The title of this post makes perfect sense to me. Inside the world known as My Brain, I strongly identify as the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll's anarchic fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland" due to my struggles with punctuality and the general anxiety that follows my endless quest to be present on time. But is our furry friend with the cute fluffy tail also seeking an escape from reality by following a curious detour (like disappearing down a a rabbit hole)? Geronimo!
And then the lines between Mister Rabbit and Australian comedian Zoe Coombs-Marr become blurred. Like me, Zoe identifies as somebody with ADHD. I happened to be diagnosed in my late thirties by the extraordinary Martin Exell, clinical psychologist to almost my entire family. Amusingly, when he saw the shock on my face having given me this information, he instantly sought to reassure me. ADHD was an essential part of me, without which I may have become crazier than I already was.
Which is why I found Zoe's interpretation of Her Brain whilst attempting to have a serious conversation hysterically funny and also profoundly true of me. Her fabulous segment on Charlie Pickering's "The Weekly" showed her glorious ADHD in full throttle. Which Charlie ended with a sneaky little ADHD fantasy of his own. Watch and laugh!
Anyway, oh my giddy aunt, I have interpolated...again. For those of you who may not be familiar with this fabulous ability, here is an interpretation...of interpolation. Alliteration rocks! Ye Gods, focus, Kate, focus!
Here's how interpolation works. I may wildly divert from the topic at hand, but still have the ability to return to the original thread. Maybe my darling Dad shares some of the blame for this, as he introduced me to the magic of language from an early age. Hence, words, along with images frequently float through My Brain, even when I am trying to ignore them because I am engaged in another conversation or activity. I think my talent is being able to jump into the midst of interpolation and retrace my steps. God, I hope this skill doesn't diminish as I become more ancient. Insert "old crone on a walking frame"...
For example, when musing about the White Rabbit and his inner meaning, I immediately divert to the rhyme of "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date"...which is inevitably followed by an image of the Cheshire Cat's grin with the slogan "We're all mad here" floating around through space. Of course...
Now that could have been an interesting additional plot sequence to "Alice in Wonderland"...
Anyway, My Brain is always active, sometimes frenetically. And the last few weeks have been particularly both hectic and fractious. Which is the pathetic excuse I am providing for becoming the White Rabbit, lamenting my lack of punctuality, whilst becoming anxious about my lack of motivation... like being on a treadmill when I actually want is to go for a walk in the open air.
Apparently, even my non-verbal projections are loud. One evening at Jodie's meditation group, she asked us to summon a very happy memory as we were all behaving like sad sacks, I immediately travelled to the moment Michael and I embraced each other at our "altar" under the gazebo in our backyard when we were being married. The truth is I literally flew into his arms and nearly floored him. Jodie's comment was that she viewed the whole sequence in technicolour with surround sound!
I usually report on our latest World Famous Sundowner quite quickly (couldn't resist the alliteration...again!) after the event. And I have been woefully neglectful of reporting the latest news of the East End Gallery. So the time has come to pull up my Big Girl Pants (cue image entering My Brain) and actually start pounding the keyboard, which sounds far more utilitarian that putting pen to paper. *sigh*
The Easter Sundowner was held on Saturday 19 April. We had an absolute blast. In no particular order, I would be honoured to thank our musicians for a totally mesmerising evening. They were Guy Slingerland, David Sparrow, Seanne Sparrow, Ron Elston, Gabi Boekhout, Jan George, Ron Smeeton, Betty McKeough, Rowan McKeough, Gerard Siero and the irreplaceable Lawrence Jones. If I have forgotten anybody, I plead memory loss due to some particularly excellent vino.
We were delighted to welcome guests and friends, new and repeat, as we settled in for a truly fabulous night of music, art, conversation, along with Michael's efforts as BBQ chief (him Tarzan, me Jane - where the hell did that come from?!) and abundant bottles and plates that were brought to share.
We are also filled with gratitude to all our guests and friends who have welcomed the Gallery's art pieces into their homes since Easter. Without your support, we were facing a rather daunting financial precipice, particularly regarding the Shire rates and the building insurance. Now, we know we have the (at least partial) means to fight another day and continue to promote our artists into 2026 and beyond... (Shut up, Buzz Lightyear!)
Special and completely unexpected thanks must go to Ernie and Helen Hawes. My former husband has found somebody who shares his life and adds to his well being and happiness every day. I think Helen is a far better wife than I ever was. For them to purchase "Unhinged" for their unit has literally changed our financial trajectory for 2025. And if I had thought, fifteen years ago, that I could be friends with Ernie someday...that is the healing and perspective of time. We look forward to seeing them again very soon.
Plus, I had forgotten what a brilliant optometrist Ernie continues to be. He is patient, a superb communicator and leaves nothing to chance. He now has a baseline for Michael to watch for any possible diabetic changes and knew exactly which spectacle frame would be perfect for my shy and retiring personality. During our overnight stay with them, we reminisced far and wide and I'm sure we ended up finishing each other's sentences! Cue - "Happy" by Pharrell Williams...
So, without further ado and to try and keep My Brain on track, here are some snippets of our Sundowner and the Gallery, which includes a number of new artists and artisans (where the hell did the TARDIS come from?) who are putting their faith in us. Hallelujah, hallelujah, halle..lujah!
Oh, what a night!
Irene Perry's Kimberley-inspired cards - each one is an original...
Michael Sofoulis - award winning Wheatbelt artist.
