So for my 105 days on Hive, As much as I wanted to participate in last weeks LOH community contest #2, I could just not find the time to tell you all what was on my ever growing bucket list.
So in this weeks contest, organised by @kerrislravenhill, I would first like to like to answer question #1 with a few photos.
Question 1: Will you show us your 'Mask'?
An opportunity for those who are… “Selfie Shy”, so why not got with the opposite of last week’s contest @hetty-rowan’s “True Selfie” question. Halloween, face painting, and or Covid19 mask selfie. Elaborate and/or embellish where you feel needed.
So, in this photo taken just a couple of months ago, I was protected against all things including but not limited to- Frostbite, winter, the sun, turning to ashes in the sunlight, Zombies, the paparazzi, Corona Virus, werewolves, vampires, the other zombies, the government and life. 🤣😂😅😆😁
And then this mask is one of my 170 designs from my #Redbubble Shop here https://www.redbubble.com/people/CHOCOLATESCORPI/shop But this one is my absolute favourite and is special to me because this was the wreath made for my Mum's funeral. And I know that some of you may think that me using the wreath as a design is morbid, when infact it was the last moment I had on this earth with my Mum before she was buried and I know that she would have absolutely adored the entire wreath as much as I do, and as much as I adore her, so When I wear it, I wear it with so many wonderful memories of her- and not just the memories of her being alive, but also good memories (to wash away the bad) of her in her death.
And I know that some of you are going to think that that statement is pretty bizarre too, but I watched the colour drain from her face as my mum took her last breaths (which was NOT a pretty sight, but an honour and a privilege to be there with her till the end) and so in death, I now have the happier memory to wash away that one, as I painted her nails purple for the last time, Put make up on her face- pink eye shadow to match her lilac outfit and her Scottish tartan cap, plus a whole bunch of photos, cards, sentimental jewelry, the icing flowerettes from her 50th wedding anniversary cake and her birds green feathers everywhere to fly her home. I then laid my gorgeous Cat Chad- who was in a deep freezer for about 12 months (That's another story) on her feet to keep her company in their afterlife.
And Mum, like me, loved her bright colours, her reds, pinks and purples...Ha and her blues, greens and yellow too... too and took pride in her appearance and loved to dress up as much as I do, so I know that she would have loved the wreath and would be happy with me wearing it around now too.
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
Now for Question 2: If you celebrate Halloween/Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) how will you go about doing so under the Covid19 backdrop?
As I don't celebrate Halloween cause it's Halloween, I celebrate my birthday which happens to be All Hallows Eve- the 30th Oct, so Halloween and I tend to go hand in hand....😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🤣🤣
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
I will move onto Question #3: Do you have a special quiet place to go to be by yourself to think about things, or make important decisions?
The Change in seasons often equates to important decisions. I have a lovely, peaceful place to go to meditate, think, and pray when I am faced with hard decisions. For example, a place like: a Beach spot, Park bench, a City scape or river side view?
I do have many places that I can go to think, but there only 2 where I can find total solitude in, and this is one- which is my secret rainforest right in the heart of the city here and believe it or not, I am usually lucky enough that I do get it all to myself as some people just walk though it and keep going, but most others walk right past it and don't even look in. Can you believe it?
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
BUT, the place that ticks all of the boxes for me- that special quiet place to go to be by yourself to think about things, or make important decisions is here- Home sweet home. (which is actually quite lucky cause I've pretty much been locked up in her for the past 7 months...)
And this place is MY sanctuary away from the silliness. My own nano rainforest in amongst the gray concrete jungle.
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
And here- the ultimate of havens away from all hell...my cocoon, my think tank, my retreat, my absolute inner sanctum is here
And I look up to this as I'm laying down thinking, planning, dreaming, deciding.
And I look up to the truth. The truth in me and all of you- that I am love and light and so are all of you.
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
YOU are ALL LOVE and LIGHT too! So when you look up to the skies, say that to yourself every day and you will become love and light to yourself and then to the earth. (this was for a grief therapy exercise- a mantra given to me by an amazing woman by the name of #LorettaHoneychurch who is a healer and a personal life coach, among many other things this highly talented lady is known for https://www.lorettahoneychurch.com/biofield-tuning
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed my submission for the #LadiesOFHive contest #3 by @kerrislravenhill and I would dearly love to invite @successchar to come on in and join this wonderful community to find the solace that you seek and the support that you need. This wonderful community will fulfill all of your feminine and spiritual needs, as much as your creative desires and give you strength to grow and conquer all of the hurdles that life throws your way, so just click on this banner below to join the #LadiesOfHive and love life again.
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
.❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛💚❤️💛💚💙💜❤️💛
🐠🐃🐌🕷🐍🐓🦆🐸🐁🐿🦋🐢🐞🦍🐈🦆🐥🐜🦑🐛🐄🦇🐪🦏🐳🐊🦀🦌🐖🐢🐏🐋🐝🐒🐙
And unless otherwise stated- ALL photographs, are all my originals taken by me sometime in the past decade or so somewhere in my travels and as such, ofcourse they are subject to all international IP and copyright laws and I may have already used them for my own commercial purposes here https://www.redbubble.com/people/CHOCOLATESCORPI/shop And here https://fineartamerica.com/art/chocolatescorpi, So please ask first if you want to use any of them as we wouldn't want you getting into trouble. Thank you
If you have made it this far, then you are absolute champions and I thank you so much for reading my blog tonight and I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️All love and support from you in whatever way is greatly appreciated!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love love all your colours and ideas!
(psssttt... my kitty who used to wake up early with my mum to enjoy the brightening of day at the balcony, is also buried at the feet of mum's grave! Totally understand)
Oh wow, how lovely of you to say that!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it. and that it me- the real me- but I'm always real.
I'm not a game player, I wear my heart on my sleeve and have a crappy poker face and I can't lie- even if I should be lying instead of telling the truth...CAuse the truth can hurt people too much sometimes...
Glad your mum and you puss are keeping each other comapny too.
Chad was in a deep freezer cause he was going to get stuffed and sleep on my pillow until mum died, but mum ended up dying much quicker that anyone expected...and now he's on her feet and I'm a tad jealous...🙄
Guess things worked out somehow... good that they're keeping each other company now too! :)
Yeah the joke is though, that mum always got hot feet and in bed at night she was always kicking of the doona, so we joke that she'l be trying to kick off poor Chad too! 🤣
Hahahahaha, ohhh myyyy.... hahahahahaaaa
Wow, thank you so much!!! 😃
Great entry and I love the colors on your masks. Very special to be with your mom at that moment. Big hug for you and keep shining your light and love.
Thank you there @hetty-rowan, I really appreciate that. and yes, it was an experience that as much as I would loved to have changed for anything, I also wouldn't want to change it for anything. Not for me, not for mum.
Big, fat hugs with lots of love and light there for you too. 😊
I love your mum's wreath and I think that your mask is a fabulous way of capturing and remembering it. There's a lot here that resonates for me - as I probably don't need to mention. Ritual and doing what works for the bereaved, I think, is the only way to cope with death. Thank you for sharing yours.
Oh yes it was just a simply stunningly magnificently beautiful wreath that she made and I swear I could hear mum oooing and ahhhing over it too!
And that's it, contrary to popular western belief, death isn't the absolute end, there are many process afterwards to capture beautiful memories too.
And it was funny that all of my aunties told me not to go to the funeral home to see her and dress her up, and you've got no idea how glad I am that I ignored them all because to have the privilege of being the last person to dress her up AND getting that last memory of her looking so beautiful even in death, thankfully has (almost) wiped away what could have been the last memory of her taking her last breath and watching her face go shades of black....and I know which one I'd prefer to have....
Indeed.
I was with my husband's mum when she died. It was before we married so I don't think of her as mother-in-law. That was a slow, gentle slipping away, but still haunting. It took a long time for that memory, and washing her body with my sister-in-law, to fade. That was 19 years ago...
And no, death is not the absolute end. It's our job,as the living to help the bereaved understand that. Anyhow, I shall be seeing my friend tomorrow and am preparing some stuff for the wake. Helping her helps me, too. I recognise that.
I hope that everything goes well for you and your friend and I hope that she gets the support that she needs not just in the next few days, but also the coming months because 'time may heal all' but the time it takes is a long time.....
Take care and best wishes.
XXX
wonderful post👍 @chocolatescorpi, though it's an emotional one too😪. Missed your post for some days now. It's nice to meet you again😊
Thank you Daniel and you're right, it was very emotional to write too, but honestly my whole experience since join hive has been quite an emotional one and not because of hive, but simply because of the photos that I have posted every night- because when I am searching through my computer to find the photos that I want to use, I always have to go past photos of mum and dad in there so it does give it that emotional touch to it....
And it is great to see you again too. I have been thinking about all of the wonderful people that I have met in the I am alive challenge and missing everyone, but really wanted to share my love and interact with more communities in hive and when You only have a certain amount of time to post one thing a night into one community, then I miss out on the others, so I decided that I would post in there on alternate days, but it hasn't quite worked out like that yet...
There's so much awesome stuff and communities on the hive and I felt like I was limiting myself to just one and missing out on so many more...
But don't worry, I'm still have and certainly haven't forgotten you!!! ❤️
Thank you so much for the instant response @chocolatescorpi, I now understand you better. It's true one mustn't limit his/herself to just one community alone, the need to explore other Communities is vital as well. Anyway, I'll definitely keep in touch so far you're among my connections. Nice hearing from you one more time😊
Don't worry Daniel, you and I will be bumping into each other a lot more here I just know it. 😀
Wonderful post thank you for letting us in to your life a little more deeply. Your wreath mask is a beautiful tribute to your mom and how much you loved and adored her. Never apologize for that, it is a great tribute to how close you were to her, and what a great mom she was. Your peaceful places are just that, a small rainforest in the middle of a city, how jealous I am of that place. Nature is my peaceful place, where one can find themselves without the world screaming in your ears. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Yes you're so right, she was a beautiful human being and she loved beautiful things and It's not exactly like I can wear her around on my face (actually hmmm 🤔...)but atleast I can honour her beauty with something beautiful to represent her...
Some cultures are funny about things like that though...
Yes and even though I absolutely LOVE living in the heart of the CBD, I do love and need my greens and I have proven that you can have the best of both worlds with a micro rainforest in a concrete jungle.
This is what I grew up with- well this is what is is now compared to what is was when I was a kid- much shorter and far less dense than this, but you get the picture...
Mum and dad's house looking down into these paddocks...
All along the treeline on the right is the river where we used to play when we where kids- treehouses, cubby holes, swimming holes, then my brothers had bike tracks- we had it all and all it took was a whistle from mum at the back door for us all to hear and know that it was dinner time and all the kids knew it was time to go home too.
Beautiful post!
Thankyou Sreypov and I'm so glad that you decided to join this wonderful community!
I'm looking forward to getting to know a bit more about your life and to hear more about your desire to rescue animals too!
Plus more of your delicious vegan recipes aswell! Yummmmm...
Thank you for sharing your beautiful life!
Haaa you mean colourful- like a technicolour vomit some people have said- and I'm very ok with that...🤣
But thanks! Thanks for letting me share....😄
Ha ha ha!
If only fate hath brought us together as TWINS with the total opposite style!
Knock knock "Sir, I know it's Halloween night but is this your kid's head inside this pillow case?
Haaaa, we are yin and yang baby but that's how it works! 🤣
And it just hit me that isn't it funny, cause being born on Helloween eve, I really should be the one wearing all black shouldn't i! 🤣
Kids- managed to make it to 49 without that- and a bloody good reason why I reckon...😆
Yeah a Halloween Goth gets the primo royal treatment from other Goths and I overshot by 13 days.
Doesn't matter, you're still in and you're still IN! 🤣
You are colorfully amazing! I love the photos. Thanks for sharing all the lovely rituals you created upon the death of your mom. I love that you placed the cat at her feet. 😢❤️
Thanks Melinda! Well, I would have preferred to have Chad at my head instead of her feet, but how could I refuse her....
Wow! Friend, this is an awesome post, accept my condolence of your mom's death but having been by her side till the very end is indeed a great privilege.
I like the way you personified your home
She would have indeed felt your presence 😂😅😁
Wow, you look amazing! I love this mask full of colors, it's simple unique :) a very nice post!
Thank you- my favourite things- colours and flowers (aswell as chocolate, summer, sleeping in and a few other things...lol...)
Wow, that's such a beautiful place to find some inner peace. I can imagine you enjoy that ;)
And I don't think it's morbid to use that design, why would it be? That's quite cool and honorable of your mother! :)
Yes thank you cause it's all well and good to have some sensational parks around, but you need quiet and privacy to have peace- and what better place to get that than you own home.
Some people work very hard to forget every single part of sad times and memories like that and I know a few people that would think that using Mum's wreath as a design is morbid, but rude too.....
But they are people that think inside the box and blindly follow others, unlike me....so thank you, I'm glad that you see it is a great way to honour her like me too.
Your cocoon haven is so colorful and cozy! A very happy place indeed to contemplate matters. Happy weekend! 😄
Thank you, I like my warm, dark places- like the Scorpio that I am...lol...😀
I also love flowers it's a great mask that you have and a very wonderful quiet space 😌
Have a nice weekend big hugs.
Yes flowers are so incredible aren't they when you consider just how many thousands of species there are and how many wonderful colours, shapes, patterns, sizes and style they come in too.
I have always been told by bosses over the years that I can only wear natural coloured makeup at work and I say but blue is a natural colour- it's the colour of the sky- or green is the colour of grass or pink is a flower, or red is blood- geez, how much more natural can I get...lol... They don't like that....but who cares!
And in fact it still amazes me that so many people wear black and gray and then they say wow, I love your colour and I say well why aren't you wearing colour and they say Oh because I don't look any good in it and I'm like- you're kidding right, you think that you look better wearing gray and looking like death?
In fact the 'colour' gray (it's not a colour, it is a dull, lifeless void..) has actually been scientifically proven to cause depression.
And when you think about how all office buildings are gray, roads and streets are gray, footpaths are gray, many hospitals and all prisons are gray, winter is gray...that's because gray subliminally oppresses the senses, dulls the mind and then people become depressed without even realising why or having any reason to, other than everything being gray...That's my theory anyway....
Big, fat hugs to you too hun! ❤️
You tale care and stay well!
Very interesting. I love the wreath and find nothing wrong with you turning it into a mask which is also beautiful. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! in advance. And thanks for the invite.
Posted using Dapplr
Very interesting post! I love the wreath and think it's wonderful that you turned it into a mask. You'll always have the memory. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! In advance. And thanks for the invite.
Oh thanks so much hun, I really appreciate it and I haven't stopped thinking about what I offered you and I did search for you on FB, but came up with so many others but not you...
But I am going to write about it in here one day soon, cause I know it will help everyone, so I am so glad that you came by finally!
I hope that you do join in this community because you will be welcomed with open arms and have so much genuine and non- judgemental support from all of these wonderful women too.
I hope that you are doing well and so good to see you here!!!
Big, fat hugs to you and I hope that you are staying safe and keeping well over there!
❤️❤️❤️
Send me your FB name and I'll find you
Posted using Dapplr
Look for https://www.facebook.com/leesa.carriage/ and see you soon.
XXX
You can see in the way you decorate and dress that you like colors and nature.
The park (place in the city) looks beautiful. A hammock there would be the perfect place to fall asleep.
Yes well before I moved to Melbs in 2005, I was living up in the Daintree rainforest- which is a much bigger version of that little micro rainforest and grew up in the country surrounded by bush, so I need my greens...and magentas, cyans and yellows everywhere lol....
Love that place but too many mozzies there that would eat me alive if I fell asleep on a hammock there- Mozzies LOVE me cause I'm sooo sweet...🤣
Lol, my clothes are mostly dark colors, so I don't understand at all. 😂
What's a mozzie? Muskito?