Coming home is easier to orange hearted hugs. 

Waterbottles posing as human being. chilly nights bearable. 

We're a bit cute. 

Its 3pm nap time. And its so hot, that this at home 'luxury' is a must.
and whilst I don't feel like writing. I know things things tend to spill hence forward as I look back over just these past 4 days.
Four days.
An amazing concoction of sweaty, smelling, serene, sincere and splendid events.

We've worked hard since 6am today, the library is coming together. I may well be the master of blue white wash painting. and the books are forming some kind of order. I will now know what NOT to do next time whence building a library from scratch in a boys home in rural Sri Lanka. Lesson one: Follow ONE system. Ahhh hindsight is a beautiful thing.

And amidst the fun of elephants charging at our jeep, hurtling down the crazy Sri lankan roads at Sunset- wind in face, I smile. Joggers on and this little miss scaled Mt Sigiyria, 45mins, but I could have done it in 30 easy. A rock fortress... stunning views of the entire region. The time and space called for quite contemplation, and swings in tree's.

So many other tales.
and yet for now, I am safe and sound, happy and peaceful. I should get back to cataloging and helping out.
Much love to you all.
Stuti.
BPT

Photos will come when internet speed is faster than the old 'click and make a cup of tea' bandwidth. Still, its the small things. xox

Don't ditch it! Switch it!

Well well well, I figured a clothes swap is a good reason to blog. Get me outta my perpetual blog lull. Sometimes there's living to be done, river bends to explore and kites to fly. ( yes its been v windy)

So i'd like first and foremost present the WHY before the HOW.

Lower Blue Mountains  Roteract are going to Sri Lanka!! To volunteer at the Kathleen Kegal Childrens Orphanage. And, as always, we need your help! (http://www.kkcf.org/ Look see! Its beautiful stuff!)

This is where the HOW comes in... By promoting sustainable, recycled fashion, a fostering of community involvement and a good old Bake sale... we bring people together to say "titt for tatt "

Here we go!

                                                        Glenbrook Community Hall.
                                                                 Sat 3rd March 2012.
                                                                            9am-2pm.


Ladies and gentlemen ( Yes! This is not just for le ladies...!)
Heres how it works:
Step 1. $15 donation to enter swap event.
Step 2. Arrive between 9-11am to drop off  up to 15 clean quality items such as: clothes, accessories or shoes
(Quality means: No holes, stains, smelly old clothes! Put yourself on the other side... would you be happy taking this item home??)
Step 3. Receive exchange tokens for number of items entered. You can bring between 1 or 15 items!
Step 4. Chill: Browse bake sale, explore Glenbrook, sit under a tree, drink coffee,  early lunch, mosey, potter and tra la la. (This is when clothes get sorted into piles)
Step 5. Come back at 12pm for swapping time! Browse and try...Yet no need to buy!
Step 6. Exchange new items for tokens on your way out.
Step 7. Say goodbye to new friends with a bag full of new fun!!

FYI: MORE INFORMATION IS COMING SOON ABOUT DROP OFF LOCATIONS IN CITY AND UPPER MOUNTAINS. This will save you coming in early on the day! Handy handy.
Questions??
email bryanna.pearl@gmail.com
Call. 0422370083.          
                                                                           
Oh yes!   and donations for the bake sale are welcomed and (much!) appreciated. Feel like baking...? whack it on the table with a list of ingredients and the rest, they say... is history.

1st Dec. 2012

Maybe its time.
As the Jacarandah flowers fall.
The stars of Bethlehem burst
and the Hydrangeas say hello...
that i begin again.
begin at the start.

To say hello. To the www.
As i have much coming up...
and lots to share. Clothes swaps, things growing, oven heating, films screening... travel planning.
Sights are set to soar.

May we reconcile our winter differences dear blogger?
May I claim Summer for my own, for strength and clarity?
Yes lets!

I will keep you close you little wonder.
(self involved little wonder!)
xo ever loving, bryanna pearl

"in Just-

spring       when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles       far       and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far       and       wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

 from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

     the

             goat-footed

balloonMan       whistles

far

and

wee"

e.e. cummings

Spring calls me out of hibernation. Ready and fresh to pick the daisies (so to speak)

and remember why I'm here in the Blue Mountains. and what next adventures may hold in store. 

Essentially, weeds. poetically, beauty.

A day in the front garden before the clover was clipped. 

Lucky Lucky Lucky

My last years blue berry. Which was my muse on abundance and simplicity. Is LOVING being with mother earth... and is bountiful and beautiful. Ahhh possibly more than 3 blueberries this year.

Much love and happy wanderings. 

xo bryanna pearl

Operation: Art Department.

Fair thee well. Goodbye to the days of a student.
Tomorrow marks setting forth into the real world of...being a teacher.
Only for two weeks.
(thats enough for me)
A mere dip.
A casual cooling off.

Korowal welcomes me back with open arms.
and an empty art department.
A dip in the deep end it seems.
(lucky I'm getting good at treading water)

My blog entries are very boring these days.
and a little too... self centred.
(How unlike me....)
Will endevour to think bigger.
Get out of my little box of a world.

Abundance to you all.
In what ever form this may take.
xobryanna pearl

Woolie Winter Wanderings

Right now i have so many hands in so many baskets. 
that I can't even begin to write. 


So i must get something out here. 
and it comes in the form of a jumper.
Just to get things flowing. 


Op shopping with a new dear friend. How many different ways to spell Kindred? 
( ... and i know a few people that are going to try to answer this... Ge?)
I was being metaphoric! 
And came across this piece of beauty... $12

Leunig asks us to consider that winter can be " a season to cherish the heart"...
This is my heart cherishing. In jumper form.
Ps. photos do this no justice. The thing is in full 3D gardening fun.

A trip to burkenhead point...made me queezy (possibly the late night gins also)... But, this type of 'bargain' is much more my veggie patch.


--------------------------


It rains outside, Wanda jackson hums inside. Pj's at 12:30, thoughts of : hot showers, Wabi Sabi aesthetics, library adventures, a blank canvas and full heart. 
Thanks world. I took a break from you. but im glad to be back. You're pretty good. 
xo Bee Pea Tea.

...So anyways, yesterday... whilst dallying in Richmond...( yep, was getting my '52 suburbs' on )...Just reading a little book in the sun... A small boy of all of about 5 screams " MUM!, Who is that?"

And it got me thinking. So many new experiences in the past year...from leadership camps, building a play ground for an indigenous reserve, dusting off historical documents in Rabi,  Driving into the back of a fire truck ( sorry Joyce), 10 days in silence ( where i realised I even think in blog entries now)...to completing my degree... and now bopping about a little gluten free cafe, waiting waiting for the next turn of events...
Its sometimes hard to not live in the past ( "I did this") and at the same time the future ( "i'm doing this")... and have thus spent today deciding what i love... right this second.

Because I can. and its fun. And will continue to play play play, all day day day...
Walls of beauty.

A red ceiling. I love having a red ceiling... because its the next best thing to having a blue door.
And its high, and bright and looks beautiful against the white. 

I love staying up all evening in my own company to make beautiful things. Thanks for the doilies Denniliquin!

I Love 1) Sunshine. 2) Breakfast. 3) Shopping at farmers markets for eggs and fennel. and deciding that its a waste to throw out the fennel tops = Fennel tea)

My newest love. Fingers for days.
Yet made even more brilliant by this :

With such classic hits as : Michael Bolton " Can I touch you...There?", Janet Jackson " you want this" and the classic Bryan Adams " have you ever really loved a woman"...

Yawww'll ready for this??

So there you have it. My present living.. things i love entry. For today.. 
Which happens to be Ria's birthday. Hope you are loving which ever part of the world you are in dear girl <3 
Xo. Bp

...and if men should not hear them men are old

"...What was warm, is strangely cold,
Whence dissolved the little breath?
How could this small body hold
So immense a thing as Death?"

-Sara Henderson Hay

Dearest Angus.
How can my heart be open to the little birds, ( who are the secrets of living)...
If you bring me such gifts?
How can i give you all the cuddles you need, whence you continue to bestow upon me such painful holes to dig.

Ill give you more cuddles. and more food. and... more cuddles.
If you keep these pieces of magic in full flight.

xo
Ps. ( this poem is actually about a cat.. Is called " For a dead kitten"... But the immensity of death in creature so small is beautiful no matter feather fur nor fin. )

There's no place like Home.

They weren't joking about the Ute on a Pole. A national icon... followed only by... 

...Mosiac'ed Ute.
A running theme?

Back from Four days off dallying in the country. Big busses and new friends... Red wine, too much chocolate and SO MUCH MEAT. Goodness. 
Must admit, they didn't really sell me the whole " country lifestyle"....
" What do we do on the weekend? some snags, a case of beer... roll into bed at some ungodly hour...I swear I put on 15kgs when i moved out here".... riiiiggghhhhht. Maybe get some better representatives for your town...?


Factors that would have been music to my ears... community gardens, creative types, yoga, fresh local produce, a tea emporium, local markets and sustainable practices... and then it hit me!
...This is why i moved to Old blue!
And thus, have ventured back to Winmalee with fresh eyes to this lovely part of the world. 


Denniliquin was beautiful. It had brilliant Op Shops and I came home with bags full of florals, heads full of new adventures and hearts full of new friends. 
But the country life for me? Nahhh... Ill stick with higher ground for now. 

Between the chocolate, wine, steak and spice girls... I did actually manage to get some walks in... This was Edwards river, a meander off the Murray River. Breath taking at sundown. 

Xo BP

Goodbye K.wol. Hello Deniliquin.

With just as much kicking and screaming as it took to convince myself to stick to my internship, it took just as much to drag myself away. 
And not too far have I strayed...


With degree complete. Official Casual teacher. 
A week of real work secured for July. 
Real life, big girl.. go to work, work!! 
And the side note to this is:
(and get paid for it)




In love with Langston Hughes right now:
his simple words speak to me, when I'm finally allowed to take a break and stop thinking.

Hand made stamps. A wintery... sitting by the fire type pass time.

"What happens to a dream deferred? 

Does it dry up 
like a raisin in the sun? 
Or fester like a sore-- 
And then run? 
Does it stink like rotten meat? 
Or crust and sugar over-- 
like a syrupy sweet? 

Maybe it just sags 
like a heavy load. 

Or does it explode?" 


Ahhh dreaming. New dreams.
Lets not let our dreams explode... or stink like rotten meat for that matter!


Many new fun stories to share over tea. 
And yet I am off to Deniliquin... the Ute muster capital of Australia! 
Yeps... going to see what rural education is all about. eh, decided a tea cup's gotta go, where a tea cups gotta go...
...
..
.
Bpt

A reminder.

..of beauty, 
whimsy. 
and winter sunshine. 

A mid afternoon walk stumbled upon this delight. 
After a busy week.. was the perfect reminder.. to play. 
xo

Hazelbrook Mural Project.

I've titled it " drinks at the haze"
Remember that fresh blank wall ( no? see holidaze post)
Well.. blank no more!


Hello miss community spirit. Through hectic wind tunnels, coffee needing artists and towering scaffolding... This is what the crew pulled off!

An overview of the history of Hazelbrook. Bush fires juxtaposed with snow. Farms and wildlife.
Michael Lynn, a brilliant artist that taught us the tricks of the trade.
 A sponge on a big stick... under a big bridge. 

Can you feel the community love? 
My initiation into old Blue.
xo bp.

Old Goodbyes. New Hellos.

Today marks a week left of interning.
Just one.
I look back on " arghhh 14 week internship"
Then there was a middle time of "Meh internship". and now..."sooky bye bye internship". 
All this come and go. Rises.. and passes away.


And whilst my bottom lip quivers a little at the thought of leaving this place. There's something that says... "you're not done here yet." And so the goodbyes, they aren't forever. 
Actually.. Ill be back the very next week. 
Korowal Caberet! Come one come all to Caberet Ball.
AND then for a gorgeous mosaic that I'm over seeing. AND for a new reading program for k-6 called Multi Lit.
So really.. Yes internship is finishing. BUT they'd be lucky to get rid of me :) Ill just hang around until they pay me. 


Other fun tidbits include...Night three of home alone. Loving it! Why would i have thought otherwise? Self preservation...Just in case it sucked.
Oh yeah, and you're reading the words of the newest little waitress at Jazz Apple in Glenbrook. 
Home Brewed Chai, gluten free cakes... amazing aprons and general chit chat. How fanciful. Thanks universe. Providing as always.


Hope you're staying warm. 
Bee
Pea
Tea 

A faggot of sticks and a solitary Pearl.

Good Bye Scott and Jude. So long and thanks for all the cat food.

S'just me and Angus holed up for the winter. 

(He is the one that eats the cat food, promise)

My stick collecting has become an art. 

Faggot Faggot Faggot... Ahh the beauty of a naughty collective noun. 

My little teepee fires are roaring. 

Wood chopping skills are entering refinement mode.

Quickly developing fire bug tendencies. 

Something mesmerising, beautiful, honest and quaint about the fire place.

Making home. Making heart.

I am women. hear me ROAR...

Happy Birthday dear Jude. Enjoy Canada, family, adventures and each other. A well deserved break.

See you in 8 weeks... ill have the tea ready for your return :)

Yule party anyone? Mulled wine and spiced chai... roasted chestnuts, marshmallows and anything else we can put near a flame. All cliches welcome. 

xo the solitary pearl.

Puzzled Post.

A love of post, friendship and beauty finds this in the mail.

A task that reminds me of my incapacity to recover my left brain. and leaves me stranded on my bedroom floor for many eves.

An envelop of doom. Open at risk it whispers... ( caution notes indicate not opening in open areas. contains small pieces: Not suitable for small children either )

A menagerie of chaos.

Vague hints, mean the pile mulls over for a few days. I google the words " Night, tree, reassembles" Brilliant words. Fruitful googling.

"Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 

Ahh this man, he knows me well. ( Sender of post that is... not old Saint. E)

And so i begin to clue in. Hmmm... picture on one side. Numbered letters on the other. (still have no idea as to how i shall tackle this...)

So i start the piles. Illogically. Into piles of the same number. NOT (as intended) the same letter.

Explains why this happens: 

WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF??????

Oh riggggggghhhhhht... 

Letters not numbers! (When the alphabet came into the maths classroom.. miss pearl high tailed it outta there. ) New piles. Many Skype cursing to sender man. Much tea.

K, got it. Obviously. Line up the letters... from lowest number to highest in the fashion Saint. E intended. flip over to reveal image)

And where did i end up?

A quitter when is deemed relevant. This project transversed the 'tra la la distractions from lesson planning' to the 'go get a life miss p' gap. Once the beautiful quote got revealed.. and I was battling blue sky lay outs and green grass clippings.. i put him to rest.

I got to here. Gappy and disjointed. Did he expect it any other way?

Alice came to a fork in the road.  "Which road do I take?" she asked.

"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.

"I don't know," Alice answered.

"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

THANKS GEOFF. Inspiration for this point in my journey. When im asking... Hmmms, whats next? and realising... this isn't even a question i should be asking. But merely staying receptive.. and open. 

"it doesn't matter"

Logic fails me. But truth prevails.

Much love. Bee Pea Tea xo

 

As a thankyou. and an apology ( for the disjointness of intellect). I baked these for you.
Coming to a post box near you!
A fun puzzle to piece back together once trusty Aust Post has anything to do with it!!

Autumn falls to Winter.

I only like writing in courier. It reminds me of my 2 un-inked type writer that I long to fix. Maybe i can convince my creative side that this is a substitute.. not merely a conciliation prize. 


Its been a while between writings. The dryness felt by internship is passing...I can feel my little fingers unfurling, saying play play play. 
And so I have been. Thus the no writing.
This weekend saw Hula hoop workshops and (possibly too much) chai (never). 
Operation hoop-la in motion.

Just one singular beauty. Hazelbrook. 

Despite the ups and downs of new spaces, new faces and the constant under confidence that only a teaching internship may bring... I love where I live ( Judith and Scott and Angus... you are beautiful beings)and I love the mountains.
And right now I have so so so much respect for the autumn tree's up here. Every morning... my whole head just explodes with beauty at how vibrant these tree's are. And every day i watch them change...with each leaf that drops... knowing winter is fast approaching. Ice on my windscreen this morning confirmed my inkling.

"I speak for the trees"

So its boots time. Its scarf time. Its time for me to learn how to build a proper fire.. its chestnuts and chai time. Andddddd...

Its that bunker down and spend time with the most loved ones time.

As leunig says in his poem 'winter'.. this time is "a season to cherish the heart"

May we make this happen? May we respect winter for what it is... instead of cursing its wintery ways? 

Come visit me! Ill be a host with the most. and you too can honour the autumn trees ( be quick! their going fast!) and bunker down with a book and the fire. Bryanna Pearl B+B now open...<3 xoxo

So much love. 

Babies, Bunnies and a little B&B

Welcome to the world Bailey John Taylor.
Today you are a week old.

Proud Parents. Jess and big brother Laurie. 

The Easter weekend see's some expensive plane flights, Brisbane YHA adventures and a sense of freedom. All with my dear Mum by my side: Aunty and Nanny hop up to be at little B.boys side.

Easter surprise post rules. Much better than chocolate!
Pretty much just wanted to show off my cute new bit of fluff.
And because he won't think he deserves a mention ( the giver of
such gifts.. not the porcelain bunny lady )

Toms go adventuring to the pond

Mariannes Cottage. A most beautiful and quaint little B&B

 Mumma's pick of holiday fun found us here with lovely Meg. Home cooked breakfasts and lazy mornings on the verandah. Look forward to a return journey to this idyllic hideaway. Road trip anyone?? 

 http://www.maryannscottage.com.au/

Look at this tree!! It was dated at 400 yrs.  A staircase of tree formed steps meant climbing was but a dream.

Just a little trip to Burpengary. What a horrible sounding suburb! Alas, drives to the Hitherlands (Mileny and Montville) make it all worthwhile

. Gratitude for not falling out of the sky, for the effect post can have, for Brothers hospitality and Mums company, for new borns and old trees. 

Holidaze.

Remember school holidays when you were at school? That 2 weeks of borderline bliss boredom. So many things to do... and then, bam.. its over? Its the same for teachers too!
But with many a project completed...many a friend seen and many cups of tea drunk. Thought a little recount was in order. Just for amusement on a drizzly sooky day.


Getting into the community vibe of the mountains. Services are offered up to a mural with an Artist by the name of Michael Lynn. Pretty amazing stuff

A teaser of whats to come. This is our perfectly primed white wall. Hazelbrook is about to abound in local history mural fun. 

To be continued... 






Holidays wouldn't be holidays without a trip to the parentals and some family TLC. So off I hop, skip and jump down to Picton.  Ra, Ra, Ra... much sitting around reading old favourites ( The Tao of Pooh and some Edna St Vincent Milay Poetry) Many a blue wren watched, Some old school friends visited, and walks to the pond partaken. 


Oh and getting crafty...
Actually embarrassed at how long it had been since i'd had my sewing machine out!!
So i stumble upon this. http://www.leethal.net/zine/?p=1344
And decided I could actually manage cutting up an old T-shirt and sewing it into a bag. You know, inch my way back into sewing machine madness. Kind of altered the pattern that this website said though. Not one for rules.


So i find a ridiculously big Leunig shirt... Which, for obvious reasons.. couldn't be thrown away. 
Sewed up the bottom, snipped the sleeves... instant eco bag! 
Took her for a road test today... Big hit at the veggie shop. Super strong!

So sitting in front of the fire, Last day of holidays. Means its back to Korowal, back to the chill and teacher mode. Embracing the resistance of it all. Working with it. 5 weeks to go. Bring it on. xo