Trying faces

I saw this fellow on TV something to do with problems in some part of Africa, i rather liked the shape of his head but he was not on for long enough!
No time for much else, cool down here, hotter in Adelaide, a sea fog came up[ tonight. We had hoped for rain but at least this is better than nothing.
John is watching Inspector Rex, I had better join him.
I spoke to Tabby tonight who had been to see the doctor today who said Millie was a little pig, she had put on more weight than the average, and she is sleeping from 8.30 pm to about 3 am so doing well.

From the beach at Tiddy Widdy

This was looking towards the silos at Ardrossan again but this time in colour.
I am not having much time at the moment, the build up to Christmas is always stressful for me and possibly more so at the moment.
I will try to do the odd sketch and painting but time is not with me.

TiddyWiddy

TiddyWiddy is just north of Ardrossan on York Peninsula in South Australia and I sketched this this morning while walking along the beach towards Ardrossan and those are the cliffs and the silos done in a hurry as it was windy and the flies were appalling.
We had a wonderful few days, mostly doing sewing stuff and I took lots of photos but not much sketching so I will do a few from the photos, plein air was not pleasant as it was pretty windy and as I said, the flies!!
I will try and translate this into paint as the cliffs were a wonderful red, not done justice in my photos as I walked really early around 7 am every morning and the light wasnt too good.

favorite vase

Good Grief I have just come in to write this up and instead of homely Maggie Beer and Simon from the Hyatt in the Cook and the Chef which I love and find the recipes very useful I saw Nigella whatever her name is being sexy with food. The mind boggles as she looks arch over placing paprika on sour cream.
Any way we had 10 mls of lovely rain last night and today I feel tired as it cooled down enormously.
This is the vase Tabby gave me for my birthday, today filled with the lovely lime green ends of branches I cut off the pin oak in the walled garden.Done in a hurry as I am tired after doing a lot of mundane housewifely things today and now John is out for a dinner meeting. I dont much like dinner meetings but not much I can do about it.

Parson's Beach

I did this today, from a photo as today was damp and cool, thank goodness and I was trying to get a host of things out of the way before I go away over the week end. We voted on Saturday so I dont have to worry about that, it will be schoolies week end as well so a good time not to be in Victor.

One of the views while having coffee

This is some ones back yard or rather the back of some flats that I could see while having coffee the other morning.
A fence a rose, some irises and a background of trees and buildings.
I am being very slap dash at the moment as nothing is grabbing me.
I think I am too worried about Christmas coming and all it means, presents, getting it all organised and going away.
Very hot in Adelaide today which is where I was in the morning seeing my mother. We came home for a late lunch and then I didnt seem to do much.
A lovely line quoted by one of our artists Ian Hannaford which was reported to have been said by Picasso, paintings are never finished you abandon it.

Coffee at the Anchorage

I seem to have made the umbrella rather small but I was sketching in the small sketchbook. I have to say the coffee in Pt Lincoln was much much better, and it was hot, the Anchorage stuff was cold and we had to wait for ages. So here is to Del Giorno's of Port Lincoln for the best coffee and view around.
I havent had much time for sketching or painting and it may get worse for a while as with Christmas coming and being away next week end as well there is not much time.

Pt Lincoln

I did these while we were at Pt Lincoln. The first is of the silo's and part of the loading jetty and the second very sketchy sketch is of the loading gantries and jetty, I found them very difficult to do as when it was cooler in the early morning they didnt stand out very well and in the afternoon I discovered that there were two very large ships moored next to that gantry jetty! That is probably not the correct name for it but it will do.
It got very hot so I was continuously trying to find shade or had retired back to the hotel room which did have air conditioning but the only view of the sea, which was advertised was if I stood in a corner of the room, other wise I saw a roof and the sky.
I did a lot of walking and a bit of shopping and quite a bit of sewing while John was at the conference for most of Wednesday afternoon, all of Thursday and all Friday morning.
I did find an excellent coffee shop but the flies were a bit bad and at certain times the sun was on everything.
Some one to talk to would have been nice but all the other wives were at the marina and with no car that was rather a long way away.
Two excellent dinners with lots of lovely fresh sea food made up for it and some reasonable wine.

Elephant ears in my garden

These lovely big aroids have a green flower with the most incredible smell. I always know when they are flowering by the perfume.
A hurried sketch with some paint thrown at it as we had a flat out day.

Morning walk at Normanville

This looks very washed out, I dont know if it is my computer or what but in the flesh it looks much stronger.
It was quite hot this morning, hotter on the gulf side than at home but a lovely drive over and a good hours walk on a beach I knew so well as a child. Things have changed of course as there are now so many houses along that bit of coast but at least not too much in the way of sea weed.
A coffee and we drove home on a road I havent been on for years. Very pleasant.

Unfinished Angels

ed a
Instead of painting scenes or whatever i have been painting faces and colours on these little things. Wings tomorrow.
Hot and dry here and no rain and getting hotter for the next week. the hoses will be on again in the garden.

Obsessed with babies.

This looks nothing like my daughter and grand daughter but I thought I should try and do something!
It was Tab's birthday today and if you want to see photos go to my back valley seasons blog in the links.
I cant get arms right and my faces end up looking like the ones I put on my dolls.

Leg and feet

This is a very strange sketch of my knee leg and feet and a bit of the other leg, I am not good at foreshortening things and i got my lower leg in a rather odd position.
I thought I should sketch something today, I have been a bit slack and the way, they say, to get better is to constantly try. Well I try but sometimes I think I get worse!!Adelaide for the Quilt and craft fair, I bought some of what I had on the list, and also saw Tab and the baby who I think is called Millicent for an hour on my own today which was what I needed, not sure about Tabby.

Melbourne Cup hats

Yesterday was the Melbourne Cup and although it is about horses and a horse race to the women it is all about fashion and in particular, hats.
I had two to choose from and decided on the red straw as against the white one. I have had them both for ages, it is a bit like my clothes, not a lot to choose from on the odd occasion I go out to a toffy lunch.

The new baby

A quick post as I am very tired but here is a photo of the latest grandchild, born this morning a bout 8.30, weighing just under 7 lbs and quite pink and round and gorgeous.
Mother looking tired but pleased with herself father looks very pleased with himself.
I had a full on day with a trip to Adelaide so cant think very well.

Fantasy land

Or I dreamt I was back in Austria.
I had a lot of fun doing this, I just sat and played with shapes and colour and it really did take me back to our skiing days in Austria.
I love house shapes and I am trying to do a few more to translate into some of my textile stuff.
I havent really been able to settle to anything today and I will be so glad when tomorrow is over.
When asked what I thought might win the Melbourne cup I suggested Zipping, as that is what will happen to Tab tomorrow!
It is warming up a bit here now but I still have a fire in.

Still life

I have finally managed to get time to paint, some artichokes which we have eaten, some pears, which we have also eaten some chili and an apple in a bowl.
I took the photo before we ate them!
It has been very wet here and the sun room roof sprung a leak so there has been some cleaning up to be done.
Went over to see Tabby this afternoon and she looks huge and cant wait until Tuesday which is when she will have the baby. I will be glad too, normally I havent worried but she is so much older now.
John and I walked and had a coffee, wonderfully wild waves and we saw a seal.

At the vets stables

We had to take a barely 3 week old foal to Adelaide today to have a melanoma removed from his neck. While waiting in the truck for him to come out of the anaesthetic and be able to go home I sketched the stables in front of the truck.
It was interesting but pouring with rain,all these huge big horses and our tiny little welsh mountain foal.
A tiring day, the truck is not the most comfortable thing in the world.