This morning in Victor

I had a blood test this morning which means being in at 8 am with no breakfast. I do this about every 3 months.
John wanted the mail and I needed some things from the shops, some of which didnt open until 9 am so I went down to the beach near the Hindmarsh River opening to the sea and sat and sketched these groins which are rotting away. Had a walk and got a damp and sandy bottom. It was quite cool but very pleasant, the odd person walking a dog who obviously thought I was mad sitting with sketch and painting stuff on my knee.
Well I have made a Christmas (boiled fruit) cake and done some washing and am progressing with Millies first Christmas ornament, which is taking more time than I thought.
With awful fires on Kangaroo Island I am wondering what it will be like when we get over there next week.

Agaves at Aldinga Beach

John was going fishing with D'Arry today and as they were going off Aldinga Beach I went too and spent some of the time with a friend. I sketched these agaves on the cliff just near the boat launching area. I love the way they send their flower spikes up to the sky but dont like their spiky leaves. Some people call them century plants as they believe they only flower once a century but this is not correct.
A lovely day for the beach and the fellows came in with some lovely fish and a squid which we had for dinner tonight, crumbed with a salad.

From my sketchbook

I have been playing around with some faces, possibly for some new dolls I want to make.
Very very hot today, fires all over, I could smell the smoke when I went out to water the pots and put some water in the hanging pot for the willy wagtail family who are nesting in the tree close by.
I had a lunch to go to today, and John had one at another venue so it worked out reasonably well.
I am trying to find a cheap stamp album for my youngest grand son, I dont think people collect stamps any more, the toy shop and newsagent had nothing, the post office a bit but no albums. How odd, one of the best ways of learning where countries are.

Cliffs near Ardrossan

I love using these strong colours, our cliffs are sand or rock but these wonderful red ones blew me away.
Too busy for much today, boy will I be glad when all this Festive season is over.

Part of Paddy's garden

A very quick sketch yesterday with a bit of colour added today. I am not in the mood for doing anything that requires thought!
The build up for Christmas is getting worse with more and more things being thrown at both of us, I cant see that I will have everything done in time, but the Christmas cards are now done, one to mentally cross off the list.
Now to make a cake, and finish off some more decorations.

Henry the fifth

Damn damn damn, I have lost the first part of this post. I hate it when that happens.
Any way I noticed that this afternoon on ABC there was my most favorite film of all time Henry the Fifth with Laurence Olivier.
Well the new TV and probably digitally enhancing of the film made a huge difference. It always amazes me that when I see Shakespere he is so modern in his outlook.
When Henry was doing his bit at night wandering amongst his soldiers and worrying about the outcome, it really could be a modern leader doing the same thing (I wonder if Kevin Rudd has watched it and felt the same!!)
I really get quite emotional about that film, the loss of the boys, and the way the whole thing was done, starting in the Globe theater and then going into almost Breughel like backdrops in France.
So I had a wonderful time getting a lot of hand stitching done, John was away fishing and just me and Larry. My sister actually met him and his then wife Vivien Leigh when they came to Adelaide.
So a few quick scribbles to commemorate a wonderful film. I even found Robert Helpmann there as the Bishop of Ely. The music of the battle is quite magnificent.
I remember seeing it in the theatre, then on our awful small tv and it wasnt a patch on what I saw today.

Irises and strelizia

These Irises are nearly over in the garden and there have been a succession of strelizia flowers.
we have been cool but a bit humid down here, in the low 20's while Adelaide has been in the 30's all week, and we are only about 50 kms away. Amazing, and lovely for us.
I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas, I make a lot of my presents (jewelery for the girls) but there are never enough and as it gets closer I have more to do.
We went out to dinner for the Business Association Awards last night, it was a 60's theme so I hauled out my mothers old wrap around Marimekko skirt, it looked great although it didnt fit as well as it once did! The date on the skirt material was 1967.