The Sweetness of Joy

Lemons.  I love lemons.  Firstly, I love the lemon tree. The leaves are more than decoration.  
One year on the Amalfi coast, I was served the most fantastic melted mozzarella that had been placed on a huge Amalfi lemon leaf and then placed on a grill. 
The oil in the leaf gave the melted cheese an evocative flavour. 

I love the perfume of lemon blossoms. The scent lifts the entire surrounding area.
Everyone should have a lemon tree in their garden or backyard. They use to.  
It was a standard Australian suburban thing to find a lemon tree out the back.  
The idea you can just go outside and pick a lemon fresh off the tree. 

I love lemons themselves.  The juice is sweet and emphasise and enhances all the other flavours it is blended with. 
A squeeze of lemon over grilled lamb,or fresh salad greens, or even some lightly steamed brocollini; A slice of lemon with a G & T.  Summer. 
I love the wide range of yellow that its skin can be. I love the diversity of shape it can be. 
I love lemons. They bring me joy.  Celebrate JoyDay 25 November.

Peter Tully, Shiftazine salutes you

The ‘shiftazine’ philosophy has been around long before shiftazine magazine every saw the light of day. 
I was lucky enough to be at the same art institution as one of Australia’s great creative energies, Peter Tully. 
His tribal wear was the stuff that inspired many of us and gave us the courage to shift our appreciation of all things in our mundane lives. 
I recently found myself in front of a wonderful Peter Tully piece that was dedicated to the King of Kitch, Liberace.
It was a delight to be once again in the presence of this artist’s energy, humor and eagle eye for all things delightful. 
Peter Tully Shiftazine salutes and thanks you. XXXXX

Shift Bag

My friend went to Thailand over Summer. He had fun.  He saw lots of interesting things. He bought a couple of things. And one of the things was put in this bag.  This bag is made from recycled newsprint.  This is a great shiftazine idea!

A Dash of Joy

On the 7th of February Shiftazine posted an article entitled ‘Every surface a canvas’. 
In it,I wrote “What does the word mutable really mean.  
Well, by the dictionary's definition it means 'to change', shifting, 
but it also means a sense of the fluid,ideas coming and going.”

The dear dog that was the inspiration for the drawing was a great dog called Dasher, 
and he brought joy to all the people who walked along Crown Street Surry Hills Sydney,
 for such a long time. 
Always there to greet you and give you a moment of his day.

He was hit by a car last week and died. 
Thank you Dasher for all those tiny moments of joy you gave so many people. 
Life is mutable. 
Joy is fleeting. 
Remember to celebrate the thing that brings you joy on JOYDAY, the 25th November each year.