June 28, 2008
I went to bed last night thinking about the topic ‘fierce’. Lots of ideas passed through my mind. Then an idea came to me, we had been talking about the fierceness of the sun in Queensland during the week. It is four times hotter and stronger here than it is in Melbourne. We have changed the children’s lunch hour at school to 11 0′clock and their second break to 1.30 so that limits the time that they are in the dangerous part of the day. We have also put up huge sails across the play area so that they can play safely. All schools that I have taught in in the last couple of years have the rule ‘no hat, no play’. So in my drawing my little lady looks unhappy…… why? Because I image as the years go on and with the effects of climate change, making ’sand castles’ will happen less and less. Sorry to be so gloomy.
June 26, 2008
I must admit I love ‘playing’ as I call it. I see a new template theme on wordpress that is pretty, I download and install it then I start to play with it. I have changed it yet again this morning but I have the sizing all wrong with the background paper, it will need a bit more fiddling with. I have used Dani Mogstad background paper and Emily Powers flowers.
I don’t know if you live in a big city. We do although not that big compare to others around the world. Our city has grown extremely fast because of its beautiful climate and the resources boom that is taking place in our state. The infrastructure has not kept pace, our traffic and roads refect that. There was one accident yesterday on the Gateway bridge and instead of my drive taking an hour it took two. I don’t really mind if I have something to occupy me, like podcasts, a book besides on the passenger seat or my drawing tools. But it was dark so I could not do the last two and the radio was boring; so it was a very long trip home. I would really love to work closer to home.
photo credit: monkeyc.net
June 23, 2008
It is a great topic for this week’s Illustration Friday, it is ‘hoard’. I don’t hoard much, in fact I throw too much away, as I really don’t like clutter although you wouldn’t think this is you saw my desk right now. I do have a hoard of buttons, I have my collection that I have gathered over a many years of sewing and as well I have my mother’s collection. I have them in glass jars and they give me a great deal of joy in just looking at them.
June 20, 2008
I took part in a swap, this time photos. It is being run by ‘Nectar and Light’ and there is a different theme each month. For the month of May the topic was ‘burr’. My photo is of the lemon tree early one beautiful Saturday morning, the light is so lovely at that time of the day.
There are some amazing photos in the swap. The theme for June is light; I read the blog recently of a new comer to Canberra. She finds the clean, wide blue skies a thing of wonder and finds herself standing and looking up. I can remember doing that after we came back to Canberra after living in Boston. There was a brightness and brilliance in the light.
Edited: It was funny this morning driving to school, there was a very heavy fog and it lasted until about 9am. I was wishing that I had my camera with me as the sunshine was breaking through the fog, it was beautiful.
June 17, 2008
I have managed to finish the stitch for this week, it was buttonhole stitch and I have always loved that stitch and had lots of fun making the little sampler. I did herringbone the first week but did not make a very good job of it, so I will have to re-do it. The timetable that we are following is realistic as you have a new stitch for each of three weeks and then the fourth week is a catch up week.
There are a few new blogs that I am finding very inspiring and I check them very regularly, one is Spirit Cloth; I find her work awe-inspiring and I am amazed how much she gets done each day. The other one is Playing with Needles, I really likes how she loves to experiment with different things to get her desired effect. These are both very beautiful blogs.
Pen is on the move this week. Tomorrow she leaves Sudan and is going to spend some time with Ses, Arthi and Riya in Cambodia before starting her job in Liberia. The four of them should have a wonderful time together, seeing new things and sharing experiences. I must admit I am a little envious of them, I would love to there as well.
June 8, 2008
“Sometimes talking to a friend means more than what is said.”
We went to see ‘Sex in the City’ last night, we meaning Suzy, Jessie and myself. We were all so very excited as we had been waiting a long time to see it. It did not let us down in any way, it was just wonderful; it shown the friendship of the four women and how they supported each other, the fashions were just beautiful and catching glimpses of Manhattan was just superb as Jess is going there for four weeks at the end of the year. They had all aged gracefully with the exception of Miranda who seem to have the lines of discontent and unhappiness on her face. A great movie well worth seeing.
Just an aside the theatre was funny, there was a buzz of excitement before it started, it was booked out, there were very few men, the audience laughed out aloud in the right places. made comments and noises when something disturbing happened, in other words they were very attentive .
photo credit: wpbasti
June 6, 2008
It was birthday yesterday and I had one of the loveliest days. Jessica woke me with a ‘Happy Birthday’. My grandchildren, Suzy and Adam rang me on the way to work and sang me ‘Happy Birthday’….how special, I giggled all the way to work. Then went I got to school even one I came across gave me best wishes. All the classes that came to the library sang me ‘Happy Birthday’. I think that I had a grin from ear to ear all day. I came home to lots of emails. Graham had arranged a set of trick gifts before his real one, it was just fun. Then last night my beautiful Suzy had arranged a special family dinner at our favourite Thai place. It was one of those magic days.
photo credit: American Candy Stand Cupcakes (Aust.)
No I won’t tell you how old I am? When the kids ask at school I always say 105, the little ones accept that, I have been saying that since I was in my twenties.
June 5, 2008
Yesterday I was reading a post from ‘My Words’ and she has had her blog made up into a book. It looked really lovely. This is such a great idea, it is a way of keeping the memories alive. I started my blog back in April 2005, I have been writing it for such a long time. For many of those years it was purely devoted to digital scrapping and my obsession with it. I now view it as a way of keeping and sharing memories with friends and family. An added bonus about keeping a blog is the new people that you meet and get to share yours and theirs ideas and experiences with.
Now I need some help. Penny(my daughter) an aid worker in Sudan and soon to be in Liberia wants to start a blog and numerous times we have discuss the name for it. She said to ask you for some suggestions; as I want to register her name as a domain name. Her experiences are just so wonderful and she is a gifted story teller, so I would really like her to start one soon.
photo credit: T U R K A I R O
June 2, 2008
It is interesting how my perceived world is working at the moment. I have always had strong respect for the use of energy and many years ago before it was fashionable I was passionate about solar energy and making your home more sustainable. I am not sure whether it is the work that my daughters do for a living, the blogs I read or the shows that I watch but my guilt? factor is growing. Is guilt the right word? Maybe awareness? Yesterday (Sunday) I had to pick up a few things from the supermarket, I went out with the intention of driving three suburbs away because they have really good coffee. Then the guilty thoughts started……the use of fuel, how do I justify driving that far just for coffee and paying more for the groceries ( because it is a small market there with higher prices); so I went to closer market and got the just average coffee. Now if I was really serious I give the driving to get coffee a miss.
There is a new site opened up called stitchin fingers, it is wonderful and there are lots of new groups opening up within the site. So if you love ‘red work’, crazy patchwork, surface embroidery etc there is now a home for you. I joined a group called ‘Take a stitch on Tuesday’, we do our first stitch tomorrow, it is herringbone.
