Artwork beading - African style

Hi peeps

Today I said goodbye to my home of the past four years and I am currently homeless until the middle of next week when I drive down to Cape Town. It has taken several days to pack up my modest one bed flat, but I am flattened by how much stuff I have accumulated there. Here is a picture of the packing process and by process I mean chaos!

One afternoon this week I took a pause from packing to go and get some lunch at the local Woolworths. As I was driving up the beaded statues of a local artisan caught my eye.  Now you see these things everywhere in SA and I have I have to admit they have never appealed to me, but these pieces of beaded art were just calling out my name!  This is why you should never go shopping on an empty stomach! Anyway I bought firstly a little rabbit statue.

For me it represents my Masters which I have just finished as rabbits figured highly in the work I was doing. These pictures which I snapped off quickly when I got home dont do it justice. But it was the Kudu artwork that really spoke to me.

Isnt it cool? I had to put it up the moment I got home even though Im actually taking all my pictures down.

In the above picture you also get to see the horrible custard yellow colour of my walls. If I never see a yellow wall again it will be too soon!

I am very impressed with the skill and workmanship of these pieces. And while bright colours are not usually my style I think this will make a great focal piece (once I have somewhere to hang it)! I cant wait to get it to Cape Town even although as the flat is fully furnished all my other pictures are staying. I just want to bring a bit of Jozi flavour to the Cape with me to brighten up those rainy winter days!

I am making the journey next week. I will let you know how it does.

Cheers.

Micro Brewery Tour

Hi Peeps

I have put off posting until I could report success on the home front - that I had found a place to stay in Cape Town - which I finally have. It has taken 3 weeks of hard searching but I have finally managed it! I will be moving to Muizenberg, which those of you familiar with Cape Town will quickly tell me is rather far from UCT, but its near the beach for dog walking purposes. And lets face it if you are going to move to the sea then do it properly! The place is fully furnished which solves a lot of my packing and shipping problems too.

Muizenberg beach
Image source: capetownmagazine.com

It has been a long and difficult week trying to find a new home, as time is running out so I have not been in the most amicable of moods. In fact I have been downright grumpy the last two days! but this morning I finally had the pick up I needed!

At the Palaeontological Society of South Africa (PSSA) conference last September I presented a talk on the origin of and archaeological evidence for beers and wine. This presentation,which won me the "Order of the Boot" Prize was presented in a tongue-in-cheek style. So funny was this talk that Ian McKay the education and outreach head here at the ESI has asked me to present the talk again as part of National Science Week celebrations at the end of July, which will be held at Wits. We have decided to run with this theme and Ian contacted the head of the Wits micro brewery to see if they wanted to get involved. Thus the head brewer Anthony and I will be doing back to back talks on beer and a beer tasting will be run during the week. So first thing this morning saw Anthony giving Ian and I a tour of the wits micro brewery, which was damn cool. As were the discussions about the Science week activities. Anthony is even keen on attempting a 'ancient ale'  himself! So cool things coming up...

See the Wits micro brewery facebook page

I haven't beaded this week, been spending my evenings packing but I can feel the longing to bead stirring in my breast, so I think I will do some this evening.
Keep well, hope you are all having warmer weather than us
Love Jet