Thankful ...

To travel is to see the world, and to meet its inhabitants, to find acceptance there in their hospitality, and to find in complete strangers, a family we didn’t know we had.

David duChemin, Photographer & wise man too.

I was compelled to lift these words from the story David told over at Maptia.  I'm listening to Zaz sing  Historia De Un Amor en vivo as I write this. 

I'm loving the internet for allowing me to know of David's writing and photograpy, for allowing me to listen to Zaz and her magical music ... but most especially for allowing me to watch Christmas unfold back home in New Zealand, 12 hours ahead of us here in Belgium, via friends and family I won't be seeing this year.

On Facebook I wrote, 7am on 25 December in New Zealand, 7pm on 24 December here in Belgium. Summer back home, winter here ... sometimes the split in my reality is clear.

The foto, taken by Jurjana Pavlinovic-Timmermans, after our Christmas Eve catch-up in the city.  Thanks for the conversations, and for the laughter, Jurjana  :-)

Thankful ...

To travel is to see the world, and to meet its inhabitants, to find acceptance there in their hospitality, and to find in complete strangers, a family we didn’t know we had.

David duChemin, Photographer & wise man too.

I was compelled to lift these words from the story David told over at Maptia.  I'm listening to Zaz sing  Historia De Un Amor en vivo as I write this. 

I'm loving the internet for allowing me to know of David's writing and photograpy, for allowing me to listen to Zaz and her magical music ... but most especially for allowing me to watch Christmas unfold back home in New Zealand, 12 hours ahead of us here in Belgium, via friends and family I won't be seeing this year.

On Facebook I wrote, 7am on 25 December in New Zealand, 7pm on 24 December here in Belgium. Summer back home, winter here ... sometimes the split in my reality is clear.

The foto, taken by Jurjana Pavlinovic-Timmermans, after our Christmas Eve catch-up in the city.  Thanks for the conversations, and for the laughter, Jurjana  :-)

Scenes from My Photography Exhibition

It's taken me a week to even make an attempt to write about the weekend that was because it was overwhelming ... sublime, full of friends and laughter.  It was full.

The photography exhibition went right to the wire, in terms of preparedness.  I may have overcommitted myself a little but that's my style.  I should know this thing about me by now.  We had 6 house-guests over the 3 days but that was pure magic as well.  I know so many good people.

Teresa arrived first, over from London and we had much to talk about.  There I was cooking bacon and egg savouries for the exhibition opening, writing up descriptions for the photographs that Gert and Sander had helped me hang in the morning, drinking a little red wine from New Zealand, while Teresa and Miss 10 tied ribbons around little packets of postcards by Di.

Ren and Egil flew in from Norway.  Shannon and Erik drove over from Holland.  Kim also came in from England and before I knew it, it was all on.  Cars, directions, trams, even bicycles.  People arrived at the reception.

Hilde, from the Choice New Zealand shop here in Antwerp, was hosting the exhibition, and she made sure that the New Zealand wine flowed, as did tasty little NZ inspired snacks.   Friends and family just kept on arriving and my heart sang.

But perhaps you get a sense of the atmosphere, the good people, the beautiful evening via this selection of photographs taken by Kim and Teresa.  I'm so grateful.  I'd love to have documented it but I was too far into it all, as warned when I mentioned I might take my camera. 

So very into it.  Thank you to everyone who came out and supported me.

Old Friends and Birthdays ...

An old friend from far-away flew in on Tuesday.  I knew Murray back in those days when I was an airforce officer's wife living on that base surrounded by wineries located at the top of New Zealand's South Island.

So, since Tuesday, we've had years of stories to catch up on ... his teenage children, my move out of New Zealand too but despite so many years passing, 'all that time ago' still feels like only a few months have passed since our last meeting.

And so we have been talking as I've introduced him to Antwerp and life here.  He's enjoyed Antwerp's incredible printing museum, the MAS ... the Red Star Line Museum too.  The photo above was all about me taking photographs using Murray's phone camera ... some laughter was involved, as I messed up more than a few images, adjusting to this new way of 'seeing'.

He arrived just in time for my birthday ... which was yesterday, and it turned out to be one of those lovely days where I just kind of birthday-ed the day away. Quietly.  Jess made me my mostabsolutelyfavourite cake in the world ... an orange cake, and I whipped up a big old dinner of Persian Chicken. 

I'm around but busy, just for a few days before he wanders on into Europe.  Stories shall surely follow.