I found this rather sick looking cloth doll in an op shop while sniffing around for a good barging. Tucked away in the box of worn out men’s undies with the odour of a rather ammonia smell this doll was just coming to the surface as I walked past. She caught my eye dressed poorly in an old cotton dress half eaten by moth which thrives in ammonia conditions. I felt sorry for her quick smart and took her to the counter and we both checked out. I had big plans for her. As soon as I was back in my camp I unpeeled her layers of filthy clothing gave her a good scrub up in the tub. Pulled out the good old sewing machine and made her a large coat. I fixed up a head dress and a scarf and before I could count to 237 she turned into a prince. No kissing the frog. She just transferred into a … [Read more...] about Prince Ankhhaf from the 4th Dynasty in Egypt
Travel
How The Rats and Tommelise got to travel with us
One year before we left home getting ready for a 10 months trip overseas there was much to organize. The list was so long that sometimes just looking at it made me exhausted. But we got all the important stuff in place. Peder even got his cataract removed so he could see where he was going. Meeting with our dear craft friends at Lake Eacham for the last time before takeoff one of the Coffee Droppers (yes that is what we call ourselves as we have a reputation of dropping coffee in books to make forever lasting stains for others to enjoy and be annoyed about. It is a great way of being remembered by many a folk) said to me to bring a mascot for the trip and take photos of it as we visited special places around the world. Well the idea sounded exciting. I never thought of this before and … [Read more...] about How The Rats and Tommelise got to travel with us
A Creative Writer’s Travel Guide
Travelling the world is a serious business. You stuff your backpack with all different guide books, road maps, maps of the world more glossy Phrase booklets you might think you need until your are loaded to the eyeballs. However you never seem to have the right directions anyway on how to get lost in a hurry. Many a time I find travel books a bit boring and those with the glossy pictures of all the fancy places you can go visit doesn’t appeal to me. It is too upmarket and the places are crowded as this is where all the readers go. Some travellers follow the travel guides to the fingertip. Some travellers won’t even enter a restaurant if it is not mentioned in Lonely Planet, The Rough Guide, Eyewitness Travel Guide or on Trip Advisor etc. Now with such a critical view of the travel … [Read more...] about A Creative Writer’s Travel Guide
Visiting the Sex Museum in Amsterdam
We were spending a few days in Amsterdam and of cause browsing through the “what to do” tourist brochure. We stumbled over “The Temple of Venus”. What on earth could this be? Well guess what it is a most famous sex museum in the heart of Amsterdam city. We were both excited straight away in particular Peder as he thought it was an interactive museum! Anyway we both wanted to have a closer look into the world of sex. What better than to visit a sex museum and staying in the red light district. The museum has a rich and interesting collection of artefacts, unique objects and rare old photographs. The museum has been up and running for more than 20 years by now and I guess heaps of people have been dwelling at the master pieces on display. There are some very amusing items and some … [Read more...] about Visiting the Sex Museum in Amsterdam
Wild Food Festival New Zealand
A few years ago we went to the Wild Food Festival in New Zealand. It is held every year on the South Island on the West Coast in the township of Hokitika. The west coast is absolutely wild and wonderful. It is a rugged place with black sand beaches. Hokitika is full of friendly locals and it is known for the pounamu (greenstone) from the Arahura River. The festival was first started in 1990 and is still going strong. The festival is an icon in itself and one of the premier special happenings in New Zealand. We just had to be a part of the happening Once on the festival grounds the fun is never ending. Everybody is here to celebrate wild food washed down with drinks of all sorts. There is live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, prizes to win for the best dressed festival goers. … [Read more...] about Wild Food Festival New Zealand