2015 2016

One year ends, another begins. A time to reflect, a time to look ahead. My resolution once again is to get to grips with the Georgian Language. This was my resolution last year 2015 resolution and the year before and the year before that…

I have some ideas of how to go about learning a foreign language, I need to get away from the theory and start the practise even 40minutes a day, consistently, should reap results. It is important to communicate with people and I have the perfect opportunity living here in Tbilisi, Georgia.

2015 wasn’t an especially remarkable year. I continue to teach English to private students ranging from 4 to over 50 years old. We went twice to UK, the first time to see my mum and the second time to help her to move into an old people’s home (my brother, Danny, did most of the work). In 2016 we would like to go to Italy.

We visited some interesting places in Georgia, mostly on trips with my wife’s colleagues. Khevsureti was spectacular and involved a very long walk to the Abudelauri lakes.

Abudelauri Lake (Blue)

I seem to spend far too much time on Facebook interacting with 801 friends, many of whom I’ve never met in real life.

The blog continues to get more views over 11 000 in 2015. Thank you for your views and comments.

Countries from which I have had the most views: Top 10

I have two other blogs one for diecast model car collecting My Diecast Model Cars Blog and one for my book reviews

Diecast Dodges

The Diecast blog gets far more views but far less likes and has a different geographical spread of viewers.

D

Diecast blog : top 10 countries by views

I have been taking my granddaughter to school, a chore, I find to be quite pleasurable and we have a few photo opportunities en route. Ana is getting good at seeing interesting pictures and modelling accordingly.

Ana in the autumn leaves en route to school.

Happy New Year to all my viewers and followers, I hope 2016 brings you happiness and fulfilment.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Now

With Ana we are often focused on the now, even going to school, we can detour via the playground to enjoy the moment.
Now

Merry Christmas

Wishing a Happy Christmas to all my followers

Almost full moon pictured through a star Christmas decoration on Rustaveli Avenue taken on Christmas Eve

Untitled ‪#15

Untitled number 15

Like Untitled ‪#14 this picture was taken of the St George Column in Tavisuplebis Moedani with a fountain in the foreground. But this is taken from the opposite side using the larger fountain set up in 1957 behind the Pushkin monument. I like how the decoration of the column mixes with the form of the fountain.

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Gathering

Gathering

family gathering

In Georgia families gather frequently for birthdays and other celebrations here four cousins and their grandmother…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Oops!

Oops!

365 : an art project

In September 2000, I had an idea for an art project. Every day I would create some art: a drawing, painting or collage on a postcard and send it in the post. Every day for one year. This is where the 365 in my blog address comes from. I started on 01.10.00 (1st October 2000) because I thought the date looked cool and continued until 30.09.01.

1/365

This was the first. I would make two of each card, one I would keep, one I would send. The recipient I chose was Jonathan Watkins at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. I chose him because I had recently attended an exhibition of the works of Gordon Bennett, an Australian aboriginal artist at the Ikon Gallery and Jonathan Watkins had spoken eloquently about the works.

each card would have a number and  a title on the back

I was working at the Royal Mail at the time, so using the post as part of the project seemed fitting. I don’t know what exactly the recipient felt about these cards, I think he was mildly amused. My goals in creating the project were vague and undefined. I was, I think hoping to hone my rudimentary artistic skills. I enjoy writing, drawing and photography but I am very much an amateur in all these fields. This blog has given me an outlet for my writing and photography. There could be a part of me craving recognition or just wanting to share my views of the world.

The subject would differ from day to day. I didn’t strictly make one a day, some days I would do none, other days I would do two or three but I surprised myself by managing to complete 365 in one year. There were many drawings usually copied from photographs, often of celebrities.

Sylvester Stallone 243/365

I came across the cards again in September when we were sorting through the contents of mum’s bungalow, as she prepared to move into an old people’s home. I don’t have all 365, it was amusing to see them again. I often feel I should do more drawing and painting, one of the reasons I bought the Moleskine, a week ago.

Dr Franz Kafka 361/365

It may be appropriate that Kafka was the subject of one of the last cards, he was a great writer but barring a few short stories, he was unpublished in his lifetime. He had asked his friend Max Brod to destroy all his work on his death, though luckily for us Brod ignored this request. The novels we have of his: Amerika, The Trial and The Castle, are unfinished, he continually rewrote them and had no publisher screaming at him for the finished manuscript.

Blue Parliament 325/364

Didn’t I blow your Mind? Red/Green 294/365

The mind blowing picture was created by dropping paint on the card and blowing the drop with a straw. I did three of these cards using complementary colours: red/green, blue/orange and yellow/purple.

There is nothing so beautiful… 168/365

untitled 234/365

I haven’t made such projects since, maybe it is time to find a new project.

Untitled ‪#14

There is a fountain I pass most days in Liberty Square (Tavisuplebis Moedani), taking my granddaughter to school. I have been playing around with different angles of view. If I get down low, I can have St George and his horse on top of the fountain. Here the hydraulic arm of a fire truck looks to be impeding the flow of the water…which is in fact responding to high gusty winds…

My First Moleskine

‘Le vrai moleskine n’est plus.’ lamented Bruce Chatwin in Songlines, when he heard the French manufacturer of the Moleskine had gone out of business in the 80s. He would use one for all his travel notes.

Harry Hole the maverick cop in Jo Nesbo’s crime fiction uses one.

Moleskine logo

“a simple black rectangle with rounded corners , an elastic page holder, and an internal expandable pocket: a nameless object with a spare perfection.”

an internal pocket

The legendary notebook used by artists  and writers over the past couple of  centuries.

A Milanese publisher revived the notebook in 1997. I found mine at the Winter Fair in Tbilisi, I’m not sure what I’ll use it for, notes , sketches or a mix of ideas….

I have a lot of cheap notebooks I carry around with me, now I also have a legendary Moleskine.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge : Eye Spy

Eye Spy