Lost Aussie on the loose

A Little Decorating

Finally - the tree is up, cranberry candles lit, pointsettias appropriately dotted around the house and everything is looking all Christmassy at last.

I've even got most of my shopping done ....

Tra, la, la, la, la .......

My Own Bit of Yellow

Spring has finally condoned to visit my garden, the forsythia are in bloom and so are the daffodils.  It's quite heartening.

I even went and bought a couple of punnets of pansies today and installed them in pots. 
Pansies and I don't usually get along - I have no idea why - but because we don't I generally leave them off the garden menu.  This year though, I have been so starved of color beyond the kitchen window and have a huge hankering to get out there and PLANT ...
... still, its way too it's way too early for Impatiens and other floral goodness, so this "impatient" gardner had to make do with Pansies!  I know I will love them anyway ...  I am a sucker for anything I can plant and watch grow.

Decorative Elements

Our house is sporting a new decorative edge - hundreds upon hundreds of icicles that seem to be growing by the minute.

Even though they look quite pretty, I think tomorrow I will have to go and clear some of them off as they are getting to be absolutely HUGE - 12 inches and more....  I am terrified that one will snap off and spear a cat or something.

 

DIY Decorating

 

As you might imagine, the walls in our house are full of artwork.  Not all of it mine as both DH and I have a fair appreciation for the creative efforts of others and like to support those we like.  Recently though I spied some of the stuff we have hanging around the house and decided that it was time to update!  The walls serve as a nice testament to the change in my creative process but frankly some of the things we have up there now are more of an embarrassment than eye candy!

So last week, in a flurry of creativity and a monster urge to use my big printer I cooked up these three pieces.  They are mixed media & digital creations printed on fine art canvas 24"x24".  I then put together some gallery wrap stretcher frames and pulled the canvas across to a finished size of 18"x18" and I'm quite liking the result.

So out with the old, in with the new, and may the creative urge continue!

Oh How I Love Sunshine!

After days and days of dreary wet rain, flooding, erosion and a dullness outside that just makes you just want to hunker down under a quilt and watch TV re-runs or SLEEP..............

the SUN has finally come out!  

I haven't felt this ALIVE in a long time!!

So what to do when it's so sunny (and relatively warm)? ........Why get out into the garden of course!!  I've spent a productive 4 or 5 hours pulling, pruning, digging, transplanting and generally getting happy and dirty!
Max decided it was PURRR..FECT weather for a little sunbathing session!


and in between raking and pruning, I found enough enough lovely light to satisfy the camera!
(The daffs are store bought, but the sunshine is straight from God!)

Oh yes........... I do LOVE sunshine!

Today - Through Glass

Coming Up for Air

Finally, I am starting to feel somewhat human again and my face is thankfully resembling something that I am moderately familiar with...only a small gobstopper sized swelling left and I have quit sticking pills down my neck at a rate of knots - which is nice!

In between naps and aimless wandering about the house I have managed to make some progress on a fun little project that my friend Chris and I have cooked up - namely a little paper weaving of old magazine pages.  So far I have created a re-cycled journal for her and have another piece of woven strips ready to be fashioned into something funky..not sure what just yet.....

I think about the only other productive thing I have done this week is spend and hour and a half on the phone with #2 son in Australia, helping him with his English homework.

Tomorrow I face the surgeon again...this time for him to take out the garment's worth of stitches he left behind!  I have already warned DH to have Bail money ready if the guy messes me around again - there is only so much "laissez faire" practice that this Bear will Bear!
(Yes, too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing!)

Sunshine and Rain

The poor old Blog has been a little neglected lately....mostly because I have been busy - entertaining friends from Germany for a couple of days, working on projects with a looming deadline and co-ordinating #2 son's return to Australia from the UK.  At least this time I was spared the plane trip to the London as DH very kindly volunteered to go in my stead, nonetheless there was much to keep me pre-occupied and I did not really draw a good breath until I knew David was back safe and sound in Aus' this morning!  Phew! 

Then to backtrack a little, Christine and her hubby came and stayed with us earlier this week.  Sadly Long Island did not put up much of a show for the tourists as it rained, rained and rained some more....we did manage 4 hours of more-or-less dry moments and fulfilled Andreas's wish to get to the Beach....which is a whole 'other' story!  Who knew you are not supposed to turn "left" on Robert Moses beach unless you are comfy with the 'maximum exposure and mimum clothing' crowd?????  Not that I am a prude by any means, but some kind of advance warning would have been good!...instead of practically walking into the arms of some chap who was definitely 'very pleased' to see us, as Christine so eloquently put it!  Ahem! And thank goodness for broadminded company is all I can say!

So.... haben Sie eine gute Woche .........and may the rain just stay the heck away! Ugh!

A Tiny Break from the Rain

It's been raining non-stop for days here. To the point where I have foregone the chance to put away my winter woolies as I am STILL wearing them!!  However there was a small window of sunshine this afternoon, long enough to get out my camera and snap a few pics of the Spring events in the garden as well as tuck about 250 impatiens into the garden beds.  I still have another few hundred to go but I guess they will have to wait for the next break in the weather!

In the Middle of the Night

Why OH Why is she posting at 4am you ask?  Hmmmm....good question!  Seems that since I got back from my travels I conk out on the couch at 9:47pm, sleep for three or four hours, miss CSI, Numbers and whaterver else I want to watch and wake up with a crick in my neck but wide awake and raring to Go!  Hopefully not a pattern that will last too long!

Thankfully the 'normal' day hours are productive.  More gardening done and tonight we stopped off at Home "Despot" and procured some new plants which will contribute to the ever evolving garden.

I'm pleased to report that "Springly" events have not been confined to the outdoors. Today I rearranged the Studio (AGAIN) into what DH describes as a more 'refined and defined' workflow - yep, he can Six Sigma just about everything!....fortunately I describe it as just 'making life easier"!!

Inbetween heaving furniture and sifting through piles of "artistic mess" I have managed to fire up the Photoshop and fiddle around a bit.  I bought a stack of new fonts and filters before I left and have not really had the chance to give them a good road test until now.....which is OK, but my poor processor has a major headache :-))

And now I guess I had really best get to bed!

Ciao for now