Playing with paint

I have been playing with paint and paper, sprays, stencils and stamps. Fun to do something pretty mindless on such a hot and horrid day.
We have had a not good week, lost a little mare through an accident, we have a nast fire burning north of Adelaide, far enough away from us but it is still a worry, so hot Adelaide got to 43 degrees c I am not sure what we got to, not quite that hot.
We were in Adelaide yesterday but were home early so although I find this weather makes me terribly weary, it was bearable, not today.
So finding things to layer on pieces of paper is great fun and doesnt mean I have to think too much!
Of course I couldnt find the bird lino cut so had to make an awful mess looking for it. I need to label drawers.
I spent most of the day reading, not something I do all that often but when the weather is like this its bliss.
Off to shut the hens up and think about a cool salady sort of dinner.

Its been too hot to do any thing but be silly

We have been existing through the heat, at least we are now a little cooler and there is a southerly breeze but I worry for all those in Tasmania, Victoria and especially NSW where to day has been terrible.
Bush fires are part of our country but with so many more people and with those wanting to live in bushland surroundings, even near the beach it can still be a terrible decision.
We get complacent and then we suddenly get a year like this and disaster happens.
We are terribly dry here, no rain for weeks and all we can do is hope no one does anything silly.
talking of silly, I do rather like playing with these little fellows.
We have been walking early making sure we hope that most of the garden gets some water, but water could be a problem as well here where we have to provide our own.
You walk and watch outside the windows to see if you can see any smoke, and you read or sew, never feeling completely at ease.
Part of an Australian summer on the land.

More mad birds

 I hve Carla Sonheims book drawing animals and in one bit she suggests that you start with an eye, so I had fun doing these silly little fat birds using my pen and a graphitint pencil and water to shade with.
Things have been terribly busy here, we got back from the Island and late in the day after lunch the family from Melbourne arrived, so we have been catching up, making food, and I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed but enjoying it all.
we had a family bbq for 14 last night, not all the family as some are over on Kangaroo Island but about as many as I can have without searching for extra tables and chairs.
So a day of salad making and organising and thank heaven others did the dishes at the end of the night.
There are some photos of some of the grandchildren on my other blog here.
I hope this works!!
I havent had time to think of New Year resolutions, I dont normally any way but I guess not to sit back and feel old but leap up and sketch daily and blog reasonably often and try out new things, have to feel suitably stimulated and not in a rut.
I hope every one has a safe, happy and healthy 2013.

Christmas Greetings

A wreath, a photo of one of the beaches we have walked over here on Kangaroo Island, wonderful beaches, we walked so many, its been good weather, very hot yesterday but cooler today and for c\Christmas day. lovely, a bit windy but thats ok.
I thought another mad bird would add to the holiday season fun.
a safe and Happy Christmas to all my readers.

Kangaroo Island sketches

 We are being in holiday mode.
One late afternoon we went out to the Chapman River, a lovely place and I fed the little bream with bread crumbs but John didnt catch any. I drew one of the paper barks on the bank.
Today I painted the obligatory agapanthus, they are in flower at the moment and I love them.
we have eaten well and probably drunk a bit too much, visited friends and organised to go for drinks and people to come here.
I am doing a bit of walking, some sewing and visited the numerous galleries.
I am also playing with making flowers from egg cartons, a long business but the painting is slowly getting done. I only brought over 3 coloured and 1 white in acrylic paints so they have to do, for some reason I didnt put in a blue, very silly.
We have P staying it is quite obvious we are getting older, a glass of wine with lunch and then we need a nap! Hopeless.
I didnt send out cards this year, but we may get some emails out, if not, and I dont get onto the computer again, have a Merry Christmas and a superb New Year, and think of us on Christmas day in the sun eating bbq'd prawns and yummy salads and fruit and then christmas cake and brandy butter, oh and a lot of good wine.
Decadent and something to do while we can!!

Panic is on.

 Yesterday I lost our Christmas cake!!
 John went off to deliver presents to our son and grandson and was told what to take and what not to take! I dont think he listened and he took our cake as well, it wasnt wrapped so how???
I was not home when this happened, I was grocery shopping and getting mail and papers.
I searched high and low yesterday for it (he was fishing!) and he denied all knowledge of it (He did have to go to a funeral after delivering them but still...)
We couldnt contact the son until this morning after I had gone into total tired and cross mode, we do now have it here and I dont have to bake another one, thank goodness.
I spent all day yesterday, going into the market, doing 3 loads of washing and baking for 6 hours (biscuits this time).
I needed to calm my fury so finally totally exhausted, I sat and drew crazy birds and other things in my small sketchbook and so these are the result.
We head over to Kangaroo Island on Wednesday so I have to have all presents delivered, have the house relatively clean for the house sitter.
 The cat who is due to go into the cattery vomited all over the place this morning so I just hope he is alright.
Tomorrow we go to Adelaide to deliver some presents, more on Tuesday so I have to statt thinking of packing.
We had a lovely walk on the beach this morning, and suddenly it is raining again, we have had a few showers over the last few days, not amounting to much but at least the garden doesnt need hosing.
I hope to get the odd blog post done while we are away, say safe and cheerful in the lead up to this stressful time of the year.
Thinking of all those in the US over this dreadful time.

I have not been a good blogger

 I dont seem to have a lot of time at the moment, the weather was stinking hot and humid, then we had a cool change and all I wanted to do was sleep.
The aches tend to come back when the weather changes.
I did this tiny little painting the other day I havent done any thing about Christmas cards, and am not sure I want to, and this was a prossibly it might work, no I dont think it will bit of play.
I am sewing quite a lot of, as usual last minute presents, we have so little money this year, dairying is not much of a paying prospect at the moment, so I am back doing 'stuff' but it all takes longer than I think.
I will start making the cakes next week.
I shouldnt even be on the computer as I need to get back out there, to stuff an angel!!