Things I hate and christmas but not in that order and not really in the same sentence...

Merry Christmas!
And best wishes for a fabulous 2009

Although I had mixed emotions arround the whole christmas thing Christmas day was quite stress free round here. The kids woke at a reasonable hour (7am-chicky babe was excited about the arrival of her new red iPod) , I then went back to bed for a nap. I woke up about 10ish and started to leisurely prepare Christmas dinner. Mum and Ron came for dinner about 6pm. I had crayfish for entree and we had roast rack of lamb with potato salad, a green salad with roasted pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds and warm green beans blanched and tossed through fried onion and pancetta. We had fruit mince pies with brandy butter, cream and/ or ice cream. A super easy spread! This was followed with a game of poker sparked by a mini pack of cards found in one of the crackers! Mum won! She is so competitive!

My sister and her clan came up from the country for breakfast- not lunch as originally planned, on the Tuesday before Christmas. Most of the cooking had to be done the night before because alas I am not a morning person! I made stuffed mushrooms and ricotta pancakes with brandy butter and berries in syrup the night before. I found some organic sausages(that I could eat) to have with scrambled eggs and bacon which we cooked in the morning. (It cost me a bloody fortune! But no-one goes home hungry on my watch!)

Boxing day!

ONE THING I REALLY HATE:

Tangled cords. I hate them they stress me out! I don't know why but one look at a tangled mess of cords leaves my shoulder muscles cramped up and heralds the beginning of a tension headache! I decided to have a look for the printer CD to reinstall the printer and the modem one in order to fix my wireless connection in doing so I came across a tangled mess of cords many of which I had no idea what they were for!

So I spent some time tidying up the area (gathering up the empty choc milk cartons and lolly wrappers- this is one reason I am desperate to get my laptop working again) and doing this....

As many cords as I could label I did with a little masking tape tag to tell me what it is for.

They are now all sorted into snap lock bags under the appropriate headings so it won't take me forever to work out which cord does what when I want to add photos to my blog or download pictures from my phone. I just hope that my little chicks decide to play along and remember to put them back in the right bags! (Note the label on the largest bag at the back!!!! I'm too worried to throw them away just in case we discover we need them.)

Then , so I don't have to look at them at all they are tucked into a shoe box with a lid!
I still can't find the right information to fix my wireless modem connection- I am so close to going out and buying another modem just to get it going again but I know it would be such a waste of money!!! BUT I WANT MY WIRELESS TO WORK AGAIN!!!!

'Tis the season.

I have managed to get away with a bit of a change this year. Chicky Babe loves the traditional tree- fake or real (ie chopped down) is fine, as long as it is the biggest one we can afford or lift or fit in the house and it has to be covered in every decoration we can find. This year Bantam Boy and I thought it would be good to have a Christmas cactus but we thought we wouldn't get away with that so we went for an Albany wolly bush growing in a pot. After my crochet frenzy leading up to George st I had nothing to do so I crocheted the little hearts until I ran out of red cotton. I'm happy with them and it is a nice change.

There have been a number of people doing the Ten Honest things about Me tag and have posted open tags to anyone who wants to play along, I know this was some time ago now but things are hectic at this time of the year and this is the first opportunity to get to it.

Ten Honest things about me.
1: I am worried that I wont have ten things to share that people may find remotely interesting. But I will do it any way and hope for the best.

2. I currently have three messy classrooms at school. I have to move classes again this year and I decided to sort through all my stuff before just shoving it into shelves to deal with later, is a year later when I have to shift it all. The third room is the art room which I have to share as a T&E room with the rest of the school so the mess in there is not totally of my own making. My house is also a mess!!!!! I am not neat.

3. This kind of relates to the above point. I have difficulty throwing things away. I am a hoarder. I might just use that thing one day. I have no idea what that thing is but I might use it. I had a friend who used to walk around the house with something in her hand if she couldn't find a space for it it went into the bin. I watched her throw away a perfectly good vase someone had given her as a gift because she didn't have a space to store it. (needless to say I didn't buy her gifts much after that or if I did they were edible and not expensive! I don't want to reach that extreme but I do think it would be beneficial if I could be a bit more discerning with my junk.

4. I've deleted this one several times, how do I say this one.... I've been interested in fashion and at one time I wanted to be a fashion designer. I've made wedding dresses for friends as my gifts to them. I love to wear jewellery and nice things but at the same time I resent the superficiality of how women in particular are judged for their appearance. Most of the time I don't wear makeup then I go through a makeup buying frenzy hoping that it will magically transform me and make me beautiful. This is a conundrum that I vacillate between caring and not caring on principle!

5. Although I often complain in the morning that I don't want to go to school I really do find my job very, very rewarding and it is the little comments kids make and when you finally reach a couple of kids that you feel that you've made a difference and it makes the job worthwhile. I actually felt sad that the year had ended as I had grown to love the kids in my class but I am happy to say that I 'll be teaching art again so I will see them regularly again next year.

6. I haven't used my studio as much as I'd hoped I would. Fortunately I'm now on holidays so I should be able to manage it.

7. When I was little my parents decided to go on a working holiday around Australia. More truthfully my dad decided he wanted to travel, Mum was persuaded with the help of a trip to the doctors and a packet of Valium. We set off in the jeep with the caravan attached and mum's dinner set fell out the back of the jeep and smashed in the driveway. Thank goodness for the Valium. We ended up going across the desert where a camel came into our caravan and was fed mince pies offered at arms length tentatively by our very unbrave dad and uncle. It was finally driven off by an old woman! Two wild boars stole our Christmas tree my sister (2) and I (3and a bit) were terrified that Santa would not find us. Again thank goodness for Valium!
We ended up in Alice Springs for quite some time and then we went on to Katherine where dad became a fireman. We lived next to the fire station and I used to answer the phone- It was 1970 and the NT. Our pet kangaroo used to hide in dad's boot and often refused to come out making the dash for the fire truck a bit tricky!

8. I believed in Santa for quite a long time, and fairies. I think that's why I sometimes find Christmas tricky now days since the kids have grown and I don't have to throw myself into creating the magic for them. That and not having a 'traditional' family and not having a partner. Tim is a lovely friend who helps me out immeasurably and cares for me deeply but we are not partners.

9. I think I really would love to have a partner. Not a husband or a boyfriend- a partner. That implies to me someone who shares things with you, a partner in crime, a dance partner. Yes I like the analogy of a dance partner. You have to work together for a common goal, you are dancing the same dance but each has their own steps and it's fun and exhilarating. The dance can be slow or fast. Sometimes you might get out of step or tread on each others toes but you find the beat and continue on again. See even though I say I'm cynical beneath it all I'm still a romantic at heart.

10. This one you will probably know if you read my blog with any regularity. I LOVE my kids. They are my world and my most fabulous creative work to date. I am so proud of them and have enjoyed watching them grow. I'm enjoying their company as young adults now too. So I feel I have achieved my goal of letting them grow up, this is something my father had a great deal of trouble with and I didn't want to burden my children with those feelings.

Goodness I talk a lot!!!! (That could be point 11 but you knew that already!) Ok I tag anyone who hasn't yet done this and feels like giving it a go.

Just in case I don't get the chance to blog again, Merry Christmas!

Don't leave the Grange for a special day...

I had to go to a funeral today. It was my godfather, Rob, he passed away on Sunday, he was in his late 60's. He was pretty much your quintessential Aussie bloke. A bit of a chauvinist, loved his footy. I remember being quite alarmed as a little tacker at the way he would yell at the telly while watching the footy. Anyway he had been ill for some time and finally passed away. His daughter is 8 and a half months pregnant- I was 8 months pregnant with Bantam Boy when my dad passed away aged 48. So I found today difficult in many ways. I wanted to tell her to look after herself because it is a time fraught with conflicting emotions. You are full of hormones, grieving yet at the same time you are joyous at the arrival of your baby. Also there is the sense of injustice that they have been taken before they get to see their grandchild and the sadness that the child wont know their grandfather. I know Bantam Boy and Pop Bob would have got on like a house on fire, Dad really would have understood BB and it is a huge shame.
At one point during the wake a bottle of Grange Hermitage valued at about $300 apparently, was opened. It was something that Rob had been saving for a special day. His days ran out and he never enjoyed that wine.
So today's thought is enjoy those special things don't save them away day after day, today is special, everyday is special.

Hooray

Bantam Boy has the all clear with the mysterious skin spot as posted earlier today (see below). Quite harmless and easily fixed. Thank goodness.

Now a photo fest here are some images of the evening on the verandah at school and of George st too.

An Evening on the Verandah

A view down the verandah. (token children's art placed near the front the rest was pushed right out the way down the back past the bar where there was very little light!)

Children's art. See what I mean about it all being placed too close together and not particularly well- I fought my "control freak" urge to change it.

George St Festival


Primavera 2 -neck garland

Primavera 3 -neck garland
chunky red floral necklace

HANDbags

more HANDbags






even more HANDbags

My stall

another view of my stall

the view from my stall

my friend's ceramic stall, with groovy christmas tree.

good and bad

Just a quick note again. My computer is still not up and running properly. I need time to sit and figure it out which I have not had for the last few weeks. Today I have to take Bantam Boy to see a skin specialist as he discovered a spot (in a place that rarely gets any sun exposure) that the doctor is extremely concerned with. This was on Thursday and the doctor immediately rang the specialist to ask for the next available appointment for him, this has been playing on my mind badly although I am doing my best not to alarm him and there is not much we can do until we see the specialist.
Yesterday was the George st festival. It went very well. I sold $655 worth of stuff and ran out of business cards. A lady called Songy took some photos of the day and some of my things are featured on her website. It was a lovely day and the time flew by, and I'm pleased to say my aunt didn't copy my bags- according to Bantam Boy, as I was too busy to look around. He said that there was nothing that compared to mine, if she did they didn't look any where near as good! God bless him. Although a complete stranger said she had been to the Bazaar (a very upmarket, posh market run by the fremantle art centre) and she had not seen anything as creative and innovative as my little HANDbags. A very nice compliment!
Many people asked where else I sell from and some asked if I had an on line shop. Maybe......

Lightning post

My computer is still on the blink and I have too much to do. But I really needed a blogging fix so I'm on another computer making the rounds of a few of my favourite blogs. I miss my blog friends and I have come to realise that I actually use this as a means of relaxing. Although I do need to find a balance as I could quite easily spend hours lost in the web browsing at all the fascinating things people do and not get my own things done. Here's a quick run down.

Almost finished reports.

George st market is on this Sunday (Hoping my aunt who is also having a stall at the same market and was looking very very closely and photographing my HANDbag at a family get together is not going to copy them and sell them at the same time as she jokingly said!- you know how you come away thinking hang on what just happened there? And I wouldn't mind so much if they were similar but in another town or whole other country but two or three stalls down could be a problem!)

Went to see Bloc Party with Bantam Boy and his mate- I sat on the hill crocheting until the sun went down. One occasion where I was thankful for daylight savings. The venue was over an hour's drive from home and at the end of the evening thousands of people were trying to leave at the same time. We waited 40minutes in the car park (paddock) before we could join the queue to get out. Bantam Boy had a ball. And I being the "random talker" as described in one of my very first posts I made friends with a woman who had driven up from Busselton to take her 17 year old to the concert and who I've made plans to join in march as we wait patiently for our 15 year olds while they watch their Cold Play gigs (fortunately this one is an all ages gig and we can just drink coffee and chat nearby)

Would love some sleep, just managing to get through what needs to be done.

Feel much better now... (This was supposed to be short!)

Phew!

I remembered my yahoo ID and was able to use the password help to sort out passwords and everything is almost back to normal, including myself!!

PS: Spoke too soon! I have to back up all my data and write down all my login, passwords and favourites etc! Just what I need when my reports are a week overdue and I've not really started!!!!! Hopefully I'll be back soon!

AAAAARRRRGGHHGHGHHHH!!!!!!!!

Something went funny with my computer so Tim said you have to clear all the temporary files etc so it will work. So I did and now I can't get access to my things any more. I had my blog set so that it just popped up nice and handy on my account page- now it doesn't and I have completely lost all access to my yahoo account that I use for flickr. I can't for the life of me remember my Yahoo ID or my password or the alternate e-mail address. I think I set it up right at the beginning of my foray into net usage and I was a bit over cautious I think and I don't know what the *!!*# I've done. And it's so so so frustrating.......
I'm having noise overload too....I'm at that point where EVERYTHING is annoying.
I think that there are too many things to do, not enough time, too many bills and not enough money, too many questions, too much of so much and only one of me!!!!

oh boy.

What a week or two! Unfortunately my batteries died in my camera and I keep forgetting to get new ones so there will be no photo's to go with this post. I wanted to show off pictures from the big art exhibition at school but I can't and I just want to get this done before it is too outdated. The exhibition was last week and I spent over 25hours of overtime in the week and a half before it getting things ready. Checking and double checking that every child had a piece of work. I had a system where I had printed two sets of labels directly from the school computer data base. One went directly onto the back of the art work as it was framed, if I had any stickers left over from this first set it meant that I had missed framing a piece of work for that child. Then the second sticker went under the art work as it was put up onto the boards if there were stickers left over at this stage it meant that one of the framed pieces was missing. Great system in theory except that in their effort to be helpful (and don't get me wrong- even though I was called a control freak by my boss- I did appreciate their desire to help) the P&C completely stuffed up this system grabbing stickers willy nilly from either set and then they got all muddled up! Then we had systems for tracking who had bought/paid for/ reserved art work. This has been taking up a considerable portion of my time this week, sorting out little glitches and handing out artworks to children. Money is still coming. People this week have been saying 'I bet your glad that's all over." All over!!!! I've decided to put out a note saying pay up by Wednesday or it's too late. (I'll make it a bit politer than tat though)
In all it was a hugely successful event. The word back from the principal is in the eyes of the general parent body I 'now walk on water' and that they really appreciate the amount of work I put in above and beyond that which is expected. On the night a couple of them gave me a big hug and a kiss! Very nice to feel appreciated and even a lot of the kids noticed and made a comment on the amount of work I had to do and thanked me for it. We raised almost $2000 on the night to on the children's art work (about $8000 was raised in all selling donated adult artists work and with the raffles and bar). I gave the parents the opportunity to pre purchase their child's work some opted not to and then were surprised on to discover that it had already been sold. There were lots of comments on how the work was of such a high standard. (There were some lovely pieces that I was proud of but clever cropping mounting and framing under glass works wonders too! ) I bought 4 myself two because I really liked them and two because I wanted to boost the confidence of those kids.
I feel like I have cemented or earned my position at this school as the art specialist and I think it has really helped to raise the profile of the arts in the school which had very much a sports orientated feeling to it when I arrived last year. I thought it was just because I was more involved this year but the boss said that the parents have been talking about it non stop. Fortunately the fundraising ladies who started the preparation saying next year we will.... are now saying in two years time when we do this again.... Its like having a baby you need a bit of time between to forget how painful the experience was!
Reports were due in yesterday and I've not even started them and last night I spent the night in the hospital with Bantam Boy - he is fine. We got there at 10pm and got home again at 3;30am. I am SO tired!!!!

What next...

The kids have the telly on this morning and I just saw an add for ice-cream for dogs!!!!! In the shape of little paws!!!! Oh dear I must be getting old and cynical.

While I should be working...

Finally after goodness knows how long the dining table was clear! Thanks to Bantam Boy who has chastised me soundly for leaving mess about and for having too many tea cups (I must revisit teacup Tuesday!) We actually ate dinner at the table yesterday and the dishes were done strait away.



Alas the clean table did not last long,



it was the perfect place along with the breakfast bar to set up as a printmaking station. So while I have too much work to do I did some printmaking instead. These are about 30cm square, the blue bird (which is what this is supposed to be) reminds me of my childhood so I'm going to do some of these a bit smaller and print them onto pages of old children's story books.



I tried printing one on fabric, without a press they don't work all that well. I'd like to print some tea towels for George st. I think silk screen might be the go. It's quick and simple and that way I can make duplicates quite quickly.



Ahhhhh... so many plans not enough time.

When imaginary friends become real...

This is the fremantle town hall.

Last night I managed to meet up with Fifi. She was working in fremantle all day and as I happen to live close by it was easy for me to meet her in town. I told my kids I was going to meet my blog friend in person. Chicky babe replied, "Be careful and make sure it is in a public place." She said this somewhat tongue in cheek, I'm glad she has been paying attention to my advice re how much information she gives out on MSN or whatever it is that they use. I reassured her that I was quite sure Fifi was who she claimed to be and I was not an easily influenced teenager so I'm sure it would be ok.
While I was waiting for Fifi and her friend to arrive at the exhibition we had decided to meet at I realised that although I had seen a photo of her, I'd not actually seen her before and she certainly didn't know what I looked like. It was a bit strange really because by reading her blog I felt I knew her and felt that we were friends and it didn't dawn on until that point that I didn't actually know her. We had a lovely long chat and quite neglected the art work- of which there was very little in a huge space. I felt like I was catching up with an old friend.
I thought of lady Di actually you know how you knew her face so well and you were so familiar with it yet when she spoke it was a surprise because you didn't recognise the voice.
Following a blog is a bit like that but reversed- you know the voice in that we share certain parts of our lives and thoughts freely so you get a sense of who that person is and feel as if you know them but of course you don't really. You tend to fill in the bits you don't know in your imagination. Fifi did in fact have feet and not a tail and her hair was tied back not floating around her face when we met and I do not have red hair!
As I typed this I started to think, how well do we actually know anyone? I know at work I have a certain persona which is a part of me but a censored part of the whole me. My children see the "mummy" me, I don't burden them with my full self- they don't deserve to have to worry about that!!!! Strangely enough I have some conversations with you that I don't share with some of my friends. I think that it is partly the fact that this does feel a bit like a journal so it's as if you are writing to yourself and also I don't worry too much about your reactions, that is to say if my post is particularly boring you can skim it and not have to be subjected to the dialogue in full, or you can move on to the next blog if it is utterly tedious, friends don't have the option to do that . Their public persona means that generally they have to be polite and at least pretend to listen!
I've also been wondering about how many of us who blog had pen friends in the days of snail mail. I had one from the Solomon islands following a holiday that my father had there back in the 70's then as an older child I think it was year 8 the school had requests from a school in Singapore for pen friends so I conversed with a girl there for some time. So now when people I know look at me strangely when I mention something about blogging I think to myself it is not strange at all it's just a modern version of having pen friends!
(For some reason it won't let me add a picture today. I am too sleep deprived to try to figure it out!!!!) Contrary thing it suddenly decided to work after I included the link to some photos around Freo.

Cake iced

Cake ll
Originally uploaded by dette.k

Chocolate thieving son got the middle of the cake- I took it out of the oven a tad too early and it dipped in the middle. So I decided to make it a ring cake and fill the center with roses from my garden. Bantam Boy was very happy with this and he didn't mind that it was a little under cooked, it was still very chocolatey!

mmmmm!!!! Chocolate cake!

This is a pretty easy chocolate cake recipe. It only took a few minutes to mix it all together. It takes longer to clean up the mess than it does to make it! Then about 4o minutes to bake at about 180*C.

90g very soft butter, 1 cup castor sugar, 30g (40 for a real chocolaty cake!) 1 egg and 1 cup of milk all mixed together with a large metal spoon.
Sift together 2 cup SR flour and 1tspn bicarb soda then add all at once to above mixture, mix together. Spoon into a lined cake tin and cook. They only take 10-15 mins in patty pans.

It took less than an hour all up! (Oh by the way the dishes are not yet done! They may take some time!) I hope this survives Bantam Boy or perhaps he should be called the chocolate thief as well as spider man!- he is trying to think of many reasons why he should be able to eat this before I ice it and take it to work for the Melbourne Cup lunch.



PS if you would like me to make you a little pressie and to be a part of pay it forward don't forget to leave a comment on the post below.

A handmade,

I left a comment on Bowerbirdz post this means within the next 365 days she will make something for me and now I have to make something for the first three people to leave a message on my post.
Now I am having a little self doubt panic that there will be no-one that wants to put their name on my blog! Because you have to want something that I've made and then be willing to make something for three others. And so it continues.

3 easy steps:

I will send the first three people who leave a comment on this post a handmade gift within the next 365 days.

I will happily post anywhere in the world.

The only catch is you have to have a blog and be willing to do the same thing.

So if you’re interested, committed and would like to receive a handmade gift from me, all you have to do is leave a comment with a link to your blog!

I have copied the blue highlighted text directly from bowerbirdz post as she explained it so clearly.

Primavera

This has taken pretty much all weekend to do. Well the spare moments over the weekend at any rate. I really want a red one but I'd run out of red cotton. I'll do that next!


I had another shot of this worn long (this one is double wrapped.) but when I uploaded it I wasn't happy with the top I was wearning under it so I'll try agian later...
I'm off to see a movie on my own now. I want to see the Duchess. I like these type of movies because of the costuming. Not many of my friends share my interest in this regard!

The things we do...

I'm going to see Bloc Party!
To be totally honest I'm not absolutely familiar with their work but the gig is an 18plus gig and those kids under age need to be accompanied with a guardian. They are Bantam Boy's favourite band and he missed out on getting tickets last time, they sold out within half an hour so they have decided to have another gig. Fortunately (???) we were able to get tickets this time. He was so disappointed last time that I really hoped for his sake we would get them even though it was not high on my agenda.
The spider was in the shower recess this morning! Bantam Boy is lucky to be alive to go to the concert! He as usual thought it was hysterical. I on the other hand was truly frightened by it for some reason this morning.

What's the time Mr Wolf?

It's after 2am or 1am we are about to start daylight saving again. I hate daylight saving I spend the whole summer feeling jetlagged, I just don't seem to be able to settle into it. I know people will say it's just a state of mind and it's just a number but here's my justification. It gets really hot here in Perth and I don't have air conditioning at home (or work for that matter) so I rely on the Freo Doctor to cool the house down in the evening. Now it comes in about 5ish pre daylight saving and takes a while for the house to cool down so it's about 8 or so before I even feel like thinking about cooking a meal let alone eating it! with daylight savings that means we don't eat until 9:30. I am also notoriously bad at going to bed early, I am most alert and quite productive around 12am to 2am and struggle to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:30 in order to get to work by 8:30 (More like waking reluctantly, pressing the snooze button and dragging myself out of bed.) So now that means I have to get up much earlier than my body really wants to. Also because of my reliance on natures cooling system I find that the coolest and therefore best part of the night for sleeping is those early hours of the morning of which we lose an hour because we have to get up! One of my friends said that it was great to have an extra hour of sunshine in the evening to go out to the pub etc. To which I replied she was obviously married because she obviously didn't have to worry about the harsh reality of sunlight, darkness is much more flattering! How am I going to get chatted up in stark dayight. It was something she had not thought about. Anyway this was not the theme of this post....
I have moved into a new phase of parenthood, I am sitting here having crocheted 3 flower necklaces while waiting for Bantam Boy to come home from a party, at which he will be consuming alcohol. He is pretty sensible and he and I had a discussion about drinking today prior to him going out. He has been at parties where he has experimented with drinking but hasn't got badly drunk. He expressed his concern about a couple of friends who have over indulged and embarrassed themselves, this is a comfort to me that he has this attitude. However I am still sitting here wondering what time he will be home (I'm not good at this I forgot to set a curfew, Tim dropped BB and his mate at the party so the other boy's mum will bring them home when they are ready. I thought it would be at a slightly more reasonable hour! Tim said they were talking about 3am!!!!) I don't think he has a key. At least he's not driving about to these things! It was a fancy dress party - Mexican theme so I made both boys a poncho to wear, they looked great. Really simple 2m of fabric with a T shape slit cut in the middle for the neck and then a fringe made by cutting 1cm strips along the bottom edges then knotting them. All 500 of them!!!!
Hmmmm now it's 2:30........what else shall I do.....

today I found love

In a paint pot!

(Well I saw a love heart so did the year 1&2 kids, Tim just said it was a frog! I guess some of the light reflections have confused the image, but I still see a heart not a frog!)

more kids art

As the kids worked on their lino I started one of my own... I really need to finish it. Ahhh! why do we need sleep!?! There isn't enough time.
*Note to self do not drink and blog!

worry not...

These are some of the works done by the kids for the art blast exhibition. I was so worried about the work and how it would be received then I was worried about how strong the velcro would be and if it would hold the framed work on the wall. I dreamt that all the art works had slid right off the pinup boards and smashed all over the floor. I was relieved to find them all in place when I returned for the opening.


I love these little birdies made by the kids in year 1-5. They had one piece of newspaper and had to loosely crumple it into a bird shape. They were told not to have a fixed idea of what they were going to make but to allow an element of chance to take over and alow the folds of the newspaper to tell them what the final shape of the bird would be.

I got a lift into town so I could enjoy a red or two without worrying about driving home. While I was waiting i fell asleep on the breakfast bar and now
I've had 4 red wines and am too tired to even type properly. It is taking twice as long because I keep typing the wrong letters! Anyway I got alot of positive feedback which was very nice and I've met some lovely people teaching the arts in my local district which I was hoping to do as iIam new to this area having spent years teaching quite some distance from home! I've got to go to sleep. night night!

going round in circles

black crochet circle necklace 004
Originally uploaded by dette.k

I really should have done some work this weekend....but I did this instead!
Spent hours today and friday framing work for the art display in the fremantle town hall tomorrow. Still have to make up more name labels for all the pieces and must resist the urge to explore free form crochet on Ravelry!
Chicky Babe perfomed a whole lot of improvisations with her drama group tonight. Gosh I laughed so much they were histerical. I also thought they were very brave. I never could perform under that kind of pressure. Actually I don't feel at all comfortable on a stage full stop. I used to break into a sweat presenting the art award at the weekly assemblies!!

green caplet finished

green caplet finished
Originally uploaded by dette.k

Blogtoberfest favourite on friday.

Drewzel suggested thinking about our all time favourite song. That is really hard to do there are many songs I love for different reasons. First of all I thought Blue Monday by New Order- Hearing it takes me back to being a teenager this was our absolutely favourite dance song. It only took the first few notes and we would be up there in our stove pipe pants, winkle picker stilettos and long black gloves dancing away. Then I remembered the Stranglers and Golden Brown. It was so poetic and pretty. Then the Cure and the Clash!! And Echo and the Bunnymen. I listened to Drewzel's Triffids song and remembered going to see them here in the 80's. or a long time I've liked listening to Chris Issak's music in particular Blue Spanish Sky. San Fransisco Days was an album I played quite a bit when I separated from my husband this thought led me to think of Bitch Epic by Deborah Conway. I'd have to say that anything off this album is pretty special.It's officially called Bitch Epic but I have a subtitle for it "Songs to leave your husband by." I played this album at full volume the night I left my husband as I painted a big bold painting of sunflowers that I subsequently sold and used the proceeds to help finance my escape! I continued to play it often and loudly. It was strong and beautiful and sad too in places and it was my theme music. This song was full of hope for the future 'today I am a daisy tomorrow...' anything I want to be.



About three years ago I went to see her play live and ended up weeping as she played these songs. They took me back to that time so vividly and I missed that hopeful, brave young lady who was so ready for the world and I felt disappointed that I'd not carried forward the energy and drive of that time and perhaps disappointed in myself for not achieving greatness that listening to this album along with the adrenaline shot following my decision made me believe was possible.

This little piece of piano music is absolutely beautiful, Pia plays the theme to Amalie but I have to say this is the most lovely rendition of it. I think the honesty and simplicity of the old piano is so moving.

crochet WIP

green caplet 3
Originally uploaded by dette.k

Incey Wincey Spider

Today was the first day back at school for the kids. Yesterday we did a lot of teacher talking planning etc. One component was to look at the timetable for last term. Oh my goodness it tends to get pretty busy, on top of the usual stuff I have to organise a display of art work for Art Blast in the Fremantle town hall. Then about mid November the principal and P&C have decided that it would be a great way to raise money by having a whole school art exhibition with every child having a piece of art work to sell. I've known it was coming so I've kept much of the kids work at school but I'm a bit worried about trying to get every child to have something that is complete- some kids have a lot of trouble completing projects even with a huge amount of encouragement and some really are not interested.



Anyway today I was gathering together bits and pieces ready for art blast and I was pulling some bits off the wall as I took one piece from about a good arm stretch above my head it kind of flipped over and there right in front of my face was a HUGE huntsman spider.
AHHHH!!!! F#*!*!!!!!!!! (Screamed silently in my head because I was at school and had to keep my expletives to myself. I very bravely took it, sitting on the artwork out to the garden where the wind got it and flipped it back onto my arm.
More silent screaming and much actual dancing about and flailing of arms...
The poor spider then sat in the middle of the veranda as I ran to the nearby Deputy's office for assistance. She is obviously much braver than I. Using the art work she encouraged it into the garden but the spider certainly had tenacity! It kept running at her with its arms in attack posture! I meanwhile did my impersonation of a 1950's housewife dancing about in a very girly fashion had there been a chair handy I would have been up it!
It took some time for my skin to stop crawling!!

NB: Pictures are of Bantam Boys spider that he has been hiding around the house for me to find of late.

I'm working on designing and making a crocheted capelet in lovely variegated green cotton.

finished...

.

PS: Oh Yes...As Fifi quite rightly pointed out this looks like coral, that was indeed my intention. I liked it too until Chicky babe said it looks like a scrunchie!

Todays playthings...

WIP

I've been looking at some sculptural crochet- check out gooseflesh, stunning pieces made using plastic bag 'yarn'. I'm playing with cotton to make a more sculptural crocheted piece of jewellery. This one will become a bracelet.

I had plenty of time to work on it, while waiting for Chicky Babe to get her hair cut. I had mine done too but it doesn't look the same as the idea I had in my head, never mind. Then I waited on a bench in the supermarket for an hour and a half while she had her group interview. Thankfully she has decided to go for another job, because apparently I unreasonably expect her to do unreasonable jobs when she asks for money! (Now I'll just ask her to do them for no money!!! )

I also revamped an old T-shirt today using a bit of one of my favourite fabrics.

It was incredibly easy so I thought I'd have a go at sharing a how to post. I got fed up with my lack of photography skills so I've had a go at doing some drawings to help too. Right here goes.

1: Take one plain t-shirt and fold it in half by tucking one sleeve inside the other.
2: pin a curved line of pins where you want the contrast fabric to sit (make sure it skims the top of the sleeve.) Once you are happy with the line cut just above the pins. Keep the bit you cut away to use a a guide for the width of the contrast piece that you will cut out in a minute.

3: Measure the length of the neckline you have just cut, as illustrated and them multiply this by four. eg. If your shirt top measures 20cm you will need to cut a length of fabric 4x20 or 80 cm plus 2cm for joining the seam.

4: Join your contrast fabric into a loop. Leave it partly open to allow for the drawstring to thread through easily. (No need to do this if you are putting elastic in to draw it up) Fold top section over and stitch to make a casing.

5: Divide the top and contrast into quarters and mark with pins. Match these together and and pin t-shirt and contrast together with right sides facing together. Sew together.


(****Don't do what I did, I pinned and sewed the opening at the back of my shirt! I had intended to have a little black bow at the front. It's now at the back!!!)


6: Thread your drawstring through the casing and pull up to the desired gather.