What a glorious word!  And what a glorious thing! I love it when something totally unexpected, and wonderful, happens out of the blue. This seems to be the Year of Serendipity for me.  The latest surprise came in the form of a painting.  In the most unlikely place, and at the most unlikely time. I certainly wasn’t looking for it, but boy-oh-boy was I excited when I found it.  It found me, really.

It happened during the drive from Wilmot, Tasmania to Fossil Cove (my home–and no remarks about the name, please).  Anyway, I was enjoying the gorgeous countryside, and heading for a town in the Meander Valley called Deloraine.  There is a terrific deli there (called the Deloraine Deli, oddly enough) where I intended to stop for lunch.

As I strolled back to the car after a yummy lunch, I passed a little gallery. I make it a rule to never pass a gallery without stopping to have a look. This was a charming little place, with some lovely things, but I wasn’t really shopping, per se. Well, there were some rather nice earrings that I thought might come in handy.  As the lady was wrapping them up for me she mentioned, in a most off-hand way I must say, that if I were interested in larger paintings and sculptures and such, they were downstairs.  She had closed the door because of the cold, but would be happy to open it for me.

Well!!!!  I can’t tell you about anything else that was down there, because there–hanging on the wall–were two paintings by an artist I had admired for years.  Indeed, I had been actively trying to find (as in buy) a painting of his for several years.  Having approached several of the major galleries to enquire about his work I repeatedly heard “You can’t get them.  We get plenty of requests, but can’t get our hands on any.”  He has apparently stopped painting.  Certainly he hasn’t painted in the style I was seeking for several years.

I should tell you about the artist.  Not that I know a lot, but he has been a fixture around Hobart for years.  He’s an Irishman named George Callaghan.  Not only does/did he paint, but he is a musician and instrument maker.  For years he could be found every Saturday morning playing his harp at Salamanca Market.  My daughter-in-law has a harp which he made for her some years ago.  I used to love going to his gallery, or listening to his music on Saturday mornings. (I even have a couple of his CDs.) I hadn’t seen or heard of him for several years, and thought perhaps he’d gone back to Ireland for good.  Finally, I decided I had to have one of his paintings.  But it seemed I’d waited too long.  Until Last Week!  Hallelujah!  Wonderful Serendiplity.

I don’t have to spell it out do I?  Of course I bought one of them. My bank account was already haemorrhaging anyway, in preparation for going overseas, so what’s another king-hit? Better than spending the rest of my days pummelling myself about the head and shoulders for not seizing the opportunity.

That’s Serendipity, folks.  You can’t plan it.  You can’t count on it happening.  But when it does, you have to grab it with both hands and rejoice!         MM