It must be breakfast time ...
Living with a beagle is ... interesting! Our beagle, Jasper, has a love for breakfast time ... and lunch time ... and dinner time. Well any time really where there might be food being served. He lives in eternal hope that some small crumb might fall to the floor from the magic food producing table. I am not a big believer in sharing food scraps from the table but Jasper's optimism, like his hunger, is unquenchable.
At any time someone sits at the bench to eat Jasper will magically appear and give you the Jedi stare. You can feel his mind control ... "you will share your meal with me ...". And, while not pointing fingers, there are some in our household who will happily succumb to the call of the Jedi Master. :-)
She emerges ...
It has been a while since I spent some time painting faces. I have been (happily) side-tracked with leaves and flowers and other shapes and forms. However, while I initially intended this painting to be more of the same, her face just fell out of my brush. She's not really finished yet but I think I will let her sit and be for a while.
How does your lettuce grow?
I feel a little like Mary ... as in Mary, Mary how does your garden grow?
My urban garden is coming along very nicely. I have been dutifully watering it and patiently waiting until it is time to harvest.
My mignonette lettuce are looking very good and my cos lettuce are looking pretty good too. There might be a taste test on the agenda this weekend. Jury is out on the silverbeet. To be honest I don't know if they are growing as they should or not. I have only ever seen harvested silverbeet and at this stage my poor little creatures on have a passing resemblance to the finished product. Still, gardening is an exercise in patience and perhaps, just perhaps, they might yet morph into luscious silverbeet.
Wanderlust 2017 - week 7
Such a lovely, lovely inspiring lesson for Week 7 of Wanderlust 2017. Artist Clair Bremner shared her art and inspired me to rethink my ideas about fine detailed work dovetailing into abstract art. Her use of leaves to inspire her mark making and paintings is something I can see me incorporating into my work. Her work is beautiful, restful and almost ethereal. Even the warm up exercise of painting leaves make for a lovely page in my journal.
Swimming turtles
With a great deal of enthusiasm I have been practicing my linocutting ready for next Mondays' art lesson. Linocutting is proving to be both meditative AND frustrating. I have an idea of what I am trying to do with my carving. I have been working away at my design; carving way the strips of lino piece by piece. The lino doesn't always agree with my plans however. OK, I adapt ... and redo and adapt and redo. I suspect practice is key in working with lino. I'm more than happy to do so. Looking forward to a weekend of carving ...
Flower play
My worlds converged. I have been enjoyed learning about gardening this month. (On a side note, the final part of my new Vegepod arrived today; so gardening begins in earnest this weekend!). I have also enjoyed the art journal lesson from last week's Wanderlust 2017 lesson.
And so, my Australia Day (or at least the morning) was spent painting flowers and thinking about how my garden looks. Great way to spend the day.
This page is painted on a gesso-prepped page. Using mostly acrylic ink and acrylic tube paints. Fun.
The little things
We've been travelling. As a family. It's been awesome. Mostly. Actually we had a brilliant time and loved the chance to be together as a family. We saw impressive sights and monuments. We drove long distances and went from hot days to freezing cold weather. We visited art galleries and national parks. We met interesting people. We have stories to tell ... and retell. And interestingly, it is the small things; the little touches that made a huge impact. The taste of "sweet tea" was surprisingly good. Singing Aussie Christmas carols as we drove in the car was great fun. A little biscuit used as a decoration on a drinking straw was a memorable touch.
Travel is fun and challenging and fun again. Now to save for the next big adventure.
Simply wonderful
Just simply wonderful. That is my summary of Sunday.
I was given the opportunity to go to a baking day with Gillian Bell (such a great birthday present!). Along with three other classmates, I enjoyed a chance to learn from Gillian. We learned to bake pastry, biscuits and sponge cakes but we also shared in the infectious joy that comes from being with someone who thoroughly loves their craft. Gillian shared her knowledge and her appreciation for local farmers and their produce.
If you are ever given the opportunity I would definitely recommend spending the day with Gillian.
I am rather proud of my sponge cake ...
A cup of tea and a sesame square
It is nearly the end of Term. In fact it is nearly the end of Term 4 and the end of the school year. The boys are frazzled. The weather is hot. These last few weeks through to holidays are shaping up to be tough. Ugh. So what to do? Fight on bravely? Yes. Make countless lists in order to combat the craziness? Yes, that is how I roll. Have a cup of tea and a sesame square? Yes. (Doesn't everyone deal with hot, humid weather; crazy school boys and end of Term in that way? Hmm, probably not ... but it works for me!
Remember and celebrate
Time has a magical way of marching on whether we want it to ... or not. Saturday night found me at my high school reunion: stepping back in time, catching up with "the girls" and remembering stories long forgotten. (Some of those stories probably should have stayed forgotten but that is another story)!
It has been a long time since we left high school. Some of my classmates look exactly like they did then, some have morphed completely since their departure from school and for some of us, well let's just say we are moving gracefully along with the march of time ...
Reunions bring mixed emotions: joy, sadness, nervousness and a questioning of choices made and paths taken. At the end of the day though I am so glad I went. How wonderful it was to reconnect, to remember and to simply enjoy the company of some truly amazing women.