Just to say I am still alive

 Well amost.
I have foul cold and dont feel like much at all, but boredom does rear ist head and so I have been doodling and playing with paint.
This is about all I feel like doing at the moment, lots of coughing, nose blowing and feeling I have no energy.
Have to track down a mouse in my work room.
Hope I feel better tomorrow.
Missing my 4 days away is the worst.

Fog on the hills

 I started this on the day that there was a lot of fog over the hills, and then havent had time to finish it.
I am actually quite pleased with it.
Since then there has not been much fog but its very grey and overcast and it is so uplifting to see the odd bit of sun.
I have spent hous on the net trying to get our Darwin trip organised, I am about half way there! I have waisted so much time, going to Europe was so much easier, and probably cheaper too.
Still it should be good when we finally get there and I am looking forward to it.
Yesterday I went over to look at the seals that have taken up residence on the Goolwa barrage go here to see them.
It was lovely to get out and about although I have a dreadful feeling that John may have given me his cold, I hope not.
Max and I walked for a long way up the house paddock hill this morning, now of course I feel tired! I have just fed him and the others and of course tonight the wretched hens decided not to go into their shed for the night. A lot of extra exercise but I did get them in finally, there are a lot of foxes around and I dont want them eaten, although no eggs tonight but they do seem to be moulting.
Tomorrow I go to see if I need new glasses, I am finding the numbers on the weather maps on tv difficult to read.

Leaf litter

 In my walking with Max I have been seeing a lot of what I call 'quiet' things.
Amongst them is the detritus under the gum trees at this time of the year, well it happens at all times as they shed leaves continuously but when I am looking for something to draw at night, and perhaps use as a bit of textile inspiration they often come to mind. All from my imagination I am afraid.
I love using the inktense and graphitint pencils and adding a bit of water to make them pop a bit.
I do like our gum leaves.
I spent some of yesterday collecting grands from school and pre school yesterday, perhaps I should call my poor old car Pen's taxi, but it is nice to be wanted.
Poor John is trying to make ends meet, since the switch to another dairy company, and with the price of everything going up except what we receive for our milk, a lot due to a stupid carbon tax our stupid Government decided we had to have and the relevant Minister very helpfully the other day said we should just increase our prices, it doesnt work that way mate, we get what the dairy company will pay us and that is almost less than we can produce it for. We may find ourselves in an early grave due to the increased pressures.
Sorry for the rant.
So I havent had a lot of time to do things I want to do, but perhaps tomorrow, off to make my man something nice for dinner.

Playing again

I have had a lovely time playing with these little figures and trying to work out how to use them. I think I can translate some of them into either dolls or some sort of textile use.
time will tell, at the moment my time is rather odd, today I had a small 'nasty' excised from my chest, I dont think it will amount to much but it took a long time out of my day. Not sure how many stitches, I didnt ask.
So I came home feeling a little sore and sorry for myself and read and fell asleep.
Now I am trying to work out what we do about going to Darwin, I have been on the net figuring out what we want to do. Some web sites are easy, some are not.
My head is still full of things to do, its just finding a/ the time and b/ the motivation.
It is still freezing cold outside, but I had a lovely walk this morning and put up four kangaroos in one paddock and a large male in another. Of course this morning I didnt take my camera, will I ever learn!
Max was up wind from the roos but when he finally saw them he went roaring half way down the paddock and then wasnt sure what to do next so came back again. He is a real wuss. A lovely wuss.

Black and white with a touch of red and colour.

 Still more of my circle sketches. I am having far too much fun with these, some are better than others but I really like the black and white one with a touch of red.
Not quite so keen on the other.
They are fun to see what I can come up with.
I have a couple more rough sketches that I did while we were away, probably not much time now I am home.
I have to catch up on some stitching but first I need to clear the decks a bit so I can find things, pay a few bills and generally not feel pressured to organise other things.
The deep freeze died this morning, with a terrible grumbling noise when John turned it on again. Heaven knows when we will be able to afford another, the other poor old chest freezer is going well but I cant find things in it and everything sinks to the bottom.
I hope not too many other electrical things die, I find if one goes inevitably something else goes as well.
Off to feed the chooks, hope I can get them in, I let them out and the rooster and hen hadnt been out before, I could be in for a merry chase.

Doing a lot of black and white

 I have been not doing a lot of colour, mostly because I rather like the clean lines of black and white, also that is usually what I have with me.
so sitting in the airport yesterday I drew the view from the window, and then on the plane a page of odds and ends.
We left blue skies and sunshine and came home to grey skies, wet and this morning cold and fog, brr!!
I am washing, I have cleaned out the freezer which decided to start defrosting, threw out a lot, made a lot of soup and what was ok was transferred back to another freezer. I think something is not sealing correctly but at least we havent lost everything and come home to a stinking mess.
Just not what I really needed this morning.
Max was so pleased to see us home and he raced around and around me when I walked him this morning.
I have slowed up a bit this afternoon, feeling a bit tired and there is still stuff to put away and tidy up but at least now the house is warmer and the fire is nice and cheerful.
It is so grey outside, I really did appreciate the lovely warmth in Queensland, now to get my act together and get on with doing 'stuff' and not procrastinating.

More circle fun

A couple more pages from my sketchbook, at least these dont take much thought to do and I find the little circles very soothing to do. I suppose I will stop doing them eventually. Today, well I bought three, yes three pairs of shoes today, there are sales on and so far these are so comfortable, I have problems buying shoes at home, not much to choose from but up here, well it is totally different. We also went to see the El Caballo Blanco dancing horses. I have to say the organisation was terrible, getting in a nightmare and they started 1/2 hour late. I have seen the Spanish riding school in Vienna, there was unfortunately no comparison, perhaps I know too much about educating horses, enough said. We have only a day left of this one of the best holidays, now to psyche myself up to going home and not being on holiday. But I have lots of plans, things to do, probably the house to clean! There are blue skies up here,although a cold wind blowing but I think it may be cold and frosty at home, back to lots of layers of clothes. What is worrying me is how I get home all the stuff I have bought, I really hope we wont be overweight. Actually you can take that both ways!! I am sure I am. All the stuff, shoes in particular may have the luggage having an weight problem too. We have people for lunch tomorrow, then tennis and then out for dinner, I may need a forklift!

Time for play

 
 
 

I have been having a lovely time not doing too much, eating and drinking too much, walking shopping and generally relaxing and catching up with friends. I am really having fun translating tropical colours into these circle sketches using very cheap pens i bought in the newsagents. The fellow I tried to copy, not at all well, out of a freebee mag I picked up yesterday when we went for a marvelous tapas lunch overlooking the ocean for a friends birthday. The weather up here, after the first day or so has been glorious, good Queensland winter weather sun and blue sky and wonderful walks. we head up to Rainbow Beach for a few days tomorrow, hoping to catch up with blog friends on the way up and back. If you want to see photos look non my other blog on the side bar. Off for a bit more relaxing!!