Touch ups in tranquillity
OLIVE’S TWENTY SECOND POST
Olive
Good Morning everyone. Mike tells me that the artist wants to do some touch ups.
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Mike
That’s right, Ollie. It looks OK to me but….
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Olive
Me too.
Mike
Anyway, you don’t have to come with me.
And by the way, we should welcome readers to your blob as you sometimes call it. Olive is 107, folks, and will be 108 in October.
She doesn’t see well, so I do the typing, the photos, and the posting.
Olive
I don’t know why you have to tell that every time
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Mike
Well, it’s remarkable, Ollie, your age at least, and that you’re interested in the internet in your third century.
Ellen’s coming with me to Patonga. As you can see, she’s not in a good mood.
She bleached her hair. It went too pale. She tried to fix it and it went green. Now, I think it looks good, though she’s not sure.
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Olive
Oh, hair! You know something, Ellen. When I was about 30, all my hair went white and so I started using henna because my hair had always been naturally red.
“Red for danger,” the kids used to sing out. I told about that before, you know, in the blob about me being bullied.
So, one day I put in the henna and I went to answer the door. I was supposed to leave it in for about 5 minutes, but the door threw me off and I left it for 20 minutes.
Well, you should have seen it, Ellen. Talk about flaming red! You never saw such a color in all your life.
When I saw it, I just screamed and screamed, I was in the place by me own, I carried on like a mad woman.
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Mike
What did you do about it?
Olive
Do? I tried to get rid of it of course! I washed six time that day. But that didn’t do nuthin’ to the red. It was stuck.
I ended up not going out for three weeks.
Mike
You missed work?
Olive
Not a foot out the door. I missed everything….. So, don’t you worry, Ellen. Yours looks real nice compared to what I went though.
Mike
In 1930
Olive
Well, it might seem way back to you, Mike. But I remember it like it was yesterday. Oh, it was awful, Ellen.
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Mike
(We left Olive and drove to the bakehouse gallery)
Jocelyn was so grateful we’d bought you back for a touch up, Ollie Your left eye was too drooping and the expression too grim, she thought.
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Olive
Well, as I told you, Mike, I thought it could talk when I seen it the other day. It was that life like.
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Mike
I know, but Jocelyn has to be happy too. And to tell the truth, I love going to Patonga, Ollie.
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Mike
I left Ellen to watch and went to look around Patonga.
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Mike
We’re really envious of its quiet, sleepy, feel. Of course there’s no surf like we have at Avoca but it’s like a place out of time and I like that.
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Mike
I saw a distant couple on the beach.
I love it when the camera captures something that you don’t know you have, that you don’t actually appreciate till later , and then it’s there to ponder.
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Mike
Who were they, arm in arm like that? I’ll never know. And they’ll never know that their moment was caught, innocently, by me.
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At the back of Patonga, I found the most wonderful light, long afternoon rays,
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Mike
Boats at achor too. The houses on the other side are only reachable by boat, apparently
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Mike
Back light is the most beautiful of lights, I think. It’s full of mystery. There’s like a beckoning warmth beyond whatever’s rimmed by the light.
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Mike
Back at the bakehouse, I found the portait looking better I must admit …..
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Mike
……and Ellen being drawn by Robin downstairs.
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Mike
The act of portait-ng is rather strange. You stare at someone, long and quiet, not reading the face for it’s reaction to yourself, as we are normally doing, but to see how it works.
It’s the most elusive thing, doing a portrait.
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Mike
After that, we went to the only shop
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Mike
and got chips. Which we were not supposed to get for various reasons, but did anyway.
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Mike
Now Ollie, her’s what I been planning to show you for a long time. It’s called the three hares.
They chase their tails and the three animals, which should have 6 ears, have only three between them.
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Mike
I found it on Eric’s e-book. It’s an ancient magic symbol, appearing in old church windows, carved in stone and such. Erice tells the story here.
http://www.bdb.co.za/shackle/articles/three_hares.htm
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Olive
It feels Lovely to touch. How is Eric?
Mike
He seems to be over his problems, and his threat to retire from electronic jounalism, has proved empty, than goodness.
I mean he’s only 87, for heaven’s sake. What’s he want to retire for?
Olive
If we can keep going, so should he.
Mike
My thoughts exactly. He is the best one at keep track of this blog of yours too, Ollie.
He tells me Olive Riley brings up over a million citations on Google and most are about you.
Olive
Oh Gor! What’ll it be next.
Mike
Well, since you mention it, next I mean, can we speak about the five lands walk and the role you are going to play in the story film we’re making on the day?
It’s on the 23rd June, by the way, so it’s some time off yet.
Olive
Well, just don’t tire me out, Mike
Mike
I won’t. It’s your call. Yes or no is fine.
>
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 4:04 pm
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21 Responses to “Touch ups in tranquillity”
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May 23rd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Wonderful portrait!!!!!! BTW, Olive doesn’t look a day over 80. 85, tops. Seriously, none would guess her real age:)
And I went grey at 28 (five kids by 35, no wonder lol!!!). Thank goddesses for red hair dye. But I LIKE flaming fire engine red, so stick with that;) But its starting to not stick to the grey as well, so henna, here I come. Thanks for the tip!!!!!!!
Hi, Time lady, you are the first to answer the 22nd post. What time zone are you in, I wonder? Yes, Olive does look young for her years. In real life, she seems more frail and old than in photos. Lucky her, she photographs extremely well. Mike the helper
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Hello again Olive and Mike,
Your portrait is beautiful Olive - it’s a wonderful likeness:-)
I hope you’re still enjoying some sunny weather up there - we’ve had some very welcome rain down here in country Victoria.
Cheers,
Mandie
We know about your rain, Mandie,and are glad you got it. Mike the helper
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
This blog makes me smile from ear to ear whenever I read an update. This is exactly why some blogs are really really precious, they make us read about the life of strangers and visit places we’ve never been. I for one love it and need the escapism!
Where exactly is Patonga?
Jess (22,UK)
Glad about the ear to ear situation, Jessica. Are you going to look for Patonga on Google Earth? That would be fun. But on a map, you’ll find Gosford a rather drab town about an hour and half north of Sydney. Patonga is really tiny, a bit south of Gosford and on the coast. It’s almost touching the Northern beaches of Sydney.
In fact, there is a small ferry which goes across from Patonga to Palm beach, a great ride, and then you are on the nothern beaches. Mike the guide.
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:31 pm
i found your blog through another aussie, and i have thoroughly enjoyed it! you would have been a contemporary of both my grandmothers (one was born in 1898 and the other in 1905), so i love hearing your stories.
Did you record their stories in any way, Minnie? Mike the helper
May 24th, 2007 at 12:32 am
I love the portrait - and the photo of Ollie with the portrait next to her! Your other photos are great too, Mike. I love the one with the sun rays coming through the trees. Take care Ollie and don’t let Mike tire you out too much - but keep coming back - we love to hear about you.
Yes, the trees are nice. The scene looks sort of English, doesn’t it? Not Australian at all. I’m wondering if anyone will comment on the distant couple on the beach. For me that’s a compelling image. Mike the helper.
May 24th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Hi Olive! I am a devoted fan of yours, here in Montreal, Canada. I love the painting of you — and also the painting of Mike and the drawings of Katya and Ellen. I am sure yours is the most beautiful blog in all of webdom, with all the photos and the flowers along the edge.
Keep up this wonderful sharing with us. love, dorothy
Thanks, Dorothy. I must tell you, folks, that Dorothy is an old friend from our years in Canada, and possibly it was a beautful film she made about her aged parents, full of love and funny observations, which inspired all of this, meaning the film about Olive, and then helping her with the blog.
Not a conscious inspiration but something which sunk in. I still use her film’s title as a hurry up call. It ’s called; “Put on your running shoes. ” Mike the helper.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:10 am
mike, I love the photo of the couple on the beach! I’m not just commenting because you mentioned it, I intended on saying so anyway. It’s intriguing, enigmatic, captured in such a way that it makes you wonder what’s going on with them, what are they saying, or are they speaking at all? Is their relationship beginning or ending? Is it growing or stagnant? Are they married? engaged? friends? Who knows, but the possible scenarios are practically endless.
I had a similar hair crisis once. I tried to lighten my hair and it turned bleached yellow, I tried to dye it brown to cover it and it ended up green. I had to go to the salon and pay to have it fixed.
Patonga is really pretty. I enjoyed the photos, thanks.
Ah, someone else likes the couple on the beach. Thanks Christina. I must get the folks in patonga to try and find who they are.
Mike the helper
May 24th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I like trying my hand at the odd portrait - odd sometimes the operative word - so I appreciate a good portrait. This one is lovely and I am sure that it shows your charactor well, Olive. Thank you for sharing it with your fans.
It’s wonderful thing to try a portrait, Robyn, even it does not turn out well. It’s a strange exercise in look a someone intently with that goal. It convinces me that we really don’t look deeply, normally. Mike the helper
May 24th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Mi nombre es Melina, tengo 14 años y soy de Argentina. No sé escribir ingles, espero sepan comprenderme. Encontré este blog, y realmente me gusto mucho. Es increíble como una mujer de 107 años pueda vivir la vida de tal manera.
Olive, te felicito por tu actitud, y por tener esa personalidad tan genial.
Te deseo mucha suerte, y espero que estes bien.
Besos, seguiré visitando el blog.
Melina.
Eric has helped get a granslation. Here is its. My name is Melina, I am 14 years old and from Argentina. I do not know how to write English. I hope you understand me. I found this blog, and I really like it a lot. It is incredible that a woman of 107 years can live the life in such a way.
I congratulate you on your attitude, and so brilliant personality. I wish you much luck , and I hope that you remain well. Kisses, I will continue visiting your blog. Melina.
Mike the to helper
May 24th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Me olvidé de comentar, que aquí en Argentina hay una canción dedica al nombre Olivia (Olive. Y realmente es hermosa!
El blog es hermoso Olive!
In this comment, Melina tells us that there is a song in Argentina dedicated to the name of Olive. The song is beautiful and so is the blog, she says. Mike the helper, helped by Eric.
May 24th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Hello! I was looking at your posted photos and thought, that looks like Australia and I’m right aren’t I? Myself? We have been living in Cairns for the past 14 months since moving up from Melbourne and loving it!
I’ll be back to visit… (what a wonderful blog! - I’ll snoop around for a little!)
Oh, and by the way, the portrait is terrific! Love it.
Yes, you are right, Melody. We are near Gosford. Mike the helper.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Hi Mike and Olive.
Love the portrait. Ollie looks wonderful.
By the way, I wrote a lil something about your site in my blog. http://imbrogliare.blogspot.com/2007/05/20000.html
I hope you don’t mind if I link you to my blog?
Cheers. Hope to hear from you again!
We are happy that you linked to us. Chu may. I had a look at your blog and it has such a sweet, sincere, tone. i tried to leave a comment but was defeated by the google system. Mike the helper
May 24th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Hi Mike and Olive,
I thought the portrait was just fine the way it was, but then I saw the touched up version, and I have to admit that it is better.
I think Ellen’s hair looks fine. Although it is easy to see from her picture that she isn’t too happy about it.
Great photography, Mike. Your pictures just keep getting better. French fries (chips) look good, but the pies still look much better.
Have a great week and I’ll stop by later for the next post and to read more comments by your legion of fans.
Eric Stamper
Jacksonville, Florida USA
I think it was very brave of Jocelyn, Eric, to go through this process, to have every step of her work so closely scrutinized. I was amazed at how fast she works. It was literally not much more than an hour in the first go. The chips do look a little dead but they tasted sinfully good. Mike the helper
May 25th, 2007 at 5:48 am
We found your inspirational story on Google and we are glad to have found your blog.
Can you please tell other Seniors about what some states are doing now to their seniors?
http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/05/states_abductin.html
Thank you , Angela
What do you mean, Angela? Tell people what exactly, and do you mean states in Australia or in the US? I don’t know much about the subject. Only about Olive. Mike the helper
May 25th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Miss Olive I am really enjoying reading your stories. Thanks to you and Mike for making them available. I live in Southeast Texas in the USA. Your stories sound so similiar to ones I remember my grandmother telling. Take care and my love to you.
Thanks so Much Tina. I’ll let Ollie Know. Mike the helper.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
The portrait’s looking good. I love the look of Patonga, too. Your photos are lovely, Mike.
Ollie, I remember putting a red dye through my hair and my hair came out pink! I was going out that night, too. So I still went out, though with a scarf around my head to hide the pink hair.
May 26th, 2007 at 5:23 am
That portrait is amazing. As I said the other day, it really looks like it can talk to you. It’s amazing that there are people who have the ability to draw what the eye does not really see. Amazing and really beautiful. Congratulations to the woman who painted it. By the way, Mike: the photos are stunningly beautiful. I wish I could take pictures like that. I agree with what you said about the couple: sometimes I take a look at photos that were taken when being on holidays and I realize there are unknown people who were just passing by at that very same moment and I wonder: what must this girl be doing right now? What’s beneath all that? Oh, and talking about hair… I have had a few ‘hair disasters’ that were really really bad. I know what they say “Don’t worry, it will grow back”. And it does, eventually. But it takes quite long to get it back and you have to live with the disaster as long as it lasts. Kisses!!
Thanks, Monica. Glad you liked the couple on the beach. I felt it was fair enough to “discover” them since they were in a public place, doing something nice, too far away to be recognized by anyone except themselves, etc.
But one reader wrote to me privately that I was intruding on their privacy by drawing attention to them. I wonder if anyone else thinks that? Mike the helper
May 26th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Oh, whatever about their privacy! They were in a public place.
I looked at that link about the three hares - fascinating. I’ve never seen it before.
I am actually hoping to find out who the couple are, Christina. Perhaps they will see the blog. Mike the helper
May 28th, 2007 at 5:56 am
I love your blog! Congratulations from the Balearic Islands
Hi, Pentesilea, Thanks for your two comments. Where are the Balearic Islands? I will see what I can find on Google. Mike the helper.
P.S. Sorry about My ignorance. Now I know the Islands include Majorca and the famous Ibizia of the coast of Spain. I also know that in ancient times the men of your islands were experts with the slingshot and that they hired themselves as slingshot mercenaries. Boys learnt to use the slingshot from childhood and would not eat, according to Wikipedia, unless they could knock a piece of bread off a post. I learnt a lot more than that too, and have an urge to come visit your Islands some day.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:36 am
I feel as though I’ve fallen into a place of grace! What a wonderful adventure and the photos are gorgeous!!! I, too, like photos that tell stories (the couple on the beach…). The fact that your country abounds with fauna and flora that is so desired here, like the cockatoos, amazes me. I so love the story of Olive… Blessings.
That’s a very nice comment, Gracie. Part of my reason for making the blog attactive with nature photogrtaphy, is to remind people here of what we have and can enjoy.
The average person thinks more about pulling the coal out of the ground and selling it to China, you saw the ships waiting in line off our coast, than they do about the cockatoos flying overhead. The coal does make us wealthy.
A massive new mine has just been approved in the Hunter valley, just north of here, against strong public protest. Mike the helper
June 9th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Hello Olive and Mike ~~ I enjoy all your posts and read every one. I do hope the storms around Newcastle are no where near where Olive lives, or
where you and Katya live. You are doing a great job. I would like to hear more of what life was like in the past - -Like when did Olive see the first ca, plane etc and how things were before most of us were born. Take care and stay safe, Love, Merle.
Dear Merle, there is an olden days story almost ready, on Olive and roller skating. But I don’t know when it is going to be posted. Mike