we go to bali in two days .. for a week of massages!  food!  temples!  shopping!  swimming! sleeping!
i cannot W A I T

there was a terrible smell in the back of the arts centre .. this was the culprit 

a snake, killed by bark painting, a tragedy of modern indigenous art ...

check it out -

we won!

gunybi .. so hot right now

garma is over .. we are back from the bush and almost recovered - kade has gone to darwin for the darwin art fair, the telstra art awards and the waiaa awards  ... busy busy busy  .. i am resting, returning the house to normal after a week or so of volunteers and visitors camping out in the bedrooms,  lounge and hallway. It was fun... katie came up from melbourne with her friend jess who both were so excellent we are now plotting ways to make them ours  - aimee brought a crew of volunteers as well who added pro-surfer glamour and well-connectedness to the campsite (think famous actress sister) and there was the lovely denise and neil, the delicious polish couple and jeremy adding a dash of good ol' kiwiness in the mix as well...  they all were working hard at Buku and in the bush to make the whole thing a success  .. thank you

opening night

I took possibly the worst photos ever of the events but here are a few to get the idea -  the setting was a stringy bark tree about half an hour from yirrkala down the red dirt road - everyone camped and enjoyed the three solid meals a day from the caterers who did a fine job, there were forums, famous people and film crews galore - you can read a bit about it here,  here or here if you like,   I got to bask in the glory of my exhibition (haha - not really) I did however get to sell art and break art (it rained) and chase iggy around in the sand and bunggul ground and enjoy myself .. AND the president himself smiled and said hello to me

our campsite -  morning

 sailor makes a suit out of two coffee cups, a stick and a plastic spoon

iggy wanders off ... again

 iggy on the bunggal ground

 tent city

 prints on a tree

 this looks indoor

 jane and rob and the mulka crew

 bunggul

 katie and jess

here are some photos of the set up for the Gapan Gallery

first you get a stringy bark forest

attach some lights

 get a bucket of gapan (white paint made from clay)

grab a handful

and wipe it on the tree trunks

like so

 up the ladder - nina with aimee

dave and lauren

 cords and cross-bars

 done ....

 its a messy job, and yes there were gapan fights ....

on wednesday we got new tee-shirts delivered .... and then the Melbourne Cup turned up with an entourage of trainers, race board representatives and photographers so not only did we get to see the melbourne cup but we got to wear our matching tops and get a group photo taken ... hilarious moment  - there were speeches and all sorts....things like this happen all the time up here, its bizarre but true, like the ex-captain of the australian women's netball team Liz Ellis calling me a 'dirty kiwi' on TV ... buts thats another story ...

here are the photos of the melbourne cup and all of us at Buku

 the yolngu crew from left - jerome, watjumi, barrupu, neil, wanapa, nyayanyapa and  jamie

with the whole buku staff and garma volunteers included! jane, ranydjupi, barayuwa, sally, will, jerome, neil, kade, wanapa, dhamula, ishmail, jess, dave, lauren, katie
second row - vanessa, watjumi, barrupu, nyapanyapa, me, jamie, aimee and nina
and ROB on centre stage

we went to Cape Arnhem on saturday for a nights camping with jane and rob - convoy style .

Cape Arnhem is the bestest spot in the area and since only 10 vehicles are allowed in at one time not only is it beautiful but it is quiet and you can easily be the only people on the beach .. which we were.

We got a campsite - played at the beach, cooked fresh oysters off the rocks and had them with champagne, entertained the kids with a hammock,  a hand made swing, and sparklers,  ate roast chicken from the fire and slept a terrible nights sleep with the four of us in our tiny tent ...  it was just like a camping trip should be ... and to top it all off we got seriously bogged in the sand and almost tipped down a ditch on the way out ...

jane testing the waters

drive along the beach

campsite

swing made from drift wood and a dog's lead

bottle

beach

sunset

sparklers

night

morning swims

postcard pic 1

jane and iggy

rob spiritual leader

diggin while dog watches

coast

spear fishing

postcard pic 2

afternoon snack

afternoon sleep

The Bog

saved by a tree

dug out, pulled out,   S A V E D