Unlucky

We are housesitting for a friends and whilst I consider myself to be super responsible, the area of fish minding is significantly lacking. It is such a cliche but yes, after only a week and a half we killed the fish. Yes, dead. Gone. Kapput fishy.

I kept looking at the fish bowl expecting fishy to be there, and felt very sad when he wasn't. It doesn't take long for animals to grow on me. There are two possible reasons for the death of the fish. Firstly, we have had really hot weather, almost heatwave conditions. And he was placed next to the stove top where I cooked many sausages, etc. Secondly, I think both the man and I were feeding the poor thing when we both agreed he would feed him. I just can't let go.

I really am an animal lover so the loss of dear fishy was quite traumatic. Seriously.

Our friends have littlies and I would hate them to return to an empty bowl. So here is the replacement. He looks not very much like the other one. I don't think I will say anything until they ask. I just hope I can keep him alive for the next three days until they return.

We're all going on a summer holiday...

Last winter...

My last holiday was in winter in the Alpine region of NSW. Snowboarding very badly and spending more time lying on my back then traveling down a mountain. It is amazing how the landscape can change in just a few months.

This summer...


After an exiting but exhausting first year of teaching art to high school boys, I so needed to get away. I LOVE my new job and am so grateful I spent so many studying years being in a high state of stress and anxiety to be able to do what I am doing now. By the end I actually found I loved being at uni, but this year it was time to get a 'real job'. By Christmas however, I realised I hadn't really breathed much in a year. Time to flee...

My first ever proper road trip, where the car is packed and a vague route is marked on the map, was amazing. Probably because there were no expectations of where we were headed and when we would get there. Avoiding the cities and traveling through the countryside gave me just the break I needed. And while the man drove, I typed my honours thesis. Go the multi-tasker!!!

Here are some pics of some of the pretty things we saw...

This is the same Alpine area as the photos above, this time with no snow. Beautiful snow gums, pretty wild flowers and rare alpine orchids - orchids that people from Europe come to see. What you can't see in the photos is the giant blow flies the size of 5 cent pieces. Arrrggghhhh.

So many rivers to swim in and to fish in. The fish were way too clever for us though, so more time was spent swimming than fishing.

This is a photo and little movie of the beautiful little bird I painted (see my last post). So friendly and pretty.

I couldn't believe these shiny little bugs. They were tiny so this shot was captured on a zoom lense.


Christmas dinner. Rainbow trout stuffed with herbs and looked with local olive oil and lemon. Yes, we finally caught one fish (the small one in the middle) and went to a trout farm to get the two big ones. To be honest, the wild trout in the middle caught by the man was more delicious than the farmed ones.

Many llamas or alpacas (I am not sure of the difference, please educate me if you can).

Many birds.

Storms over fields.

I am loathe to think I have only two weeks left of holidays although I can't complain - yes, teachers get the best holidays.

Little Birdy Birdy Birdy

I always thought I was never one for realism - realism, I have said many times, is not really my 'thing'. I thought I preferred lands of whimsy, fields of fancy, skies of colour, strange creatures, rosy cheeked girls, flying fish...I knew this from the day I saw the Surrealists exhibition in high school. Now that is my kinda painting I remember saying. And that is my kinda world.

But, like always, I have found myself eating my words...and choking. Very much like the day I found that I kinda don't really mind pink. What has happened to me? I have started painting stuff that is real - painting as I see it. And with OIL PAINTS? And, what is that you say? I LIKE it?!?! Who would have thought.

Yes, its true. I have a 1970's (1977 to be exact - the year of my birth) version of the classic Reader's Digest Book of Birds. I have painted three paintings so far. They are very small. Almost miniatures. Probably around 12 x 7cm? I can't find my ruler.

The image below was my first one painted a couple of months ago - painted from the book but with my own background to make the birds stand out. The birds and branches also have a high gloss varnish painted on them, again, to make them stand out.

Zebra Finches - Poephila guttata - Birds of the dry interior.
Oil on board
Inspired by the Reader's Digest book of Birds and my own childhood Avery built by my dad.

When I was little my dad built a huge Avery with all sorts of finches, quails and other birds. Zebra finches were part of that magical collection. The painting below is my second work. These are also zebra finches painted from the book.

Zebra Finches - Poephila guttata - Birds of the dry interior.
Oil on board
Inspired by the Reader's Digest book of Birds and my own childhood Avery built by my dad.

Lastly, this is my favourite. This is a painting I did from my holiday road trip at Christmas and New Year. This pretty little bird from the NSW Alpine region just sat and chatted for ages while we took photographs using a zoom lense. Walking back along the same track about a half hour later we stopped at the same spot to see if this little bird would stop and chat again. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before he returned to say hi. He is a Spotted Parladote. I love how part of his name is 'punctatus' - this reminds me of the work 'punctual' and he was so punctual with returning to say hi!

Spotted Pardalote - Paaedalotus punctatus
Oil on board
Inspired by the best road trip ever

So there you go. A lesson in never saying never I guess.

Bless
x

Strawberry shortcake greetings

Good morning!

I bought this little calico bag containing 10 strawberry greeting cards from St Vinnies for $2. What I liked about them is they all have a recipe for strawberry shortcake on the back! Yummy. 

Magic Fishy Ride

Magic Fishy Ride

For the theme 'Flying' on Illustration Friday's weekly fun - see http://illustrationfriday.com

Almost one year later

Another beginning...

This another beginning...And yes, there will be others.

Once there was a 32 year old woman who started a blog almost one year ago. She still loved everything that life had to offer but she had turned a year older and somehow things were very different. She was, well... a little older. She felt a little older, and acted a little older, and looked at the world as being a little older. And whilst the world still glistened, there was a tinge of old gold, antique sadness to it - just a tinge but it was still there. And still, there is no ending to this story, but there is definitely a middle, and this must be it. That 32 year old woman thought: 'I've reached the middle, and whilst I have loved and lost and loved again, and moved and lived, and smelt and ate, and ran and walked and skipped and slept, I will take a deep breath and find new things and keep moving and know there is still more to come. My God, I am finally a woman'.

1 year ago:The beginning...

This is the beginning...

Once there was a 31 year old woman who truly loved so many scrummy things about life that she wanted to collect, photograph, keep, get, hold, see, experience, draw, paint and record EVERYTHING but didn't know where to start. 

Then, on a Saturday afternoon in the early summer of 2008, as the 31 year old woman shared her favourite walk along an ocean path with another woman who loved scrummy things about life, it was decided that the time had come to finally collect, photograph, keep, get,  hold, see, experience, draw, paint and record EVERYTHING that was scrummy for her.

There really is no ending to this story. Only a beginning and a middle...

Crafty Genious

Such a long long time between entries. It can't be helped really. I am in the middle of an honours thesis, teaching almost full time, moved again, house sitting, blah blah blah. There is honestly no time for any crafty fun times. But all is not lost...

So, instead, I live my craft fantasies through others and boy, have I found a little gem!!! You HAVE to check out http://aprintaday.blogspot.com

Yes you HAVE to! Trust me. 

This genious blogger's magazine 'Parasol Craft' is AWESOME. 

Heaps of pages on delicious crafts and ideas - and the best thing is that it is a fully online magazine that costs only $2.50! I bought edition 1 and 2 and I am looking forward to the next. So, not only have I bought myself an awesome read, I am also helping the planet (no paper) and helping a fellow blogger's business. What a neat idea. 

So, when I wonder who will be saving the world from nuclear testing, horrid dictators, violence and unrest, I just have to think about all the lovely peaceful crafty bloggers I have had the pleasure of running into in my search for crafty bliss.

Amen.