Home again

I have been so busy for the last few days, both on the Island and now back home that drawing has not exactly been a priority. I feel quite naughty but the muse is not really there.
I prefer quick sketches and I did this while having a rest from the huge amount of unpacking and washing I have been doing. Our Christmas decorations at home have been pretty minimal, I tend to take stuff away with us and only have a bit here. So this year a wreath, a bowl of glass and fabric ornaments, a small Father Christmas, a candle and a vase of poinsettias, with a glass boot filled with candy canes.
We left the Island on the "working ferry" at a bit after 8 am yesterday morning, and with us was a stinking truck full of rubbish, a huge truck with only some mesh over the top.
I get sea sick so go out on the deck but there was no where to get away from the smell!
Luckily it wasnt too rough a crossing and we were home a bit before 10. I had to unpack the ute and John raced in to get the cat and then we were off for a friends 84th Birthday lunch at his restaurant, A fabulous lunch and great company, we staggered home late and after feeding the dogs and Oscar fell into bed.
I have been washing and unpacking all day and moving hoses around.
A busy few days as New Years Eve is here this year, several friends, we take it in turns and it promises to be hot.
I hope every one is safe and in good health and your weather is not too extreme!

A Christmas Owl

Christmas Eve, we have just come back from joining friends in a drink, walked the beach quietly home had enough to eat so no more except perhaps the odd bit of naughty stuff, and I have just put Love Actually on as a dvd. What better way for Christmas Eve.
May all my readers, friends, because that is what you are, from all over the world, have a lovely night and day, even if you dont believe, or come from different faiths from all over the world, or even those who like me dont really believe, I think you will find we all believe in something, and that mankind needs to believe in something, and in each other, or what is the point in being here?
I am waffling, probably too much champagne ( no here we have to call it bubbly!)
Love to you all.
Penny

From Penneshaw to the mainland

I painted this from our kitchen window yesterday, looking over to the mainland, it always changes in different lights. to day there are a lot of white caps as it has got windy again.
I am not terribly pleased with this but in some ways I am as it does show what it looks like. Quite magical.
Last night we had friends in for dinner, always exciting trying out an oven you havent used for 12 months.
We had gone into Kingscote in the morning this is the main town on the Island to do some shopping, I also walked the beach.
Today we went across to the Raptor Display and it was well worth going to, there are some photos on my other blog here.
Tonight more friends in for drinks, we can become quite social if we want to!
Not actually doing a lot of anything, or rather not doing all I brought over to do, but we are relaxing.

Quick sketch at Cape Jervis

I did this while waiting for the ferry to leave for Kangaroo Island yesterday, we were in for a very rough crossing and it was cold and damp as well.
this is the shore line I could see from my possie on the top deck, not much of a place to be as I was relatively exposed but better than any where else outside.
I get sea sick!
We had a flat out day yesterday as the house wasnt ready until after 1.30 and we arrived at 10. We did some shopping, visited friends and then took ages to get everything sorted into the house.
I was so tired.
Today John has tried to get the 2 (!!) computers he brought with him to talk and then to do some cleaning up and down loading, the down loads didnt work so he wasnt much fun but we did manage two walks, the last on the beach, lovely.
We are eating far too much, probably drinking too much, but this is a holiday.
Hope to have time for a painting tomorrow, but dont hold your breath, it maybe another sketch!
See my other blog for photos.
Hope those in the northern hemisphere are coping with the snowfalls, we are not much better but Christmas day is forecast to be in the 30's so a lot hotter than today ( I didnt bring enough clothes for cold weather!).
Back to relaxing, the bubbly is helping.

The cover for The sketchbook project and the Sellicks Hills

I finally decided that I could glue this map of our area onto the rather flimsy cover of my sketchbook project book. It was from a local tourism mag and was quite heavy paper and as I have to cut out the bit on the back I hope this will work. I would have liked the stick on bit on the back higher up as it was a bit awkward to manage.
Coming home from Adelaide yesterday I took a photo of the Sellicks Hills, I love their shapes but unfortunately people are growing trees all over them and soon you will not be able to see the lovely typical curves I have known all my life.
The colours are not as strong as I have painted them.
A quick sketch but fun to do.
I have been baking all day and my knee is a bit swollen and uncomfortable so I have had to put it up every so often.
Time is running out before we go away, and I have lots to do and things to organise for the house sitter.

Last page for my sketchbook project.

Here is my last sketch, what is underneath the grass in the house paddock.
I had fun doing this, all sorts of fungi and creepy crawlies.
I am posting while I can, we will be in Adelaide tomorrow for hair cuts and a few last minute things, I will be pretty tired by the time I get home if the last few days are any indication. The knee is getting better, slowly and unfortunately a few other bits of my body are rebelling so I fall into bed ready for sleep and my shoulder aches. Age is not funny!
I will be glad when we are on the Island and if I have forgotten anything it will be too bad. I think most of my friends are having the same trouble, some of them we have decided to catch up with after Christmas.
Hope all is well in your part of the world.

My Christmas card

When John saw this he said he often wondered what went on in my head that I produce things like this!
It hasnt scanned as well as I would like but then pencil never does.
It was a fun thing to do when I was feeling tired and my knee was aching.
Today the power has been off for a lot of the day, and I have only just put the bread on and hope the power stays on. I think there is a problem down in the dairy, so they have by passed that and we have power here.
It has been a terrible day, a few showers but high winds all day, so I have sat where I could find light and done some sewing and glued on pin backs to my beetles. I dont really like glue but it is easier in this instance.
I am being terribly slow at the moment but I do think I have managed to work out some of the Christmas presents and there are only a few more to do.
The little prem foal we have seems to still be ok, it has been touch and go for a while but when I went down this morning she looked very cute in a jumper to keep her warm. Another couple of days and then with any luck she will be out of the woods.

I cant draw cows.

This is one of my last pages for my sketchbook project, I am afraid I have had to sketch and then cut out and then glue in as the paper is hopeless. I am also on the back few pages which I have had to tape or they will fall out and I have also glued some together for stability.
Now I dont know what to do about a cover as I have to leave a bit at the bottom free on the back and on the inside back cover a pocket will be glued. I am a bit inclined to collage it but am not sure how well this will stand up to handling.
A pretty strange looking cow but I just dont 'do' cows, perhaps I should work on that, my birds have got better perhaps my cows could too. Trouble is most photos of cows are taken from the rear end so you can see what their udder looks like! Not the best aspect to draw from.
It has been terribly hot and tropical but no rain, still grumbles so some one is getting it but not us.
I shopped yesterday and did far too much obviously as my knee went through its crawling with maggots inside stage again. Horrid.
Some one has to do some shopping or we wont eat and we wont get away for Christmas either. John tends to stand in the middle of the supermarket and have melt down and pathetically rings me every few minutes so it is not worth sending him in. Not sure what he will live on if I die!
Off to feed the chooks and dogs as John has been fishing and is terribly tired, it got rougher out there than they had hoped. He still has to get pasta for dinner so I need to do a few things.
If any one has any clever ideas about a cover please let me know.

Feeling silly

The fox and the cockerel. I had a few moments of silliness today and this is what came about. Only trouble is the fox looks embarrassed, not sneaky.
A day of heat and humidity, of resting, my bandages are all off, well they were only a band aid and a tube bandage. It still looks a bit swollen so I am doing what is my version of resting.
I have to go shopping tomorrow as John is probably going fishing, and I dont begrudge that as I love the fish. But I feel I need to be doing that and not much else tomorrow.
It does get boring and I am looking for things I seem to have stashed away and now cant find. Bother.
Off to make a salad for dinner.

Flowers for The Sketchbook Project

I have felt rather tired, still exercising my knee and doing some tidying and trying to get stuff finished for Christmas.
I have to finish off my Sketchbook Project and the last few pages are taking me a while to sort out what to put in.
I was trying to get some embossing on some scrap paper done using my cuttlebug and in doing so had cut up scraps I had used under other things I had done when spraying with various sprays. I rather liked the look of the paper so drew flower shapes using a fine sharpie and coloured them with Lyra watercolour crayons.
Nothing spectacular but fun to do.
I have so many flowers out in the garden at the moment the simple shapes are always my favorite, I even prefer the single roses and they are fun to get on to paper when ones mind is elsewhere.
Nothing very exciting to report, still damp, the garden will not like it when the hot dry weather comes, everything is so soft. My clematis is going mad high in the plum tree.
John not home much, he has had a run of meetings, poor man, so I will have to feed the dogs and chooks tonight, carefully, and organise something for him to eat so that if he comes home hungry there is food for him. A casserole I think, not that there is much to make it of, but enough I think.
I need to go shopping.