Bliss Hill

Words Aren't Needed.

2012-01-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

This Was It!

2012-01-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

We watched Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' movie last night, showcasing the rehearsals for his huge London Show before he died in 2009.

I was blown away at the enormous talent he still displayed and the respectful kindness he showed to all performers and technicians.

The music was amazing, as always, and the dancing was inspired. I think his style is the most stirring of modern group dance. Perfect timing and rhythm and spectacular moves.

Apart from the shock of his dying suddenly, with a dark cloud over the means, I felt ashamed at not mourning his lost talent before last night, because it was still there.

They had booked 50 London shows, and were planning more when they sold out immediately, so the poor bugger must have been totally overwhelmed.

Orianthi Panagaris (pictured above with Michael) is an Adelaide born girl, who has played with major musicians on her climb to fame. Michael asked to meet with her, listened, and booked her that day. There is a lot of footage on the film with her playing her guitar with him. She looks so spectacular as well, with her striking face and long blonde hair.

She has since gone on to play with Alice Cooper on his tours, and has an album out, so is doing extremely well. She has some clips on You Tube, if anyone's interested.

What's the World Coming to?

2012-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

Outrage at the treatment of our Prime Minister in Canberra yesterday, and the sight of gleeful aboriginals waving her shoe around like a scalp will not further their cause at all. I'm not keen on Julia and her constant backtracking on her promises is making her very unpopular, but we don't treat our leaders like that.

The other thing that disgusted me yesterday is the new Pilot Frixion Pen advert on TV, where a man is supposedly reading his handwritten recipe and urinates into the mix instead of adding 'leeks'. Yuk! I was so pipped off, I have written to them. Will the ad make me rush out and buy their pens (?), nope, but I will remember its name. That's what they want, I suppose....

Australian to the Core.

2012-01-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Aaaahhh! Australia Day. Need I say more? Except we paraded up the Grand Ridge Rd with flag ($4.99 from Aldi) flapping proudly, getting lots of laughs and waves.

We copped out on a sausage sizzle early this morning because we were too lazy, and then watched Chips Rafferty and the Eureka Stockade (1949) at lunchtime. I never knew the full story before, but I haven't Wikied it yet to check the facts.

Mr Bliss is out polishing and fiddling with his brand new Harley and I'm chatting on the pooter and uploading a silly photo. Life is indeed good.....

Absolutely Fascinating.

2012-01-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

I was up early one morning recently and saw our resident grey thrush rolling around on an ant's nest.... really enjoying himself like he was having a dust bath. Curious, I wondered whatever he was up to, until I Googled it and discovered this:

... 'There are microbes everywhere that threaten our health and cause diseases. These microbes are a danger to other living creatures as well as human beings. Therefore these creatures, too, need to protect themselves just as we do. When living creatures are observed, we see that they use some methods to protect themselves against microbes. For instance, ants produce a kind of acidic substance that incapacitates microbes. They apply this acidic substance to their bodies and to the walls of their nest. In other words, they know that not only they themselves but also the nest they live in should be purified of microbes. Microbes disturb birds too, but birds do not have a system in their bodies to produce protective substances as ants do. Consequently birds have found a different but equally practical solution to this problem. They go to and lie upon an ant's nest, and wait for the ants to wander through their feathers. Ants that search for food stroll among the bird's feathers and the substance that kills the microbes is smeared on the bird's feathers as they do so. Thus, the bird is purified of microbes.'

How do you like that? love Google, and all the people who put interesting info for us to read and learn.

Discovery

2012-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

I was rattling through my studio preparing for my coming exhibition. I thought I might find something small that would go well in the show. People love to buy, but don't always want to buy BIG.

I found some that I had done and put away, thinking they didn't measure up. But it's funny how absence make the heart grow fonder; I really liked them, so they are off at the framer getting tarted up.

I really enjoy the scribbly layered effect, so will do more when this madness of a solo show passes.....

This Week's Favourite Pics

2012-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

An Adelie Penguin grooms a soft penguin toy as researchers and crew of the Aurora Australis get out onto the fast ice which the ship has settled into at Commonwealth Bay 20 kms from Mawson's Hut in Antarctica.

Easter Island Revelation.

I love Angels, and intend to do some watercolours of Angels from Cemeteries soon.

Magnificent Art!

Tired maybe?

Macro Shots

2012-01-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

I got a macro lens for my nearly new Canon Eos DSLR for Christmas. I have always loved taking close up photos, and used to push my past cameras to their limit to get as close to the miniscule world as possible.

But my new lens brings photography to a whole new level and I am discovering tiny creatures and details on plants I never new were there. It's a tiny world where everything is living their tiny little lives as best they can, and we know little about what's happening around us.

Macro lens have a very shallow depth of field, so things go in and out of focus within a few millimetres. Breathing in or swaying slightly can turn your carefully planned shot into mush. Using a tripod is something I haven't done yet, even though I have one, because a slight breeze can render that ineffective. I have trawled the net for possible solutions, but have decided the secret is to take lots of shots and hopefully one will turn out OK, which they have..

Bright iridescent sparkles on a beetle

The ethereal beauty of a common cabbage moth

A section of a budding head from a leek plant. reminds me of the egg pods in 'Alien'!

A spectacular thingie on a geranium stalk.

Kinda proud of this one - exactly right!

Tiny little fly on a hebe blossom

A tiny beetle in my Julia's Rose

My delicious raspberries

Wonderful Reception!

2012-01-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Some of my blogger mates have come back in and commented after 3 years! Wow! Thank you so much for wandering by occasionally.

Since my last vaguely meaningful post, I have had a knee replacement (motorcycle accident in '07), and settled my claim with TAC, who treated me very respectfully and didn't drag me into court. But I felt a bit lost for a while after it was all done.

I have only painted here and there since, but had a collection of 6 paintings that really hadn't been anywhere much, and I liked a lot. I decided to snap myself out of my comfort zone and plan another solo. The last one was in '07. So, I got back into the zone and have completed the series with another 5 largish oils and a few watercolours and my show is on Feb 5th (see invite below). 'Archies on the Creek' is a very posh Restaurant/Gallery at Archies Creek, near Kilcunda. They have quite an impressive group of bars, cafes and a top notch restaurant, and the gallery is tagged on as well.

I wondered whether I could pull together my followers after such a long time, but friends have really rallied and are bringing extras, so we should have a nice couple of hours.

I am looking forward to getting up and running again.

I have heaps more to tell. This year is going to be a wonderful one, but I'm not going to spill the beans on it all at once!

Solo Exhibition

2012-01-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Fresh Blogging on the way .... truly!

2012-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

I have really given myself a good talking to (finally) about letting a perfectly good blog stagnate for such a long time., so I have gone in and freshened the look of it up and reacquainted myself with the possible pleasures of having a functioning Blog and regular visitors who comment on your thoughts and images.

Blogging can be very time consuming, but rewarding in many ways, if only going in and following your history and thoughts over the preceding years.

I do have a stat counter on the bottom and was amazed this morning to check visitors and found there are still people coming in for a look.

So there! I am exhausted by all this adjusting templates and colours and fonts, so will go and have some lunch and a ponder on other things and be back as soon as my inspiration rekindles!

Back Again

2010-07-03T23:20:00.001-07:00

Well here I am after such a long time. It's funny how you get out of the habit, and time just flies by. I am going to try and get back into Blogger, because I've missed it and I do now have a litter of Standard Poodle pups as we speak. Lots of work and quite a few laughs at their antics. I don't have time now, but will attack the subject tomorrow when all is more peaceful.

Spammers

2009-12-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

I am feeling a little hot under the collar this morning. Chinese spammers have been stomping all over my nice blog, posting comment adverts, I assume. There was a list of notices in my email inbox 0f 40 plus this morning.

Although I haven't been posting for a while, I am still attached to what I have there, and feel really affronted by this pollution. Sadly, comments will now have to be moderated with word verification just to keep these pests out.

Portrait

2009-06-18T15:36:00.001-07:00

One of a series of poodle portrait commissions just completed.

Pastel on Board

Hard To Believe

2009-06-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

My floor sander did a terrific job, ripping off all the old paint and exposing clean sheets of chipboard underneath.

He was such a nice man and quoted me $600 for the entire job. I paid that 8 years ago, so although I felt it greatly overpriced then, today it semed pretty fair.

It was done by lunchtime, and I was very pleased. He had talked about charging me less, and did, knocking $200 off his quote, leaving me amazed at his kindness. He had brought up some clear acrylic finish and was going to sell it @ 5 litres for $30. He gave it to me!

Utterly amazing to find a tradesman who would do that. I would have paid the $630 without question. Makes your little heart sing..................

I have put a coat of undercoat/ sealer, two coats of deep plum/ burgundy and most of the second topcoat, moving my furniture back and forwards. Yesterday Mr Bliss put down some cement sheets and timber edging on the east door where the rain comes in sometimes, so I am doing the same there. My acrylic topcoat didn't last the whole distance so I rang my lovely man up and he said, "I'm going to be down at Knoxfield today and the suppliers are nearby, so I'll get you another 5 litres. Still the lovely man................

Nevertheless I will be pleased when it's all done and I can have my studio back.

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We needed a ram to service our 5 girs for this season and was offered an aging gentleman from my man's workmate.

We were a bit horrified when we went to pick him up, as he was an emaciated old fellow, but his owner swore he would be OK for a few girls, and would probably come back home to be ready for a bullet.

We called him Heffner after dear silly old Hugh, the playboy, and we did see him chatting up the gals after a couple of days, but we were not able to see him 'do the business'.

All he seemed to do was eat, so we hoped to see him put some weight on, but after a couple of weeks he still hadn't gained anything, and seemed to be even more bony.

On Saturday I heard Mr Bliss mumbling loudly to himself down in the paddock, and went down to see him trying to get old Heff to stand up. Poor old man did, but only just and was unable to walk. My man went into a spin and we tried to ring the owner, but no answer for that day or the next.

When things don't go the way they should, my man gets very unsettled, so I took the initiative and made the difficult decision to put him down. A couple of shots later, poor Hughey went to God, and was unceremoniously put into the ute to go to the burial place the family farm uses.

I think he just starved to death, with his teeth so worn he couldn't get at the grass, which would probably explain his constant eating. A couple of freezing frosty nights where he couldn't get warm just pushed him over the edge. Maybe having so many nubile women on call put too much pressure on his old body.

We don't know whether our gals still need the attentions of a younger boy, but they probably do. I'm a bit worn out on the subject. We don't have the room to buy a ram and keep him separate, so will rent one next season.

Hugh's previous owner seemed unfazed by his sudden demise............

New Beginning

2009-05-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

My studio floor is being sanded today. When it was built around eight years ago, the sander sold me some 'two pot' for the top coat. I had painted it a solid deep burgundy and then went to enormous trouble to stencil a design around the edges. It looked absolutely fabulous with a deep mirror finish.

Two weeks later the man who was installing an air conditioner dropped a wrench on it and left a huge flaw. Horror, real horror! Over the next months and years the top coat separated from the colour below and lifted off in sheets, leaving the floor a total eyesore.

I should have used polyerothane, which I knew would work.

So we will paint it over the next few days moving my enormous pile of gear backwards and forwards. I use it for my gallery, a bed sitter for guests and grandchildren as well as a creative haven from the outside stresses. I will actually feel like finishing the last few jobs on the building that have been hanging over my head for years.

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On wednesday we went into the city to see a barrister about my upcoming claim for compensation for my motorcycle accident. It is rather involved and I am glad to a have a guru solicitor who is steering me through it. I am using a 'No Win, No Fee' agreement which takes the pressure off somewhat. The barrister receves $2000 for creating this affidavit chronicling my accident, injuries and the effect it has had on me physically and mentally. He lodges it with TAC and then we go on from there.

He was a very nice man and put us both at ease.

A Litter Next Year

2009-04-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

My nearly three year old Standard Poodle bitch belongs half to me and half to her breeder. We are to share equally in any litters that she might have. Now, at three, we are having to think seriously about when and to whom she will conceive. The litter will be born here, which is a big job for Zara and I, as poodles have about 8 pups on average.

Kathy hasn't seen Zara for some time now, so on Saturday, I put her in the car and went to meet Kathy at a nearby dog show at Bunyip. She was showing the progeny from her last litter, a stunning white girl looking at her absolute best in her puppy clip. I stayed to watch her class and she got Reserve Challenge which pleased Kathy greatly.

She went over my happy little girl with a fine tooth comb and pronounced her to be constructed very nicely. I have to take her off to have her hips x-rayed to check for hip dysplasia, and a blood test for Von Willebrands, the doggie equivalent of hemophilia where the blood doesn't clot. The way my girl races around her yard shows me there's not too much wrong with the hips.

Kathy has a litter nearly due now and I am happy to leave it until her heat next year, so we're aiming for a winter litter. That cancels out the cold kennels in the shed. Where do I have enough room for a litter, I worried until today as I was out in the studio drawing with a friend. She suggested there, and wow! there is plenty of room out there and it can be heated. Worries over.

I have to take her to Sydney to meet her planned boyfriend, so we will take off for a few days and sightsee while she is being mated.

Regeneration

2009-03-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

I wish I had taken my camera so I would have photos to accompany this post.

Over the weekend Mr Bliss and I went for a drive out through the local areas affected by the recent bush fires. It was a real eye opener, with many houses spared but the surroundings burned right to the door.

Miles of fencing is gone but the farmers are working hard to get new posts and wire up. Many paddocks were stripped to the bare earth, but are now sporting a tinge of green after the recent rains.

Always amazing are the gum trees, which sprout shoots all the way up the trunk in order to get the tree functioning again. After it finally grows a new crown, these shoots all fall off when they are no longer needed.

Along the road sides, the bracken ferns' long green tendrils are reaching for the sky.

Nature is indeed a wonderful thing.

Not so wonderful are the stories of fence posts, laid out by farmers ready for 'planting' the next day, and stolen from the paddocks. Indeed, poor character will not improve in the face of such hardship. Thieves are thieves, and stay thieves, no matter how bad things get.

Did the Earth Move for you?

2009-03-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

We were sprawled comfortably in front of the giant TV watching 'Casino Royale' a few nights back, when the house shifted on it's footings, creaking and groaning. Then it began to shudder noisily, with things rattling busily in the cupboards.

The epicentre of this quake was in Korumburra, about a half an hour's drive away. We did have a smaller tremor a few months back, harking from the same place, but that was very light. At the time I wondered whether I had imagined that, but this one was 4.6 on the Richter Scale, and there was no mistake.

Will there be a bigger one at Korumburra? They must be wondering.

No Gratitude for our Hospitality

2009-02-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

This week we saw a young man on CCTV having his head kicked by Sudanese youths at a suburban railway station. We watch as he is shadowed by the three along a narrow corridor, how they spoke to him then shoved him down and aimed deliberately at his head. He tried to get up a couple of times, but they kicked him down again.

Apart from this shocking violence from the recipients of our refuge policies, there was more. A young couple stepped into the corridor, and walked quietly past, obviously nervous, but made no attempt to help. I am assuming that they told no-one, because after the men left, the injured man stumbled to his feet, bouncing backwards and forwards between the walls as he went to find help. No-one came, so I am assuming the couple did nothing. Good to know we all take care of each other.

I'm not sure but I think this man is still in hospital with 'serious head injuries'. Two of the three men have been arrested.

They have come from a place where violence is normal, and landing in 'safe' Australia, they form gangs and cause this sort of mayhem to peaceful Australians.

A Close Call

2009-02-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

Mr Bliss had a fright three days ago while he was messing around out in his shed. He stood on a rake which had the classic reaction of smashing up into his face. The rake was old and had a frayed pointy end on the handle. It knocked his glasses off his nose and whacked him in the eye, which made him turn the air blue with his cursing.

On examination, there was blood running out of his eye and the eyeball looked a bit scraped. He went off to the hospital to wait the interminable wait in casualty, and came home with drops and a patch on his eye.

He was very lucky that he didn't pop the eyeball, but he is recovering, and back to firefighting again today. Another check with a doctor yesterday showed it was healing well, so we can both breathe a sigh of relief.

Bye Old Dog

2009-02-17T21:13:00.000-08:00

My old poodle died yesterday, very suddenly, and presumably from a heart attack.

He spent most of his afternoons contentedly dozing on the front veranda, watching his two beloved gals playing or dozing around him. Every now and again he would stagger clumsily to his feet for a drink of water, as his kidneys have been dicey for a few years, wander round for a moment then settle with a heavy sigh back on his cushion. Dinner time is about 4.30, and he would stand hopefully peering through the door for his big bowl to be put in front of him. Another drink and some more time on that cushion until bedtime out in the doggie runs at 7pm.

I've just bought a new laptop and spent yesterday afternoon transfering piles of files from the old pooter to the new. He was not in the front of my brain, so when he didn't appear at the door looking for his bowlfull, I didn't think much of it and went looking for him, until I spotted him down by the gate.

He was lying quietly on his side, legs stretched out like he was asleep, but he wasn't. He must have gone for a wander and felt bad and just laid down and died.

His two lady friends came out with me and looked and sniffed at him, looked sadly at me and walked away. It's so simple in the animal world.

Mr Bliss (thanks for the name girls, I like it!) was away at the fires again, and wouldn't be back until dark, so I sent a trunk radio message out for him to ring me and come home ASAP for a burial.

He did and chose a nice spot down in the forest under the gum trees and buried him there.

But what a nice old dog, and for us, so lucky to have lived so long, as his history tried to undo him many times. He had a heart murmur, 2 separate snake bites, bloat (stomach twist needing surgery), and a cruciate ligament snapped at the rear. He lived through all of those and reached the venerable age of 15.

He had a gentle lovable nature and was known to nip his very favourite visitors in his pleasure at seeing them, so everyone knew to guard against his passion by holding his head away.

He visited oldies in the old folks' homes and we got quite famous making it onto the front page of the local newspaper, and reached Australian Champion in his show career before he came to me.

We'll miss you, old dog.............................

A Week on...........

2009-02-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

It's hard to describe what last Saturday was like a week after the event. I know my man had been working on the fire at Boolara and had gone out early to begin another day. The weather seemed pretty innocuous with bright sunshine and a coolish breeze. Forty six degrees was forecast, which seemed hard to believe.

Around lunchtime the heat began to kick in, and while the air conditioner did its job keeping the temperature down to 27C in the house, opening the door meant stepping out into a hot bath, with thick, super heated air. The wind whipped up into a frenzy. Small fires across on the northern ranges began sending up thick columns of smoke and creeping across the hills. Phone calls from my firefighter sounded very worried as things rapidly spiraled out of control. They were pulled off the fire line for the bulk of the day as it was deemed too dangerous.

Radio and television told of houses burning and people dying, or having near misses. Images of burnt out cars that had crashed into each other in the thick smoke showed the horror that must have been.

The newspapers have been full of it all week, with photos of those that died, families and heroes. A seventeen year old boy took his camera and filmed while his parents rushed around trying to save their house.

A dehydrated wild koala with burned paws was filmed as he drank from a fireman's bottle, trusting and desperate.

Cities grew on football ovals as thousands, who had no place to go, moved into army tents.

One hundred and eighty one people have died at last count, and many more are in hospital with burns.

Australia began to donate to a Red Cross fund for the survivors which now totals over $81,000,000. The Australian Cricket team and Shane Warne visited the oval and plays cricket with the kids, and a telethon with many of Australian elite performers were on board.

In the middle of all this excitement, my man gets up at 5.30 am and leaves at 6 to start at 7, and works on the fire line all day to return home at 9 or 10 pm. He arrives with blackened face and clothes, smelling of soot, happy to be home and safe for another day. The DSE firemen do not figure much on the TV, as they are usually working hard in the forest away from the cameras, but he's my hero.

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I spent a couple of days in hospital this week to have my knee manipulated under anesthetic and am hoping to get a better result once the pain and swelling subsides.

Bad Weather

2009-02-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well, we had the longest hot spell on record in Victoria last week. In my mathematics 45C turns into 112F, which is hot. The air con that we bought the winter before last kept me at a cool 27 inside, but that was so I could watch as my garden just frizzled away. There is now enormous damage everywhere I look, but it's too early to trim all the burnt bits off. They will have to wait until autumn, just in case we get more.

Anticipating some summer heat, the week before I pressed my man into building me a shade cloth sail to stretch out over the veggie garden and that is not so destroyed. Instead that was ruined by my feeding the plants blood and bone and Dynamic Lifter the month before, not knowing he had mixed in super phosphate to throw all on the paddocks. That literally burned holes in the leaves and annihilating some all together. This year's veggies are struggling now. The zucchinis, which are usually producing more that I need are just a few sprouting husks.

Time to let go.

By the end of the heat our first deliberately lit forest fire took off up the line near Mirboo North, so my man was called away to help. He has been delivering fuel to the dozer drivers carving out containment lines around it and has been gone for four days, back tonight for a rest, then probably off again.

Twenty nine homes were lost, so the police are very keen to find the fire bug. I have often remarked that it would be good to put him into old fashioned stocks in the middle of the town affected and let the townspeople deal with him. Public humiliation seems like a good tool to me.

Yesterday we had a cool front move up from the west, bringing with it lightning strikes but no rain, which has started 29 new spot fires. No wind yet which can fan them into major problems.

Our summer is usually very focused on what fires are where, as my man comes and goes with the flow.

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Needing some human contact, rather that up here talking to the poodles for days on end, I took myself off to see 'Gran Torino', produced, directed and acted by Clint Eastwood. He's a 78 year old wrinkly now, and there is talk that this will be his last movie, but this one was a good one. He plays a dried up, grumpy old bloke who fought in the Korean War, so doesn't like Asians, and he has a whole household of them next door. Political correctness goes out the window as he calls up every unsavoury term he can think of to describe them.

He does the grumpy really well, and there are flashes of 'Dirty Harry' and other classics from his past. I enjoyed it. I heard him interviewed about it a few weeks back, and he is such a cool guy.

Sorry..............

2009-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

My apologies to my lovely blog pals, as I haven't written much for a while. I am in a bit of limbo right now, waiting for more recovery on my knee, then the expected battle for compensation with the TAC (Transport Accident Commission). I was warned by a doctor recently that they are just another insurance company who will stop at nothing to pay out as little as possible. Bring it on, I say!

I have to wait until my injuries are 'stable', which will be a little while yet.

My new knee is truly brilliant and causes me very little discomfort. But it does not bend enough for normal range of movement and activities, so will probably need some in-theatre manipulation under anesthetic. I will know more after the fourth of Feb.

I'm sure once the smell of the battle to come gets into my nostrils, I will feel better.................

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Apart from that, last Wednesday I put myself onto the famous Atkins Diet, and have lost 2 kgs already. Renowned for fast weight loss, it is very rigid and allow NO carbs, NO sugar, NO wine (boo hoo!) and NO fruit. This causes your body to go into 'ketosis' where it burns fat, not sugar and carbs. If you don't eat the carbs your body can't use them. My two daughters are on it and one has lost 7kgs in about 3 weeks and the other lost 3 kg in a week. We are having fun just geeing each other up when we falter.

I was becoming far too 'plump' for my liking and have already lost 12kg just being very careful since last July, but this was too tempting. Speeding up the losing process, then going back to my careful eating is my plan when I'm there.

Snakes Again

2009-01-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

We had our summer confrontation with our local tiger snakes last weekend and fortunately the dogs were not involved for a change.

My man was happily browsing through his considerable piles of stuff in his shed. He moved his mower, and there it was - a metre long tiger! I heard muffled 'f' words coming from the depths and no answer to my query but more of the same.

Sadly his accumulation of things in his cave gave the snake ample opportunity for escape, so it lives on, hopefully in harmony with the noisy male part-time resident, my fella.

The dogs' kennels are built into the rear of the shed with openings to the outside and a concreted run. All the snake had to do was slither under one of the internal doors and he could have happy 'hissy' chats with the poodles. They're not very forgiving with snakes as two snake bites so far have proved, so we blocked that exit with wood nailed to the ground to close the gap under each doorway. A snake now has to come out the front and go round to the run and get in that way.

He's probably been living there for months, we just hadn't met until now. I've sprayed the snake repellent everywhere, so hopefully that will send it into a spin and it may leave.

We can only hope, and in the meantime the other 'cave dweller' had better wear boots and long pants.

Taking Time Out

2008-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

Santa seen on a back road getting some relaxation before the big day............

Driving While Drugged

2008-12-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been a drug filled haze, where I have done my stretches, had a doze, done more stretches and then dozed some more, waiting for my miraculous recovery to come about.

Last week gave me a rude awakening.

I had to have a blood test which required fasting, and also 20 minutes with the physio.

On the way down the hill into town, I told myself I was a bit hazy, feeling I was on the edge of doing the dreaded 'micro-sleeps'; just zoning in and out. Quite scary, so I put the radio on loud and the air con and made it safely for physio. An hour and half later, where I semi dozed waiting for my blood test, I got back in the car to go home.

To cut a long story short, I drove into a roundabout with out looking, not remembering how I got there. I was startled into reality by the furious blasting of horns by a large van which nearly t-boned me. Wooooo! That shot me some adrenaline and freshened me up enough to make it home in one piece.

The drugs I was on certainly helped with the extreme pain, but now I have weaned myself off so I can drive safely.

Tiny Foal

2008-12-07T18:59:00.001-08:00

Photo of a teensy tiny foal I grabbed from a newspaper a few weeks back.
Sooooo cute!

Three Weeks Past a Knee Replacement

2008-12-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, most of the excitement is now over, the worst of the pain is done, and I can actually put my knee under my pooter desk for a time.

They were right, it is an excruciating operation and the level of medication needs to be kept nice and high. I do have trouble getting comfortable in bed, and am still fighting a losing battle to get that blasted supporting pillow out from under my knee.

The hospital and nurses were exceptional and my surgeon was a delight to work with.

I did have a truly horrifying moment when I woke up and everything below my waist was dead; just couldn't feel a thing. I recalled I had a spinal anesthetic before going under, and it took about 4 hours to wear off after waking. The panic was huge, and I experienced the desperate need to move that spinal injury patients must have when they are trying to feel anything. Fortunately mine wore off.

I was lucky to be in with a pleasant woman who had exactly the same op as me, except she was number one on our surgeon's list. She was a policewoman who lived alone, and a little eccentric. We got on well all week, though she was a little prone to grumpiness at times, but none was directed at me.

We were out of bed on the second day and walking and showering on the third. Marvelous!!!

Six days later, I was out and home, and being fluffed over by my lovely man. Now three weeks today and although the knee could be bending a bit more, I am walking short distances without crutches and even driving the car, as it's an automatic. I actually went quietly around the supermarket yesterday without crutches, and it was great!

Now it's just physio to increase that bend and strengthen the supporting muscles. If I don't get a good result by the end of this month, I will be put back under anesthetic and the scar tissue will be broken up by manipulation. A good reason to work hard.

Slimy People

2008-11-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

I though I had a buyer for my motorcycle after running it through eBay a couple of times. During the second 10 days, I had 18 watchers, which is a lot, but none of them translated into buyers. After the auction ended, I was contacted by one who expressed interest. A few emails back and forth ensued where I described the bike in detail and gave him my firm price of $18,900.

He asked for photos, so I got it out of the shed, rinsed the dust off it, gave it a polish and took a bunch. The photos were duly sent of into cyberspace.

He finally rang, all sugar and super cool, which got my hackles up straight away.

To cut a long story short, he pretended he had lots of bikes he was looking at and wasn't sure which one was mine. He never bought anything new; he was a car dealer and ran 14 - 15 cars through his books weekly (liar!), and on and on......... He was so transparent.

Then he said he would only be interested in mine if he could get it for $14,000 - $15,000. "It's not going to happen," I said. It has been valued at $21,500 by experts.

I don't think I would buy a car from this man.

Back to the drawing board. The financial meltdown is taking it's toll. Maybe I'll just put it back in the shed until it's over.

Slithering Tales

2008-10-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was gardening down in my studio garden this morning and the poodles were playing in the house yard. All of a sudden I saw Lily jump backwards and give her 'snake bark', the sound that always makes my blood run cold.

Having the old poodle Connor with two deadly snake bites during his life, I am very worried about hunter Lily, who often cruises round the yard, nose down, ready to take on anything that might rear its head.

I saw the grey slither as I hobbled up the stairs, calling them all inside. Then I got the 'killing hoe' and went to do battle.

Thankfully it was only a blue tongue lizard, very angry at being flushed out of his morning wanderings. He was full grown; about 15 inches long, and didn't want to be caught, but I carried him out of the yard and let him go amongst the gum trees, very relieved he had legs.

This is a rough photo of my first iris for the year, but I am very pleased to have their handsome colours and shapes in the garden.

Grief for a Tiny Child Lost

2008-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

My daughter and her partner have been grief stricken after losing her 20 week old foetus/baby.

Apart from being blown away by her maturity, passion and depth of grief, I was impressed by the richness of the process they have chosen to say goodbye to the little one.

They have collected a photo of his tiny hand, a set of hand and foot prints, and the clothes he was dressed in after birth and taken it to our favorite framer to put together in a box frame.

They also sang a song for him to the family on Sunday. His older brother made a clay model of his little brother's initial 'Z' (for Zander). They chose a beautiful place for him in the nearby State Forest and buried his ashes and the 'Z' near the junction of two rivers.

While it still hurts like crazy, they have woven together a rich tapestry of thoughts and memories so his tiny presence will last their lifetime.

I found this lovely poem online that says it all.

"These are my footprints,
so perfect and so small.
These tiny footprints
never touched the ground at all.
Not one tiny footprint,
for now I have wings.
These tiny footprints were meant
for other things.
You will hear my tiny footprints,
in the patter of the rain.
Gentle drops like angel's tears,
of joy and not from pain.
You will see my tiny footprints,
in each butterfly's lazy dance.
I'll let you know I'm with you,
if you just give me the chance.
You will see my tiny footprints,
in the rustle of the leaves.
I will whisper names into the wind,
and call each one that grieves.
Most of all, these tiny footprints,
are found on Mummy and Daddy's hearts.
'Cause even though I'm gone now,
We'll never truly part."

**********************************

Blog pal ann penned a small Poem for him.......

"Precious Zander
New to earth and
New to sky"

...... I like that.

This Week

2008-10-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

My man is away all week working at chasing locusts near Shepparton. The little hoppers are hatching out all over the state, and after a year of little rain and grass everyone is panicking.

Our lambies are doing well.

My daughter lost her baby at 20 weeks ..... live at birth and then not...................

His tiny ashes are being scattered next Sunday. It's amazing how you miss someone you never even met.

My sister Pam died 19 years ago from breast cancer. Another year past.

I got into my beehive yesterday and put another story on top of the other two. I have lost courage in handling them since my accident (and with other things as well), so it took a quantum leap for me to open the box. Last time I went in, I hurried too much and they attacked me big time, leaving hundreds of bee stings pumping venom into my protective clothing. It takes time to get over such fury. A beekeeper told me afterwards to administer the smoke 'with precision', lifting the lid and a couple of puffs inside, then close it down again, and a puff or two at the front door. They all rush down to gobble honey, thinking a bush fire is nearby, and that makes them a bit sluggish. Then you go in................

They were busy with their own lives and scarcely worried about my peering inside. I should have pulled all the frames out and checked for signs of swarming, but I will do that next week. Hopefully lots of room will dissuade them. I have left two empty hives set up nearby, so I am hoping they might choose to just move next door.

I remember seeing a swarm here years ago, with a giant 'beard' of bees hanging on a tree. They are supposed to be at their most benign while swarming, and can easily be dropped into an empty hive box. Maybe it's viewing the drones and queen 'having it off' that calms them.

Babies Coming and Going.

2008-09-30T15:39:00.001-07:00

I got up yesterday at 6am to check our ewes and discovered that one had what looked like a big red ball protruding from her rear. Deciding this was out of the realms of our limited experience, I rang a local vet who came up to see her.

She had a vaginal prolapse and two lambs stuck in behind a barely dilated cervix, neither were in a good position to come out normally.

He managed to get the prolapse back in and after an hour of manipulating, got both lambs out. Both were very stressed with the lengthy process, but I revived one, and lost the other. Next time I will do mouth to mouth as it struggled to breathe but was blocked up somewhere.

Mum was stitched up to hold all together and I put the surviving baby back with it. She showed only slight interest in it, even though I had plonked the little thing in front of her nose and she sort of licked it after it was born.

Cutting a long story short, she doesn't want to know, even after a night together in a confined nursery, so I now have a new responsibility ..... Little Timmy (after the vet). He was feeding first from a syringe and my finger to get him sucking, but today he has graduated to a bottle.

Baaaaa....

The poodles would love to have a lamb dinner so now must be segregated. I am thinking maybe a couple more orphaned babies for company, so I am asking around.

I can only get this loud, busy little boy to sleep if I drop a towel over his head, otherwise he follows me round baaing.

In the meantime we have two sets of twin from other gals. One more ewe to go.

***************************

New knee on 12th November, which is great as I will get the babies up and running by then.

Busy, Busy.........

2008-09-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

So much is happening right now, my head is spinning somewhat.

My TAC approval for my knee replacement has finally arrived, which is a great relief, so I will be into that soon. Two months of patient, polite pushing and coaxing the bureaucracy has paid off at last.

Our first lamb for this season arrived the other night and was stillborn. Very disappointing. As my man says, "You've got livestock, you've got dead stock!" We're watching the other four gals very closely now.

My daughter was 20 weeks pregnant last week, and went for her Ultrasound to check the baby's sex and well being. It was noted that her amniotic fluid was very low, so she went to a high res ultrasound elsewhere, and discovered the poor little bubs has no kidneys. Potter's Syndrome, it's called.

She's in labour today, so we have a very sad time ahead of us.

The Time Warp Meets 'Old Timers Disease'

2008-09-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

When I heard the 'Rocky Horror Show' was coming to Melbourne this September, I went straight online a couple of months ago and booked tickets for our 12th anniversary (20th). I received the tickets in the mail soon after, checked the date quickly, put them back in their envelope, and thought nothing more about them.

We decided to make a trip of it and booked into our favourite B & B in East Melbourne for the night before, then planned a morning wander around The Queen Victoria Market, Eckersleys Art Supplies and Peter Stevens Harley Davidson.

Everything went like clockwork, although it rained at the market, and Melbourne Eckersleys was closed, necessitating a trip to the nearby Prahran shop, for my big spend up.

The Harley Dealership was choked with bikes, but didn't have the model my man is interested in, though he enjoyed seeing them. I'm sorta over bikes, as I am still chewing over whether to sell mine or keep it.

We went to Subway across from the Comedy Theatre for a lunchtime salad roll, and I got the tickets out of their envelope, checking them for the planned 2 o'clock matinee. I was horrified to read that they were for the 8pm evening show! How would we entertain ourselves for all that time, with my bad knee crunching away, and the car already safely parked in an underground car park? I must have messed up in the online booking process..................

We stared at each other with horror, then I remembered that Tickitek had an office only a few doors away. We called in there for advice and she directed us to the theatre booking at the Comedy. That done, we came out with exchange tickets for the 4pm (not 2!) matinee, so we only had a couple of hours to kill. A good result and soooo relieved.

We wandered down to the State Library, which I had never been into. A group of young men had a 'boom boom' music machine, and they were practicing their dance moves out the front, which was really entertaining. We went inside and marveled at the reading dome ......

.... and the huge computer room with mostly Chinese students flogging away. There were a couple of exhibitions going, displaying ancient books from the 14th century onwards. Ned Kelly's armour was in a glass case, and a recorded video about each section explaining how it was made and whose bullet holes were where.

His death mask was also there, and he looked very peaceful, considering being hung is probably not a pleasant experience.

The Rocky Horror Show was as good as it could possibly be, with great sets, costumes, music, cast, dancing .... you name it, it was all there in spades.

The only draw back was the narrator', Derryn Hinch, a dreary old has-been that a large percentage of the Australian public is over. He was wooden and dull, even though he appeared in the obligatory fish net stocking and red high heels at the end, I still couldn't laugh at him.

But that aside, I would recommend the show wholeheartedly.

'All Melbourne'd out', we high-tailed it for home, looking forward to our little slice of heaven once more.

Gargoyle Take Over.

2008-09-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a gargoyle for years, and finally found one I could afford and actually liked. He was squatting menacingly in a foolish row of concrete creatures, and told me to buy him immediately, 'or else'.

I did as he asked.

Now I need to construct a suitable throne for him, while he takes over the family.

Sounds like a movie...............

Fighting Nature and Letting Go......

2008-09-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

It seems like I am fighting a battle with my favourite friends, the wildlife who enjoy our patch of land.

Last week, I hit a new low, with disasters happening all around.

The glorious Crimson Rosellas I feed during winter on my studio deck decided to polish off all the blossoms on my small apricot tree. Gone! In a day.........

Next, they hooked into all my collection of geranium cuttings I struck before winter. The plants were sitting, fat and healthy, in their pots ready to go into the garden...... all nipped off to dirt level and eaten. I have discovered that hanging shiny things on the plants makes no difference at all, maybe it even attracts them!

Lime green leaved geraniums were planted out behind the studio to catch the hot summer sun have all gone.

I have a third year almond tree that produced a small crop last season. This is about to come into full bloom and they will eat that as well. I got all my old tinsel out and strung it up on the tree hoping to dissuade them. That was last week and I haven't plucked up the courage to look there. Next will be the two cherry trees.

Early Christmas

The rabbits ate the tops off all last years petunias I had clipped back and were budding up big time. Gone! The rabbits usually eat all the rose shoots, but I have beaten them this year by spreading dog poo around them, so I still have them. Fuschias and self seeded tiny plants, all gone. For once I want my dogs to pump out more poop, because I need it for a change. It makes the garden look a bit rough, but one the spring spurt is over they leave it alone.

The dogs have found and killed a nest full of baby birds, Zara swallowing one down in front of me like an oyster. They are confined to the house yard and I hope each year that our hunters won't find low lying nests, but they always get one. The bereaved parents might get smart enough to put their next nest either higher or outside the yard.

The swallows have been banned from the dog kennel rooms, because they build a nest over the bedding and poop on the dogs while they sleep. We have hung curtains at the door ways, so they can't fly in and out. They are now building one above the door under the veranda. I'll have to keep scrubbing the concrete of the run, but that's OK, I can live with that.

Lily surveying her territory

I spent a panic stricken day worrying about it all, and had to do some serious self talk to arrive at just letting go. If we don't succeed with our fruit tress, so be it. I won't plant geraniums or petunias, and will stick to pelargoniums (if they leave them alone!). I suppose I could net the trees and may do next year.

Fighting nature is the past time of losers; it wins all the time.

*******************************************************************************
But, it's not all bad! Spring has sprung...............

Diet With a Purpose

2008-09-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

I had a final visit last July to my original orthopedic surgeon. In his rude, arrogant way, he ventured that I should lose some weight. When I replied that I found it difficult because of medication I was on, he sneered, "Anyone can lose weight if they really want to!"

I slunk home, hating him for his lack of diplomacy as he was one of those tall, string bean sort of men, and wouldn't know what it was like to watch his calories.

But, after a few days, I did have a bit of an epiphany, standing in front of the mirror and hating yet again the way those spare kilos sneak on. I decided I would try, as doing without the 'naughty food' would probably be less damaging than disliking the way I was beginning to look.

Eight weeks later, I have lost eight kilograms and am determined to keep going.

We had a huge collection of delicious food on family Father's Day, and I didn't pick at anything, and barely missed it.

In a fit of enthusiasm a few years back, I bought the 'CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet' book, scanned through and put it aside. I wasn't ready for it then, but this book has given me a framework to build on. Even though the daily regimen seems a bit harsh, I have modified and blurred the boundaries somewhat and it is still working.

I make a large pot of vegetable soup maybe twice a week, which is delicious and filling.

2 cans of tomatoes
1/3 bunch of celery, with leaves included.
a large chunk of pumpkin
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 dsp stock powder or fresh chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Bring to boil and simmer until soft, then hit it with a stick blender until smoothish.

We have this most lunchtimes with 2 slices of dry toast for dipping. I am still not sick of having this soup.

The CSIRO diet advocates 300gms of meat each day, broken into 100gms chicken, eggs or fish for lunch, and 200gms for dinner. I don't always manage this, but sometimes stuff down 2 boiled eggs at lunch.

Two units of fruit, porridge with a sprinkle of sultanas in the morning, any amount of veggies (not the starchy or oily ones). Dairy foods are mostly homemade low fat yoghurt or a little cheese. We also have a half cup of nuts and dried fruit for nibbles, should we feel the need, at night.

No fat, no sugar, and only low GI carbs (wholemeal pasta, bread, brown rice). Breakouts are allowed, so long as they are not too often. I climb off the wagon for a smidgeon of something bad, then climb straight back on again. The scales don't register the odd breakout.

The diet says only 2 glasses of wine per week, but I'm not giving up the grog, and have a glass each night, sometimes more.

I weigh myself at the same time each day, to monitor my progress and for discipline if I feel I had pushed my boundaries the day before. Knowing I am holding that weight or losing keeps me strong. I am actually finding it really positive and fun!

It's working, and after losing eight kgs, I feel much more comfortable and in control of my body. I want to lose another 12 kgs and then I will be happy. My doctors tell me my knee replacement will recover better, the lighter I am, so that's plenty of incentive. And, I haven't thrown out my favourite clothes that haven't fitted for a while.

Doggy Portrait

2008-09-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

Recent pastel commission for a coming 60th birthday.

She looks lovely all framed up.

Just Wandering By............

2008-08-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been gone from for a time as I've been a bit focussed on other things. Sometimes you just need a mental change of scene.

At the beginning of July, I was mentally brutalised by my orthopedic surgeon yet again and made to feel six inches tall. My hand still won't form a fist and is making alarming cracking noises when rolled around. Looks like it's a bit stuffed long term, but I am going to a top hand specialist this Wednesday for a second opinion. The nasty man expressed his disappointment at it's condition and ventured that I hadn't pursued physio for long enough. Not true.

He also gave me the wonderful experience of a cortisone injection into the rapidly failing knee joint, and yes, it's true they hurt. Then he sent me away with my tail between my legs to become totally crippled with bone on bone and no cartilage.

So I rebelled and went to the Melbourne Orthopedic Group, the cutting edge specialists in the city, to the knee man. He was lovely and treated me like a real person, not some pathetic husk that pays for his holidays.

We now have a knee replacement planned as soon as the cortisone that was brutally administered into my knee has worn off. Apparently it can compromise the immunity of that area, leaving it more open to infection.

TAC has to approve the surgery, which hopefully, won't be a problem.

So September should be the date. A new knee! How exciting! I'll be resting up a bit for a while afterwards, so might catch up on my blog.

Can You Feel Your Brain Shrinking?

2008-07-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

"THE brain shrinks faster if it is not stimulated, Australian researchers say.

Brain scans have revealed that people who do not engage in complex mental activity over their lifetime have twice the shrinkage in a key part of the brain in old age."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24016992-5005961,00.html

For many years now, if I was around something/one particularly stupid, I would say, "I can feel my brain shrinking!"

Now I have proof!

Red In The Morning

2008-07-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the beauty of a sunrise just takes your breath away...................

.... and that intense orange light in the late afternoon, here for a few minutes, then gone as the sun drops.

Toys on Canvas

2008-07-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to enjoy painting collections of stuff, and spotted some work on the internet where piled toys were the subject.

Having a nine year old grandson and a fifteen month old one, I took some photos, bought them home and did one.

That was so much fun, so I am working on my second, more grown up one.

This is just the under-painting, as I want it to be warmer and have more texture. It'll need a bit more drying time, so I'll find something else to get going. I have two largish commissions to do, one portrait of a dog for a soon-to-be 60 years old, and a pencil to two small boys, but the weather is so overwhelmingly cold this week, I'll wait for the mood to lift a little.

Keep Me Away From Sharp Objects

2008-07-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

.....or that's what my man says.

I have a big laser printer I paid $2000 for about 6 years ago. Thanks to China, nowadays you can get them as easily and almost as cheaply as an ink jet.

The toner replacements for mine are a huge rip-off at about $145 full price, and eBay a bit cheaper, but still expensive. On eBay they also offer toner refills, so I ordered one of each colour at a total of $114. Good value I thought. It arrived with four bottles, new cartridge caps, instructions and a wipe for any spilled toner powder.

Although the old cartridges had caps that needed 'gouging' out, which was quite difficult, I managed to fill two successfully and reset the sections that tells the printer it is out of ink to it now has a new one.

I felt suitably chuffed and relieved at my success and set to on the third bottle of magenta. The cap is a sealed unit and needs cutting off, so the Stanley knife was hacking away at the tip, did that and thought all that left over energy should be directed at ME. It sliced straight into the back my wrist (yes, my damaged one!), pouring great slops of blood over the table and collection of ink filling equipment.

The blood didn't want to stop once I ascertained I had really done some damage, so my cyan and yellow stained rag was held down hard as I ran to the phone to call my man (who turned out to be miles away), then my neighbour (who wasn't answering). The phone had to be knocked off with my elbow and dialed with great difficulty.

Nobody could help, so I thought better drive myself down to the hospital. Down on my knees in the medicine cabinet, I found some elastic bandage and took the pressure off the cut to wrap it tightly enough to transport. Heaps more blood but the job was done.

After a one-handed drive down the the hospital 15 minutes away, then a five minute wait in casualty, I found myself ready to be stitched up by a charming male medic and a trainee-doctor young girl. She was clearly out of her depth, but they must have spotted me as someone who would co-operate on a stitching lesson. We all worked in a friendly huddle as he asked her questions and schooled her through the process. We learned how to tie off stitches, and she learned how not to lose the thread ends (which she had), and how to administer local anesthesia.

She apologised a lot for her fumbling; he was marvelously patient, and I really enjoyed what could have been an unpleasant process.

So, now stitched and strapped up, the cut is in a place that doesn't require too much movement. Eight days from yesterday, I will take the stitches out myself and take more care with my Stanley knife. And yes, I have just refilled the magenta with no problems.

If you want refills, try www.tonerstop.com.au. I am delighted.

Clearly Gone

2008-07-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

A friend and ex-work mate's wife died last Tuesday and her funeral is tomorrow. She had pancreatic cancer and took maybe a year for it to overwhelm her.

At seventy-ish Lorraine was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. She had a reputation for sitting on the same chair most of the day, and was notoriously stingy handing out the bikkies when my man would call in to give her husband a hand lifting something.

She once told me she had had 'a headache for twenty years'.

He is the most active of men, working on seed collecting from the mountain eucalypts for the Government, watering plants at the local hardware, walking to and opening and shutting the local cemetery gates, and busy with the Lions Club.

He is bright, cheery and nice looking for his seventy three years. I expect the widows will be lining up to snare him once a suitable mourning period is over.

BUT, the reason for this post is a mutual, very funny friend rang up last night and said in the tune of the song.... "David can see clearly now, Lorraine is gone".

Get it? I did, and laughed like crazy.

Gettin' There

2008-07-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Old Age, I decided, is a gift........... (this came in via my emails this week, and I liked it)

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set .

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so ma ny have died before their hair could turn silver

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

For Sale: Harley Davidson FXDX Superglide Sport

2008-06-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

~ 2002 Model, black, 57,000 easy kms. Reg until 15th May 09.
~ Owned and loved by lady since new.
~ Regularly serviced/ goes very well.
~ Extras - slash cut pipes, HD derby cover, Kuryakin horn cover, chrome battery cover, black pack rack.
~ We took a tumble last September and this bike was expertly restored by the now late Robbie Hermans. Mostly new front end.

A beautiful motorcycle which will be reluctantly sold only because of physical injuries sustained.

$21,500 O.N.O

Holiday Snaps

2008-05-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

(Did you know that the Australian shield above figures the emu and the kangaroo because neither animal can step backwards, and neither should the country?)

Our week away went like clockwork. We saw most of what we planned, the weather was great, and the four of us got on like a house on fire.

We nick off for a few days each year with two long term pals and each trip has been successful.

Our first day was to Cooma via Cann River and Bombala. Leaving the lush green of West Gippsland, we travelled through the less fertile flats east towards the border. I had always mumbled about the seemingly interminable eucalypt forests from Bruthen through to the NSW border until I rode through them on the Harley. On a bike, it's enormous fun.

Back in the 'family truckster' (Ford wagon), my eyes glazed over once again as thousands of the buggers rushed by, entertained by Jill laughing at my man's recycled jokes. Even Ralphie in the back snoozed contentedly to while away the time.

As you veer off the coast road onto the Monaro Highway towards Bombala, the land changes again, with cosy valleys and pine plantations, then the road begins to climb up towards the highlands. The country becomes rocky and the gum trees get the curly stunted shapes from poor nutrition, lack of water and cold nights. I love this area. The land has a rawness and honesty, and its people have to be more courageous and determined to eke out a living from this unforgiving place.

This beautiful painting by William Delafield Cook inspires me to paint this area. Although this is of Euroa, north of Melbourne, the feeling is the same.

I get really inspired to take lots of photos and have a go at these wonderful craggy hillocks, but having a bunch of reprobates in the car made me put it off yet again.

Onwards and upwards to the treeless plains, brown after yet another dry summer and little autumn rain. The dreaded weed serrated tussock has taken a hold on much of this enormous expanse of marginal grazing land, filling the paddocks with the unpalatable grass that balls up in the bellies of grazing animals and stays there. My man works for the DPI, and this horrific weed is slowly working its way into Gippsland via the fleeces of sheep, hay and machinery. Viewing it at its worst in this magnificent landscape makes it very frightening.

We have ridden these highlands a few times on the bikes, and the fabulous road snaking far into the distance makes your blood rise with excitement. Many a biker has been booked for speeding hooning at 150kph and more, and the cops hang out there all the time.

Most of this land is sheep grazing, but each time we see it, we wonder how they survive. Our sheep are in heaven in comparison.

Showing off to our travel mates, we insisted we stop at Nimmitabel, where there is a delicious bakery with a life size concrete elephant next door. The owners were so passionate about all things Thailand, they bought this huge 'garden ornament', put it into a container and shipped it home. It seems like the strangest thing to have in the courtyard of a remote Australian Cafe, but there it stands for all to marvel at.

My man applied his usual twisted humour foisted on innocent girls behind the bakery counter, and asked for a 'snot block'. The hapless girl's face dropped with confusion, and he, in his best stage manner, explained it was a vanilla slice (custard sandwiched between puff pastry, and vanilla icing on top...... very good!).

We wandered up to the Leather shop to peer at the biker jackets, belts, saddles and assorted leathery thingies. Ralph and I were confused about the fly swatter, which turned out to be a complete cow tail with long tassels of hair.

Our first night was in Cooma at the Sovereign Inn Motel. The owners were the salt of the earth types, friendly and helpful, with a budgie that barked like a dog. The rooms were beautiful and cheap. A celebratory glass of champagne, a very ordinary dinner at the local pub, cooked by a girl that liked to laugh, and we collapsed into bed.

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The next morning we decided to get onto the road early and find a cafe for breakfast, rather than challenge the motel's cooking skills for something that might not satisfy. On the bikes, we loved get out and ride, then stop somewhere and have a really good feed.

Mistake! We got back onto the Monaro Highway towards Canberra and passed numerous underpopulated small towns, and nowhere open to supply us with our egg and bacon roll and cappuccinos. I took lots of snaps and short films out the window of the car, and found the views breathtaking. Such sparse countryside, deserted and beautiful.

As we came towards the outskirts of Canberra, the land softened and became more welcoming, the autumn poplars lined the Highway, and we could see the suburbs ahead.

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We might have looked like country hicks as we cruised wide-eyed along Canberra Avenue towards the town centre. It is such a beautiful place, with all the ugly shops and industrial areas hidden away from visitors, just wide, tree lined avenues running into wide circles the closer to the centre you get.

Tummies still rumbling with no breakfast, we finally stopped in a posh shopping area, and ordered a heap of food. The sun was out, the trees with bright autumn colours lined the streets, and we couldn't have asked for better.

Appetites sated, we resumed our travels and ended up as you always do in Canberra, at Parliament House. My man and I had visited only a couple of years before, but our companions hadn't for quite a while.

It's not hard to marvel at this beautiful building, completed in 1988 at the cost of AU$1.5 billion. I remember watching it's construction on the TV, with its huge excavations and spectacular design. It is still as stunning to this day. Our Australian hearts always swell when we make our pilgrimage to the capital.

The eighty metre spire soaring over the building

The Entry foyer built out of Italian marble and all Australian timbers. The local marble was apparently too porous for this building which handles many thousands of visitors each year.

One of the beautiful inlaid timber panels depicting Australian wildflowers

Stunning garden view with autumn colours, and I love the checkerboard lawn edges.
I'm still waiting to use that idea somewhere here at home ..........

The House of Representatives, done also in all Australian timbers and leather seats the colour of our gum trees.

We didn't plan it at all, but we arrived in Canberra on the day of our newly elected Government's annual budget presentation. Security was very high, and we watched the lock down from lunchtime on when the press and opposition were able to view the budget in all its glory, but not to release it to the public.

The entire place was abuzz with expectation, and we booked to go into the 2pm's sitting of question time, where the opposition quizzed the government on many points of interest. All members were in town for this sitting, so they could be present for the budget at 7pm that evening, and we really enjoyed watching the theatre that is our parliament at close range.

We were totally fagged out after all this excitement and finally left for our accommodation in nearby Queanbeyan.

After getting lost, which is law in Canberra and surrounds, we located our funny little cabins, pulled the cork out of a bottle of bubbly for Jill and I, and a beer for the boys. We had packed a casserole each so we didn't need to eat out, and collapsed happily with our slug of alcohol and home cooking.

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The next morning we planned our day's entertainment with precision. Each person voted on their favourites: the menfolk off to the War Museum, and we gals off to the 'Turner to Monet' exhibition at the National Gallery. We dropped the men at the magnificent War Memorial, and came back and immersed ourselves in culture for a few hours. Lots of landscapes later viewed with a set of earphones describing the key paintings, we were totally 'paintinged' out by lunchtime.

Then we went to see the High Court (see photo above), which was quite fascinating with 3 courts and seven judges who sit to hear matters of the Australian Constitution, and to provide the final court of appeal.Their judgment leaves appellants no further avenue available to them. We watched for about 20 minutes a matter of sexual slavery by a Thai woman importing young girls into prostitution. The seven judges sat facing all the 'silks' and clerks, and delved into the intricacies of law, which was pretty heavy stuff, but it made the weekend papers the next Saturday.

The other two courts were empty as the seven available judges were sitting together, but there was a welcoming guide standing at the doors of each to show us the large rooms and explain the process. Fascinating stuff.

We wandered out and drove around to the Museum, which had great displays of the Australian way of life, its history and collection of artifacts over the past two hundred years. The modern, purpose-built building was quite stunning, built on the banks of the beautiful Lake Burley Griffin.

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Our final day in Canberra found the men and Jill visiting the High Court, and me for a wonderful wander through the Australian Art section of the Gallery next door. I had wanted to go to the Portrait Gallery, but that was being replaced into a magnificent building nearby and wouldn't be open until December.

It seemed like heaven to me to be alone and wandering through our country's history via our artists. I came away feeling very inspired, found the others and we took off to see the Old Parliament House which sits neatly in front of the New P.H.

The actual solid gold Ceremonial Sceptre for opening the Parliament

We took a guided tour, but I was disappointed by the ugliness of the building inside, with dark paneled wood everywhere.... an absolutely uninspiring rabbit warren. The guide tried hard to make it interesting, and cracked jokes about the prime ministers, and the Queen visiting.

The brilliant white elegance of the building's outside gave no indication of the drab, seemingly heartless inside.

There were a few good portraits to enjoy and the entry foyer was impressive.

Really glad to be out of there, we visited Australian Screen and Sound Archives. My man's grandfather was Campbell Copelin, who was an actor in the 30s through to TV in the 50s. I have found a lot of photos on the Net, even an original on eBay, and bought 'Tall Timbers' on VHS, where he was a bad guy. He was in about 12 movies all up and a couple of TV Shows.

The librarian was very helpful and my fella enjoyed trawling through the history with her. Wandering through a large display room with lots of movie excerpts, we came upon 'Tall Timber' playing. Bad boy Grandpa Campbell was shot as we watched.

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We packed up our cabins early the next morning and bade Canberra farewell, making our way to our next planned destination, Bungendore.

This small town has seized the moment and created a mecca for antiques, artwork, and many other interesting shops. My man and I had visited before, and told Ralph and Jill we had to go there.

They have a wood working gallery there that would blow anyone's mind, with fine furniture and sculpture there that takes wood into a whole new realm. With prices for some tables up around $20,000, it is a bit rich for your average taste, but it's so lovely to look at.

They also have a leather work shop, which is chock full of anything you could imagine in leather. Not one for fussing over handbags, I couldn't resist and bought a gloriously soft calf skin bag, and some headbands for the daughters. Lovely, lovely ....

After an excellent cappuccino each in a nearby cafe, we hot-footed it down to the coast to Bateman's Bay, then on to Bermagui, our next destination. We have done this trip a few times on our bikes, and the steep drop as you leave the highlands can test your riding ability, and has been affectionately called 'Brown Undies' (after Brown Mountain). Riding up is enormous fun, but riding down requires extra care, and we have seen riders fall with the tight corners, constant braking and gear changes.

Bateman's Bay seemed bright blue as we pulled in for a thermos coffee and sandwiches at the bridge. The weather was perfect, as was every day of our holiday, with boats tied to the wharf and the ever present gulls hoping for a snack.

It wasn't long before we reached Bermagui and our pre-booked house for two days. We pulled up at our two story fibro-cement sheet house that didn't look all that exciting, but it was bang on the cliffs looking over towards the township. Stretches of coastline with waves breaking on the shore, a nearby cliff walking path, and heaps of blue sky gave us a surge of excitement.

We found the key and unlocked the house to discover it was a treasure inside with everything we could want.

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I really enjoy Bermagui with it's clean beaches and lack of major development. After unpacking, we went downtown for a reconnoiter and discovered that there was a major fishing competition that weekend run by the Canberra Angling Club. This place's tourism runs on large game fishermen with huge expensive cabin cruisers with names like 'Chivas Regal' and 'Gambler'. The boats fairly bristle with aerials and long rods and other strange paraphernalia, all of it shouting 'money'!

Years ago (1990) I had a successful solo exhibition in Brighton, Victoria, based on this place, so I knew it fairly well and really enjoy coming back for another look.

We ate some super-fresh fish and chips on the wharf and wandered up and down watching the preparations for the weekend of competitive fishing. The sun was going down, and we watched a large lone seal dipping and diving around the boats hopefully angling for a free feed.

The next morning we went for a wander along the cliff path which led down to a lovely beach with cliffs that really stirred up my artistic soul.

I am planning some paintings of these glorious shapes and colours.

Later in the day we went back to the wharfs and discovered there had been a drowning accident 14 kms out into the ocean. A small craft had capsized and three went in. One drowned and two were rescued. There was a gloomy pall hanging over the anticipated competition and police and ambulance waited quietly by the water's edge for the body and surviving men to be brought in.

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Back on our deck over looking the ocean, we cranked up the barbecue for our final dinner away, remarking on the success of our holiday filled with so many interesting events.

We're Going away!!!

2008-05-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

....just for a week...... off to Cooma for a night, then Canberra for three days to do 'Turner to Monet' and other stuff, then to sit on a cliff side for two days at Bermagui to admire the whales as they go by.

The poodles are off to their special kennels, where they learn to be nice to other dogs and get fussed over by strangers.

We used to go everywhere like this on the Harleys, and may well do so again, but not this time. I was planning to put my bike on the market, but for some reason have been postponing such a final decision. Now the registration and insurance is due, so must be paid before I leave. Can't leave it sitting in the shed unguarded and uninsured.

I may as well have another go at riding it when I get back.

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I went to my life drawing group today, for the first time in many months and really enjoyed it. Sometimes drawings just come easily and today was the day. We had a blond Jesus-like young man called Shaun, who plays a ukulele. He is very long and lean, but muscled, with a great face and tangled blonde hair and beard. He is an experienced model and can twist into some terrific poses.

If I can put aside my going-away preparations for a minute, I will photograph a couple and put them in tomorrow.

Lamb Chops Galore

2008-05-08T02:52:00.000-07:00

When we got our five ewes a couple of years ago, we needed to keep our small acres clear of grass, have a bit of fun breeding some lambs, and finally converting the progeny into 'table sheep', i.e. into the freezer.

Our lambs were born last September/ October, and although they happened only a couple of weeks after my being badly broken on my motorbike, I really enjoyed their antics and watching them grow into healthy young creatures.

Then the drought hit, and we had no serious rain for some months, leaving our small patch of land totally denuded of grass. So we converted an area into a 'feedlot', and fed our flock of ten mums and youngsters on grass hay from my man's family farm and expensive lucerne. They all stayed fat and happy, but caused me some anxiety as they watched me all day, reminding me their next meal might be due (when it wasn't).

Time to move on to the next stage, we decided, and I began to make inquiries as to the best method of dispatch that would cause them and me the least anxiety. Meeting your maker is rarely a pleasant event, whether it be animal or human, but it was important to me it would be as expedient as possible.

So, Monday of last week, four were bundled into the trailer and taken down to the local 'dispatcher'. One cute little ewe stayed behind and went to our neighbors behind to be babysat by their lamb, three alpacas and a rather grumpy goat.

Little Chevy, very nervous, on the right and her new best friend, Shabby the young wether.

A motley crew, who rushed at the newcomer, frightening her badly

The mums, who immediately forgot their progeny, were put onto the trailer and carted off to be united with a new Cheviot lover, who was happy to be sent on a honeymoon with our lucerne fat mommas.

They have gone on an extended holiday to the family farm, where they are wandering happily with their woolly man, heads down and bums up, eating grass and making babies for October.

Me? I'm having a rest from all this negotiating and moving 'the flock'.

Our freezer is now full, and my conscience is clearer than I expected. To me, being that connected to the meat that we eat is better than fronting up to the supermarket fridges. We are lucky to be in the position to do it the way we have.

It Pays to Protest

2008-04-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Herald Sun today......

"CHINESE officials will soon meet a representative of the Dalai Lama in what would be the first such known encounter since last month's deadly unrest.

The surprise move was welcomed by a spokesman for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as a step in the right direction.

China has come under intense foreign pressure to hold talks with the Dalai Lama since rioting erupted in the regional capital, Lhasa, last month, spreading to other areas populated by Tibetans.

Beijing's crackdown in the Himalayan region, as well as criticism of its human rights record, triggered protests that have dogged the Olympic torch as it travels the world before China hosts the Games in August.

"Only face-to-face meetings can lead to a resolution of the Tibetan issue," spokesman Tenzin Takla said.

"His Holiness, since March 10 when (anti-Chinese) protests started, had been making all efforts to reach out to the Chinese Government, and he hopes the Tibetan issue can be resolved only through dialogue," he said from Dharamshala, seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Xinhua news agency quoted an unidentified Chinese official saying that in view of the Dalai Lama's repeated requests, "the relevant department of the central Government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days".

"It is hoped that through consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence, and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks."

Beijing had resisted pressure to meet the Dalai Lama and accused him of instigating violence."

A Solid Gold Sheila ..........

2008-04-22T20:06:00.001-07:00

One of our dearest friends, Jill, is a frustrated choreographer/director/ actor and dancer. Over the eleven years I have known her, she has been a tireless worker on many committees. Any time there is a celebration within these many organisations, she has grabbed the chance to 'put a show on' and jump into the limelight. She inspires others to take part, sets the scene, does a lot of the costumes and gets the show on the road.

Yesterday was the culmination of one of these efforts, where her local women's group had a ten year celebration. A hundred ladies from that branch and elsewhere came for a luncheon and show. I was an invited visitor, and finally had a crack at using my video within my new camera, which I might add, worked a treat.

They chose the Village People and the YMCA song, and they got the costumes together for each member of the group. Jillo was the African American in leather. We sourced a black affro wig from my daughter, and she wore my bikie leather jacket and my man's Harley belt. She glued black fluff onto her chest and you can see the rest.

Very scary.....

All the ladies were terrific, particularly the policewoman, who was just fabulous.

I might add, all of these ladies were in their 60s and 70s.

If that wasn't enough, they did a synchronized swimming piece, with the girls 'swimming' at the Beijing Olympics.

Luv ya heaps Jillo; your blood's worth bottling .....

Random Acts of Kindness

2008-04-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a big advocate of people doing this, and if I do something for people and they want to give me something back, I say, 'pass it on'.

I had three complimentary tickets left on the last day of Art Melbourne, valued at $20 each. I looked at them and wondered whether to throw them out or be creative.

As I was going to the front entrance, I looked around for friendly people and spotted a woman going in on her own. I called her over and asked whether she was paying to go in and she said yes. I handed her a ticket, and she nearly hugged me ..... so excited.

I found a young couple and did the same, with the same result.

I got more of a charge out of doing that than anything else over the four days.

Try it; it's a really excellent feeling.

The Royal Exhibition Buildings - More Photos

2008-04-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Victoria's Finest Building. Nothing needs to be said....

...and Now for Some Light Entertainment

2008-04-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is such fun, it makes me proud to be an Aussie ......

Photos From Melbourne

2008-04-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

The spectacular Royal Exhibition Building

A quiet moment in the corridors of Art Melbourne

Our hard working curator and an artist celebrating with a champagne before opening.

A full sized model plane suspended in the foyer of the Museum, next to the Exhibition Buildings

A model of a giant Great White Shark suspended in the stairwell. There was a stuffed seal 'swimming' nearby. The shark must have been about six metres long, and it's suspension gave the feel of being in the water. Truly terrifying.

Dinosaur skeleton also in the foyer.

Lock your bike onto the rack? Seems safe, doesn't it?

A very independent young fellow strolling confidently ahead of his mother. We thought he looked great.

The view from our hotel in Spencer Street

2008-04-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

One night down and all the 'be seen people' were there for the VIP party, swanning round with champagne in hand.

Today was much more civilised, and then another party night tonight. It's huge and humbling, with truly spectacular work and scruff stuff. 100 Galleries from all over Australia, each with their stable of artists, and 15,000 expected people coming through the doors.

We couldn't wait to get home to our unpopulated place in heaven. I'm back again on Sunday to pick up unsold pieces.

More later............

Packed up and Ready to Go

2008-04-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

'Pieces'
Watercolour and pencil

Well, all my paintings are finished off, packed up and delivered to Ingrid at Gippsland Artists who is the organiser for our stand at Art Melbourne 08. It's like giving away your babies and throwing them onto the world stage. I miss them already.

I haven't been a passionate shower of my work for some time now, as there has been a lot of getting over some dastardly life events to be attended to. I never stopped loving doing my paintings; but left most of them in my studio for a viewing 'some day'. Every now and again someone would take one away and leave me some room.

Sounds complicated, doesn't it? It is.....

It is time I got my arse in gear, as I am not getting any younger, so maybe good things will come out of venturing down to the big smoke.

The pretentious side of the 'art scene' bores me terribly, which involves dodging popping champagne corks, and trying to say something important about the works on show. I just really love what I do; I don't want to talk about it.

Ho hum! Somebody's gotta do it....

Vindaloo Anyone?

2008-04-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

It seems our local Safeway doesn't sell enough of the Patak's Vindaloo Curry Paste to warrant carrying it. It dropped off the shelves six months ago and no amount of my wishing has made it return. So I got on the net and found a recipe which I have just mashed up in my trusty Aldi mortar and pestle. I now have an extremely pungent beef curry with lentils brewing away on the stove.

It must be potent as well, because when Lily came in for her dinner, she sneezed and shook her head. Poodles mustn't be big on Vindaloo.

This recipe isn't like Pataks, but it's rip-roarin' chilli-hot and very fragrant.

Vindaloo Curry Paste Recipe

Use in Vindaloo recipes calling for Vindaloo curry paste. Easy to make so you don't have to buy it and you can have it fresh. Easy to store and freeze as well.

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 fresh red chillies, chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 whole cloves
6 whole peppercorns
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1.Place all ingredients in food processor and blend for 20 seconds or until smooth.
2.Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
3.May freeze for up to 2 months.
4.Use as directed in recipes.

Commentary

2008-04-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Terrific post from a newly arrived Aussie Pommie Person, Thats So Pants

Just Photos Again...........

2008-04-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

Too tired to blog, so pieces from my life.

Sunset tonight. My new 8 mp camera and a 12 X zoom means I can get right in there.

I love the way the light tracks through the hills.

'Extreme Ball Sports for Babies' (my daughter's title - her bub).
Asher couldn't believe how big it was, with all those pointy little tips.

Tonight's Coq Au Vin, made with field mushrooms picked nearby, our tomatoes, zucchinis and carrots.
My man's not big on chicken, but he's away tonight.

Yum!!! I'm still cruisin' after that one.............

Hi Andrew. Yes, rice would be nice, or little potatoes in their jackets (ours again!), which is what I had.

Brown the chicken, throw in the onion, garlic and veggies and brown those, top up with chopped tomatoes, stock, red wine, thyme, mushies, S & P, simmer happily (half an hour?) until all is tender.

Side salad if desired.....

Very good. I'm sure there's a flashier recipe, but that one really works for me. :0)

Managing Stress

2008-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

I got this via email today, and liked it..........

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home.You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Rye Grass Staggers

2008-04-09T14:56:00.001-07:00

Last night, we got a call from our close friends and neighbours . Their bottle fed lamb/ sheep was very ill, and their ancient lady goat was as well. She wanted my man to put them down, as she wasn't comfortable with doing it herself.

She is an experienced policewoman, who once worked in homicide, and has seen things we would rather not, but didn't want to shoot her pets.

With torches and the lights from her ute, we went down to see them. Zipper the sheep was stiff and panting with distress, and the poor goat was far worse. Her head was arched back, legs straight out, moaning with pain and suffering greatly.

She is an old girl with cancer in her teats that would eventually kill her, so we decided she should be dispatched straight away.

I suggested we ring around the locals with sheep, so we went back up to the house and rang a neighbour. Rye Grass Staggers, he offered, saying he had four with it this week. Jenny wasn't on the internet at home, so he promised to research it and get back to her.

I have had a look on the net this morning and it certainly sounds a correct diagnosis. The rye grass can carry a fungus in the seeds, which, when it germinates and grows, carries a toxin in the fresh stalks. The animals can build up this toxin over a couple of weeks and then it takes over, making them very sick for a time.

The good news is it usually passes over a couple of days and they recover, so Zipper will hopefully feel better soon. Poor old Stella? Well, she was suffering too much and is now in the great paddock in the sky.

As my man says, "You've got livestock, you've got dead stock!"

He has lots of saying like that................

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.”

... Dwight David Eisenhower

Don't Buy a Toshiba Laptop.

2008-04-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

..... because they don't care.

My 15 month old laptop is still in dire straits, even after two whizz-gig IT fellas have pored over it banging on buttons. The video card seems to have crashed, giving gorgeous vertical stripes in fetching colours at the most inopportune moments (most of the time), or the 'blue screen of death', which flashes so quickly, the only way I could read it was to photograph it, or the dreaded BLACK SCREEN.

New video card, you might say? But no, that's too easy. The video card is embedded into the motherboard, so one doesn't go without the other. The motherboard is hugely expensive, as was the laptop. $4000 to be precise.

I rang the Toshiba support people today, who should probably be called 'the Toshiba Non-Support'. He was obviously carefully schooled to stick rigidly to the point of law, and tell me that although it was a very young laptop, I was out of the warranty period by 3 months. I told him it had been broken for quite a bit of this year and I could prove it. Too bad..................

He also said what I found fascinating, that 'electronics these days are not made to last very long.'

I wish they had told me that before we forked out the four grand.

I belong to a very active Computer Forum, who have kindly provided me with answers to IT questions for quite a while now, and they have offered me some ideas on how to squeeze some help out of these heartless beings.

My man says fix it, but he is emotionally attached to it because it was my Nov 2006 birthday present. My IT son-in-law-to-be says ditch it; he can set me up a 'kick-arse pc' for the $1200.

Me? I just want my lovely laptop back the way it was, the way they promised it would be when we bought it.

Not a Leg to Stand on.

2008-04-08T22:52:00.001-07:00

Lovely Heather Mills has been spending her millions ..................

(sorry)

Getting Ready

2008-04-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

One week to go before bump in for the Art Melbourne exhibition. Above is the last oil finished. All they need is wire and hangers, and a final spray coat when they're a bit drier. I am really pleased with them all. This one I really love.

Now I am doing three small watercolours on the same theme. I'm halfway into the second one, and having a great time!

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Harvest Time............
We have actually beaten the birds to our nut harvest this year, and have a bucket of chestnuts,

and an ice cream container of almonds from our two year old tree

The parrots had already begun to harvest the chestnuts, and there were a lot snapped off the branches and dropped on the ground. Chestnuts have a seemingly impervious coating of prickles, which cannot be handled by hand, no matter how careful you are. The birds don't seem to mind and crack through it easily to eat the soft nut inside.

I was having a huge cut back in the studio garden, and looked up to see all the almonds from our newish tree, pods popped open, and no birds had touched them.

The nuts are soft and super delicious, but I am going to dry them a bit before we use them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My man was coming up the driveway last night to see me with the watering can, damping down some mushrooms in the front paddock. After the recent rain, the ground is again drying out and our autumn mushrooms popping through the ground are starting to struggle. I thought I might keep them growing long enough to harvest.

The last few autumns have produced an enormous number of mushrooms, more than I can be bothered processing. Our neighboring paddock that usually produces so many has far too much grass cover, so they'll probably never see light.

There's always next year.

Bye Bye Charlton!

2008-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Charlton Heston built his career playing larger than life roles, and I used to moon over him in the old movies when I was young.

All that stopped for me after the school shooting at Columbine, when he traveled down to that state to rally the gun lobby against gun control.

I saw him coldly cut off Michael Moore in his "Bowling for Columbine", when he was challenged about the need for guns.

I come from a peaceful country who feels no need for guns and the associated violence that comes from them. I find it interesting and sad that so many feel they do.

My memory has blanked off all those wonderful movies he did before that and I remember his stony face as he proclaimed his now famous quote ".... from my cold dead hands!"

That has finally come true.

“The rules have changed. True power is held by the person who possesses the largest bookshelf, not gun cabinet or wallet.”

... Anthony J. D'Angelo

No Power for 48 hours!

2008-04-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

We've just got the power back on this afternoon after the big windstorm on Wednesday. It's been a freakin' nightmare, so tonight I'm going to put the electric light on, cook my dinner on our electric stove, and watch the electric television, and chill out.

We've had no water (electric pump driven), so no toilet flushing, hand washing, or showering via the tap. Buckets-full have been acquired by climbing on top of the tank, scooping it out and positioning one in each area of need.

Cooking has been on a rusty old gas bottle driven portable ring, which was banished outside when the leaking gas smell became dangerously overpowering.

No light, apart from my man's fire fighting head torches and some weird half melted candles. We looked like miners, walking around with our head lights. I bought a $9.95 kerosene lamp from Aussie Disposals this afternoon, so we don't have to go through that debacle again.

I dropped my glasses in the dark, and stepped on them, cracking the lens and snapping the frame. More dollars down the drain and I'm stuck with my old glasses for a week, which don't work nearly as well.

It came on yesterday for ten minutes, and my pre-programmed celebratory dishwasher and washing machine heralded its arrival, only to grind to a halt as it broke down again.

Our mood has been seriously gloomy, though we did get out to see a movie last night, 'The Kite Runner', which was wonderful. We cheerily came home to an expected repair as we had been promised, but not a light to be seen as we climbed the hills.

For practical people who believe they are fairly adaptable, our routine was badly shaken up, and we were overwhelmingly relieved when we got all our services back.

How did this happen? For those overseas who were not part of our storm, there had been a cyclone up north, which sent high winds down across the south. Some of those winds were clocked at 170 k.p.h , and they were pretty impressive here at 'Hell On The Hill' (called such for obvious reasons).

That morning, I had spent a couple of hours socialising maybe 10 kms away, and noticed the trees outside the window really thrashing around. I went to check on my car, which was parked under the gums at the front of the house, and there was a branch across it. A light one, fortunately. Eucalyptus trees drop branches regularly as they grow, and have been known to fall on tents and caravans in the night, and killing people. I decided to get back home, and discovered the road back was littered with loads of forest scraps, requiring quite a lot of dodging about the road to avoid scratching the car.

Back home, we had a serious gale going, with heavy verandah furniture and nick nacks tossed 50 odd feet away. I heard the dog bowl go skating across the concrete, to disappear miles down along the fenceline.

Then the power went out, and stayed off........................

It turned out a neighbor had rung the services to report the fault, and was told he was the only one to complain, so it wasn't a priority (and not the eleven plus kilometres of residents who were also in trouble!). With that, he gave the operator a nasty serve as he is prone to do, meaning the notice was pushed onto the back burner. By the time I rang through, the phone line was in meltdown, and there was just the engaged signal. They said later, that they usually had about 200 calls per day, and were fielding 70,000!

You get more with honey that you do with vinegar.

2008-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

Which Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

The good things in my life come more from hard work than good luck. I've been hit with more disasters than one person could reasonably manage, but that's all in the past. Now is great!

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
.... John Quincy Adams

Moving Day

2008-03-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

My middle daughter and her partner moved into their first home yesterday.

It is a tiny renovated cottage in Cockatoo, a leafy place on the fringe of the 'burbs', in the Dandenong Ranges. It will need more work to get it up and running properly, but that matters nought to them. It has three tiny bedrooms, a lounge, living, kitchen area with a pot belly stove, and a bathroom with a cupboard in it for the washing machine (the laundry!). There is a covered deck at the rear, which was probably the clincher on the house.

In a world where the young want so much so early, I am proud of their determination to buy what they can afford. She is doing her PHD in Psychology and he is now working as a sound technician and stage manager in a large theatre restaurant. A one year old bubby and two lively dogs makes up their contented little family.

How close would you drive your parent's van to the power pole?

They pulled together his brothers, and her sister and partner to do the move from Watsonia, about an hour away. We were thankfully spared that end of it, but were elected to put an electric fence around the derelict wire one at the rear to keep the dogs in. My farmer fella knows all about such things, and had the necessary unit to power up the doggies.

Once it was up and running with the power switched on, the dogs took numerous shocks as they explored their new back yard, with yodelling squeals pealing through the hills, and all the neighboring dogs taking the call up in sympathy. Poor Hunter the boxer retreated under the house to recuperate, making his mum very concerned and just a bit guilty. Better than taking off through everyone's backyard, we all commented.

Poor stressed Seeker wanting out

They have factored in a new boundary fence into their budget, so that should be installed very soon.

I had made the sandwiches and cake for lunch, to fuel up all the flagging energies, so was pretty popular, and my man was sucked into the moving. He's a bit sore today, but he amazes me with his energy and enthusiasm, considering he's 20 plus years older than most of them.

My grandson, happily oblivious to the activity around him.

Telling them to watch Wendy Harmer's "Stuff", on ABC TV, where she wanders through people's lives chiding them about their accumulating unnecessary junk, we did a runner late in the afternoon, leaving them to their piles of boxes, bags and disconnected furniture. The baby was due to be delivered home in half an hour, so his mum would really be up against it. Asher is just walking, and will enjoy climbing over everything and exploring his new home.

You can't beat the cosiness of a pot belly fire.

Ode to the Beaut Ute.

2008-03-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

After a small, whingy digression yesterday, I am back with renewed vigour.

When I first met my man eleven plus years ago, he had a ratty little Toyota twin cab ute which he loved with a passion. He had a bunch of little kids and was building his new house, so it was used for carting all sorts of gear.

He was keen on impressing me (then!), and decided to wash the grubby little thing to take me out for a night on the town. "Hell On the Hill' was in its infancy then, and there were no solid fences around the house.

He left it parked out the front and went inside to get a bucket of warm water. Coming back out again, he was horrified to discover said ute rocking off down the hill with no one in control. Our hills are not to be taken lightly, and she crashed through a rough wire fence half way down, across a disused road, and took off the bank with gay abandon. A second scruffy old wire fence hooked at her and she came to a panting halt hanging precariously over the bank.

My man had rushed out and leaped at the door, managing to get halfway in, but had no hope of pulling his carefree little girl from her chosen path.

If that wasn't bad enough, his brand new oven was sitting on the back, and took a nasty tumble.

He rang me, panting with the drama, saying, "I've had a major!". Not knowing him well enough to understand this often used phrase of his, I said, "A what?"

Now I know what 'a major' is!

The ute was a write-off, and the oven went to be panel beaten and wires reconnected, and still stands in her slightly creased state in our kitchen today. It seems to not understand 'simmer', but I have now learned to appreciate her inadequacies.

So, there have since been many years of muttering about his need for a ute. The government department he works for has recently and unfairly begun to threaten his dogged determining to bring the work ute home, so we asked a local car broker to hunt one up for us.

That was six months ago, and we had pretty much given up hope, until two days ago when our man rang saying he had found what we wanted.

Woo hoo!

It came up to visit last night for us to test drive over the weekend, and my fella was quite impressed. "So, come on!", I said after dinner, "Lets go out for a drive."

Well, he got into that ute and we screamed off round the windies for an eleven kilometre white knuckler. It was like he had driven it for ever (probably in his dreams). We passed many peaceful wallabies out for their dusktime graze on the side of the road, watching them leaping into the bush in fright. "Big cat!" he smirked, recalling the times he had to deal with delusional spotters of lions and leopards supposedly at loose in the Aussie bush.

My stomach was starting to swirl as the oncoming dark lost my contact with the horizon, but we made it home in one piece.

I think he likes it! It's not a big important sort of ute; not the kind you would take to a ute muster, but it will cart wood and feed, and earn its keep.

Ohhhhh.............

2008-03-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

~ Chromed ~
Pastel on board
Beautifully framed in brushed silver moulding and white mount board.
Available for purchase @$600 + p.h.

I've got the gloomies today. Although all my surgeries have healed OK, I can feel my knee breaking down almost hour by hour, and the bones are crunching against each other in my wrist. It seems I have no cartilage left in either place ........................

And, my beautiful laptop, that I have really enjoyed for just over a year (out of warranty) has been rejected by my local computer fixer. I paid AU$4000 for the sucker. It may need a new motherboard and a visit to Toshiba.

Ho hum!

Just Photos

2008-03-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

My man's beautiful black exhaust pipes we painted with heat treated ceramic paint. Look Good? We think so.

Late in the afternoon, when the light wanders in and out of cloud, just one hill lit up like a beacon.

I love clouds, especially when a hole opens up to reveal the sky beyond (click on to see larger photo).

Almost a religious feeling ................

Please. We Want Rain!

2008-03-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

It stubbornly refuses to rain. If wanting a downpour could pull it out of the sky, we would be flooded.

I just want enough to top our tanks up, make the grass grow a little, and wash all the sheep poo into the soil. It looks like someone has opened a huge bag of black jelly beans and spilled them everywhere! There is not a blade of grass in sight. Any shoot that dares to pop its green head above ground level is chewed off with ruthless efficiency by our sheepies.

There are grey clouds all around, but nothing seems to be dropping anything, yet!

Bowling me over at feeding time.

We have been feeding out hay for a few weeks now, and they have learned to love it. We were also given some beans that look like brown broad beans, and when I scatter them on the ground, they crunch them up with relish, sounding like pop corn going off.

Feeding Frenzy

The last bales we bought were lucerne, which is the Rolls Royce of hay, so they are not suffering, but our bank balance is. Time to get on with turning them into our intention - 'table sheep'. Well, four of them anyway. The mums will remain and meet their Cheviot lover, Herbie, again in May. And, one cute little cheviot type girl will stay too, because I want to paint her, then she can become a mum as well.

Note the wool caught on the barbed wire. where they poke their heads through to get to the grass.

Doggie Business:
Dear Old Connor is exhausted having two gorgeous poodley ladies on heat at once. I'm not sure how Zara's teddy came to be there, but a totally candid shot of him dreaming happy dreams.

I love the Smell of Oil Paint

2008-03-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Work in progress........

Most of yesterday was spent out in the studio painting the edges of my gallery wrapped canvases in readiness for Art Melbourne 08 Exhibition in mid April.

I am paying for my laziness just painting to the edges and not the rest. For a time, I did think I would frame them, but decided I liked them better 'au naturelle'.

All colours have to be perfectly matched; no mean feat for the six large paintings. But now they are done, I am really pleased I have, because they look great, giving them an extra dimension and finish. I just have to sign them and then wait for them to dry enough to put a sealing finish on.

Baw Baw Shire have entered this great event as a gallery, and invited artists to apply. I was accepted, which is very pleasing.

Yesterday I booked my man and I into a motel for the opening night, so we can really enjoy ourselves. We rarely go to Melbourne now; we can't bear the traffic and the crowds, but I do miss wandering round the Gallery and having lunch at Southbank. My accident injuries also impede our freely walking around, so that's probably a stronger reason than the other.

2008-03-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

~ 'Kiri' ~
Pastel on Board

Commission

I fixed my laptop (with lots of help from my son-in-law-to-be), and it was going great. I spent many hours loading all my programs in. It lasted around 24 hours, and crashed again. I hadn't backed it up when it was perfect.

I am devastated.............

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another stinker of a day today. I am off to have my skin checked by a dermatologist as I have two small carcinomas on my face, and who knows what elsewhere. Not dangerous ones, fortunately, but they have to come off.

This intense heat makes each day a planning nightmare, with how to dodge from one place to another without expiring. The car and house are both air conditioned, and Safeway, and hopefully, the skin doctor. I wouldn't imagine he would enjoy hot sweaty patients to handle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our local beekeeper came around yesterday evening to see our 'dinosaur' of a honey extractor. He has been using a hand driven one for years so I offered him the option of using ours when he needed it. It will be sitting around doing nothing for a time as we only have two hives. We do intend to expand our numbers next year, but it takes time to split a hive, install a new queen, and then not raid the hive while they build up numbers and honey supply.

He is a tall, intensely shy man in his thirties. His parents are German and must have kept a tight hold on him as he is quite awkward around others. He shears sheep locally and did ours over Christmas.

Sitting talking on the veranda in the cool of the evening, he told us of his experiences shearing away, and how he didn't enjoy that much, with the rough accommodation, and sometimes wild shearers. He is altogether too fragile to enjoy the ribald jokes and beer drinking.

He brought me a container of his beautiful honey. I will be looking forward to doing the same next year.

Sex, Lives and Computers

2008-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

~ Tabby Kitten~

Pastel on Board

Sold

I had to give up on my laptop; I really did. Days of trying to work out the meaning of the terminally ill vertical lines, and it's insane OCD looping left me wandering round talking to myself. My man, who has no interest in computers other than being forced to use them at work, emails, and searching the Harley sites, kept saying, "You can take it to a professional, you know". I knew that, but I didn't want it to beat me. Plus, most of those guys are self taught and just bang around trying things that might not work anyway, as your dollars pour down the drain.

Sometimes I thought I had the solution in the bag, and sometimes not, but it went to my son-in-law-to-be last night for the final tune-up. We sat on their cooling veranda after another horribly hot day, eating lemon sorbet and watching him banging away happily on the keys. I now have three hard drives, not two, and when I get it the way I like, he will copy it onto a disc which can be loaded anytime I want a refurbish.

He thinks it was a clash of programs, maybe a Microsoft update, or the iTunes I was loading into my man's new Shuffle. Either way, it spat the dummy, choking on the conflicting information, and made me dig deep into my self-accumulated knowledge base. Though beaten on the last leg, I think I did contribute here and there.

It's still not quite right, as, in it's original working state, it was a high resolution (1920 pixel wide) TV screen with Media Center, which I loved. I could plug in the rabbit ears and sit it on my lap anywhere and watch telly or a DVD. Now it's 1600 wide, so needs to be adapted further.

In the fullness of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My recent surgeries have knitted nicely. It is amazing how quickly a big incision will heal, and can be used, and I am walking around on the knee reasonably well. I must be healthy. The dressing on the wrist came off at 6 days old, pretty fragile and easily broken, but a few days later now all is sealed. I remember how we used to keep the stitches in for ten, having to go to the doc's to have them out. Now they're dissolvable, and it's all over in days.

My surgeon had given me issues in the past with his lack of empathy and sense of detachment and hurry. In discussions with a close nurse friend, she ventured that he possibly had high functioning Asberger's (a type of autism), which left him brilliant, but unable to sympathise or connect with his patients on a personal level. She said she had seen it before in her forty odd years of nursing.

We decided that a change in approach might work, and it did! I had my list of questions in my mind, and looked him in the eye and asked them very clearly and he answered them all to my satisfaction.

He ventured that my hand would possibly never close properly, now that the tendons had shrunk and the joints seized up, but to try some more physio. He agreed that the MRI showed I had no more cartilage on half of my knee, leaving bone on bone, so would probably need a knee replacement in the not-too-distant future.

So, I am a bit wrecked; something that I knew already. The next battle will be to deal with compensation issues with the TAC when my injuries are 'stabilised' in a year to eighteen months post-accident.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a cheerier note, both my poodley gals have come on heat together, on the same day. This is a phenomenon I had heard of, but not experienced. Baby Zara, who is almost 23 months, hadn't had one before. Poodles can take a while to mature; even Lily made 18 months before she started.

So this is Zara's first one. We will possibly breed her on her next heat, in maybe 9 months time, which I am really looking forward to. Standard poodles can have up to ten puppies, and that's a lot of fun, curly kids.

Her dad is one of the most highly decorated dogs in Australia, with over 110 Best in Shows, her aunt is an Australian Champ and took out Best in Show at the prestigious Victorian Poodle Show last weekend. Zara's full brother took out Best of Breed and Best Intermediate at the same show, and he and her mum are both Australian Champions.

She's never been shown, because of our busy lifestyle doing other stuff, plus I couldn't be bothered with all those rubber bands, and keeping them quiet and clean. She's a busy little country yobbo, and would much rather dig a hole or chase a bunny, than strut around the show ring.

But her pups will be highly valued.

I would have loved to breed Lily, because she has some major breeding as well, but she never 'took' in the two tries we had, including AI, so we gave up. Such a beautiful girl wasted.

I keep promising to have her speyed, but she's got away from me again. Maybe after this heat.

Dear old Connor at fourteen, who was neutered maybe seven years ago, still has memories of 'fragrant ladies'. Now he has two together, and his interest in them has increased considerably today. He will be on his best behaviour, trying to strut his creaky old body round and appear attractive (seen that before in humans!). It doesn't matter how often I remind him of his incapabilities, instinct still kicks in................

"Instinct is untaught ability"
... Alexander Bain

Baked Pipes

2008-03-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Although it's going to be 40c today, I have the oven on. The scratched pipes that came off my damaged Harley are going in to be baked this morning. Why, you ask?

They were beautiful pipes; big slash cut with a wonderful 'note'..... all important in a Harley.

My bike has been repaired, sitting patiently out in the shed for my attention, and it has new pipes.

My fella has a love for matt black: I love chrome. His pipes are a bit scruff, as he tends to put his boots on the hot metal occasionally, leaving burnt rubber marks on them. Then he polishes it off and scuffs the chrome, leaving a very ordinary looking mess. Not the way your Harley should look. Once you damage chrome, it never comes back.

I suggested he refurbish mine rather than buy new, so he got out in the cave and lovingly sanded them back, taking all the gravel rash off. Then he went to the local auto paint suppliers and came home with a spray can of primer and a special black top coat. We've been spraying light layers on them for two days and they look great.

But, to set the paint, they have to be baked in four stages of ascending heat; the first being 240c. Thirty minutes in there, then thirty out to cool, and raised to the next temperature. My oven can do 240c, but after that, they will have to go on the bike and taken for a run. Hopefully it will work, and he will have his lovely matt black pipes he's always wanted.

"Everything has it's beauty, but not everyone sees it"

... Confuscius

The joys of Living on a Hill

2008-03-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

On yet another hot day, I am in the best place to escape it while I do my blogging. It's 35 degrees outside, and again, I thank heavens for the wonderful invention of the air conditioner!

It's blowing cheerily overhead, noisy but comforting, keeping the overwhelming heat outside from intruding into my oasis of cool...............

I have a big one down in my studio, put in when I had it built, knowing that sweaty hands, and too fast drying paint would take the spontaneity out of getting down there when I felt like it.

The house? Finally we have one this summer and it's wonderful!

The house is well-insulated treated pine on a concrete slab. Because of our position on the peak of a hill, the extreme wind conditions preclude trees from being close to the house, so no shade. We do have wide shady verandas all round, but when the sun moves up and over, the mezzanine floor above begins to bake, and then when sinking in the west, cooks the bedrooms and lounge. The early evenings can be roasting on a day like this, and as the sun drops, I go upstairs to open the sliding door to the west to let the heat out at the top of the house.

I often wonder whether one of those cute little whirly-gigs that spin might be useful, but we are frightened of breaking the seal on the roof.

Heat rises, and it can be a hot box in summer and winter, as the huge flue from the heater runs the full height of the house inside, radiating into that top room. Fuel must be loaded carefully into the efficient solid fuel heater, just enough to make the house snug, without over-heating the upper floor.

My man rule on most things is 'more is best', so I have had to bar him from stoking the fire in winter, lest the top room become unbearably hot. I call him my 'wide-brush man'.

There is only the sliding door with an accompanying window in that room, which faces where the weather generally comes from.

I must be very alert to oncoming storms, because driving rain can pour through the wire screen and onto the wooden floor, dripping through the boards onto the slate beneath, finally splashing and making a hell of a mess on anything nearby.

It took a long time to waterproof that, as that same driving rain would penetrate along the closed sliding door with a similar result. Finally we came up with a lip of wood along opening vertical and the base, creating a drain that ran it back out again.

But our views are stunning. We watch eagles soar past at eye level, and the weather coming from Westernport Bay through to the Dandenongs.

We see snow in winter on Mount Baw Baw and here sometimes, and fireworks at different towns all the way along the Princes Highway on New Year's Eve. During summer, we smoke-spot for the DSE, and I have reported fires on days such as this before anyone else. I have even alerted them when a fire changed direction, running along the mountains 40 kilometres away.

Our outlook changes hour by hour and day by day, with mists in the morning and storms in the afternoon.

Oh, to have one of these............

There, I've waxed lyrical about where we live and the day's nearly over. Lily is pushing her nose under my hand and staring hard into my face, wanting her dinner. No more messing around in front of the pooter, there's work to be done ......

Hot, hot, hot...........

2008-03-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

Another stinker of a day today @ 39 degrees c.

The day was spent inside, windows shut and the air con on. Finally it's beginning to cool down, so the windows are now opened, the noisy blower is off and the dogs are lying on the veranda outside with their bellies full.

My man was called off to fire duty today in readiness for a possible call out for fire fighting. He has been doing it for many years now for the DSE, and loves the camaraderie and adventure that fighting a large fire brings, plus, it gets him out of the office!

He has been to most of the major fires in Victoria in recent years. Thankfully, this year has been a quiet one, but in past seasons there have been some massive infernos. Last year burned up one million hectares and took 69 days to get under control, and the year before was pretty serious as well. He has some frightening moments each season, but thankfully his experience and the department safety strategies has got him out of trouble each time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have had my first shower today as the strapping has come off my knee and the wrist went into a plastic bag. It felt so good, even though I had bucket washes down pat. It's just not the same.

The knee looks good with only two small incisions and a bit of bruising. I remember maybe eight years ago, I had the same done and had to stay on crutches for six weeks. Now I am able to walk almost normally, so long as it's not too far, and I go slow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was setting up iTunes for my man's new iPod Shuffle, and my laptop spat the dummy. I pulled out the factory reformatting disc and ran it through, thanking heaven that I had used Norton Ghost to build a ghost drive only a week or two before. Apart from iTunes and a few bits and pieces, my whole drive is tucked safely away on my external drive, along with my files, programs and settings.

Reformatting didn't fix the problem, as there was still the original blank cream coloured screens with vertical lines popping up and freezing the unit. "Ha, what next?", I thought, and decided it might be further back into the programming. I put the disc in again to scrub the entire hard drive. I had never done this before.......

I began this at around 6pm, and as the hours ticked over endlessly, I realised it was going to take forever . I was worried that I might be asleep and be needed to click an OK or something, so took it to bed and left it running next to me on the table. Awake and asleep over and over, I snapped awake when it prompted me to do something, and it began again, not stopping until 2pm the next afternoon.

But that didn't fix it! I wrote off to my computer forum, hoping for assistance, but apart from a couple of limp suggestions, the lines remained and it began 'looping', starting up, showing screen error signs, and then winding down, flashing a tantalising blue screen filled with writing. One second is not long enough to see anything.

Desperate lateral thinking kicked in, so I got the camera out, focusing on the screen, and snapping it as it rushed by. I put the jpeg into Photoshop and brightened it up, then imported it into my OCR program. A bit rough, but I got a semblance of text and cleaned it up, checking it against the screen shot.

It's a long story, isn't it?

Back into the forum and put it all in, but no answers, so I got on the Toshiba website looking for the suggested drivers and following the muddy trail left by this text. I think I know what to do, just don't know how! (that looks like 'howl, doesn't it? Yup!)

I think iTunes clashed with the moving around of some movies that wandered into the files from my Media Centre TV recordings. There is text in Toshiba to back up that possibility.

I am a bit concerned about stomping around my lovely Qosmio with hob nailed boots and really messing it up, so am calling in emergency help with my daughter's partner, who is a apparently an IT whizz. It will be interesting to follow the process and see if I was right. I love learning all this. Its such a logical process, usually ........

Anyway, I got my lovely nine year old banger of a pooter out and dusted it off, doing a defrag, installing anti-virus, and plonking in Firefox and a few upgrades. It still works, though somewhat slower than my lovely lappy!

I am so used to a huge screen with high resolution, I had to raise the the pixel count so I didn't feel I was inside the bloody thing. Everything was so big!

Oh dear! I must be patient......................

Done!

2008-03-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well, now I look like half of "The Mummy", swathed in bandages as I am.

Knee Arthroscope and my wrist plate out all in one is the way to go, though I haven't tried showering yet, while keeping the bandages dry.

It was fairly unremarkable, with a pleasant anesthetist who promised to administer pain medication before I woke up, and did!

After waking, my lovely nurse and I had to work hard to get my habitually low blood pressure up to the level she wanted. 80 over 40 was not good, she said. Lots of drinks, drips and feet higher than the head over a few hours and she could be heard tripping happily up the corridor to her nurse mates saying, "She's up to 92!" And them clapping for her.

I thought I had bed bugs in the night, with some sort of reaction to medication happening and found myself scratching madly like a dog with fleas. Bed bugs don't happen in posh hospitals.

Finally fully awake at 6am, there was lots of activity in the distance in this upmarket 'private' hospital, but nowhere near me. No-one came in with a morning cuppa, or a wet flannel and towel, and breakfast finally wandered in at 8.15, but put on a trolley far from my hands by a stranger on a mission elsewhere. I had to get up and hobble round to get to my cold, hard toast, and cornflakes, which I hate.

By the time my assigned morning nurse finally wandered back in and asked me if I had had a shower, I was ready to tear her throat out. I responded to this ridiculous question with a cool, "How can I, with no towel, and bandages all down one side?" I think she knew she was in strife, because she began to fuss around me like she had been there all the while, but still no wash. I told her I would have a 'degrease' when I went home.

My surgeon came and treated me like an idiot, which got my hackles up even more.

By the time my man came to get me, I was muttering, "get me the f.... out of here!"

Back home now, I have just let the sheep out, and decided that walk was too far for my leg and crutch, so I am imbibing in a pain killing champagne, and feeling much better.

Off to the doc's next Wednesday for more of the same............

Community Duty

2008-03-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

..... that's what my man called it, when he went down on his Harley yesterday to pick up my grandson from his school (see post below). I am sure I will hear more tonight, but his mum rang up very pleased with his excitement and the positive impression it made on the other kids....... hopefully the bullying brats. All of a sudden, everyone knew his name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have heaps of jobs to do today, before checking into hospital at 11 a.m. tomorrow for a bit of 'slicing and dicing'. It will be good to get it over with, though I'm not looking forward to the process ......

Just to add to the festivity, I have my first 'working' appointment with my dentist today, who has lots of fun projects planned out for me ~ $2700 worth of fun!

Eight years since the last visit, and I am going to pay for it in more ways than one. I had x-rays done yesterday, and the radiologist said, "This doesn't hurt, but that's the only thing that doesn't with the dentist!" I think he meant the pain in the wallet!

Not Me!

Dentist: a prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coin out of your pocket. ~Ambrose Bierce

So Much to Do and So Little Time

2008-03-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Finally! I have approval from the TAC to have my knee exploratory arthroscope at the same time as the plate comes out of my wrist. I had my MRI last November, then Christmas, my surgeon's leave, letters to go to and fro between him and TAC, and finally a appointment for my case worker and their muscular-skeletal man this morning..... has led to an OK for me.

I might mention also, that my injury is 6 months old on the 9th of March.

I am really looking forward to putting it all behind me, and just getting together again, so when they offered me Thursday, I only hesitated for a second before agreeing.

I am also pleased that when it comes time to be assessed for compensation, my knee has also been accepted as part of the accident.

Now I must get myself together and do as many jobs in the next few days, that I can't do for a time afterwards, like bathing and clipping the poodles. Afterwards, I'm just going to stagger out to my studio and paint.............

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Leap year came and went with a joyous occasion, when a daughter decided to propose to her long time beau, and he accepted!

I heard on TV that morning where in olden days, the women would wear a red petticoat which showed their intentions. That way, if a man didn't want to accept, he would spot the flash of red as she came towards him and he could scarper off to the hills!

Fortunately, she doesn't wear petticoats, and he was pleased to be involved. There are rumblings about going somewhere unusual and a no-nonsense ceremony, so we're looking forward to discovering 'the plan'.

We wish them much love and happiness.

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My grandson and I had some fun over the weekend with the wire and snippers we bought him for his birthday. Armed with those, and the delightful blog Bent Objects, we raided the garden and built a beautiful Hawaiian lady, complete with cherry tomato bosoms and cucumber leaf umbrella.

We carted her home to his delighted mum and she will becoming the 'Incredible Shrinking Hawaiian Lady' on the kitchen window sill along with his other creations.

Great fun.

2008-02-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty pleased with my new camera, a Kodak EasyShare Z something-or-other. It has 8+ mega pixels, and a 12X zoom, so I can zero in on stuff miles away and get a clear shot. I'm just waiting on my big 4 Gig card and rechargeable batteries to come and I can snap up a storm.

It even takes video with sound, which is fabulous. I'm really going to have some fun.

Bully For Them

2008-02-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling somewhat traumatised today after a call from my daughter last night telling me her 9 y.o. son was being set upon by bullies at his new school.

He has been jeered at, hit and kicked by an unsavoury group of lads, and his mum is thinking of pulling him out of that 'dear little country school' and moving him to another larger one nearby where her friend has children. After only five weeks at school, that will entail quite a lot of expense. It just shouldn't be necessary.

Discussions with the teachers don't seem to be resolving the problem or giving her much support, which sounds a bit illegal to me in this enlightened age. Children are supposed to feel safe at school.

I've turned on my lateral thinking skills, and have made some enquiries re: Martial Arts lessons in the hope he may build some confidence, and make some new friends.

My man rides a big noisy Harley and has promised to roar down to pick him up after school next week, just in time for all the nasty little twerps to see him. That might give him some increase in status. I've told him he's not allowed to smile; just curl his lip into a sneer!

Our motorcycle mechanic and friend is a Coffin Cheater, who I'm sure would ride down with his back patch showing if one big bad biker is not enough.

We're having him stay over tomorrow night and I'm going to school him in holding his head high and not cry and let them win.

"Some people are like Slinkies... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."

... Author Unknown

Eeeergh!

2008-02-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

Giant python eats family dog

Aren't some people really dumb?

A CAIRNS couple fear for their children after a 5m python devoured their dog in front of them - weeks after other snakes ate their cat and guinea pig.

Daniel Peric, of Kuranda, near Cairns, said he would not leave his two children, aged five and seven, alone in any part of the house after the "enormous" python ate his silky terrier-cross chihuahua on Monday night, the Cairns Post reported today.

"Actually watching it unfold before your eyes was pretty gut-wrenching," he said.

The couple's cat and guinea pig have also been killed by snakes in recent weeks.

"When it happens once, you think it's a one-off, but last night I thought "this is serious," he said.

"We have ducted air-conditioning. Call it paranoia, but my big fear is that a snake will get in there."

Click here for full exposure of incredible idiots............

Kransky Sisters

2008-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

We went to see the Kransky Sisters last night at the nearby West Gippsland Art Centre, and had a great night's entertainment.

We'd seen them on Paul McDermott's 'Side Show' and on the ABC's 'Spics and Specs', and really loved them.

They're a very quirky group of gals, and talented singers and musicians to boot. We've even got a signed tea towel!

You Know You're Australian If......

2008-02-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

1. You know the meaning of the word "girt"

2. You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn

3. You think it's normal to have a leader called Kevin.

4. You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in
your wallet or purse.

5. You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden

6. You believe it is appropriate to put a rubber in your son's pencil case when he first attends school

7. When you hear that an American 'roots for his team' you wonder how often and with whom?

8. You understand the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs' refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.

10. You pronounce Penrith as "Pen-riff"

11. You believe the 'l' in the word "Australian" is optional

12. You can translate "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas"

13. You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep

14. You call your best friend "a total bastard" but someone you really, truly despise is just "a bit of a bastard"

15. You think "Woolloomoloo" is a perfectly reasonable name for a place

16. You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife

17. You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that is twice as big as a $2 coin.

18. You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but that "Woy Woy" cannot be called 'Woy'

19. You believe that cooked-down axle grease makes a good breakfast spread.

20. You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.

21. Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.

22. You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angel's song "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again"

23. You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionery known as the 'Wagon Wheel' has become smaller with every passing year.

24. You still don't get why the "Labor" in "Australian Labor Party" is not spelled with a 'u'.

25. You wear ugh boots outside the house.

26. You believe that the more you shorten someone's name, the more you like them.

28. Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.

29. You understand that "excuse me" can sound rude, while a "scuse me" is always polite.

30. You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.
31. You understand that 'you' has a plural and its "youse"

32. You know its not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.

33. Your biggest family’ argument over the summer concerned the rules for Beach Cricket.

34. You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call ANZAC cookies.

35. You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours"

36. When returning home from overseas you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.

37. You believe the phrase "smart casual" refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered.

38. You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.

39. When working on a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.

40. You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second.

41. You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government’s new test for migrants.

42. You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says 'cobber'

43. You know that only other Australians, here and overseas, will understand this list.

"The proper means of increasing the love we bear our native country is to reside some time in a foreign one."

... William Shenstone

Toasty Warm in Winter

2008-02-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

We're about past the oppressive hot days of summer, so the next job is to worry about fueling our heater over the coming cool evenings. Trying to be environmentally responsible, we use the air conditioner only when the heat is overwhelming, and leave lighting the fire until the cold really starts to bite.

Over winter, we use about six trailer loads of timber, and each year about this time we start to get serious about hunting some up. Yesterday was spent working along the sides of a nearby road, where the council and road maintenance contractors clear-felled a large group of blackwoods and wattles.

A while back, while traveling on this particular road down to town, there was a pile of car glass spread across a corner, with the left overs of a large tree at the edge. Obviously a car had come to grief with a falling tree. Weeks later, we heard that indeed a tree had fallen across the rear end of a car innocently passing by. The car was a write-off, but fortunately, the woman driver was unhurt.

This caused a major kerfuffle, with a write-up in the local paper about the council not clearing dangerous trees from road edges, and the risks to drivers. We get some mighty winds around here, and this group of trees regularly tip one over the road. Government now holds the opinion that all trees, dead and living, have value as habitat for wildlife, so they're very reluctant to chop anything down.

Probably frightened by possible litigation if nothing was done, our council solved the problem by 'nuking' the whole area. Stopping to chat with a neighbouring farmer, we learned that it was all going to be carted into his paddock and burned in the near future.

So, we got dressed up in our heavy duty working clobber, the man sharpened his chainsaw, connected the trailer up and off we went to the site of all this destruction.

As we pulled up at the nearest and most appealing tree, the farmer came on his tractor talking about how he had wanted that one, and "Boy, you have to be quick!". Not wanting to upset him, we offered to go to another, but he was just being a bit of a smarty pants. There were close to one hundred trees down so there was plenty for all.

Others came and went, loading up their utes and trailers; some we knew and some not. That same farmer got quite grumpy when a tree he had started on and left to deliver timber home attracted somebody else. There were some fiery swear words ringing among the tree tops for a time.

My man has been in the area for almost forty years, so we had regular stoppers from passing people wanting to chew the fat for a while. We even got a bag of cucumbers and peppers from a local's garden.

By the time we had four trailer loads chopped, split roughly and delivered home, we decided we had worked for long enough, and collapsed at home with a champagne for me and a beer for him.

Today has been pretty low key, while we wait for tired muscles to calm down, but we will be warm now!

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I did make some gorgeous mango chutney today in the microwave, which is just delicious.......

Mango Chutney
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

4 large (about 550g each) ripe mangoes, peeled, flesh chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
6 green shallots, chopped
400g (2 cups, firmly packed) soft brown sugar
100mls (5 tbs) malt vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
2 small fresh red chillies, or to taste, de-seeded, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt

Method
Combine mangoes and apples in a 3 litre (12 cup) capacity microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a lid or a double layer of plastic wrap and microwave for 6 minutes on High/850watts/100% or until apples are slightly softened.

Remove the cover and stir in the green shallots, soft brown sugar, malt vinegar, ginger, red chillies and salt. Microwave, uncovered for 20-30 minutes on High/850watts/100%, stirring every 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick and only a small amount of liquid is left.

Spoon into hot sterilized jars, seal while hot. Invert jars for 2 minutes then stand upright until cold. Store in a cool dry cupboard for up to 2 months. Keep in the fridge after opening.

Uses: Serve the chutney with ham and roast turkey, spread on sandwiches and to accompany Indian curries.

Butterfly wings

2008-02-20T20:17:00.001-08:00

A glorious butterfly I snapped the other day feeding on our hebe flowers.
Opened, it was dusty blue shading to white, but the underneath was spectacular.

Googling it, I discovered it was an 'Imperial Jezebel'. What a wonderful name!

Ebay or Bust!

2008-02-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

'Focus'
Pen and wash on watercolour paper
Framed ~ $295

I love eBay, and use it for most of my gadget purchases. It's fun to get in there, find the right item, research it's regular retail price elsewhere, then get back in and make a killing.

I might not use it for many months, as I'm not one of those addicted buyers who blow huge amounts on stuff they don't need. Lately, it's been a bit problematic, but I am getting through all the glitches.

It was my daughter's birthday recently, so another daughter and I decided to buy her a food processor. My man and I have 6 children between us, and have agreed we would spend up to a certain amount for birthdays and Christmas, and my daughter and her fiance are on a house-buying budget.

So, we got into eBay, found a new processor that did all the things she might want, bought it and presented it last Sunday. There was much delight and cooings about making daiquiris, so we were quite pleased.

Tuesday night, I get a call from the birthday girl, saying no matter what they did to it, it just would not work! Damn..................

Today I have driven down to pick up the repacked item, ready for a post off. I have agreed to a replacement, because she still has those daiquiris to make, so let's hope there will be a satisfactory result at the end.

Next ~ I bought a snappy new camera via eBay, supposedly from the US. After paying for it, I got a delighted welcoming email from Hong Kong. Hong Kong! How did it get over there?

Over three weeks have passed and I was getting withdrawal symptoms from having no digital, so emailed on Monday asking politely 'where it might be on the delivery trail?

The next day, I received an equally polite email from Hong Kong, saying they would check the status of said camera's delivery. This morning I get a hugely apologetic notice saying it hadn't been posted; something about the destination hadn't been verified in Paypal (rubbish!). It was now on it's way.

I'm hangin' out for that one! (still love eBay!)

"Life is the Greatest bargain ~ we get it for nothing"
... Yiddish proverb

too much...............

2008-02-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

Discussions underway with TAC (accident commission) Re: surgery. Now it's March the 3rd for a definitive answer on whether they will cover both plate removal in my wrist and an exploratory on my knee injury. It's going on and on....

Lots of autumnal activities are hinging on this getting over and done with quickly, but it is a lesson in patience.

A trip to my GP to get more letters for TAC brought up the fact that I have two small Basal Cell Carcinomas on my face that need dealing with. Now I have an appointment with a dermatologist on 17th March to have that seen to, which will probably be on crutches!

Apart from getting toasty brown in my teens, I developed a serious dislike for all that hot UV on my face and body, and have been reluctant to expose myself much ever since. I figure now I could be made to suffer quite successfully by tying me down outside on a hot day: bit like Chinese water torture!

Obviously I haven't covered up enough. All those years in the sun have made their mark, but I am lucky to only have the least threatening of the skin cancers. I came home and told my man he was off to the doc's for a check too, as he has one just like mine that will need doing too.

It is now time for a 'tidy-up'! I have made an appointment to see the dentist as well for next week: the first time in about eight years. The receptionist said cheerily, "We'll set aside about an hour to go over your teeth and see what needs doing". That's the sound of dollar signs lining up!
Sheesh!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apart from that, I found a beautiful long brown stick insect doing a lazy breast stroke in the dog's water this morning. About six inches long and missing one leg, he was pleased to be lifted out and released from his slow desperate circles. I still don't have my new camera yet (it's very late in the post!), so couldn't snap his picture, but I did save a life today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a stinker of a hot day, but a cool change is expected tonight. We are soooo dry, and desperate for good rain. The poodles are freshly bathed and dry in a jiffy, so we're all out to the air conditioned comfort of the studio to work on my big painting.

"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream! "
... John Lennon

Up and Running Again

2008-02-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a real pain re-installing programs after my laptop crashed and needed re-formatting. It's a scary time and never goes back the way you're used to, ..... though sometimes that's a good thing.

I was investigating setting up a 'ghost drive' before it went down, so once I had put everything back together again, I went back to Google and learned as much as I could. My daughter's partner said he would set one up for me, but he's a busy man, and I love learning more.

I discovered that Norton makes a Ghost Drive program, so bought that last week and have used it. It's very simple, and also has a backup of your files option as well. It can do a one off so when your computer is pristine and working really well, you can store that away on another drive and then paste it across if your old one gets into strife. Voila! It's all up and running as before!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am pleased to have been accepted by our local council into Art melbourne08, which will make me get back into a semblance of work again. Because of my accident and pending surgery, I have slowed to a near halt my plans for an exhibition, but do have some OK paintings up and running.

Baw Baw Shire enters this huge show as a 'gallery', and chooses it's stable of artists for that year. I have around two very tall metres for display, so hopefully I will be able to put four large canvases and maybe fit in a few small complimentary watercolours. My Coal Creek Oils should be well suited for a more contemporary audience.

I actually got out into the studio for a painting session last Tuesday and wondered why I had left it so long!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Weekend Australian Art Melbourne 08 will take place at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton from Friday 18 - Sunday 20 April 2008.

First Night, the exclusive Preview to the fair will take place on Thursday 17th April.

Bringing together Melbourne's vibrant art scene, The Weekend Australian Art Melbourne offers collectors and newcomers to the art market the opportunity to view and choose from an enormous variety of art styles, mediums and content.

Featuring over 100 leading Australian galleries presenting new artwork from 800 established and emerging artists, the fair will include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, indigenous works, art objects and works on paper including limited edition prints, from the affordable to the collectable."

"Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night."

... Glade Byron Addams

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.......

2008-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

"Today we honour the indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We, the Parliament of Australia, respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered, as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive."
... Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

More about Bee Stings

2008-02-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

'Gustave Nude'
This was an experimental painting done after the style of Klimt, whose work I really love. There is quite a lot of gold leaf on it; the first time I have used that. It is somewhat flawed (aren't they all?), but I still like it.
Oil on canvas, and framed.
AU$750 + p.h

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I wrote about being stung by my bees last week, I had a comment from someone who said she had severe pain with her arthritis and nothing worked. After a busy time out over the weekend, I actually remarked to my man that I had little or no arthritic pain in my knee, which has given me a terrible time lately. I did receive a sting just below the joint which had quite a strong reaction. Maybe wishful thinking, but I really hadn't thought about it before it occurred to me on Sunday.

Bee stings provide a lot of anti-inflammatory agents, but would wear off pretty quickly, I would imagine.

More stings? Hard work. I might cut a hole over my knee in my bee suit and point it at the hive every now and again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No sound from my little swallow this morning. They die quickly with no food and lots of stress, but it hasn't dropped into the fire box yet. I will listen for it some more. We're going to put chicken wire over the top of the chimney so it doesn't happen again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was my grandson's birthday yesterday, and I made a big chocolate sponge birthday cake for us to take down to him last night. Wondering what to give to him for his birthday, I remembered how a couple of weeks ago we went through the Bent Objects Blog laughing at the wonderful creatures this clever man makes out of pieces of wire, assorted vegetables and households bits and pieces.

Perfect! I went to The Warehouse and bought some wire cutters, narrow nosed pliers, a roll of fine wire and a plastic snap top container to put it all in.

He was delighted, and after lighting the candles and cutting the cake, he got one of his mum's carrots and made his first creature.

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."
... Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

A Life's Struggle

2008-02-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here near my wood heater's flue listening to a tiny swallow which has fallen down the flue. I can't reach him because our flue is over 20 feet long and takes a few turns as it winds up the long ceiling to the roof top.

This happens occasionally, usually to swallows, and sometimes resolve with a live exit and sometimes not. When I hear one drop into the fire box, I can open the door and catch it, or let it fly crazily around the open space until it finds it's way out the opened door upstairs.

Covering the top is the answer, but our roof is very tall and steep and I worry about my man taking a tumble of his own.

It sounds quite desperate, poor little thing, calling all the time, and loosened soot is clattering down the flue as it struggles to maintain its hold. One more turn in the flue and it's down.

I wish it luck........

Rain has finally come!

2008-02-09T13:44:00.001-08:00

Not much, but the tanks are half full, and we can stop worrying every time we turn the taps on.

Bliss Hill

Words Aren't Needed.

This Was It!

What's the World Coming to?

Australian to the Core.

Absolutely Fascinating.

Discovery

This Week's Favourite Pics

Macro Shots

Wonderful Reception!

Solo Exhibition

Fresh Blogging on the way .... truly!

Back Again

Spammers

Portrait

Hard To Believe

New Beginning

A Litter Next Year

Regeneration

Did the Earth Move for you?

No Gratitude for our Hospitality

A Close Call

Bye Old Dog

A Week on...........

Bad Weather

Sorry..............

Snakes Again

Taking Time Out

Driving While Drugged

Tiny Foal

Three Weeks Past a Knee Replacement

Slimy People

Slithering Tales

Grief for a Tiny Child Lost

This Week

More Sheep Stories

Babies Coming and Going.

Busy, Busy.........

The Time Warp Meets 'Old Timers Disease'

Gargoyle Take Over.

Fighting Nature and Letting Go......

Diet With a Purpose

Doggy Portrait

Just Wandering By............

Can You Feel Your Brain Shrinking?

Red In The Morning

Toys on Canvas

Keep Me Away From Sharp Objects

Clearly Gone

Gettin' There

For Sale: Harley Davidson FXDX Superglide Sport

Holiday Snaps

We're Going away!!!

Lamb Chops Galore

It Pays to Protest

A Solid Gold Sheila ..........

Random Acts of Kindness

The Royal Exhibition Buildings - More Photos

...and Now for Some Light Entertainment

Photos From Melbourne

Packed up and Ready to Go

Vindaloo Anyone?

Commentary

Just Photos Again...........

Managing Stress

Rye Grass Staggers

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.”

Don't Buy a Toshiba Laptop.

Not a Leg to Stand on.

Getting Ready

Bye Bye Charlton!

“The rules have changed. True power is held by the person who possesses the largest bookshelf, not gun cabinet or wallet.”

No Power for 48 hours!

Moving Day

Ode to the Beaut Ute.

Ohhhhh.............

Just Photos

Please. We Want Rain!

I love the Smell of Oil Paint

Sex, Lives and Computers