Weekword: Hole

Fig. 23a This is not Whole

After I made my weekword drawing above, I googled the two words (whole and hole), hoping to find a poem that cleverly combined the two (like I had) to flesh out my 2-minute effort. But what I found was even better - an interview with a very interesting man - Arthur M. Young (1905-1995), mathematician, engineer (he invented the Bell helicopter) and philosopher. Read more about him here.


Fig. 23b Arthur M. Young's Torus Whole (with an infinitely small Hole)

From an interview with Arthur M. Young:
MISHLOVE: It (the torus) looks like a donut, for people who may not know.
YOUNG: A donut, right. Now, suppose you had a sphere, and there was a cow on the sphere and you put a fence around him. He can't escape. It's the same as a field. If you put a fence around the cow, he couldn't escape. But if you did this on the donut, provided the fence included the hole in the donut, the cow could escape through the hole. In other words, he wouldn't have to climb over the fence, he just goes into the middle and through.
MISHLOVE: And comes around out the other side. Because the inside and the outside are the same.
YOUNG: Right. This is an image for our separation from the universe. I'm separated from you and you're separated from me, but if we were to go into our inner life, we would join up in the divine spark. That's the center of this whole thing.
MISHLOVE: That's very profound.

----------

So there you have it. For more interpretations of the weekword "hole" see Linda Sue's blog here.

Tiny Portraits

A while ago Sarah (clever creator of dolls and beautiful drawings) of Circles of Rain sent me a little journal. A teeny journal - the pages measure 1 cm x 1.8 cm. I decided to fill it with portraits - some of people I know, others imaginary.


The first journal I've finished! So that is the secret - keep it small.

New family member!!

Meet Snous.

Dia de los muertos

For the past 6 years I have made an offrenda on the 1st of November.

Offrenda - 2009.

Weekword: Transportation

After a hiatus of a year, I have started meditation practice again.

Some will get there faster than others ...

Lovely Leenie (who paints and writes poems and takes trips and tells a good story) chose this week's word, see her blog for other participants!

Not quite a clone.

Art journal page - painting by Tamara de Lempicka, drawing by me.

PS Weekword is transportation - chosen by Leenie! Leave her a comment here if you are going to play along and post on Friday!

Water - a story.

Yesterday we were without water again. For the entire day. And on Saturday the water was cut off for half a day as well. My mood was not good. Although we have become used to water problems in our area (something to do with an old system of pipes that cannot handle the load), this was the longest we have been without water. We ranted and railed. Not being able to shower and wash my hair puts me in a vile mood. L'Usband felt there was not enough Information about the problem given through to us. Information! he grumbled, Information! At about 9 pm we got a call from the technical services department. With Information. Sorry, the problem persists, they are sending out a water tanker to the neighbourhood with water. By this time I had accepted the waterless day and my grubby state. Actually, I was beginning to see it all as an adventure (a bit late in the day, I admit). We took our three pails and marched up the hill in a roaring wind and pitch darkness - our area does not have street lights - to find the tanker. And two very friendly gentlemen to help us.

L'Usband shivering in the wind, waiting for the pails to be filled ...

... and the two very helpful council workers. Full of smiles. I was beginning to feel quite bad about my attitude. For one day I felt what millions of South Africans without running water in their homes experience every day.

We struggled home with our three pails of precious water. Against what seemed to be a gale force wind. When we got home, the water was on. Yes, the water was running through the pipes. And a little later there was thunder and almighty lightning flashes and the water came pouring down from the heavens, I kid you not.

I did not know what to make of all of this. I still don't know. But this morning, as I was clearing out my bookshelves to make space for new books, I came upon a book by Beverley Nichols called Merry Hall. I got it a few months ago at a car boot sale and I just bought it for the cover which has a lovely illustration (by William McClaren). I have never opened this book. I opened it. It fell open at this page -

I kid you not.