Aria's Farm adventure with Kerris Browne, Jonathon, Hagger and Ruebin Hagger .

Jonathon Hagger Ruebin Hagger and I went over to see Kerris Browne at her farm. It's called Aria's Farm  and is named after her daughter, Aria. 
Kerris and her husband  Chris run a farm stay business where people pay to stay in the nice  houses they have on the property and can have the opportuntiy to converse and interact with the animals.

They attract a lot of families  from out of town and overseas with kids that have never been on farms before.

 Pigs are one of my favourite animals.

Because they are caring, brainy and cute.

I asked Jonathon to come with me ( next door ) to Aria's farm to  pose for my camera, kissing a pig.

I figured he'd be a good model because he is a marathon runner and he and Kerris already knew each other because they often run the same marathons and I think they both belong to the Rotorua Athletics Club

Jonathon had never held a pig let alone kissed one before but he was very brave following the instructions Kerris gave him to avoid being scratched.

I thought he had a natural and obvious rapport  with animals. He could have been a vet in another  life or maybe even a photographic model for sportswear!!!!

They stopped squealing almost immediately and settled down to be nurtured and admired.

It was so adorable it was hard for me to reject any of these photos.

I think this is one of my favourites.

The pigs are called Saddlebacks

And they grow up to be as tall as your hip. I don't know the exact weight.

They are reputed to be as intelligent or even more so than dogs.

And as long as you put a ring in their nose when you put them into a paddock they wont root it up so that it becomes a bog

They are really affectionate and respond well to being talked to and scratched

 

They like being handled

And they appear to like very much being around people and each other

 They are surprisingly soft to touch , especially around their ears

And providing you hold them correctly they wont bite or scratch you

They respond well if you genuinely like them and they even appear to smile

They are totally adorable and I love living near them

Look at those cute little trotters and snouts

Look at the cute curly tales

Their area is very clean and well looked after, so it doesn't smell awful

Their mother is very willing to feed them and feed them. She is an excellent mother.

And quite attractive in her own way

Other pigs on the farm are long time pets

They enjoy interacting with their owner Kerris

And sometimes personalities start competing for her affections

So dramatic times can occur

Rivals are chased off

But there is always plenty of love to share around

Because this is a farm where animals are free range, not locked up in some overcrowded prison

The pigs have a good life

Roosters are also prized pets

And serve as early morning alarm clocks that I can hear from my bedroom window

They have been handled so much that they are also tame

Although Jonathon didn't quite manage to pick this one up

Another one was obtained by Kerris

And this proved to be very serene

The photography session of this  encounter went on for quite a while and he let them stroke his comb and wattle.

You could tell Jonathon liked the  roosters as well

He didn't peck Jonathon at  all and as long as Jonathon held the powerful legs in check, all was well and safe

The ducks looked clean and happy

They proved to also be friendly

And  were fantastic layers and providers of eggs

Kerris with the help from  Ruebin washed the eggs that she very kindly gave to us 

They came out so startlingly white from what colour the were in the beginning

It gave me an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into providing people with food.

We walked back next door to my place and they handed me the eggs.

Graham my husband made us scrambled eggs for breakfast using half duck eggs and half chicken eggs and I couldn't taste or tell the difference between them.
 They were really delectable and fresh
Thanks to Kerris for a great hour and for being such a willing and healthy looking model
Thanks to Jonathon for being such a brave model and Ruebin for his help.
Thanks to all the lovely natured animals.
You are all  stars.

Creative Quotes of the day

The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

Martina Navratilova

If you keep your feathers well oiled the water of criticism will run off as from a duck's back.

Ellen Swallow Richards

Easter chicken cards

  I made these cards

 to celebrate Easter

 for my column

 in the Rotorua Daily Post

And believe me, a good piece of chicken can make anybody

believe in the existence of God.” 
 
― Sherman Alexie,

Lake Te Ko Utu Adventure taking texture photos

I went for a quick adventure out of town to Cambridge with my husband for a walk and photo shoot around Lake Te Ko Utu

We also went out for lunch to a fabulous cafe called Onyx Restaurant and i had pate. The service was efficient, the  food good quality and the coffee nice. The decor was sophisticated but not intimidating. I want to go again soon.

 
Little moments can have a feeling and a texture that is very real.

Ralph Fiennes

Within two hours of where I live, you have mountains and desert as location. I like the natural elements that abstract into light, texture, shape and shadow.

Herb Ritts

Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke you put down you have to go with. Of course you can rewrite, but the original strokes are still there in the texture of the thing.

Joan Didion

Writing a tribe is fun. They have their own language, their own slang; they repeat it, and it becomes part of the texture of the play. For a writer, that's thrilling. That's when my pen flies.

Laura Wade

I love playing with words and texture.

Binyavanga Wainaina

Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback.

John Updike

Creative Quotes about Texture

I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the 

texture around it... I always want to see the third dimension 

of something... I want to come alive with the object.

Andrew Wyeth

Creative pupils of Janet Keen Creativity Queen

         Patrick and his lion

Patrick and his truck 

 Patrick and his Lion 

Rya and her cat drawing

 

 

 Rya and her cat watercolour painting

Classes are small so pupils have plenty of attention and peace. 
All pupils have their own programme to work towards so that their individuality and creativity is encouraged
We have fun and happy times together. 
Relaxing and being creative is as important for the mind and soul as is working hard at school. 
Creativity can be used in other areas of their lives. 
It's a student centred approach which is empowering for the student 
I suggest examples and they come up with their own programme. There are plenty of examples on the wall for people to be inspired by and plenty of books
Pupils love it because they get to make their own decisions rather than me ordering them around and making them do something that is in my head not theirs. 
It is a collaborative and facilitating  approach and very much in the forefront of teaching practise
Schools are now only just moving more into this approach. 



Spaces available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after school for an hour. 

Acrylic and mixed media painting
Mosaics
Drawing
Sculpture
Re-cycled art
Water colour
Children's book illustration
Pen and ink drawing Stamping
Card making
Doodling

Phone 346-3435 or email jkeen@clear.net.nz to book your child or young adult in. 

True, unrequieted love, stays pure and delicious because it never becomes sullied by reality

“To be deeply loved, means a willingness to cut yourself wide open, exposing your vulnerabilities... hopes, hurts, fears and flaws. Hiding behind the highlight reel of who you are, is the real you and that person is just as worthy of love. There is nothing more terrifying or fulfilling, than complete love, it's worth the risk... reach for it.”
― Jaeda DeWalt

“I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.”
― Candace Bushnell, Summer and the City

“Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.”
― J.M. Barrie, The Little Minister

“Love is a word that is overused these days, due to other lesser feelings often being mistaken for it. Infatuation, admiration, and attraction can pose as love, and can sometimes overwhelm us and fool us into thinking that we have found the real thing when we haven't. Those other feelings may be pleasant for a time, but they are not real love. Real love is rare. It's something that, quite honestly, I believe very few people ever truly experience.”
― Marian Vere, Once Upon A Second Chance

“Real love is always chaotic. You lose control; you lose perspective. You lose the ability to protect yourself. The greater the love, the greater the chaos. It’s a given and that’s the secret.”
― Jonathan Carroll, White Apples