that it is peaceful and nurturing.

And that’s where this chocolate brownie comes into the equation. Well, not really, but I thought you might like the image anyway! This photo I took a year or so ago after making these brownies for a book idea I was working on, using a new ingredient with one of my suppliers, or new to our everyday pantry stock. Usually I shoot what I recipe test so that I can catalogue it in my project files. That book is still in the making as I need to find an appropriate publisher, but in the meantime I am still developing recipes for it, that is certainly the fun bit!

A big shout out thank you to Holly at Decor 8 for making me ‘blog of the week’ (and to Stephanie at Design Healing for inadvertently letting me know!). And now I’m thinking that I need a more colourful banner or logo so that it stands out on such occasions. Or maybe I could make a ‘special occasions’ banner, like an evening outfit, for such events, what do you think?!

Tell you what I think having just glanced over the length of this post: I need an editor.

Wow. Well, I’m back. It’s been an emotional 48 hours, alot of unrest, alot of emails exchanged. I am so so wrapped by your comments, you all made me cry good tears, thank you. and there are some beauties in that comment box, so if you haven’t made the time to read the comments on the previous post please do. Before I can carry on with the good stuff of life here in the (blog)house, I need to put out an urgent appeal with links to petitions you can sign, from wherever you are in the world. Here is a little musical treat, a very cool Tibetan inspired dance mix I found, it is sure to get your fingers clicking to take positive action in this emergency world crisis…

The horns and bells you hear in the beginning are traditional Tibetan instruments which I just love.

Get Up is also responsible for helping to get the Australian government to say sorry to the Indigenous Australians which I wrote about here.

They are calling for 1 million signatures, so please spread the word.

And if I can ask for your help to keep Tibet in the media spotlight – this is a vital time for them, they need us right now and the moment the media attention drops off, well, I can’t tell you what that means for the Tibetans inside Tibet. And as the Dalai Lama has just stated,

So if you can post about it, you will be helping to ensure that the people of this part of our world do not become extinct, for they are already endangered. And you may not yet realise how important this is for our own future. Thank you to those who have already posted, I appreciate your efforts immensely.

If you feel unsure about supporting Tibet, if you are scared or you are worried about whether it is right or wrong according to different media reports, to put it simply, what has happened in Tibet over the last 50 years is an act of bullying and your fear is a reaction to that act. I for one have put a stop to bullying in my own personal life, and the Tibetans are trying to do the same. They have been bullied – pushed and shoved, lied about, and beaten down. And I know a little of what that feels like, perhaps you do too. So if you have any questions about this situation, and about why it is so so very important to act now, please do not hesitate to email me.

Next Up: we are going to have a little sneak peak at some recent my heart wanders submissions, and also answer one of my first reader requests, with help from my guest, which is rather exciting! Plus we will kick off our “Tibet in the Spotlight” design inspiration posts very soon. In the meantime, let’s rock this blogosphere because Tibet, we love you!

Update: Another great report on Channel 9’s Sunday programme this morning (March 23) with Tenpa, in case you missed it click here to view.

Please click ‘play’ on the music player below while you read this post, thank you (and be patient if there is a little delay in loading)…

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okay. so this is it. there is no more procrastinating. no more perfecting my words. no more clearing my throat. or doing more research. or reading more literature. or looking at pretty pictures. The truth is I can’t go to this place you see above, or this place you see below…

… it’s not because I have a broken leg or something. Or because I can’t afford it. No, it is because of something I said.

But what could I have said that could stop me from going to a place as magical as this? Well, the thing is that I only told one person. I mean, I am no speech maker. I only have a little quiet voice. and it wasn’t made for making loud noises. So I haven’t announced this to an audience. Or even a group of individuals.

Until today.

I can’t visit this place because, well, I made a pact. You know some people get tattoos, or get a second earring hole. Or maybe pierce their nose. Or their tongue. I made a pact. And I declared my pact to this person…

His name is Tenpa . And he was born in the country I can’t go to. And perhaps I’m crazy to have made a pact to say that I can’t go there, because it is obviously full of the inspiration I crave – full of nature, full of colour, and life, and natural wonders, and full of photo opportunities to say the least. In fact, just like all ethnic cultures that us creatives derive inspiration from, this country and it’s culture is at the height of it all. It is in fact, the rooftop of the world. Yes, I’m talking about magnificent Tibet…

Back in the early ’80’s, when some of us were sporting bubble skirts (yes i confess), and large bangs, and listening to Wham, Tenpa’s mom was walking across those mountains with her 5 year old son on her back. She was escaping. Although she had done nothing wrong except breath which all of us are ‘guilty’ of, she was getting the hell out of there. For 15 days she trekked through that snow. And there were others too. A group of about 10 people, some old, some young. And some died. I often close my eyes and try to imagine being Tenpa’s mom on that mountain top. She would have been about my age. What would I see? Would I look back and whisper goodbye to my home? And as I struggle through the snow with nothing but the clothes on my back and my son at my heels, what would I be thinking as I watched others on my same path lay down of exhaustion and die? If it was me I would be scared out of my wits. But something must have been scarier behind Tenpa’s amala than in front of her, otherwise she would never have made the trip. No woman, man or child in their right mind would make that trip without a good bloody, freakin’ scary reason.

So baby Tenpa made it to India alive and so did his amala. But not for long, she lasted ‘in freedom’ for only five years, and died when he was ten.

Fast forward to the year two thousand and Tenpa arrives in Sydney, stepping off a plane for the first time in his life. He’s been granted a special visa to live in Australia thanks to his Dad who endured over 14 years of imprisonment and brutal torture in China for being a Tibetan monk. And yes he was a special sort of monk, he was a Rinpoche. For us novices of Buddhism this means he was a reincarnation.

Now, I’m no Buddhist so I won’t go off on a tangent and pretend that I know anything about monks and reincarnation. But I do know I’ve met many people in my little 30 years on this planet and I can assure you that Tenpa’s pala is without a doubt the gentlest person I have ever met in my life. He has not even lifted a finger to kill a mosquito sucking on his arm. In fact, while he endures the sting from the blood sucking creature he just smiles at me. I can imagine why too, that sting must feel like a kiss compared to what he has endured in his lifetime.

So under miraculous circumstances, Tenpa and my life crossed paths, and we’ve been crossing and weaving each others paths ever since. And that is when I made the pact. My reasoning was simple – for as long as Tibetans are not free to come and go from their own country, then nor am I. I made a pact that I would not go there until Tibet was safe. More poignantly, saved.

Which brings me back to this post. We all know Tibet has been in turmoil for the last 50 years. We all know that it is in the media right now. And we all know why. So just like I put Africa in the Spotlight in light of the horrific-ness of what was happening in Kenya two months ago, the time has come to put Tibet in the spotlight. For some reason it is harder for me to get these words out about Tibet. And I can’t discuss the brutality that is going on right now because it makes me vomit. It has taken me many hours to even get these words out and onto this post.

But since I’m in the habit of making pacts, what the hell, I’m making another one. I am no Steven Spielberg, Björk, Tina Turner, or Richard Gere. But I am the friend of this man. And he is the friend of this man. And his people need us. And lets be honest, are we not sick of hearing about the abuse of human rights in the 21st century? I don’t want to hear about another Tibetan nun shot dead. Or see another photo of a young, unarmed Tibetan protester shot dead. I want to hear that our voices are being heard and we can make this world a better and safer place. And to do that I will be showcasing Tibet and everything and everyone inspirational connected with it here in the (blog)house along with all our other wonderful design finds from around the globe. Tibet will now be an official part of the (blog)house until everyone in Tibet and associated with Tibet is safe. And in the meantime, I stand by my friend while his voice echoes through the loud speakers. He does have a louder voice than me after all. There is no doubt you will be seeing Tenpa on the TV and in the papers in Australia and the world in the months to come. And it will be for all the right reasons. But my wish is that one fine day, my pact will be met and I will travel to Tibet with my best friend and have Tibetan tea in a place just like this…

All Tibet images courtesy of L’Internaute.

Photos of Tenpa la courtesy of Tenpa la and Jamie Williams.

And music by none other than the very talented Tenzin Cheogyal. Click here to visit his website, and here to download free mp3’s like this one you are listening to – another example of how generous the Tibetan people are.