The Lair of the Emerald Serpent

Izzie has been busy slinking about in the sunset in the company of some very strange creatures.

Sculptures at Sunset

This event has been running since 2005 and I have managed to visit at least once every time not that one needs an excuse to linger and lurk around such a gorgeous beach.

This time has been a record since I turned up 6 times. Two of those don't really count since they were part of the day jobs with the senior centres and involved making cups of tea, taking people to the loos and lugging fold up chairs and tables to and from the bus. So it was not really possible to do much sculpture spotting but it was a good vantage point for getting an overall view and enjoying the breeze and chorus of cackling parrots.

There were some beautiful creations and more than the usual share of pompous pretentious monstrous carbuncles.

More pretty pictures

When left to my own devices I nearly always chose to be there for the two hours before sunset. Of course the grand plan was to come earlier but there are always distractions and temptations. But the limited exhibition time of two weeks does concentrate the mind wonderfully.

A few years ago they extended it to three weeks which one would think makes sense because of the cost of transport and installation. But that was the year that one statue was stolen and had its feet hacked off in the process. So maybe the wages bill for all the extra security outweighed the benefits of an extra week.

But the last two visits were a bit of a wake up call. We had two stinking muggy days of nearly 40 celsius and I thought I was going to melt. I felt so grotty and grumpy all the time. That was followed by my watch giving up the ghost. Of course having a reliable watch is a big deal when your main form of getting around is public transport but it turned out to be far more disorientating than I could ever have imagined. Trying the young person's trick of relying on a smart phone for the time just did not cut the mustard since unlike them I do not keep the thing surgically attached to my hand.

Eventually the miserable weather did change but I found myself still distracted and completely unable to enjoy the sculptures or the sunset. Normally the beach is just one of the most magical places imaginable where all one's worries are washed away even if not putting a toe in the water.

Of course I could use the excuse that the beach is not normally that crowded - especially being the last weekend of the exhibition. But it didn't bother me two weeks ago.

It's the dreaded Dementors again and all the old tricks to scare them away no longer seem to be working. Dark chocolate is not an option as this pot bellied python does not need any extra blubber.
Time to go back to the drawing board and start plotting and planning. I do suspect that since they so rarely lurk during November and various visits to Camp Nano, it could be something as simple as always having some creative project on the boil that requires definite deadlines or anything really that involves commitments to external entities. I have no problem getting up early for work but fall prey too often to the temptation of being a lounge lizard when I intend to get up early for personal serpent projects.

Here's hoping that Easter and the recent autumn equinox bring opportunities for new beginnings.

March is Culture Vulture month in this bit of Australia. Sculpture by the Sea is celebrating its 11th year at Cottesloe Beach and finishes tomorrow. I have attended all the previous years so it has become a bit of a tradition.

Some local artists who felt excluded have put together their own show at another beach down the road. Both are beautiful locations and have been on the serpent’s visit list since they first started.
Later in May another beach will host their version of 'sculpture by the sea' which has some very interesting rules. The official title is Castaway and all art works must be made from recycled materials. If ever proof is needed that constraints are conducive to creativity then the Castaway sculptures provide plenty.

These events conveniently coincide with the equinox so the last two days have been the perfect opportunity to drop by at both beaches to drool over the pretty bright shiny things and to indulge in some sunset watching.

( Bling on the beach )

Apart from sunsets at the beach, the other big Izzie ritual at equinox (and solstice) time is to get out the little green book to write the new batch of 3 month, 1 year and 5 year plans. This also involves checking through the old ones to see what sort of progress I’ve made since the last time. Was I ever so amused to see one wishful thinking item tucked neatly in the June 2013 to June 2018 list - “Visit to Europe”. It felt very strange and spooky ticking off that particular item today and made me very aware of the scary magical powers that such lists can unleash as it is not the first time this has happened. But that is a tale for another day.