flowtops

Corner View: Market

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:56:00 +0000

If ever Top4 gets notions about selling stuff at the market, I'd propose to her to go into Post-Its.

Why sell the ordinary stuff, like bread or vegetables or flowers, or stainless steel knife sets?

No, I'd have her collect the hundreds of Post-Its she has left in every nook and cranny of our house, and offer them to market visitors. She'd be doing me a favor (a little less clutter), and she'd be doing them a favor as well.

I mean, "Jump around" - that's a good reminder, innit?

Please visit Francesca at FuoriBorgo for a tour around the world's finest and most enjoyable markets.

A Horse Is A Horse

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:44:00 +0000

(Playing around with new imaging software)

Playbunny

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:47:00 +0000

I had a spare hour today, so I took my camera and went sightseeing around the house.

It feels less and less like MY house, as I have had very little time to play around with vacuum cleaner and mob, to organize a closet, or to do the laundry. Top1 is in charge of the household now, and he does a marvellous job, all things considered.

We're all a bit exhausted. The little Tops seem to have lost the use of their ears (they've compensated by turning the volume up a notch), Top1 has lost some of his sense of humour and I have lost some of my cheerful disposition.

It's not that things are not going as planned with the start-up. They are.

It's just that other things are left untouched for too long.

Let's hope for a spot of sunny weather on an opportune moment next week. Then we can re-enact some of Top4s Playbunny nakedness in the garden and soak up the energy of the sun.

Love is...

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:07:00 +0000

... letting your little sister sleep in a Mini Tipi in your room, on this special night.

(This photo was taken on Valentine's Day 2010. Top4 would need a Medium Tipi now.)

PS Managed to buy a new second-hand car. Hope nothing else will break down. It's a nuisance to criss-cross the country whilst we have tons of other things to do.

They Just Sneak Up On Me

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:26:00 +0000

It's been hectic these past few weeks, and I don't foresee a change in that pace.

In the office, I'm accepting any and all translation work that comes my way, whilst arranging things for the undisclosed start-up. For now, let's just say it's not what you all would expect from me, but apparently all my friends and family do, as no-one I told about it IRL seemed surprised.

This makes you think, doesn't it - how many different roles can one person have? Or perhaps the element of surprise has lost its appetite, due to the economical crisis, the weather crisis, the what-not-crisis.

As it is, I work three "jobs" at the moment - office, start-up and the art & poetry stuff, that never, ever will leave me alone. Even if I try to be ordinary and watch a movie every evening after working full shifts, they pop up from nowhere, these darned images, the corroded words.

And then there is the novel, which was going rather well, but has now lost a bit of momentum because of the start-up. Well, Top2, then why not delay the start-up? Well, internet, why not delay the draining of our savings account?

A good start would've been NOT to have one of the tacky old cars we drive, quit before we were ready to buy another one. One tacky old car doesn't cut it out here where public transportation is next to non-existent. So, we'll need to go shopping for a second, slightly newer car that undoubtedly will turn tacky the minute us Flowtops lay our hands on it.

Also, the start-up is about helping people in need, and somehow I don't think that can wait too long. Society is not helping itself these days, is it?

Add the fact that I do not take well to severe cold (chilblains hold me prison in the house) and you'll understand that I often wonder why the hell this all comes together now, at this precise moment, and not consecutively, neatly arranged to digest piece by piece...

I leave you with this cute gizmo (an outtake from a large watercolor that I still need to finish), and with a link to a poem about turtles. Just a few of the things that snuck up on me, while I was busy surviving.

Nothing New On The Western Front

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:50:00 +0000

In lieu of Corner View (Francesca is terribly indisposed, weather-wise) Top3 today presents to you a fiendish Ork Goblin. He's the pilot standing on top of the poison transfer thingamabob in the lower right corner, impatiently waiting till the two Snotling workers have finished welding and painting the surface of his rocket.

Where will he be heading with the poison-filled bombs, you ask?

His target is the base of an opponent Warhammer race (probably Space Marines or Battle Sisters).

His goal: To purge the world of these blasted aliens.

(Mind you, this information is all strictly on need to know basis)

It Was A Very Good Year

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:50:00 +0000

Phew... I made it. 39. No longer 38. (Remember the dream?)
Some aspects of my life have not changed. But I have.
That should be enough. No, wait. That IS enough.

Corner View: Wings of Light

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:31:00 +0000

The little Tops love to play around with tea-warmers. They haven't set the house on fire yet, so we just let them.

And sometimes the result is amazing!

For more Corner Views, please hop on over to Francesca at FuoriBorgo for some Italian early morning light - and more!

Lille Virgil

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:18:00 +0000

When I was a child, we lived in Denmark for a couple of years. For my first birthday over there, my parents gave me a Dutch translation of a volume of stories by Ole Lund Kirkegaard.

This Danish writer was astoundingly good at portraying wisecracking boys surrounded by capricious adults. And his drawings are superb.

Researching the writer just now, I discovered he froze to death at the age of 38 in that very same year, just a couple of weeks after my birthday, 70 kilometres from where we were living at the time.

I remember that winter. It was harsh. We were even snowed in for a couple of days.

Only when I finished this painting (another co-creation with Top4), I realised his story about Lille Virgil had been in the back of my mind all the time. This was my favourite.

Somehow, knowing the writer died not far from where I had just landed as a six year old starting first grade, at the same age as I am now, adds a touch of tenderness to the painting as it gets archived in the bright green cabinet in the left-hand corner of my heart (that's where I keep the co-creations).

Funny how those things work out in my art.

PS Been toying around with a new photo editor - not up to par yet.

Essentials For Hotties

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Overnight, it turned cold. Frost was in the air and on the surface of the ground. As farmers don't really mind us trampling the empty fields in winter time, and the hardened surface meant we could do so without the little Tops sinking knee-deep in the mud, we finally were able to search the fields near Borger, famous for its large collection of megalith tombs and the enormous amount of flint.

For an hour or so, we stared hard at the ground, picking up all the flint we spotted.

Back home, we rinsed them off and left them by the fire to dry. Top3 even counted them.

240 pieces of flint. Yes, siree.

So, what do we need all that flint for?

Well, Top1 regularly sells the old "flint and steel" combination to re-enactors, archaeologists and history fanatics. (He hopes it'll become trendy one day, as it's easypiecy to make and a real eye-catcher for hip dudes and dudettes.)

Here's another look at the hotties, as portrayed in his Dutch shop:

And as you can see in the video below, this ancient technique for making fire still does the trick...

Seeing Things

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:44:00 +0000

I've been away on business, which for the most part meant I had to refrain from a certain level of playful perceptiveness. Luckily, for the blog I have many shots in stock like this one.

When spotting this "creature", I remember thinking "What does it see? What does it feel? The sun? The grass? The hestiant promise of frost oozing out of the ground?"

There's a poem in there somewhere, don't you think?

Pallas Athéna

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

This is a pre-scheduled post. Will resume "live" blogging next week.

Well, here I am. Full colour. No grin as yet, though there is on the inside. Who knew facial masks could be so much fun? Do click for a larger view.

Cheering On

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

This is a pre-scheduled post. Will resume "live" blogging next week.

It's Corner View today, but as I am offline, I can't really participate. However, there is a link between these pictures and January (the topic for this week).

With their dolls cheering them on as they set off for another forty rounds of jogging in the living room, Top3 and Top4 have found a good ointment for the sluggishness this dark and gloomy month imposes upon us.

Go, January, go! Pave the way for February, which after all is just a two-step tango away from April. (That is when the sun is bound to hit our home again and colours will explode once more.)

Links to more Corner Views you'll find over at FuoriBorgo. Ciao, Francesca!

Early Start

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

This is a pre-scheduled post. Will resume "live" blogging next week.

Top4 is fish no
Top4 is bear no
Top4 is hare no
Top4 is fox no
Top4 is human yes

(It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type. She writes gorgeous poems.)

Lofty

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:13:00 +0000

I'm offline next week on not-so-lofty work-related business, but don't worry - there'll be a few pre-scheduled posts to tidy you all over!

Corner View: Black and White

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:41:00 +0000

I asked Top3 for some input on this weeks topic. He came up with a B&W dragon, torturing a helicopter full of UCs (Unidentified Creatures) shitting their pants.

(As it is a dreary day today, I took the liberty of adding some digital sun to the image.)

For more B&W takes on weird creatures, please visit Francesca over at FuoriBorgo!

Too Late...

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:43:00 +0000

The Road To Perdition

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:42:00 +0000

peregrinating
heart renovating

I had so much fun
dissolving the sum

that I quite forgot
sometimes it's just not

Run, Rabbit, Run!

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Top3 and Top4 are still saving up for bunnies. They have the wildest plans for suitable living accommodation.

Meanwhile, in Gogo City, the toy rabbits have escaped and locked the keepers in their hutch.

Not sure what that says about the little Tops' ideas about pets...

Corner View: Ring Out The Old

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:31:00 +0000

Just as I was getting used to a mindset leading me to believe that I am getting nowhere with properly integrating the creative flow in this crooked little life of mine, I received a message in a cookie.

Thank you, universe, for that reminder. You're right. It's not polite to belittle intuition, as it is doing its best, whispering poetry in my sleep, flashing images in the back of my head when I am working, guiding my pen and brushes to spit it all out whenever I have the chance, and generally shoving opportunities right under my nose day in day out.

There is no end to this creative flow, just like there never was a beginning. There just IS. And I can hop on whenever I have a moment.

Sure, I would like to be able to surf the waves for longer periods of time. But there are boundaries to what a girl can do in one lifetime.

Therefore, I'll ring in a new mindset, one that is not about getting anywhere. A mindset that leads me to recognize and cherish every little sparkle, knowing they all come from the same source.

Visit Francesca over at FuoriBorgo for more takes on Tennyson's poem.

Goodnight Mama, Goodnight Papa

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Evening shots of the King and Queen. All hail!

PS Where did the beard go? Apparently it's not yet embedded in her inner papa image.

He Liked The Clown Best...

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:38:00 +0000

QuintesScential

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:35:00 +0000

In our household, we are all about being frugal whilst doing our bit for the environment. A couple of months ago we decided to replace washing powder with Ecoballs. Since then, two UFOs have been performing their extraterrestrial tricks in our washing machine, rendering our towels as clean as ever, but at half the price (just one rinse cycle and no detergent needed).

However, there is a snag. (There always is.) Laundry detergents, even the neutral type we used to buy, generally render underwear with a lovely, albeit faint, fragrance. The alien life forces inhabiting our laundry room limit themselves to their core business. Green. Frugal. But no fragrance. Not even the faintest hint of freshness clings to our jeans now.

Of course, this information all comes from the other Tops, as I do not have an operating sense of smell. That might be why it took some time to come up with a solution.

Typical for us Flowtops is that whilst hoarding the materials needed to restore balance in the universe of our socks, we suddenly were confronted with the need to create little gifts for family and friends. (Hello, Christmas 2011.)

And even more typical: Though the lovely smell of lavender now lingers in various linen closets around the country, our own lack of fragrance has still not been taken care of.

Ever so sorry, dear towels, underwear, jeans and socks. We got a bit sidetracked. Hope to have you scented by the end of this month...

Isis

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Top1 finished a cuter-than-cute fibula brooch, made out of forged brass, silver (pin), glass enamel, new silver (pinhead) and red copper.

The stylized leaf is based on images he found in facsimile Egyptian papyri, hence the name: Isis.

I have a similar brooch (with a flower pin adorned with slightly darker enamel), which I use as a fastener for a woolen cardigan I knitted a couple of years ago. So, I speak from experience when I say this is a real eye-catcher!

Circus

noreply@blogger.com (flowtops) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:11:00 +0000

One of our activities in the end week of last year, was visiting a circus.

These guys were really strong. I can't remember what they were called. If I were a duo with that kind of strength, I'd probably go for The Strongos...

(Click the frame for a bigger view with more detail. I adjusted some settings in my camera. Images improved a lot.)