Lost and Found

I spent the day at Woodend yesterday with my friend L. We were both tired and needing a break and there's nothing like getting away from home to give a bit of perspective. The main attraction was a viewing of the short film by Shaun Tan, "The Lost Thing" as part of the Woodend Winter Arts Festival. Shaun Tan was there for a discussion about his work in general and the film in particular.Apart from my sheer enjoyment of the work--we watched it in class a few weeks ago, but an extra viewing just reveals more delightful details--I found it really helpful to get some glimpses into Shaun's work practice and his philosophy.

Add to the mix a delightful--and enormous--lunch at one of the many, crowded eateries and some wandering around in the winter air and you have a good prescription for a bit of recovery. I also came home with a collection of autumn leaves which I may or may not sketch today.

Funny Farm

A day out was just the thing for me after an intense week of organising and planning at home. I headed for the Ixchel bunny farm and wasn't disappointed. Of course there were beautiful fluffy bunnies to keep us company as we sat and talked. There was also so much yummy sweet stuff that I didn't even consider eating anything else all day. Add the wild birds attracted by the seed left out for them on the verandah. And the chickens who knew how to get their share of the goodies. And Jazz, the bunny dog--she's so friendly, she actually howls when some-one leaves! Oh, and we did do some spinning.

The chickens just tickled my fancy. There's a gate to keep them away from the wild-birds' bounty, but no gate can stop this determined chook:
In case you're wondering about the orientation of the picture, so am I, but this was how I took it. You have to imagine the chicken's angular, jerky movements for yourself.