Grab your hat and favourite book. Roll up your jeans and come sit down next to me on the sand. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and listen. Enjoy…

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I know, this have been a long wait. But it can all be explained by my mystery location…

… once upon a time, this was home…

and perhaps now you know why I am such a water baby: i was brought up by the seaside, on the sea shore, feet in sand and little body bobbing up and down between these beautiful waves…

and once upon a time i dated surfers, and sea men, I wrestled with sharks (okay, not) and dived with dolphins (okay once)…

isn’t it time for a soundtrack? lets pick this one ( you know the rules by now: click here, and come back to my post as you play this soundtrack in the background)…

This is Newport Beach, in Sydney, Australia. And I just landed. It’s been a whirlwind trip. A very unexpected one.

You see, I’m here to be with my Mum. You know the woman I’m talking about: I’ve mentioned her here, here and here (read bullet point number 4).

I am very thankful to my agency, and my clients back in Amsterdam for being so understanding and letting me postpone my shoots, to be with her.

So for the next few weeks, there will be no harriet (she is waiting for us back in amsterdam), there will be no soundscapes (although I will be collecting some and posting them with French Boy’s help when I get back to Amsterdam), and there will not be a whole lot of time to post. But will you still stop by as I show you where my other home is?

It is a rather emotional time as I meet with friends I have not seen for so long, as I catch up with family that I adore, and as I attempt to enhance my mum’s everyday. Will you come with me?

I have a few ideas of how to enhance my mum’s everyday, and one of them involves you (I shall reveal soon). Also, I’d like to show you the rest of the beaches of where I live – this is just one – there is a whole bunch of them that I call home, and I will show them all to you in the days to come. This next month will be water filled, and author’s note: this is where my dreams were born.

to be continued…

personal diary entry, august 7, 2006…

“I have the top of a tall fir tree in my line of sight outside this window, oh how I would love to see a beautiful bald head eagle fly to a branch right now. I would watch that eagle until he flew away.

The tide is out and the sludgy green-gray sand is stretched wide along the bay, sand dollars scattered across the slimy surface. Its a picture perfect view of Treasure Island, rocking in the wind, with the flag that I made already faded to white. I love its new weathered look.

This afternoon I will take a walk along the rocky shoreline. I will find a smooth rock and will lay myself down and look up. And close my eyes. I will take in this shoreline with all my senses as it has become so familiar to me, this ocean that I know so well from it’s other coastline. Being here is like being inside the mirror, looking back and waving to myself from behind the bluish glass. On the other side it is a different palette of blues, warm shades of blues. But here, its grey shades of blue: the dark blue-grey mountains meet the deep black-blue ocean – how is it that you now speak to me like I belong. It is a beautiful feeling, to feel you accepting my presence. I would like to get to know you better than I have over the past years. I’d like to see how it feels to call you home. What an opportunity that would be.”

But on that walk, and on that rock, I sensed something. I sensed that it was the last time I would walk there. The last time I would be invited to visit that special place with those special people who made me feel like I was home. So I lingered a little longer on that rock. I walked back a little slower. And I sensed my heart would ache. For a long time to come.

…………………………………..

The soundtrack to this post is here.

Since I wasn’t able to post one of my etsy favourites last monday, I thought I’d share something extra etsy special today. What could it be? Well, it’s something that has flood those little underwater cables that link us all to each other, in the last 24 hours. Something that totally rings my bells, and makes me jump up and down with sustainable, creative giddiness. Something that says, “this story totally ROCKS!!”. What, who, and why, you ask? Here is a clue:

I’m talking about this Handmade Portrait on Susan Gibbs from my etsy favourite Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm.It is an incredible sneak peek into the life and love of Susan, a brilliant little short piece on her new life raising sheep and goats for the yarn she sells in her Etsy Boutique.

So make yourself a cup of tea and take a few minutes to watch this wonderful video here, read more about it in The Storque here, read the blog here, and visit Susan and Patrick’s etsy store here.

I hope you enjoy this segment of…

Author’s note: Um, French Boy, change of plans – forget the hustle and bustle of our city life… fancy starting a farm with me out in the middle of nowhere: just you, me, and some gorgeous creatures like the ones above? No? Oh.

Any other takers?

🙂