May 28, 2011 in Current Blog by mariejon

84 Were do Babies come from

I bet you all know where the inspiration for this painting came from, yes of course being pregnant and all that.   Seems like a long time ago now and a time filled with excitement and trepidation.  I cannot say it was a great state to be in as feeling sick and fat are not two of my favorite experiences; however the outcome which was two beautiful and healthy babies certainly was.

Why is it that when you are big and fat with a belly full of baby everybody wants to touch your stomach, however when I am in peak condition with a six pack and really would like to show that off, no bugger is interested in feeling my tummy, why is that?

In this painting you can see my Doctors waiting room, Dr Jack a wonderful friend apart from being a great obstetrician and his lovely offsider Sister Sue.

You may also wonder why a few of the pregnant ladies are looking so grumpy – well let me tell you.  It’s not bad enough that you have a baby pressing on your bladder for 9 months but every time you go for an ultrasound they make you drink 2 liters of water (and no matter how busting you are, you are not allowed to go to the toilet.)  So imagine that a whole waiting room full of ladies wriggling around on their chairs totally unable to sit still, as if that’s not bad enough!  Oh no when its finally your turn (and don’t hold your breath) then you have to lie down and endure a very cold & gooey probe being pushed all around  on top of your stomach, before you are finally allowed to sprint off  to the toilet (or waddle lol whatever the case may be).

I for some reason also thought that being pregnant was a “free for all” in eating and managed singlehandedly to stack on 25 kilos during that time, seemed more like I was having a baby elephant than anything else.  Shame too that I couldn’t even blame the weight on the baby as both of my darlings were quite tiny when they arrived.    Really lucky that I was able to get my own body back after all that, as the one I borrowed (so to speak) seemed more like a strangers, lol.

So where does babies come from you may ask…. Well there are many theories about this, could it be the birds and the bees or perhaps the baby was found behind the gooseberry bush or in the cabbage patch?  Now I will have to subscribe to the idea that babies are really delivered by the stork as when I did a bit of research on this matter I discovered that some say the myth originated from Scandinavia who believes storks are gentle birds with strong family ties,   although this myth does have some competition from both Germany and Holland.  Acclaimed author Hans Christian Anderson’s tale “The Storks” from 1838 tells a gruesome tale but I prefer to look on the bright side of life and think that Storks are a fertility symbol and associated with springtime and birth.

They are also a symbol of good luck and used to actually nest on top of roofs.  So I guess that’s maybe how the folklore got started; some embarrassed mum or dad when asked where babies came from, pointed at the stork on the roof sitting next to the chimney, and it would have seemed almost believable!  Well especially as we all know that Father Christmas uses that entrance too.

So here is a joke I found from the storks point of view.

“Two storks are sitting in their nest, a father and baby stork.  The baby stork is crying and the father stork is trying to calm him.  “Don’t worry son, your mother will come back she is only bringing people babies and making them happy.

The next night it’s the father turn to deliver, so mother and son are sitting in the nest, and the baby stork is again crying with the mother saying “Son, your father will be back as soon as possible, he is just bringing joy to new mommies and daddies.

A few days later the stork parents are desperate, their son has been absent from the nest all night.  When finally shortly before dawn he reappears – and they ask where he has been all night?

The baby stork says “Nowhere much, just scaring the shit out of college students!”

Till next time,

Love Marie xxx    (c)

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May 21, 2011 in Current Blog, Sculpture by mariejon

83 Are you fond of Fondue

I had so much fun making this ceramic and mosaic piece, firstly because I am a little piggy when it comes to food and just love to both eat and look at pictures of food and also it was fun to make the people all have open mouths with bits of broccoli and stuff poking out.  At least in my artwork I don’t have to worry about my table manners!

The fondue was such a lovely craze back in the 70’s when there would be Fondue parties held all the time.  However the history of the practice stems back to 1699 when it was firstly printed as a recipe in a cookbook (melted cheese cooked with wine to dip bread into.) As far as I understand Switzerland has always made wonderful cheeses but during the cold hard winter months of yesteryear the cheeses would dry out a little bit and since food was scarce and roads covered in snow they had to rely on a little imagination and voila the fondue were invented.    As early as 1875 it was already the Swiss National dish and then became popular in the United States in the 60’s & 70’s.

Perhaps why this dish became so popular in the rest of the world was because the Swiss had invented a little game as you sit and take your turn dipping the bread into the pot.  According to Hamlyn Press the publishers of The Fondue Cookbook it goes something like this:  If a woman drops a her bread into the pot she has to kiss all the men at the table, if a man drops the bread into the fondue pot, he has to buy a bottle of wine, and if either of them drops the bread for the second time, he or she must host the next fondue party.  So perhaps this was the start of the swinging 60’s and the Swingers party – it all started with cheese and not sex!

The imagination boggles, lol but it sure makes stale bread taste great – although us Swedes (as opposed to the Swiss) have another way of doing that.

Our contribution to the stale bread is Fattiga Riddare (Poor Knights is the translation although the Google translation says it is French toast) however this dish has more in common with pancakes.  As the stale bread is left overnight soaking in milk (you can also add egg and flour if you want) and then they are stirred like a pancake mixture and fried.  Served with jam and cream or whatever you fancy.

Problem with writing about food is its making me hungry so if you just pardon me for a minute – I will be right back with you after a little spell to the kitchen……. Back again …bugger I will have to restart that diet tomorrow again!

Another of my favorite dishes when I was living and modeling in Switzerland was the Raclett, which is yummy melted cheese served with a couple of small boiled potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions, could also include some meat (but being a vegetarian I would opt out on that bit).  I don’t know if I remember it so fondly because of the food ingredients or because it was usually served with Glue wine (gluhwein is spiced and mulled wine served hot) In Sweden we call it Glogg and we add some vodka or brandy to the recipe too, oh trust the Swedes, lol.

So here is how to make Gluhwein/Glogg

Start with a bottle of red

6 cloves

Cinnamon stick (broken up)

Lemon rind/orange

Caster sugar to taste

Raisins, almonds

Assemble all in a saucepan. Heat it over a low flame and be careful not to let it boil, simmer for about 45 minutes then strain the bits out of it (or have fun picking cloves out of your teeth – well that’s not that bad as the raisins and almonds are delicious.)

Here is a quote by the wonderful artist Frida Kahlo

“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.”

Till next time,

Love Marie xxx    (C)

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May 13, 2011 in Current Blog by mariejon

82 Celebration of a Life

I first met Shamus Liptrot when my daughter was in primary school and he was one of those kids who you instantly liked, he had a big cheeky grin, bubbly personality, always really polite and friendly and full of fun, well regarded by teachers, parents and the other children.  In fact I have never heard a bad word said about him, ever.

If there was something going on and some fun to be had Shamus would be there, if a photo was taken he would rush in at the last moment and with a cheeky grin steal the show!

Shamus was an all rounder, great academically, during school games and races, playing basketball – yes good at all sports whether in a team or trying to better his personal best in Little Athletics.

When it came to swimming in primary school Shamus was of course in the top group – deep end, so it was my privilege to have both him and my daughter Hillivi in my group as I taught swimming during the summer months.  Shamus would be first across the pool and looking up at me waiting for the next instruction and goes without saying that he came away with lots of ribbons and medals from his swimming efforts as well.

It therefore was no surprise to any of us when we started to see Shamus and his dad riding on racing bikes around Balaklava and Halbury and of course he took to that like a duck to water.  It was only a matter of time before he got noticed as a new young talent by the powers that be and was offered a Scholarship by the South Australian Sports Institute, where he rode for Team O’grady.

However it was in December 2007 during the Devonport Carnival in Tasmania when the unthinkable happened and Shamus was catapulted into the air, over a fence and into a light pole.  I think the whole of the Mid North held their breath collectively until we found out that he was off the critical list.

Then came months and months of rehabilitation whereby Shamus’ only form of communication was by blinking then progressing to writing on a board and finally learning to talk and walk and best of all getting back on that bike – as yet only a stationary one.

What was so remarkable about Shamus was he never lost that determination, spirit and optimism during this whole ordeal.  Instead he would rise at 5.30 and ride the exercise bike for an hour, followed by exercises on a mat, attend school and do homework and then back on the bike before bed.

It was only in the last 2 months that he was able transfer himself unaided from the walking frame to that bike, a major achievement.  Although as you know by now Shamus was used to achievements and since his accident he not only achieved 2 merit awards in 2 subjects in year 12, but also received the local BAC award for Youth Achievement on Australia day and the Ronald McDonald House Charities awarded him the Charlie Bell Scholarship of $5,000 as well as an all expenses paid trip to New Zealand.

Of course a lot of the credit for raising this incredible human being needs to be directed towards his fabulous parents Patricia and Malcolm Liptrot, for I have never seen two more loving or dedicated parents ever.  Shamus was their only child and they dropped everything in their own lives to spend the last 3 and a half years constantly by his side attending to his every need.  Not that they would agree nor accept this accolade as they are ever so humble and unassuming people.

The frightfully tragic news reached me the day after Mother’s Day 2011 when Hillivi called and it took a couple of minutes before I could understand her distraught message that Shamus had died.  It was the last thing I was expecting to hear especially as he had been making such great progress.  I cannot even begin to imagine how his parents are feeling at this time and my heart hurts for them.

It is comforting to hear Cycling SA executive director Max Stevens suggestion to strike a new medal in honor of Shamus Liptrot, who in his words were inspirational, dedicated and committed.  If the world press is anything to go by, he certainly made his mark across the globe as his tragic death is reported even as far away as Sweden.

I know people mean well when they say that God needed another angel up there in heaven, but I cannot get the words of Nicole Kidman’s character in Rabbit Hole out of my mind, who said;

“If God needed another angel – why didn’t he just make one, he is God after all”

Till next time

Love Marie xxx   (c)

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May 6, 2011 in Current Blog by mariejon

81 The Reef and the Swimming Pool

Before we emigrated from Sweden to Australia my father promised my brother and me that when we get there we were allowed to have both a large swimming pool and a donkey!  Well I guess the perception of what life would be like in sunny Australia when you sit and dream about it from snow-covered Sweden can alter a bit, LOL.

We did not find any kangaroos hopping about the suburban streets, nor was it ever possible to have a donkey in the ½ an acre suburban house block, but my dad did come true with the big swimming pool.  Would you believe he actually dug the hole for it himself, there wasn’t much he couldn’t do my dad when it came to it.  Seemed to us like he was in the hole for months and digging all the way to China.

(I actually eventually got 2 donkeys when we lived at the farm, but that’s another story)

The pool was eventually finished and it was the most magnificent oasis away from the hotter than hot Australian weather and we enjoyed swimming night and day.

So the inspiration for this acrylic on canvas painting comes from a combination of our swimming pool and seeing the movie “Jaws” at the drive-in.  It’s called “At The Drive-in” (also available as a limited edition GICLEE PRINT)

Drive-in movies were something we did not have in Sweden and we all really loved going to them in Australia.  You would just pile into the car, it used to cost a few bucks for a carload of people, you’d hook up the speaker (although sometimes it took a while to find one that didn’t crackle) and you were set to go.

Of course you would make a trip to the canteen and buy those “sometimes foods” like Chico rolls and pop top ice creams and see lots of kids who already have their pajamas and dressing gowns on begging their parents for lollies and sweets. (The kids usually fall asleep before the end of the movie and would be easily transported straight to bed then.)

So it was on one of these nights that I went to see “Jaws” and lol that so spoiled my love for the water, so much so that it took quite a while before I would have any night swims in the pool.  Of course I knew it was illogical to think that a shark could be in the pool – but there still was that silly thought in the back of my mind!  I do love swimming still but never again had the devil may care attitude to the sea.  Perhaps that has been good anyway as there certainly have been quite a few shark attacks locally.

Which brings me to a wonderful new Australian movie called “The Reef” which I strongly recommend that you all go and see.  It is based on a true story which I remember reading about in the papers some years ago, about a group of friends who were to spend a week on a yacht whilst delivering it to a new buyer in Indonesia – when it all goes pear shaped and the yacht capsizes off the North Australian coast and the group have to decide whether to sink or swim!

I won’t tell you anymore details, so I don’t spoil the story for you – other than to say that the four of us that went to the movies forgot to breathe quite a few times and actually had to think about doing so, lucky for us the time just flew by, or we would have been out of oxygen!   The actors were great and you will recognize a couple from the Underbelly series such as Damian Walshe-Howling and Gyton Grantley and the movie was written and directed by by Andrew Traucki, who is an up and coming director to watch.

So here is a quote from Woody Allen which I think fits perfectly here;

“A relationship, I think is like a shark, you know?  It has to constantly move forward or it dies.  And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.”

Till next time,

Love Marie xxx   (c)

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