Monday, July 31, 2017

A Very Busy Week Dawns

Front, side view to show the mussels and barnacles, back.

I’ve no idea how many hours went into this dress but it must be around two hundred and fifty and I’m still not finished. I have to add the feet to the bottom pieces and the buckles tonight. I am extremely pleased with it; t’s been a hell of a journey.
Bruce cancelled our plans for a sleepover this coming weekend. His family felt it was too much too soon; it would be better on a weekend without Pride and the fireworks. I’m actually relieved because it was concurrent with Steve and Tim’s visit.
Last night I made great progress on the defiant dress. The pole is finished. All I have left to do is add the feet to the bottom pieces and the buckles. I’ll do both tonight.
This whole week the temperature is predicted to hover around 30° in the afternoons. I’m keeping to myself today in advance of a busy week: The onslaught of Pride, the arrival and Steve and Tim and the fireworks.
And with the Arts Club’s AD back from France and it being the end of the month I “have a feeling” (that’s the only way I can put it) that I will hear this week whether or not they will option my script.

My friend John built his "Folly" out of bamboo
that he grows in his garden.


















Sunday, July 30, 2017

Cola Strike. Horrors!

Horrors! The Coca-Cola drivers are on strike and the stores are running out of Coke. I’m coming face-to-face with my addiction, going store-to-store and buying up their stock. And all my shades are down; I’m living in the dark with my fans on high. I sleep very comfortably but the heat by evening is startling — especially in my kitchen. 
Steve, my ex and whom I adore, is in Victoria. It’s so much fun to Facetime him and as he holidays with his man, Tim. They arrive here on Wednesday. I can hardly wait.
These endless summer days are exactly what I dream of all winter. The weather is perfect — absolutely perfect, day after day; still, I had a pretty strong anxiety attach when I was with Bruce Saturday. I took him fresh fruit that he likes and I packed it in ice so it was nice and cool when he got it.
He asks every time that I return the following day even though he dismisses me every time I visit. It’s just like with his phone calls; he’s always the one to quit us.
In the evening I glued shells and baked barnacles. The defiant dress takes endless work.
I’ll be attaching them to the pole tonight while I watch Grantchester. Yum!
Our former premier, Christy Clark, is gone. She not only resigned as party leader, she resigned her seat. She’s totally gone. Yay! And her cohort sinking turds are in chaos. Double yay!





















Last Night: From My Window

Wait for it!

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Progress


I've more muscles to add down the pole, barnacles to add above the mussels, buckles to add to the four dress (armour) pieces, rubber "feet" to add to the two bottom pieces and a tissue paper cover to add to the pole's base. But I'm close to finished.

Cut!

Friday: No Bruce, no responsibilities and it’s an exquisite summer day. My goals today are “feet” for the defiant dress (to raise it off the floor) and barnacles for the pole. Sometime this weekend, the restaurant will call and I’ll fetch the rest of the shells I need and then I have the buckles to add. Then it’ll be finally done. Phew.
I got an email from the Arts Club’s artistic director. He is back from France so maybe next week he will review the script recommendations from his dramaturge for ReACT and I’ll hear their decision. This is my fantasy.
In the meantime I live with hope and optimism. I’ve realized that even if the Arts Club says they don’t want it, that I am still very proud of it.
I have a feeling I know why my symptoms came back. I’ve been walking outside every day and seeing Bruce every day and doing way, way more than I have for ages. I have to remember not to do too much — especially with the ex arriving next week.
Getting the barnacles was a bit of a disaster. I put a sharp knife in my backpack and a container into which to put them and went to a pier where I knew there were some that were accessible. It was a great plan except that twice, on my way there, I stopped to get something out of my backpack and cut my finger — and one is deep and won’t stop bleeding.
And last night I got the last of my mussel shells and the footers for the bottom so now I have all the materials with which to complete the most complicated dress in the collection.
Today (Saturday) I’ll walk to visit Bruce, apply some barnacles and clean the mussels. Endless sunshine is predicted and highs of 30°. There’ll be no walking when it gets that hot.

Sculpted puffball mushroom; Calvatia sculpta.
This is a show chicken.