Lost Aussie on the loose

Bits and Pieces

Only one more week now until I head back to the US.  I've loved being back home with the boys and have ended up with a little extra time to spend with them than originally planned.

The weeks here have been a mixture of blessings and trial.  Apart from  my bad ankle I've been pretty sick and only just starting to feel anything like perky.
I don't think the situation has been helped by the fact that behind the scenes, Hubby and I have been waiting to be advised of new job changes and YES, another house move. 
People ask me "how I can possibly DO IT"?  Well, it's not that hard or too bad.  I've done it all my life as a child and now as an adult and I'm used to how the process works.  What tends to get me down is the "human resource" factor and how long it takes for the corporate machine to get into gear and go-ahead.  That's the debilitating part!  I actually figured I would be doing this about a month ago...and quite clearly it's not the case.  However, Hubby is happy with the new job and right now, that is what counts and we will move..when we move!

I do feel bad though.  I'd re-arranged stuff and canceled plans to teach in Perth at a local art retreat this coming weekend along with Nina, Lesley & Michael.  I sincerely apologise to the lovely folk who had signed up to take a class with me.  Next time I am home perhaps we can do a mini-workshop at Jo's shop?
Wishing you all a great weekend at the retreat.

Inbetween Taxi Runs

Yesterday I had the usual and not so enviable job of playing "Mom's Taxi" - ferrying various young men hither and thither and as there was a slew of lousy programmes and  pre-season footy games on TV, playing around with some pictures seemed the obvious sound-bite distraction.

It's less smoky today and the air a bit more breathable - thank goodness.

Ashes to Ashes

I woke up this morning to a world covered in ashes and soot.  For the last two days there has been a big bushfire raging just across the point in the Gull Rock National Park.  It's been heartbreaking as they believe the fire was set deliberately.  Acres and acres of land, animals and plants have been totally incinerated.  Nevermind the blackened skies, soot and rubbish that is around in the air.

I took these pictures on Friday afternoon and I know that the fires burned longer and spread overnight as I could see the glow of them in the night sky from the underside of our hill and when I walked on the beach today there seemed to be not much left but blackened patches of these hills and lots of steamy smoke.

Why on earth would anyone do such an utterly irresponsible thing?

Back to Basics

I know it's been a while since I posted on "da blog" but I fear of boring  you with pictures of blue skies, scenic beaches and miles and miles of white silky sand as I still haven't been doing terribly much art-wise.  But at this point, with less than two weeks until I return to the US..I am really not that bothered.

I have been messing around with some rubber stamps though (some of my own Lost Aussie designs and those of Stamper's Anonymous).  I am sure I have mentioned before that one of my best Aussie pals owns a scrapbooking store here in Albany and so I have been persuaded to make some Artist Trading Cards for their monthly swap which is themed "Black & White".  I actually had lots of fun putting these together and had forgotten how simple yet intriguing the format can be.  It should be interesting to see what I get back!

A Little ARt, A Little Fun

...things are improving, not only did I get to have Japanese for lunch with my fave 'dowunder' art buddy today but I created some new art, STAMPED out...Yes..""stamped" a bunch of Trading Cards for a local swap, walked on the beach at Sunset, collected some funky shell pipes for my friend Aggie, got my boys home for the weekend from school AND discovered that I can move my left ankle at least 40degrees in several different directions!  This is a vast improvement and perhaps even attributable to my well researched exercise programme that I have been diligently executing each night this week...thank heaven for FAT elastic (and no dahhhling, I did not use my Bra! - though the suggestion did have merit!)

.........dreaming of wearing high heels again............. :-)

The Long Arm of Cupid

A heartfelt thanks to my lovely Husband for his wonderful surprise Valentine's Day gift....a dozen of the most exquisite long stemmed roses.  And not only that but some delicious chocolates and wine to top off the spoiling! Mmm Mmmm!  I love you too xoxo!

Virtual Reality

I spent some time today browsing through the current MOCA galleries and felt inspired to put pen to tablet to play a little.
Little HA!
..there's most of the day and a good portion of the night invested in this surreal little trifle.  No matter, it was fun.  Couldn't help but think of my friend Sylvia as I was doing it though.  We've just finished a big collaborative project with a bunch of fab' artists and I am hanging out to see the end result.  It's supposed to be quite Dark and Gorey!...I think that's how the spiders crept in.

Building Sandcastles

...seems like you are never too old to build Sandcastles - whether they be in the air or not!

Roses are Red...

or are they?  This beautiful specimen has been played with a bit using some funky filters in Photoshop.  I quite like the hand coloured look.

Not too much to report from the Land Downunder...the weather has been dreck!  Cloudy, windy and not much good for taking pictures or walking on the beach. 

I've started to do some chores around the house instead of mooching around waiting for the sun to come out.  Re-did the flyscreen doors and re-painted all the cement paved patio bits.  I had hoped to do some more work on the indoor painting with the boys gone to school, but it doesn't look like that will happen this week.

I think on the whole I am procrastinating with the ART progress!

Ticking Along

Seems a while since I posted on the Blog but this is the first quiet moment I've had recently.
The past few days have zoomed by in a flurry of ticking, checking, packing and labeling to get the boys ready to go back to school.  Fortunately the learning curve of the past two years has done some good and there's been less drama than in the past, but there are always last minute forgotten bits and must-have's that weren't considered in the grand scheme of things.

Although the boys will be home with me on the weekends for a little bit longer I am looking forward to some days and nights during the week where I can turn up the music, get back into the art zone and crank out some design work. 
New stamps are long over-due and I've had the ideas growing in my mind over successive walks on the beach, now it's just a matter of staying up until the wee-small hours to execute them!.....