A journal of my activities and interests.

I just found this link on Sharon’s blog ‘Just a minute Ago’, it is a link to making many different needlecases. It would be helpful for anyone taking part on the swap on ‘Down—to—-Earth’

Photo by whiterabbit21

We had a lovely time, O’Reilly Rainforest is a slice of heaven. The weather was not that great but after all it is a rain forest. We all did a couple of the shorter walks on the Friday, then Graham and Jess did the twenty five km walk on the Saturday. If poured rain all day and some of the time it was extremely heavy, it meant that they couldn’t see any of the wonderful scenery as it was just low clouds. They got back just before dark, I was starting to get really worried, they were drenched to the skin and extremely tired. Jess was recovered by the next morning but Graham will still take a few more days to recover (old age).

I got time to stitch  and read on the Saturday, sitting before the fire and occasionally looking out at the valley. It was such a peaceful day but I started to get very anxious around 4.30 as they were still not back. Luck I got the phone call not long after that to go and pick them up.

Jess at the beginning of the walk, at Binna Burra

The view from the villa at dusk.

It is school holidays, I have been looking forward to them. The break between the 1st and 2nd term was only one week so it made the eleven week second term seem extra long. I have done very little over the last three days except for reading, playing on the computer and a little sewing. We leave tomorrow for a few days away in the mountains which we are all looking forward to.

If you are a fantasy reader, I just finished the greatest book, ‘The Name of the Wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss. It is his debut book and the first in a trilogy. He is a wonderful storyteller and I totally agree with the statement…..  ‘Not a word of the nearly-700-page book is wasted. Rothfuss does not pad.’ Now to wait patiently for book two to come out.

I started a drawing to go with this post with this but my wacom drawing board gave up. I ordered a new one, there are many things that I could live with out but a drawing board is not on of them.
photo credit: jimthompson

See you all next week . (the Iphone comes to Australia next week)

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.

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

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.

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.

Image via Wikipedia

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.

“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