On Change - Simon Sinek / Notes to Inspire (Wed 09 Dec 2015)

Untitled - Alexandria (Wed 16 Sep 2015)

Simon Sinek on Change:

affecting change is the confidence and courage to simply try.

via affecting change is .. by Notes to Inspire.

Still can't believe I had the courage to buy a house at 19.5% Interest Rates during the recession we had to have back in the very early 1990's. To renovate it 23 years later was the bravest and most courageous thing I have ever done. As well as the best. It took three years to go from a thought to reality. It has given a 108 year old house a new lease of life and it has changed my life. The impact of the courage to affect the necessary changes will out live me. It will be my legacy to the world.

Afternoon Light - Alexandria (Sat 07 Sep 2015)

On Design - Chris Moller / Sarah Nealon (Sun 04 Oct 2015)

Symmetry - Alexandria (Wed 05 Nov 2014)

Chris Moller on Design:

What we often undervalue is the importance of thinking things through thoroughly before we do them .. The quality of good design makes a huge difference

via Grand Designs New Zealand set to launch by Sarah Nealon.

On Architecture - John Dalton (1961) / Elizabeth Musgrave (Houses 102)

eljeiffel House - Alexandria (Sat 26 Sep 2015)

John Dalton on Architecture:

for us, life in the sun is a reality, and we who build in the sunlight sense the joy of space and light. It is our delight. The magic of shade and shadow capture our senses and direct us towards our purpose, which is to dispense comfort and happiness through useful form

via Sun and Shadow House by Elizabeth Musgrave.

Been lucky enough to have had an Architect and Builder who knows what this means. I live in the result of that intent and purpose, and I still can't believe it.

On Doors and Windows - Anne Whiston Spirn / The Eye is a Door (2014)

A Door, A Window - Alexandria (Wed 19 Aug 2015)

Anne Whiston Spirn on Doors and Windows:

Why a door and not a window? A window is something to look through, but a doorway is to pass through; crossing a threshold, one enters a new place. To see, to really see, is to open a door. To pass through that door is to arrive at a new understanding.

via Pick up a camera and use it to see, think, and discover (pdf) by Anne Whiston Spirn.

On Photograph - It's Gift - Hilary Swift / Elijah Walker (Sat 01 Aug2015)

late winter afternwoon light - Alexandria (Sat 01 Aug 2015)

Hilary Swift on the Gift of Photogaphy:

It’s taken me places I would have never imagined going, and I have met so many wonderful people that I would not have met without Photogaphy. I get to wake up every day and if I’m really mad or sad, or any negative emotion, I love that photography gives me the option to find something so beautiful every day. It’s like I’m forced to find something beautiful and even if I’m photographing a sad situation, I’m trying to find the light in it.

via Turning Point: Hilary Swift by Elijah Walker.

Tagliatelle Bolognese 101 and The Known Unknown - Alexandria (Fri 17Jul 2015)

Plated Up - Fuel and Courage for 35km paddle tomorrow - Alexandria (Fri 17 Jul 2015)

Now we know what Pluto looks like after knowingly not knowing for quite a while now (a great read about the significance of this here at ribbonfarm ). So on a slight less significant level, here is what I know now, that I did not knowingly know back 13 months ago...

Just on 13 months ago I found a passion for cooking. A new kitchen and a little help from Michelle and I was on my way. One of the dishes Michelle suggested was a spaghetti bolognese.

I thought that would be an easy start, so went to Google to find a recipe, as you do. This is the one I liked the most from all the ones I read back then:

• Spaghetti bolognese recipe: Italian chefs show world the correct way

I liked the authenticity of ingredients, the correctness and approval from Bologna - a place we were heading to on the way to the World Club Crews in Ravenna a few months later.

I have cooked this recipe almost every second week for a year now. And all modesty aside (you know me), the one I cooked this last Monday was perfecto, with a hand and fingers rising from my mouth.

Indeed the recipe looked simple and my first efforts did not excit me that much and I thought to myself where was I going wrong? I have learnt that a recipe is just a starting point and that to make it work and indeed, great, like anything in life, you have to experiment, listen and learn from others, take risks, knowingly or unknowingly.

These are just some of the things I have learnt:

• I tried different ingredients from different places and found the best ones.


• Brown onions are much better than white onions, they help give you a nice brown sauce.


• Finely cut the carrots and celery rather than coarsely cut - a lot of experimenting to work that one out. Your preference might be different, but finely cut works best for me.


• The cheaper the cans of tinned diced tomatoes are, the better they are.


• A couple of diced real tomatoes add so much to a couple of cheap tins of diced tomatoes.


• You need a good can openner.


• Best mince is not the best for a bolognese and that a 50-50 combination of best mince and normal mince is best - a little fat goes a long way in taste and texture. I found this one out by mistake, as my usual and preferred butcher had virtually run out of best mince that day, so I topped it up with the normal mince.


• Browning and slightly burning the Pancetta on the pan base, also adds a browness and richness to the sauce. Just keep stirring it into the olive oil as you are browning it.


• Only add the red wine (and again cheaper the better) after the mince has been browned. Then make sure to take the time to boil it down without a lid until 30% has boiled away.


• As suggested in the article, a big thick pasta like tagliatelle is best. Beats spaghetti and even fettuccine by a long way.


• A little olive oil in the pasta makes it less sticky and easy to handle when serving up (Thanks to Darren and his Mum for that one).

It has taken 13 months to work all this out and I am so pleased with what I have learnt. Feel like I could enter World Bolognese Champs mentioned in the article and give it pretty good shake.

So as New Horizons speeds past Pluto into the outer Solar System and beyond, to make more of the unknown known, I will continue my quest to know more, master and perfect what I don't already know about Tagliatelle Bolognese 101.

Ready to Go - Alexandria (Mon 13 Jul 2015)

Simmeringly Good - Alexandria (Mon 13 Jul 2015)

All done... - Alexandria (Fri 17 Jul 2015)

On Photography - Appearance and Feelings - Susan Lipper / DavidSimonton (Mon 13 Jul 2015)

Self Portrait - Alexandria (Mon 13 Jul 2015)

Susan Lipper on Photography, and Appearance and Feelings:

I photograph to learn both the appearance of things and also my feelings about them

via davidsimonton.tumblr.com by David Simonton.

On The Archive - No Caption Needed (Sun 17 May 2015)

Bookshelf - Alexandria (Mon 01 Jun 2015

No Caption Needed on the Archive:

the archive, and should it be that our best work is behind us, that would be where you would find it.

via NCN on the Road by No Caption Needed.

On Life Engaged - Mike Slack / Blake Andrews (Wed 17 Jun2015)

Untitled - Alexandria (Mon 23 Jun 2014)

Mike Slack on Photography and Engagement:

I don’t know what the goal is, other than to keep doing it, to stay in practice, to stay engaged and see new things. There's a lot of repetition, and satisfaction, in the behavior.

via Q & A with Mike Slack by Blake Andrews.

I sense the same feeelings in my own photography (and life and paddling for that matter). The engagement, the doing, without any particular goal can help you through some tough times in your life. And, this is what I did and continue to do.

On Design - Daniel Ostroff / Maria Popova (Wed 17 Jun 2015)

Untitlted - Alexandria (Sun 22 Feb 2015)

Daniel Ostroff on Design:

design should not be an act of creative self-expression but rather a process of problem solving.

via Legendary Designer Charles Eames on Creativity, the Value of the Arts in Education, and His Advice to Students by Maria Popova.

On How to Get There - Yesterday's Suffering, Today's Inspiration, Tomorrow's Strength

God Still Loves You!!! I Love You, Also - Valletta / Malta (Sat 20 Sep 2014)

How to Get There
By Michael Leunig

Go to the end of the path until you get to the gate.
Go through the gate and head straight out
Towards the horizon
Keep going towards the horizon
Sit down and have a rest every now and again
But keep on going.
Just keep with it.
Keep on going as far as you can
That's how you get there.

.. And that is pretty much what I have done these last 5 years ..

These words have implicitly (I knew of them and their meaning before I even read them for the first time) and explicitly guided me when I was completely lost, and without Purpose and Hope .. "Just keep with it" I would say. And it's a pretty good approach to Life, I would think, given the Situation I found myself ..

At some point along the way you do get "There" - it's not overly obvious that you have arrived, but somehow you know .. just like when you were made aware of how far you had fallen without even noticing.

Now ..

You are strong enough to stand on your own two feet and embrace the world again. You are brave enough to start "letting go", to know there is more to "let go", and more importantly to know that is what Jenny would want of me. To know you have another chance. That what forced you to go "through the gate and head straight out" and where you have been to get "There", has made you a better person - and to know that I should not feel guilty about that. That you have been all over and its been all over you. That you are not a Hopeless case. That you are Awesome. That you are still here for a reason. That you know you still have so much to give. That it was not the End, like you thought, but just the chance for another Beginning.

A chance to show you are resilent. A chance to show you can change, adapt and reinvent yourself. A chance to demonstrate you can think of yourself as a survivor and not a victim of circumstance and Life. A chance to consider that you have been lucky to have shared loved. And through that love, empowered to live life to the full along the path you were destined to walk.

Thank you to everyone that have helped me to get "There" these last 5 years. It has been a remarkable Journey and a few Lessons in Life have been learnt!!! I can’t really believe where I have been. I could write a book about it but at least there is a blog - eljeiffel.blogspot.com.au

This is Life (my Life actually) and I have learnt we need to Live and appreciate it while we can. Jenny showed and gave me this. It was her gift to me ..

Why do I write this now? I write this for me and my timeline. And while it might appear a little self-indulgent, I have no regrets - it is who I have become along the way to "There".

More importantly I write it for others who are or will walk "out through the gate" and search for their "There". It's a choice you make and I know you can do it if you set your heart to it.

I know there is further to go but my outlook is different now.

“There” is always Hope - I am another shining example of this!!

Thanks again.

Yesterday's Suffering, Today's Inspiration, Tomorrow's Strength
Geoff (Wed 25 Feb 2015)

A Journey, A Home - My Legacy to the World - Alexandria (Sun 22 Feb 2015)

On Architecture - Harry Seidler / Penelope Seidler / Nicole Elphick (Sat 01 Nov 2014)

A new dining table and chairs along with a borrowed stool - kept it simple - Alexandria (Sat 18 Oct 2014)
Penelope Seidler (*) quoting her late Husband, Harry Seidler (*) on his approach to Architecture (*):

Make the most from the least

via Penelope Seidler maintains interest in architecture, arts (*) by Nicole Elphick (*).

The Archive: A Legacy for the Future - Shooting Wide Open (Tue 21 Oct 2014)

Street Art (*) - Chippendale (Tue 15 Apr 2014)
Jin (*) writes on the Archive (*):

It comforts me a bit that even if nobody pays attention to my work [..] during my lifetime, there might be a place for it in an archive. It is a humble end, but I find the prospect of being stored for future sifting by researchers or scholars immensely appealing.

via On archives (*) by Shooting Wide Open (*).

I suppose this blog (*) will be my archive, my legacy, if there was to be a legacy, along with a beautiful old house (*), just maybe. And of course there is archive.org (*) - elj-daily (*) and GUERL (*). Amazing looking back at all of this just now. I've forgotten so much. What I do remember is how exciting it was to be connecting to people from all over the world. These were the early days of the World Wide Web and somehow I was part of it.

The Compulsion of Photographing a Building - Kathy Ryan / James Estrin (Wed 15 Oct 2014)

Untitled - Alexandria (Sat 11 Oct 2014)
Kathy Ryan (*) writes on the Compulsion (*) of Photographing (*) a Building (*):

It is like a compulsion. I can’t quite explain where it comes from other than this truly extraordinary building. The combination of the light [..] that cast wonderful striping shadows [..] is extraordinary.

via Loving Light at the Office (*) by James Estrin (*).

I know what she means.

Remarkable - Jeffrey Ladd on Katy Grannan (Sat 11 Oct 2014)

A New Patchwork Chair - Alexandria (Sun 12 Oct 214)
Jeffrey Ladd (*) writes on Katy Grannan (*) book Katy Grannan: The Ninety Nine and The Nine (*):

What is remarkable to me is less her ability to integrate herself and large camera into that community than what she has transcended. She achieves finding the moments of grace in the unexpected – a trait that photography is rife with and frankly at this stage, not surprising – but she uses the surrounding landscape to punctuate those moments filling the frame with additional visual textures – fences, television antennas, road signs, trees, building sides, and power lines – that feel weighty yet light, beautiful yet ugly, oppressive yet fragile and on the verge of collapse.

via The Nine and The Ninety-Nine by Katy Grannan (*) by Jeffrey Ladd (*).

Jeff's words are just as remarkable as the photos he describes and that is the reason they are here. Inspiration for me. As Seth wrote today (*) on writing, it is:

the ability to work on our words until they succeed in transmitting our ideas and causing action. [..]

you do have precisely the same keyboard as everyone else. It's the most level playing field we've got.

The first step is to say it poorly. And then say it again and again and again until you're able to edit your words into something that works.

But mostly, you need to decide that it matters. [HT: Shawn (*)]

Thanks Jeff and Seth.

On Ray K. Metzker - Michael Johnson (Sat 11 Oct 2014)

New Table and Chairs - Alexandria (*) (Sat 11 Oct 2014)
Michael Johnson (*) on Ray K. Metzer (*).:

Ray was an experimentalist with a brilliant sense of graphic composition (*) using deep shadow (*) as bold black shapes, and he was especially sensitive to repetition, minimalism and subtle variation.

via Ray K. Metzker 1931-2014 (*) by Mike Johnson (*).

On Inspiration - Ebony / Khalik Allah (Mon 06 Oct 2014)

Wildflower Meadow (*) - London Fields (*) / Hackney / London (Sat 13 Sep 2014)
Khalik Allah (*) writes Inspiration (*):

I am grateful to have inspired you, ultimately that is my focus. Inspiration is spiritual. Inspiration is of God.

via Just watched your doc. It was so insightful and humble to the max! Love your work your photographs are a great inspiration for my artwork! Your one amazing being! Sending love from South Carolina! (*) by Khalik Allah (*).

Inspiration for a front garden.

Wildflower Meadow (*) - London Fields / Hackney / London (Sat 13 Sep 2014)

On Light - David Mclean aka Shotbyshooter / Jay Mitchell (Jul 2014)

Untitled - Alexandria (Jul 2014)
David Mclean (*) writes on Light (*):

The light [..] has to be perfect; in many ways my work is about light.

via David Mclean Street Portraiture - 1883 Magazine (*) by Jay Mitchell (*).

Where Truth Resides ..

The Shadow of Light - Alexandria (Jul 2014)
A Scholar writes:

there are those who talk (*), and without knowledge (*) or forethought (*) reveal a truth (*) which they themselves do not understand (*).

And there are those who have the truth (*) within them, but they tell it not in words. In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence (*).

via And then a scholar said, “Speak of Talking.” And he... (*) by Thoughtless Hero (*).

On the Relationship between Things - Makoto Tanijiri

light, dark, small and big - The Grand Design (*) / Alexandria (Tue 24 Jun 2014)
Makoto Tanijiri (*) writes On Architecture (*):

I believe what is important is the relationship (*) between things. When you are interested in light (*), you also have to consider darkness (*). When you want a space to look bigger (*), you will have to incorporate narrow (*) spaces.

via The House Detective: Amazingly Small Japanese Houses (*) by Makoto Tanijiri (*).

A couple of great insights into Architecture (*). Similar to Paulo Coelho's (*) Warrior of Light (*) Passage here (*). From the fabulous book How to make a Japanese House (*).