Found...

My passport! (And my sanity! It's hard to go on holiday without one's passport.)

star light star bright...

Once upon a time I used to wish for prince or a white knight on a beautiful black horse,  for love and happiness,  for the absence of conflict, for money and a beautiful house, or a thin beautiful body. These are the things I would wish on stars, cut birthday cakes and blown candles on stray eyelashes, in wistful moments.
Now I wish for good health and contentment.

Here comes the bride

 
My Mum is getting married. Last week she told me that she and Ron had decided to get married- officially, they had a commitment ceremony a couple of years ago in Bali, they have decided to actually get married. They had decided to elope in a fashion. Just them and their 2 closest friends as witnesses and a marriage celebrant. Then they would go out for dinner, just the 4 of them. Mum and Ron both didn't want a fuss. Fair enough.
Then a couple of days ago mum rang to say that she had changed her mind and that they had decided to have a very low key wedding for immediate family and closest friends about 40 people.
That day she had been to have coffee at a little cafe near her work..New people have recently taken over and renovated a little kiosk that had been on the riverfront.

Mum chatted to the owner  and she found out that they are open during the day until 3pm but they will have functions there in the evenings...funnily enough it's called Lo Quay. Mum took this as a bit of a sign, so now in a matter of days the date and venue is set and the invitations printed for a cocktail party in 4 weeks. I have been put in charge of table settings - low key of course, mostly for the sake of lighting outside, with the river view there is little need of much else.

I'm thinking lanterns or monsoon jars and flowers because when mum and I went there today for morning tea the owner told us it can get pretty windy if the sea breeze comes in in the late afternoon.

They had planned to wait for their house to be built on mum's block on the hill, it was supposed to be ready by now but with the usual building delays it looks looks like this.

It's a shame really because with views like this it would be a perfect venue (Actually it was where I had my wedding reception 24 years ago, when the old house was still there of course. My grandparents owned half the hill in the 1930's. They sold bit and pieces off over the years. Now mum just has a small sliver of land there)

(playing with the panoramic function on my new point and shoot digital camera! I had to buy myself a new one as Chicky Babe pinched my red one- she loves red.)

Environmentally friendly???

To all those people who have argued nuclear energy is a good option...
Have a look at this.
I'm totally not convinced. (Actually I am convinced.  It's not a good option!)

Chicky Babe not my baby any more

While the cat has been sleeping on the couch, bed, chair like this....

I have been very busy with work and then last weekend I was quite sick and had a couple of days off work. I am feeling much better now, but still fed up with summer I've had more than enough of warm balmy nights!

I didn't sell my pears or my crow painting but my small little painting sold in the silent auction. The proceeds of the silent auction went to the children's hospital.

It was my little chicky babe's 18th birthday yesterday. She's all grown up- well mostly. She is having a picnic in the park tomorrow to celebrate and I had to make her a cake in the shape of the Tardis. It reminded us of all the cakes I made for them when they were little. I made so many different cakes including elephants, bananas in pajamas, furbies, dinosaurs, Mario riding on Yoshi, roller skates and even Harry Potter. The lead up to birthdays were an exciting time deciding what shape cake mama would make. Bantam Boy once requested a blue dinosaur picking daisies with a orange gorilla. When I said I wasn't sure if I could manage that he replied "I have faith in you mummy you can do anything you put your mind to." Ahh don't you love the absolute belief your little children have in you!

Because my oven is broken (yep! it no longer bakes things, the stovetop works but the oven is cactus! A very sad state of affairs, ) I had to buy a plain sponge cake in a packet to make her cake.

 1:Trim the bits off the side, use these to create the roof of the tardis and the light on the top.

 2:Put a thin layer of icing on the cut sides first to stop the cake crumbs from making the final layer of icing all crumbly. Using an old bone handled butter knife dipped into hot water makes the job much easier and gives you more control of the icing ( I use a packet of pure icing sugar with a couple of tablespoons of butter whipped up with just enough milk or water to make a fluffy icing that will get a slight crispish layer on the outside as it sets making further decoration easier.)

 3: smooth over the icing layer with a butter knife dipped in hot water, mark out drawing lines with a wire cake skewer or a bamboo one these lines can be swept clean with the knife if needed.

  4: Add final details. I used to use a piping bag with a fine nozzle but now days they have outlining 'fudge' in little squeezy tubes you can find them with the cake decorating things in the supermarket. Very easy to use!

Chicky Babe was very happy with the result and was inspired made a dalek cake with the left over cake and icing, she did quite a good job.

I can't believe  that I now have two adult children. One of the women I work with said well that makes you old then.Thanks a lot! I don't think old even though my eyes are beginning to refuse to focus in poor light when trying to thread needles and I am starting to get grumpy with stupid people and wonder where manners got to. 

I have to confess that as I stood choosing a card for my darling daughter I started reminiscing as I read all the mushy cards and I began to cry at the card stand! How embarrassing! 

PS:

Chicky Babe says I can still call her my baby girl. :)

Just a tad scary!

I need to preface this story with a little information about myself. In my heart and soul I am a little bit of an adventurer. I like to do things that are not exactly mainstream and visit places that not everyone else does. Here's a place I'm hoping to stay in when I go to England- it is a B&B that is a replica of a bronze age house.

As the spiel says:  It's cosseted time-travel; happily, in the morning, you should gently wake to the sound of birdsong instead of the howling wolves of 600BC.

Then there'e these fabulous 'retro' style combi vans that we are going to hire to travel across england

When I went to Bali about 12 years ago I hated Kuta, we went there for lunch and to shop but I couldn't get out of there quick enough, I went up to Ubud instead which is well known now but then although it was known most Australians went to Kuta to stay in their club med hotels and drink cocktails by the pool. There is nothing wrong with cocktails by the pool as long as you get to experience a little of the culture and explore the place, otherwise you may as well save the air fare and book a room at a ho On my more recent travels to Thailand although we started in tel near where you live and drink cocktails by the pool there.Phuket we stayed in a place that was just out of Phuket. We spent time in the forest and then traveled by train to Bangkok via Hua Hin again. Now I say a 'little bit of an adventurer' because I don't like TOO much adventure. I'm not about to set off solo in a canoe down the amazon or anything. In fact I have found that I do like to know I am safe and I really don't like going places on my own. I like to have adventures with friends.
When I first separated from my husband (17 years ago this year) I was full of hope and kind of on a wave of bravery inspired by the adrenaline rush of making the decision to fly the coop. And at that time I taught myself to be a bit brave going places on my own even though I didn't really like it and it really pushed the limits of my comfort. I learned to take a map book where ever I went and then as mobile phones got cheaper and I was given a secondhand "brick" from a friend who was upgrading, this meant that I could call for help whenever I needed (as long as I remembered to pay the bill!) As time passed I got better at it and became quite outwardly confident.
However when my thyroid shut down and I suffered quite dark depression a few years ago all my insecurities came back and I find that I am back at square one again... I don't like going out on my own much any more and going somewhere new that I don't know where it is is actually quite an ordeal. I hate driving in traffic and the freeway makes me quite nervous, I will avoid it's busiest times at all costs often driving the long way around just to avoid it - partly this is my nervousness at the idiots that one must share the roads with partly because I have an old car that is not very quick on the pick up and doesn't like to go much over 70km/h OK for around home to and from the shop but not for longer trips that involve freeways. (I am going to get a new one soon, it is my new year goal.) I also don't like to drive about Perth very much it is busy and the streets all go stupid ways and then if you miss a turn you never know where to go after that and other drivers are so impatient and rude and never let you in (well lots not all!) so basically in my heart I'm an adventurer but in my head I'm a wuss!!!!
So Now my story...
Yesterday I had to deliver my art works to the place where the exhibition will be on Monday night. I had to get them there between 10;30 and 12;00 in Perth to a building I'd never heard of before, not hard as I never go there. So I googled it, got directions, looked at the street view and worked out that it was just past the spring street lights. I went to the website of the building to find that it had parking available so I set off bravely not too early so that I would miss the worst traffic of the morning, not being sure if it would be busy on a Saturday.
I negotiated the freeway and managed to select the correct lanes to get to the correct street I kept my eyes peeled but realised that I had in fact driven right past the place because I didn't notice the sign until it was too late. That's OK I thought because I noted on the map that there was a couple of car parks along there that I could use as an alternative should the first one be full. The next car park was closed as was the next. I was starting to worry when I noticed a third and pulled into it as it was open. There was a sign saying deliveries this way public parking that way please park in non reserved car bays and pay at the ticket box to your left. So I found a park rummaged about for change and walked to the ticket box. It was at this point that I started to think things were a little strange and looked around to notice that the big roll down grill had closed over the opening that I had driven in not 5 minutes before. Then in the distance I heard the resounding bang of a door slamming shut in the distance. It echoed ominously and I could see no-one about anywhere. I was alone in a dingy dark car park.
I experienced some mild panic.
I took a deep breath and read the signs there was nothing to indicate that it was a private car park but there was a number to call if you were having trouble with the ticket machine so I called it.
"The number you have dialed has been disconnected"
Now what!!!! Do I pay for my ticket and leave my car in this car park to possibly be clamped or towed- that is if I can find a way out or do I call the cavalry and try and get rescued....by this point I was running about in small circles of indecision certainly in my head if not actually. Then I saw a man walking towards me wearing a yellow vest. Perhaps he could help, maybe he was security...He was just an electrical contractor so he couldn't answer any of my questions - apart from alerting me to an exit door that I could at least escape through if I decided to abandon my car.
I went up to another sign and decided to try the number on that one- hoping that it was different or perhaps in my panic I had miss dialed the number. This time I got through to the security. They wanted to know which car park I was in. I had NO idea, apart from that it was on mounts bay rd. I turned to ask the fellow who had been there a few minutes ago and he had left. Fortunately another couple of men came along and I was able to ask them where I was. Apparently the car park was not open on a Saturday- It was when I drove into it!!!!
The new blokes knew how to open the gates so I eventually made my escape. All the time I was also worried that I wouldn't get to deliver my work on time either. Happily I managed to navigate the roadworks in town and found the front of the building on St Georges Tce and there was a half hour street parking bay right out front and the work has been delivered. And now I have two weeks to steel myself in order to pick them up again- hopefully they will sell and I'll get them to put the cheque in the mail!

pears and paint

This is my creative space. My dining room/ kitchen table. It seems that that is where I always end up, even with a studio space, I like to be in the middle of my house. I like the light through the french doors and there is the air conditioner to keep me comfortable. One day I hope to have a house that has a nice room just off the kitchen that I can leave all messy and another area that I can keep nice for when visitors come, a parlor to receive my visitors. I cant see it happening in the near future unless there is a significant lotto windfall! So my visitors will just have to keep loving me for who I am not how tidy my house is (or isn't!)

I've entered some work in an exhibition coming up next week and true to my usual form I haven't finished it yet. Well in truth, this morning I sat down to actually start the painting. Well, in my defense a large portion of my not painting time has been taken up with the thinking about painting time that goes on in your head first, so I wasn't procrastinating really I wasn't. I was percolating, thinking and creating. (Yes I've almost convinced myself that is what I've been doing.)
Anyway I've worked on it most of today and  it is very very nearly completed and I'm actually pretty happy with it.

(I just noticed as I added this photo that the flowers that bantam boy bought for his girlfriend are a bit worse for wear! Also the light is a little poor by the time I got to this stage.)I am making a second crocheted gold pear to go with the one I made during the holidays so they will be displayed together. Not with the painting as I had originally intended but together as a pair.




I've also painted the house over the holidays the kitchen is now white and the lounge is such a pretty blue.

I am so happy with the colour. It is so calming and relaxing the yellow was not really making me happy and I had become quite sick of it. Most paints change colour with the light but this one seems to have a real depth of colour and will appear sometimes quite blue and at other times tinged with green. It was a miss-tint that I convinced the paint people to add extra green to to give it more of a teal look. It is pretty much saturated with tint, I think that is what gives it it's depth.

I've been back at work this week and that has kept me pretty busy. At the end of last year I had to move the stuff out of my classroom into the art room as I am now 4 days art specialist and 1 day admin relief taking classes for a couple of level 3 teachers who have extra duties to do outside of the classroom. Anyway it meant that the art room which is also used by others for T&E - therefore FULL of stuff for that and art now contains my classroom teaching stuff! On top of that we have more kids and the classes are bigger which means I've had to put in an extra table to accommodate the children. So I had to play tetris with all the stuff in there and make it look like an art room for the last few days of the holidays. Thank goodness for Tim who came and helped me rearrange desks and repair shelves etc and keep me company!!
He is also good at making healthy snack. He was pottering in the kitchen and asked if I'd like something.
"Mmmmm, some fruit would be nice." and this is what I got!