Day 288 - Russian carving

Finally, after almost 2 years, my birthday present has arrived. The picture shows a Russian-style carved archway in my entrance hall. It was designed and carved by Sergei who studied Russian church carving in Russia. His wife, Olya, did her part with the painting. A talented couple, don't you think. Sergei was one of the carvers of our church's icon screen (iconostasis). A massive job.

I'm going to take more pictures tomorrow in daylight since the background colours are not as bright as they appear here because of the flash.

I'm so excited!

Day 125 - Must save the art

I'm still sorting through things I've saved from the skip. Here's an oil painting my sister did a while ago. It's quite large, up to my shoulders (and I'm 5 feet 11 inches). I'm not sure if I can find a spot on the wall in my house, but I couldn't bear to see it tossed onto the skip.

Day 39 - Life is fragile

This is an oil painting by my sister, one of the many things I treasure in my home. It's hard to believe that in a day so many people have lost their homes in the fires in Melbourne that have left so many homeless, injured or even dead. Life is sometimes fragile and unpredictable. I just returned from a beautiful wedding and reception - everyone happy, relaxed, rejoicing. Although I enjoyed myself, I couldn't stop thinking about the devastation of the people who had been affected by the fires. Some escaped, grateful to be alive, but having lost everything. That's hard to imagine. Your home is not just a place, it's your identity, your years of work trying to get it right, your memories. This painting would be only one of the things I would hate to lose. My heart goes out to the victims of the fires.