Messages and stories in her art

Any one who meets Lindi would say that she is a quiet, peaceful, calm but reserved person - someone who keeps her words to herself, except when there is something important to say. This aspect of herself is very much portrayed in her artworks. Quiet, and calm art, but with a powerful message behind each artwork.

Lindi has not only had success with her career and journey in art here in South Africa, with shows at the Goodman Gallery, Bell-Roberts Contemporary, Joao Ferreria and Gallery Momo galleries, but has held solo shows internationally at Galerie Maria Lund in Paris and Toomey Tourell in San Francisco. She has participated in group shows in South Africa, USA, Austria, London, Holland and Denmark and her works can be found in major collections in South Africa as well as collections in the USA and Europe.

For the past couple of years, she has been working on a series of installations and artworks that seek to investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial Helderberg plane crash. These constructions, made of intricately cut, pinned paper and rubber often shed light on the fragile nature of our existence, temporality and how chance plays a role in our lives.

The Helderberg crash on 28th November 1987, was an incident that has had the most significant impact on her life to date. Her father flying from Taipei to Johannesburg on his way home from a business trip that day, was a passenger on that fated Helderberg plane. She was only 14 years old at the time.

Her artworks relating to this tragedy started off with "How long can you hold your breath", "29th November 1987", and progressed to "59/295", "Shatter" and "Inbound and Outbound" amongst others as a means to come to grips with the event, and have helped her access her grief, to unpack it and to confront her fears, transforming her into the inspiring artist that she is today.

View Lindi Sales website for more information on her or read her artistic statement on her inspiration for these artworks.

Top 10 new species named

An international committee of taxonomists and related experts selected the top 10 from among the new species named during 2013 and released the list last week Thursday (May 22, 2014) to coincide with the birthday of Carolus Linnaeus, an 18th century Swedish botanist who is considered the father of modern taxonomy, on the 23 May.

The top 10 list includes four tiny newcomers to science: a miniscule skeleton shrimp from Santa Catalina Island in California, a single-celled protist that does a credible imitation of a sponge, a clean room microbe that could be a hazard during space travel and a tiny fringed fairyfly named Tinkerbell.

Also on the list are a gecko that fades into the background in its native Australia and a fungus that, conversely, blazed its way into contention by virtue of the bright orange color it displays when it's produced in colonies. Crawling slowly into the final spot on the alphabetical list is Zospeum tholussum, a tiny, translucent Croatian snail from one of earth's deepest cave systems.

• Olinguito: A New Carnivore, Hidden in Trees - Bassaricyon neblina. Location: Ecuador
• Kaweesak's Dragon Tree: Mother of Dragons - Dracaena kaweesakii. Location: Thailand
• ANDRILL Anemone: Discovery on Ice - Edwardsiella andrillae. Location: Antarctica
• Skeleton Shrimp: A See-through Crustacean - Liropus minusculus. Location: California, U.S.A
• Orange Penicillium: A New Fungus among Us - Penicillium vanoranjei. Location: Tunisia
• Leaf-tailed Gecko: Look Hard to See This One - Saltuarius eximius. Location: Australia
• Amoeboid Protist: Body Builder from the Mediterranean - Spiculosiphon oceana. Location: Mediterranean Sea
• Clean Room Microbes: Alien Invaders? - Tersicoccus phoenicis. Location: Florida, U.S.A. and French Guiana
• Tinkerbell Fairyfly: Do You Believe in Fairies? - Tinkerbella nana. Location: Costa Rica
• Domed Land Snail: Looks Ghostly, Moves Slowly - Zospeum tholussum. Location: Croatia

View our previous article of a new carnivorous sea sponge found in 2012, or view the article on the Top 10 new species for 2014 on Science Daily.

Slimy snails be gone

The first step is to eliminate, as much as possible, all places where they can hide during the day. Boards, stones, debris, weedy areas around tree trunks, leafy branches growing close to the ground, and dense ground covers such as ivy are ideal sheltering spots. It won't be possible to eliminate some shelters such as low ledges on fences, the undersides of wooden decks, and water meter boxes, so make a regular practice of removing snails and slugs from these areas. Reducing hiding places allows fewer snails and slugs to survive. The survivors congregate in the remaining shelters, where you can more easily locate and remove them.

Locate vegetable gardens or susceptible plants as far away from snail and slug hiding places as possible.

Choose snail-proof plants for areas where snails and slugs are dense. Plant selection can greatly affect how difficult your battle with snails and slugs will be. Because snails and slugs favor seedlings and plants with succulent foliage, you will need to vigilantly protect these. Some plants these pests will seriously damage include basil, beans, cabbage, agapanthus, hosta, lettuce, marigolds, strawberries and many other vegetable plants. On the other hand, many plants resist snail and slug damage including begonias, fuchias, geraniums, impatiens, lantana and nasturtiums, as well as many plants with stiff leaves and highly scented foliage such as lavender, rosemary and sage. Most ornamental, woody plants and ornamental grasses also aren't seriously affected.

Switching from sprinkler irrigation to drip irrigation will reduce humidity and moist surfaces, making the habitat less favorable for these plant munchers.

Slugs and snails need smooth damp surfaces to walk on. Think about using sand and gravel, or egg shells in your garden or pots as a natural method for discouraging slugs and snails. Ring plants with it, or use it around all your plants to keep slugs and snails away.

Handpicking can be very effective if done thoroughly on a regular basis. At first you should look for snails and slugs daily, paying careful attention to potential hiding places. After the population has noticeably declined, a weekly handpicking can be sufficient. To draw out snails and slugs, water the infested area in the late afternoon and then after dark, search them out using a torch.

If you have found one snail, look carefully for the second one. They generally always are in pairs.

Source: Wiki.

Array of birds

Birds Paradise is an absolute must for children of all ages, animal lovers, or more specifically, bird lovers. With over 200 species of birds such as Macaws, Hyacins, Conures, Pelicans and lots of waterfowl, it is truly an unforgettable experience. Birds from Australia to Peru, Central-America to Africa and Asia to Northern Wales all make Birds Paradise their home.

The walkways take you on a pleasant journey through hundreds of palm trees, past the cages housing exotic birds, exciting monkeys, onto the swans and a Koi pond with running fountain, and finally ending up at the coffee / curio shop for a delicious meal for mom and dad, and the children's play park for extended fun for the kids.

Jacques at Bird Paradise has been very helpful over the past month in assisting the rehabilitation of a jackal buzzard found poisoned on a farm in the neighbouring area. Jack, the buzzard has survived its first month of antiobiotics and physiotherapy and is showing signs of recovery (albeit slow) from the poisoning.

Birds Paradise is open 7 days a week from 9am until 5pm and they can be contacted on (023) 626 3926 for more information.

10 Years in business!

We would like to thank all our loyal supporters for their continued belief in our skills to design awesome living spaces.

Erica abietina
(Red Heath)

Family :

Description :

Flowering time :

Conditions :

• Full sun
• Little water
• Evergreen
• Wind resistant
• Some frost
• Well drained soil

View more detailed information on this plant in our plant directory.

Hang some lanterns from your pergola, or place them on walls, or along a pathway. This lantern has been creatively made using a recycled coffee tin, where the design has been punched out. Paint the tin a complimentary colour to work with your outdoor decor during the day.

Kale

Seeds can be sown or plants can be planted for the following herbs and veggies this month:

Vegetables Broad Beans Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Kale Lettuce Peas Radish Swisschard Turnips

Herbs Parsley Mustard

View our full planting plan in our resources section of our website.

We all love a chance to test our own brain capacity with brain teasers. Try see if you can figure out this one...

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Contact Cheral:

Cell: 082 82 509 82
Email: info@livingmatter.co.za
Website: www.livingmatter.co.za