Lift thine eyes

Today is the day that my love will be traveling towards me ... In her own inimitable words, with which I completely agree: "Youpi!".

My love, I waited patiently and excitedly to welcome you to this my other home, this part of my world, and to be with you again and have time, endless time ... I'll make sure I stop the clock once you arrive ...

I think this calls for a poem, to celebrate, while you travel towards the Southern Cross ...

Lift thine eyes towards that star
That shines so high above.
My hopes and dreams shall travel far
Towards the one I love.
Lift thine eyes towards the skies:
The heavens are as one.
But when the sun does slowly rise
My love shall not be gone.
Lift thine eyes in longing now.
My wish shall then come true.
I have no room left in my heart
Such love I hold for you.
Lift thine eyes towards that star,
My hopes and dreams shall travel far.

(Lift thine eyes, by Andrew Blakemore)

One of my paintings to illustrate this - a view from where I am ...











(For those interested in more paintings, go here.)

Bureaucracy

We (Tess, Yarrow, Bryony and myself) spent a day in Brisbane last week, chasing passports ... one can only wonder why governments make it so incredibly hard and cumbersome for people to get what is rightfully theirs ... why they insist on having to verify and certify without end while all the time you a) already have a passport (ok, it has expired, but still it was given to me earlier so doesn't that make me who I am?), and b) have already proved a thousand times who you are (which gave you the passport in the first place).

The epitome of bureacracy I was confronted with was requesting a fresh certificate of citizenship (going through the motions of providing documentation to prove you are eligble for it and paying for it), the Department sending this official document to you and then having to go out of your way to get to Another Office to have somebody stamp it to confirm that it is indeed an official document (at a cost, of course).

As a treat, after 3 hours of papershifting, we decided to go to the Sciencenter, in the Museum of Contemporary Arts, a hands-on museum of science fun. A few piccies ...

Rollercoaster

Gosh - more than a week has gone by since my last post. Tempus fugit, eh! I've returned to Oz, was reunited with Tess and Yarrow, who are staying with me this week, and with other friends and loved ones; succumbed to jetlag prompting me to wake up in the middle of the night and, one night, even to not sleep at all; tried to settle in again in this beautiful valley, missing Niki dreadfully, but speaking to her every day; managed to write I don't know how many chapters of Take Shape which needs to be finished before my love arrives Down Under; said goodbye to dear Michael in a beautiful ceremony in Whian-Whian state forest; spoke to sollicitor's re the property settlement for the Myth, and made a long, long list of things to do ... always things to do ... Next week, more writing, always more writing, and a visit to Brisbane to renew my Dutch passport.

As I write, Niki is in the Castle in Lisbon, at another concert, in the inner courtyard, with some of her friends and I wish I was there with her now. But I am in spirit anyway! Anjes has finished her Year 1, with success! Congratulations, dear daughter!