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I am always thinking about my blog and excited about any new photos I may take or find. Unfortunately my health is extremely poor at the moment. I have been finding it hard to read other blogs lately, let alone post on mine, so it is time for a formal break until things improve. I hope I will be well enough to get back on task again very soon.

Meanwhile this recent pic, taken when on my way to visit yet another specialist, pretty well sums up how I am feeling about stopping the blog.  I am lucky, as I can still get a lot out of my limited energy, thus this series of pics doesn’t sum up how I feel about my life, which despite everything, is exciting and interesting in its own unique way.

The new “do” requires some explanation. After having taken three years to grow out the last one, I swore I would never get a dye-job again.

Last week, Mum decided I needed a haircut (as mums do) and, as I couldn’t be fagged making the appointment, she lined one up and sent me off. The situation of being in thrall to my mother’s opinion about my “coiff”, is as much a symptom of my infirmity as due to the fact that I HATE hairdressers. I swore black and blue that I would return with a light trim almost indistinguishable from the shag I was sporting. However as I have no defences against flattery, and NO sales resistance whatsoever, I was wooed into accepting the above style. Hmmm.

AFTER the dye was on, the owner, who had been the force behind the obsequious fawning that lead to my being held prisoner to the chemicals for three hours, came over and threw in the following statement for good measure, “That grey hair was doing you no favours. It was making you look so old”. In front of 6 pensioners, I loudly told him that if he had said that before the process had begun, I would have told him to fuck off. Ahhh, how he laughed! How strange of him to think I was joking…

On the day of the event, I posted on Facebook the Photocabine series you can see above. I did so, as much as anything, because my friend Marcelle told me to!  I was overwhelmed by all the comments from my, hitherto undeclared, legions of admirers. I was especially thrilled by the comment of my brother -in-law, Timo, who is now my favourite person in the multiverse. He thought I looked younger than when we first met 14 years ago. Yes, I am a true sucker for a compliment!

Hasta luego a todos. I will be back asap with more pics and ramblings.

PS The hair was only straightened temporarily. I am way too fond of my monstrous mop-head to farewell it for long.

From George Takei’s facebook photos via my gorgeous bro-in-law, Timo.

I am supposed to be off the blog to get my health in order but couldn’t resist telling you about this fun project. Read More

I have just received and viewed the finished piece that Dick Jewell has made with Read More

27 July 1997, Luna Park, Melbourne

Rosie, the daughter of my friends Del and Linds of London, came to visit me in Australia just before her 17th birthday.

Adjectives to describe Ros –

  • beautiful
  • intelligent
  • sensitive
  • compassionate
  • quirky
  • funny
  • articulate
  • exasperating
  • loveable
  • gorgeous
  • messy
  • loyal
  • messy
  • adorable
  • messy

With reference to the repeated appearance of the word messy to describe my adopted sister, I was still finding jelly tots in odd places in the room in which Rosie slept, three months after her departure.

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

photobooth30:06:1997

30 June 1997, Flinders Street Station, Melbourne

On my way to the Performing Arts Museum at the Melbourne Arts Centre. It is now called the Performing Arts Collection, as the museum, which was established in 1979, no longer has a permanent exhibition space.

Some of the collection is available to view online. Particularly interesting is the almost 7000 photographs that document the history of the performing arts in Melbourne.

I still have the swing-coat I am wearing in this two shot colour photobooth photo. I made it while working at Liberty in London. It is incredibly luxurious, hand-woven Irish boucle wool. It is barely cold enough in Australia to wear very often, but I love it so much and did such a fine job of it, I think I will keep it forever.

Original size

There are many of these unusual format photos listed online as photobooth photos but I am still unsure as to whether that description is entirely correct. I cannot imagine an automatic photobooth this size. On page 125 of  Näkki Goranin’s book American Photobooth, there is an example of this type of photo illustrated, leading me to believe that they must have existed somewhere, at sometime. However, I can find no mention of this type of booth in the text of the book.

Read More

January 1997, St Kilda, Melbourne.

Always needing to be occupied, I took this strip of photos whilst waiting for Read More

In my never ending pursuit of fabulous photobooth photos, I come across many other types of vintage photos that take my fancy. Some time ago, while browsing online, I spotted a lot of photographs of a vaudeville actor and his partner that really fired my imagination. After having purchased one group of pictures, another lot was listed, which I also bought. The seller had apparently purchased over 400 Read More

These two undated, photomatic photos from the USA, of a young, possibly handsome, possibly weird looking boy, were probably taken in the 1940s. I can’t make up my mind on his Read More