Winter is coming

By Daria Kudla

This is art by Daria Kudla. Red Riding Hood riding her wolf, on the brink of Winter. As indeed it is. I feel a bit like her. And like the wolf, particularly the lavish red tongue hanging out like it is the end of the world soon.

 

Posted with Blogsy

In search of authentic women

My interest currently gravitates towards interesting women. Role models, perhaps, or just in-a-general-sense inspiring women. I wonder what it is that I want to clarify about them. Or about myself.

A gentle beauty, Mumbai 2007, by Cameron Macmaster

I know what I am not interested in. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with beautiful or successful women. Or with superMums or powergirls. The latter just exhaust me! Don't get me wrong. As a woman, I am truly happy for them to have succeeded. I am grateful that they will inspire other women to take their chances. I wish them a long and happy life. And should anyone offer to make me very rich or incredibly beautiful I might just be tempted :-)I believe that women are (better) equipped to tune into matters of the heart, soul, even the body. Somehow they are simply better at tuning in. Perhaps this knowledge derives from being able to carry life within. Perhaps it is something else entirely.These days there are many women who choose not to develop this ability. Rather, they give it up in favour of being recognized by a predominately male world. I understand. Truly, I do. The call of the alpha male is strong and its response runs in our genes. Not easy to resist at all. Especially not if we need protection for ourselves or for our children.Before I may attempt to say any more about this, I feel I must try and define, or at least get a feeling for the kind of "tuning in" quality that I mean. For a while I have been drawn to to collect the faces of strong, authentic women, and their stories. Perhaps it is not just about women, either. There are also men “tuning in. Perhaps they have always been there.I am wondering if I might do this proposed investigation in this blog, or whether I should start a separate one.  

Whilst I am thinking about this, I will use this page to jot down some of the links that I have come across. These seem to be concerned with women’s achievements and contributions, recognition, which is not so much my “thing”. Still, the material is interesting.

 

http://www.mhamenondji.com/blog/amazing-women

http://www.distinguishedwomen.com Includes an incredible long links page for further reference.

http://www.amazingwomeninhistory.com/http://trulyamazingwomen.com/

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

In search of authentic women

My interest currently gravitates towards interesting women. Role models, perhaps, or just in-a-general-sense inspiring women.  I wonder what it is that I want to clarify about them. Or about myself.

A gentle beauty, Mumbai 2007, by Cameron Macmaster

I know what I am not interested in. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with beautiful or successful women. Or with superMums or powergirls. The latter just exhaust me!
Don't get me wrong. As a woman, I am truly happy for them to have succeeded. I am grateful that they will inspire other women to take their chances. I wish them a long and happy life. And should anyone offer to make me very rich or incredibly beautiful I might just be tempted :-)

I believe that women are (better) equipped to tune into matters of the heart, soul, even the body. Somehow they are simply better at tuning in. Perhaps this knowledge derives from being able to carry life within. Perhaps it is something else entirely.
These days there are many women who choose not to develop this ability.  Rather, they give it up in favour of being recognized by a predominately male world.  I understand.  Truly, I do.  The call of the alpha male is strong and its response runs in our genes. Not easy to resist at all. Especially not if we need protection for ourselves or for our children.

Before I may attempt to say any more about this, I feel I must try and define, or at least get a feeling for the kind of "tuning in" quality that I mean.  For a while I have been drawn to to collect the faces of strong, authentic women, and their stories. Perhaps it is not just about women, either. There are also men “tuning in. Perhaps they have always been there.


I am wondering if I might do this proposed investigation in this blog, or whether I should start a separate one. Whilst I am thinking about this, I will use this page to jot down some of the links that I have come across.  These seem to be concerned with women’s achievements and contributions,  recognition, which is not so much my “thing”. Still, the material is interesting.

http://www.mhamenondji.com/blog/amazing-women
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/  Includes an incredible long links page for further reference.
http://www.amazingwomeninhistory.com/
http://trulyamazingwomen.com/

If you have ..

Thank you, who ever conceived of this message and its beautiful layouting first. I do not know who you are .. I always credit the author of material that I repost, but that proved impossible: so many people have reposted this message. I gladly join them.

 

 

The message that is sent by this poster is clear as a bell, rings right through smaller and larger concerns, fears, hopes. Or at least, that is what it did to me. 

 It reminds me of Nine Simone's  magnificent "Life".  At times I play that song until I believe I can walk on my hands- which I definitely cannot :-)

Child's play

Photograph by Vo Anh Kiet

This picture was the runner up for the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012, described as “H’Mong minority children were playing with their balloons on a foggy day in Moc Chau – Ha Giang province, Vietnam." It has a dreamlike quality, otherwordly, and yet the children and their balloon play are like any children.

Vo Anh Kiet - I have not been able to find any details about him or her - also entered another photograph for the National Geographic contest, which did not make it to the top ten, but to my mind is equally beautiful. It shows another H'Mong child, leaning into her mother. Both mother and daugther appear to share that same  dreamy child like quality that shines through the black and white photograph above.

Photograph by Vo Anh Kiet

More is more and less is a bore

 

I couldn't resist sharing this with you: another role model for me, something to strive for.
She is Iris Apfel, and I snatched this picture from the Advanced Style Blog by Ari Seth Cohen.

This lady looks more at 92 alive than I feel at 50. She is American, but half Russian too, owing to her mother. A rare old bird!. Exotic, indeed. And she still has a lot of energy! The quote "more is more and less is a bore" sums her up.There is a wonderful article in the Guardian about her, which may be read here. Apparently she became a celebrity at 83, many years after retirement.