transfer dyes

I know you will be wondering what on earth she has been doing.
Well today while Geelong totally thrashed Port Adelaide, I painted up some sheets of paper using transfer dyes that I hope I will have time to iron onto some fabric and see what comes out. Actually I was happy Geelong won and Port didnt even make a decent game of it.
I am not painting or drawing much at the moment, spring is here and there are too many things that need doing both inside and out so if I am a bit lax in the next few weeks dont worry I will be around and about, just not posting in this blog as much as in the back valley seasons one..

Stonyfell Quarry

I could see this when we walked yesterday,interesting shapes and fissures although we were a long way off. the Quarry used to dominate the hills behind Adelaide but now there is not much of the hill left.
Horrid day today, gale force winds, finally some rain, what we got last night would have blown away in the wind today.
My hayfever is awful.

Dead tree

Adelaide today. It was longer and more tiring than I meant it to be but I saw my mother who was looking very well and took her out for a drive. she was very tired by the time I got her back and we were away for only a short time.
I went to see a friend who in her inimitable way got me out for lunch by a park, one I hadnt seen before and we walked then drove up to see another, more walks but I new I had things to do when I got home and I was getting tired. This tree was in one of the parks.
Nearly killed on the way home when a piece of iron fell off a truck and headed straight at me, luckily I managed to miss it but it was a bit shake making.

Wisteria

It is not often that I can see the hills behind the wisteria but the big liquidamber behind hasnt got leaves yet so from where I was standing in the sun room this is what I could see. I think the wisteria is a couple of weeks early for here but it looks stunning.
Not sure of the angle of the terrace.
A busy few days doing textile stuff. I have finally finished the cot blanket I was embroidering so painting has taken a back seat.

iris and freezias

I was in two minds about this painting and the scan didnt show the glass jug up at all well. I havent had much time for painting this week but I felt I ought to put something up so here it is.
John and I walked Parsons beach this morning, a lovely walk, then came home and had an indulgent lunch with bubbly. Doesnt happen very often but it was so lovely sitting outside in the garden.
We have both been pulling weeds as they are getting out of hand so are tired.

Wright Island

Across the bay from the bottom of the Bluff, Sundays wind and rain, although in the lee of the Bluff the sea was quite calm.
I rather like these simple paintings, but am I getting any better? thats the question!!

Rocks on the Bluff

Pen and wash sketch of the rocks on the sea side of the Bluff. Made a mistake trying to get my horizon in the right place and went through the rocks!
Adelaide yesterday, saw my mother and she looked fine, busy day.
Today we sorted out mares and who was to go to what stallion, a bit worrying with the horse flu still around, are we ever going to sell any?

Fishrman on Sunday

This fellow was fishing off the Bluff Jetty on Sunday when we walked, with his long hair flying in the wind and rugged up in a woolly hat and a long coat and his cowboy boots on.
I doubt he caught anything but I suppose it was something to do.
Hot and dry today, one has the feeling of doom and drought just around the corner.

Church tower

While waiting for John to finish his purchases, after having my stitches out I sat in the car and sketched very quickly the top of the St Augustine's church tower and a bit of the strange bell tower, or whatever that I could see over the top of the trees. I think they ran out of money to build a proper bell tower and this was put up instead.

Walking the dog

This morning we walked along the road at the base of the Bluff before the rain came in, it was very windy though so the view back towards Victor was quite spectacular. Near the boat ramp I saw this couple walking their large retriever who spent more time in the water than out of it so this is todays sketch. I think the dog looks bigger than the people, but he was closer and thats my story and I am sticking to it.
I havent felt much like sketching for the last few days so it was nice to feel I had some time today.

Silage windrows

Made a bit of a mess of this but at least it is a painting.
This is taken from my sketch and what I remember of the shadows and clouds, all in the stack now with plastic covering it.
My nose is still giving me problems, especially when I sneeze which I do often as I am suffering from hay fever.
A new live colt this morning, better than the dead, didnt get out of the bag filly two days ago. I think about 10 more to go scattered up until January, possibly February. We do get used to losses when we have that number of foals but it is always sad..

Windrows for silage

Today I was supposed to go to Adelaide but my nose decided that it was going to be uncomfortable so it has been put off, a 3 hour round trip when one isnt feeling 100% is not a good idea and the 5 stitches have bled again today (after I sneezed repeatedly). I hope to feel better tomorrow.
I did walk the dogs out late this afternoon and saw that they were beginning to put the silage into windrows and I was going to come home and paint it but John suggested we went out to look at the whole operation so I took the sketchbook with me and this is the result. I also took lots of photos.
Normally we make hay but with the seasons being so unpredictable lately we have been making silage and it goes into several large stacks with plastic over the top. Our son does the contracting and there are two tractors with windrowers on the back, two trucks, our son on the silage pick up machine and one fellow making the stack with a caterpillar tractor. Most impressive.
At least so far this year we have made more than last year.

While waiting for 5 stitches in my nose

This large pot with a tropical twiner in it was by the door where I had my "procedure" done! So while waiting I sketched it. I didnt feel like sketching anything after the anaesthetic was taking affect.
We are not having a good foaling season, one dead filly who didnt get out of the bag, a breach birth and they die so quickly when that happens. Not the best thing when I was not feeling brilliant this morning having not slept well. I think there are about 15 foals still to go.
The nose, well I dont like the fact that it seems to have changed shape, I do not like looking into my nostrils (one of my pet hates) but perhaps when some of the swelling goes that will too. Otherwise I will never look in a mirror again. It has bled and felt uncomfortable, so what did I expect.
Tomorrow with any luck I will be able to go to Adelaide to visit my mother and startle all the inhabitants with my grotty stitches and blood under tape.
I have done some other stuff, the sort I put in Back Valley Seasons (in the links).

Yesterdays sketch

I added some colour to yesterdays sketch. I have just had a skin cancer surgically removed from my nose, it doesnt hurt yet but it will so I did this.

The groines at Victor

A hurried sketch this morning after our walk along the beach. I am not sure if my lines were crooked or if I put the sketch in the scanner crooked.
I humped two wheelbarrows of wet stable manure in the heat this morning up for the garden and I am tired so this was the best I could do.
Still warm still watering my pots, wind this afternoon but supposed to cool down overnight and we hope we will get some rain.

House on the River at Frankston

This looks very faint so I hope it comes up better. I may add some colour later but I am still in black and white mode at the moment.
Probably not all that well done as I was watching the football in a hard fought match in the elimination finals and my team lost by 2 points I cant believe it but thats football.
I loved the look of this house by the river down by Frankston and took a photo the reflections were lovely. I think it would be lovely to live somewhere like this.
Another hot day here, for early September this is ridiculous although John tells me that if we can just get some rain out of what is forecast the feed is growing well and will do even better.
We had another foal on Friday morning, a nice upstanding colt.
Oh and at Wendy's 50th last night my tiara was equal first. We had a fun night and were pretty slow this morning.

Creative head gear

Sorry I havent been blogging for a while but things were really busy here during the time I had classes and then having Patti Culea staying here, we chatted and went doing tourist things and had people for lunch and generally had a lovely time, but when it was all over I was so tired.
I am coming out of it today but household chores sort of get in the way.
This is the head gear we will be wearing to a friends 5oth birthday on Friday night, the stipulation being creative head gear. So the old viking helmet was resurrected from the shed and new paper glued on and painted, found the missing horn. My tiara was re wired with a bottle and a glass, I hope it stays on its pretty heavy. Photos of the actual things will be on my other blog.

Outside the sitting room window

After a marathon effort of cleaning I sat for a while and sketched what I could see, this arrangement of metal bird and fish on the table and then the pot plants on another table a bit further away and some other pots.
All I had time for.