When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves.
And satin sandals and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired.
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells.
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

All the while , I hold a smile,
to attempt to hide,
the pain that I'm in,
and the pain that I feel inside.
Silly me, my friends, they see
and support me anyway... cj '05

Let me but live my life
from year to year,
With forward face and
unreluctant soul;
No hurrying to, nor turning
from the goal; Not mourning for
the things that
disappear
in the dim past, nor
boldly back in fear from
what the future veils, but,
with a whole and happy
heart, that pays its toll
to Youth and Age
and travels on with Cheer.

Henry van Dyke

Purple really is a beautiful colour.
Very strong and rich.
Full of energy and warmth.
Signifies one wall and resistance against authority.
One wall granted lead to a glimmer of power unknown before.
Now I write with purple ink and wear rich deep purple clothing.
cj'05

Wow!! Today I have completed a major creation, 2,518 words for an assignment on World Religions. If marked favourably it will be one more subject completed towards my Diploma.
The topic chosen was also partly preparation for an exam in two weeks time. I am so relieved and now I can eat regular meals for a few days and catch up with the family. The eyes and body are aching so they definitely need a break from sitting at the computer screen.
My lovely bird is quite frustrated with me as he is normally constantly on my shoulder, sharing my food and receiving too much attention. What a time waster but worth every minute spent with him.

These dragonfly are moulded vegetable tanned, Kangaroo leather that has been painted with iridescent acrylic paints.

Silk painting is very relaxing once the silk item is prepared to work on. I love being able to splodge the paint on and then sit back and watch what happens. The colour is set by ironing the silk once dry. Many hours of fun can occur and beautiful gifts are made to give to a friend.

We have many famous visitors to our home. These two Gangangs are rare and as far as I know are endangered. For many years a flock of at least 20 Gangangs fed regularily off nuts on our liquid amber tree. This pair is the first sighting for 4 years.

This little man is the leader of the flock that all our family members belong to. We are not cokatiels but he is human. Just a sook and a major time waster for all members of the household. Why shouldn't he expect everything. He was hand raised by me from 4 weeks post hatching in January 2000.

This image is part of a Tshirt created for Christmas 04. Image cut out and using visafix, ironed onto a black cotton Tshirt. Then the image was decorated with fabric paint.