Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Ship song

Incredible :)

Simple Things

I adore this photo !  This is my beautiful dog Denver ...




xx

Reunions & Goodbyes

Stumbling through a sea of changed faces can sometimes be exhausting...

Let me explain..

Today I attended a reunion and it made me feel quite uneasy... Not with the people,  but within myself- I think sometimes is hard to acknowledge the change in yourself by your past reflections.

REALISATION ONE: PEOPLE ARE DYNAMIC, CHANGING BEINGS


Old faces change. People loose and put on weight. Get married. Move house. Starts Ti Chi. Discover vanilla lattes.

Every day we move and adapt to our surroundings. How much are we shaped by our circumstances?

Coffee or no coffee? Mood and self regulation. A constant, changing state.


REALISATION TWO: RELATIONSHIPS & EXPECTATIONS CHANGE


If 'self' changes so radically from day to day, from environment to environment, surely anything connected with another 'self' would have to be managed with this in mind.

Do we shrink or grow? Push or shove? Give or take?

If you're stagnant in expectations & self, what are the nature of your relationships?


REALISATION THREE: THINGS CAN GET MESSY


The subheading says it all, really.


REALISATION FOUR: BUT.... DON'T PANIC.


I'm in the same boat as everyone else.

I have stuff, you have stuff, we all have stuff.

Not quite the 'radical acceptance' theory , but it's learning what stuff to keep and what stuff to throw over board.

Which stuff to acknowledge and foster, which stuff to put out with the trash.

We choose the stuff which gets melded into oars and rudder for direction and control.

I choose whether to use the oars and rudder, and that choice governs my direction & communication.


AND NUMBER FIVE:


Sometimes you've just got to go with it.



xx

Mmmmm

Rachel Carroll's Upcoming Exhibition: "HATTAH - The Murray River in Flood"

Floodlands - Rachel Carroll 

One of my great friends and inspirations is holding an upcoming solo exhibition at Depot II Gallery! Rachel's artwork captures the joy of the creation new life through exuberant colours and highlights the fragile beauty contained in the Murray Darling Basin River. Her use of rich colours brings to life the often drought stricken area, offering hope for the conservation and re-education on such an unique part of the world.

The details:

 "HATTAH - The Murray River in Flood"
Dates: August 2nd - 13th

Location: Depot II Gallery, 2 Danks Street, Waterloo

Open: 10-6pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

OPENING NIGHT: Thursday, August 4th, 6-8pm

Meet the Artist: Saturday 6th and 13th of August.

Contact: Rachel 0423982349

www.rachelcarroll.com.au

rc_artist@hotmail.com

This event is also a fundraiser for ACF

Reflection II - Rachel Carroll

Official statement about the exhibition:

"This new exhibition by Rachel Carroll is a continuation of a journey which began at the Coorong in 2006. Rachel has since visited a new location in the Murray Darling River Basin each year to encounter its beauty and its presence at the waters edge.

Often meeting local scientists, indigenous, journalists and even MP’s at the River side, Rachel has delighted in the stories and the experiences of others which in turn, inspired the large scale landscapes painted for this show.

This new series of the Hattah National Park, Victoria celebrates the beauty of the newly flooded wetland, a first in 15 years.

"The river has a life of its own… one that I have sought in paint. The colours of sunrise and sunset inspire this series and the reflections within the water. I have taken inspiration from the colours of the masters for this series, Monet and Vermeer. "  

My Dad's in a band!!

That's right, you read that title correctly... My dad is in a band! A reggae fusion band called "Addison Road" who have just released their first debut EP. Featured in Drum Media last week, the much anticipated release at the Landsdowne hotel with Freida's Boss went off last Saturday night.


To check out their groove, go to http://www.myspace.com/addisonroadsydney ! Or if you'd like to buy an EP for an amazing $10, email addisonroadsydney@gmail.com . 


Kudos goes to anyone who can guess who my Dad is! :)

Google +

I now have google + !

I love google's free web development... except i have no idea how it all mishmashes together....

Bumper sticker expectations..

Save the whales!

Save the trees!

Honk if you're horny!

Magic happens!

I support "Insert community here"

When I am stuck in traffic, I often find the most amusing bumper stickers. Some possibly not appropriate to put up here, and others I just role my eyes at. But there is one bumper sticker that i seem to find so confronting... the ones that disclose that the driver is a Christian- by means of a cross, a fish or one of those "Warning: if rapture occurs this vehicle will be unmanned".

Can you imagine the expectation that driver has put on their driving abilities? And how Christians are perceived to be "Perfect", and to be loving and forgiving, and now on the road? This is one expectation I have known to be quite destructive -  because when I think about it, when I say that I am a "Christian"- I am not declaring that I am perfect. I am saying that I am far from perfect and that I can not do it alone.

Huh. That's a bit different. 

Sometimes I may cut someone off ... or I may forget to indicate. Or may say certain things about certain pedestrians who decide to jaywalk unexpectedly...

But let's look at it another way.

The basics of Christianity- that Jesus, the son of God, died on a cross for the wrong in world and rose three days later and forgave the wrong in our lives- essentially rebukes this assumption. The fact is: I am not perfect and I have stuffed up- and sometimes it is a real struggle to love and/or forgive others in my life who have done me wrong, and when I've done the wrong thing. Especially with driving.

But it's not on me-I do not have to be perfect.

God is perfect- and it's Him working in our lives that makes the change within us that takes us one step closer to be loving.

And who has not reacted by blasting the horn in a traffic jam or swearing at another car who just cut you off?

So, I'm not perfect. Christianity does not equal perfection, but God equals perfection. And this isn't an excuse to get away with anything and everything, but rather an acknowledgement that it's through God's love, grace and His desire to have a relationship with us, that the change starts to happen.

I think my new bumper sticker will be "Warning: Christian driver who does not meet expectations" or something silly along those lines... because I suppose in the end you've got to give people in traffic jams something to think about.

Bargain CD Discovery- Fiction Family!

I've always been partial to Jon Foreman and his musical talents (discovered him through the band Switchfoot!), and I'm excited to announce I found one of his creations in the bargain bin for $4.95! It's a band called Fiction Family, where he has teamed up with Sean Watkins and it oozes this beautiful earthy creativity... with appearances from the harmonica, the accordion and thought provoking lyrics.

My favourite on my first listening was this song, "War in my Blood". Enjoy :)

Weekend Winds

You can tell when August is approaching from all these lovely winter winds which start rustling at the beginning of July. It seems to come like clockwork... Weather seems like such an extraordinary phenomenon , in the mere fact it constantly cycles between four distinct states. Unfortunately I have the habit of complaining about it, when really I should be admiring it- that despite its constant daily fluctuations, in the big picture it adheres to a set pattern.

Seems odd really, that something so unpredictable is set in a pattern, and that even though it may jump to extremes every so often, it will return and behave as expected. Four seasons- Summer, Autumn, Winter & Spring.

And yes, this does get me thinking of the metaphor about the "Seasons of Life", but it seems too obvious to really write about it, but it does offer an interesting insight.... That even in our erratic types of behaviour or emotions, the more you look at the bigger picture, the more a pattern is seen, and more can be put into perspective. But are we in the right cycle?

Big thank you

A HUGE thank you to the marvellous techie powers of Graeme, for configuring the DNS settings for this website! Yay!

In case you didn't realise, I have a new domain name: www.emilymcintyre.com.au ! So exciting!

So now, not to repeat last night... i'm off to bed xx

Woaha, it's late...

I haven't had one of these long, staying-up-late-on-the-net moments in a while..! It has been quite exciting having time off and being on 'holidays'. One thing it has allowed me to do is to read... maybe too much... I finally read Shelley's Frankenstein, which was a surprise to read- I was not expecting it to be a moral lesson about chasing after scientific pursuits. And C.S. Lewis!

But what I have really loved is being able to read the bible... the last two months i've managed to get through Romans, Acts, 1 corinthians and now i'm working my way through 2 Corithians and Galatians. It's so exciting getting the full or big picture- so often verses are misquoted and theology is thrown all over the place... it's amazing to be able to see how all the books fit together. Yes, I know there is a way to go !

I think what has hit me the most is the application of living for God after Jesus goes back to heaven. Paul is so passionate about telling people to live through and in  the spirit, not by the old "law". But the plot thickens- Paul was actually someone who was PERSECUTING the early church- and God turned him around- so one of the biggest threats became one of the leading pioneers in establishing and guiding the early church. Wow.  I guess it shows how much God can do through, with, and in us and that it is not by our strict adherence to laws- or do's and don'ts or by our own devices- but through God's grace.

It's really quite incredible..

Who am I?

Let's get in touch!


email: click here!

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About me

(Bio coming soon!)

Exhibition List

2009

• The Manly Lagoon Life Festival, Manly Lagoon, Manly NSW  
•  “Le Petite” Mary Place Gallery, Paddington NSW
• Queenscliff Surf Club Art Market for the Manly Jazz Festival, Quenscliff, NSW

2010

•  “Immerse” Depot II Gallery, 2 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW
•  “Light + Colour + Movement” (An opening for Cade Turner), Gallery Red, Glebe 
• "Together" Studio 4, North Manly NSW
• "Reconciled Rejections" (An opening for Cheralyn Darcey), Studio 4, North Manly NSW

2011

• "Hattah - The Murray River In Flood" (An opening for Rachel Carroll) Depot II Gallery, 2 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW
• "The Salon Show" (An opening), Painters' Gallery, 1773 Pittwater Road, Mona Vale NSW

The trials of dating an englishman...

As I sip my cup of tea, I have just come to the realisation that since I have begun dating an englishman, I have been drinking quite a lot of tea! Before my changed relationship status I was drinking maybe one or two cups a day, now it has sky rocketed to four or five..  so now, I must go and finish this cup of tea!

Skye & Em's Rocky Road Slice

This is a delicious treat- a chocoholics dream! Skye and I decided one afternoon that instead of taking our dogs for a walk, we would walk them up to the shops to gather ingredients to make rocky road. We also threw in a few metaphors about life, but for now, here is the recipe.

Skye & Em's Rocky Road Slice

Ingredients:


1x Packet of marshmallows (around the 250g size!- try flavoured ones if you are feeling adventurous!)
1 & a half blocks of cadbury's cooking chocolate (or any amount of good quality cooking chocolate!)
1 cup of shredded coconut (more if you like it!)
1 cup of chopped roasted peanuts (we roasted them ourselves, but a packet of chopped nuts from the supermarkets works well too!)
Optional: 1 cup of cornflakes- (this gives it an extra crunch! Even try ricebubles!)

Method:

1. In a flat tray, line the bottom with baking paper. Add marshmallows, cornflakes, coconut and peanuts.
2. Melt chocolate (either using the stove top method or microwave- I always burn it in the microwave so I use the stove top method!)
3. Mix chocolate in tray with all other ingredients!
4. Place tray in microwave and heat for about 30 seconds
5. Mix ingredients all together, making sure the marshmallows have melted.
6. Press the mixture down with a wooden spoon so it's spread evenly.
7. Place in the fridge to cool for about 1 hour (if you can wait that long!)

And enjoy!! Remember to lick the melted chocolate!!

Coffee

I am quite partial to the lazy Sunday with a good piece of pear and raspberry bread with a good coffee. It all seems quite strange though because I have now officially resigned from my position at Holy Trinity Anglican church as their youth worker. Full time studies awaits me! Quite odd really.