AlistairScribbles 9

03 Sep AlistairScribbles 9

September 2025

It has been a while since I published AlistairScribbles 8 and I hope your senses have recovered enough to cope with another dose.

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According to astrology my zodiac sign is Libra, defined by its pursuit of balance, harmony and justice, symbolised by a set of scales. While I am not into astrology, the Libra definition does seem to correlate with aspects of my personality.

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Our yard at Narraweena, where we used to live had a few large trees, which the brush-tailed possums loved. They used the roof of our house to move backwards and forwards between the trees.

One night there was an almighty possum fight on our roof. The next morning there was a baby possum huddled in the corner of our verandah. I thought it might be dead, so I prodded it gently with a broom stick. It flinched slightly but wouldn’t move away, so I called Wires (a wild life rescue organisation). They advised that the mother had probably “kicked the baby out of the nest” (hence the fight we heard) and that the baby would adjust and find It’s own living space within a few days.

A week or so later I found the baby possum sleeping in our neighbours paper bin. The bin was at the kerbside, ready to be emptied. Thinking that the possum would soon be tipped into the recycling truck and crushed. I prodded it with a stick while speaking softly to it and successfully managed to move it to a safer place. The possum showed its displeasure by hissing and swipping its claws at me, but I felt pleased that I saved the little critter.

One night, months later I encountered the possum again, walking along our side fence at night. I shone my torch into it’s eyes and spoke to it gently. It stopped and looked at me as I continued to talk to it. It stayed there, motionless, for what seemed like a few minutes, before scurrying into the bush.

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The following ‘scribble’ was born from the frustration of not being able to do shading or free flowing designs in the Mac version of Freeform. Nevertheless, it is an image I enjoy viewing.

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For those who may not know, Messi (Lionel Messi) is a star Argentinian Football (Soccer) player, who represented his country as a forward and captain, played for Barcelona and now plays for and captains MLS club Inter Miami.

Messi is one of my favourite players, along with retired Frenchman Zinadine Zidane and retired Australian player Tim Cahill.

The following three ‘scribbles’ are a tribute to Lionel Messi.

The phrase “Is this guy human” was said by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson about Lionel Messi in 2013, after Manchester United’s Champions League loss to Barcelona. He was expressing his disbelief at Messi’s extraordinary ability and talent, which seemed almost inhuman.

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Completing a set of three images on Staunchens, “On the Grid” brings the repetitive lines of large electricity distribution structures to suburbia.

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This following image started as a photograph of a sheet of slightly creased baking paper, shot in low light. The “gold’ follows the paper creases (which are not artificially coloured). The soft shadows in the coloured sections were created by the manner in which light reflected off the slightly crumpled paper.

As a whole the image could be seen as a stained glass window with gold strips separating the crinkled glass. Alternatively it could be seen as an aerial view of crops in paddocks, with golden roads between the paddocks. Which interpretation do you prefer?

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“In 1993, Emile Leray, an ingenious Frenchman, faced an emergency in the Moroccan desert when his Citroën broke down in a remote area. With no help available, Leray demonstrated extraordinary adaptability and creativity: he dismantled the car and built a motorcycle with the available parts.” https://www.facebook.com/didyouknowthat2020/posts/in-1993-emile-leray-an-ingenious-frenchman-faced-an-emergency-in-the-moroccan-de/600843502628689/

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In the last few years of work, I made a lot of long trips to regional NSW by car. A common feeling while travelling was, “I’m driving fast and driving and driving … but I’m still not there. Why can’t I just BE THERE”.

I know it’s a crazy thought but, in a dimension without time, perhaps we could just … BE THERE.

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Thanks for reading and viewing this blog. Feel free to leave a comment below. I will always respond.