TAST and a wet morning

I didnt manage to get last weeks TAST up last week, I think because I was going away. It was chain stitch and the week before was detatched chain so I fiddled with using a bit of both and then this week is couching so I used a cahin to couch as well, nothing large, just a collection of stitches and I have enjoyed playing with them.
It was wet this morning and now is quite cold, I did manage to walk Max and not get too wet, and in taking him out the back gate discovered that the little bottle bursh that I planted ages ago, which then got burnt and I thought had died when John let a fire get away is flowering and it is pink, most of mine are red but I have tried to get a few different ones, that flower at different times so the birds have nectar, which they love at different times of the year.
The misty look of the paddocks in the mizzle is the next photo, then the sedums are starting to flower in the garden at the front of the house and finally what is begining to look like a jungle by the back door.
I am enjoying this weather after the heat of a few days ago but would like a lot more rain, not in a hurry but enough to wet more than the top mm or so.
We are also getting low in the dams so I am trying not to water the garden much and the rain water tanks would love a top up.
Off to search for the little book I cant find and have a play with chopping up some bright printed stuff and re arrange it in a book I did find! That probably only makes sense to me.
I keep moving things around and then cant find them, too much stuff and not enough room.
I love those people who seem to have a whole shed to put things in and play around them, oh and not to mention a wet area so they dont have to track out to the laundry all the time.
Perhaps I should have a 'stuff' sale, but then who would come I have a suspicion that my stuff is only of interest to me.

Back from the Grampians Forum at Halls Gap

Not sure how good this collage is as I am terribly tired, but here is a small piece of what we did and saw.
Lower left is part of the basket exhibition at the Ararat art Gallery celebrating the 30th anniversary of Douglas Fuchs 'floating forest' presented in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
A fascinating exhibition that I think will haunt me.
P and I had left home at about 7.30 and drove, being hindered by road works etc, and finally got to Ararat around 3 pm. We then took the back road through to Halls Gap and found our accomodation which was great, any one going to Halls Gap I recomend Tim's Place.
Unpacked and had a bit of an explore and then off to the first event of the weekend, a gallery opening and a meal, we were home in bed really early.
Saturday was hot, total fire ban and here we were in the midst of trees and scrub and rocks. First day of my class with Keith Lo Bue who was teaching us connections using steel wire. It was very informative and the class was fun, lots of lovely class mates and a lot of hammering went on.
Another evening out that night as there were stalls from those who were participating and a meal afterwards. Again we were not late.
Sunday was hot and getting humid. We had a lot to cover as we had to show to the other classes what we had done over the 2 days. That is the top left hand photo, mostly what I did as I dont think I should show the others work. As I left the hall which got unbearably hot and humid with so many people looking at the other class stuff I heard a rumble of thunder and then it poured with rain, I was soaked by the time I got back to the car to drive back to our class rooms to pack up, and even wetter by the time I had done that.
We didnt go out to eat that night but had a scratch meal, watched a bit of tv and fell into bed ready for the long drive home the next day.
I wish I had had more time to really see what was on offer as there were galleries I would have liked to have seen but it was so hot all one wanted to do was go home and have a drink and collapse in a heap!
Most of the rest of the photos are of that drive home, we firstly went through fog and low cloud over the Grampians and into the Wakool valley, stopping on the way to take photos and they are the center top, the center bottom and the middle left.The rocks are absolutely sensational and so were what views we could see.
We went along back roads to Horsham and then more back roads to go to Nhill going past Mt Arapiles, which are the other photos, we stopped there for a walk, still early morning and no climbers out, there had been a bit of rain in the night too, the party of kangaroos were looking at me, we saw so many kangaroos on that drive through the Grampians but luckily we didnt hit one. Mt Arapiles is the best southern hemisphere climbing so I was told, a bit for every one.
Click to enlarge the photos.
After once more being held up by road works and at the ferry we arrived home tired by about 3.30pm.
I havent done a lot today, cleaned up, washed, put away, it is a lot of effort to drive over and back and have two very intense days of classes. Very nice to have P as company on the long drives and in the apartment.
My spell checker doesnt want to work, sorry about those mistakes.

More wrapped dolls

These are a little bit addictive. I am now not sure what to do with them. they have been fun to make, find an oddment in the scrap basket and add and wrap and bead. If I just had a clear idea of what I was doing with them it would help.
tomorrow my friend P and I are off to Halls Gap in Victoria for the week end, it sounds as if it could be hot, not good as I am working with metal. I dont really mind, even if I just sit and watch and take notes but I am sure I will do more.
John has the task of looking after the animals and in particular Max, it could be the making of Max, so long as no one takes any notice of him he is fine but tends to take off if any one but me tries to pat him. John thinks he needs therapy, I think it might take a while but he will always be my dog.
I am happy about that.

By the back door

At present there is a symposium , I think in Sydney, about people who are horders and that they think it is a mental illness.
Sometimes I wonder.
Or am I turning into one of those strange old women who collect? Probably a bit of both. I dont have a yard of junk, although I do have rather a lot of 'stuff' in my work room.
I am still wondering.
I do every so often throw a heap of stuff out.

I rather like my colledtion of odds and ends by the back door, some are practical like the chook buckets, some decorative, the plants, and some really odd, I have plans for the odd thongs, I love the rough shelves I found down in the shed, some where for the little collections to go until they turn into something else.
Sometimes I see John shaking his head but he doesnt thank goodness say much.
I suppose if it really gets over the top he would just say enough is enough and throw it all out.
Today I am enjoying it.
Off to use those buckets to feed the chooks.

HM Bark Endeavour

I meant to put these post cards up, they never scan well, the top one is of the replica at sail in Bass Strait and the bottom is a watercfolour by Ross Shardlow of the original bark.

HM Bark Endeavour

Today after our haircuts at Glenelg J and I went over to Port Adelaide to see the sailing ships that were in, The one I most wanted to see was the replica of Cooks ship the Endeavour we last saw her in Whitby a few years ago, and here she was doing a circumnavigation of Australia.
A lovely day, and a lovely ship.
We didnt go on board, much as I would have liked to as she was full of school children and there was a long wait. I sat and sketched some of her rigging and just enjoyed looking at her.
Such small ships that sailed around the world and into uncharted seas.
Also in was the One and All, also built here in Australia and now sadly running out of funding. John has sailed on her a couple of times. We signed the petition so it will be interesting to see what comes of it. She has been used as a training ship.

TAST and wrapped dolls

This weeks TAST was detached chain and the week before was Chevron Stitch, I have combined the two at the top of the piece, along with a detached chain flower or two and some herringbone stitch as well as Cretan, fly and teather stitch. Just a little collection of stitches on an old linen towel I found in an op shop and cut into pieces. Nothing straight and nothing particularly well done but fills me with some satisfaction that with the terrible trouble I am having with arthritis that I am actually getting something done.
I decided to do some silly lttle wrapped dolls as well, it has just been fun to pick up a bit of fabric from my scrap basket and turn it into something. The second one was actually a shirt collar I had cut off a second hand shirt and had used some of the other fabric, so nice and ethnic looking. Beads and buttons. I have been trying to think of appropriate words to go on the two who dont have them.
I think the strange little blue striped fellow had been put up before. Never mind he would like another view of the words.
J has gone fishing, I have done some washing, a bit of ironing, a bit of dusting, there is bread on and friends dropped in for a coffee and biscuits (I have been baking again, we will all get huge!) and left some plums, more stuff to be cooked and frozen.
I am now going to put my foot up for a little while and read.

Morning fog

I have updated picasa and my collage doesnt look like it used to. Oh well here is what I saw this morning. I couldnt believe how foggy it was and some of the trees in the orchard are showing signs of autumn colour.
Then the sun burnt the fog off and it has been hot and muggy all day.
I loved the remains of the spiders web, as we went in to the market this morning there were lots of lovely whole ones in the fences but no time to stop and take photos.
I hope these photos will enlarge.
I have made a batch of biscuits, different ones again, I will see how J likes them, rolled oats and apricot etc they look ok and I am making a sea food lasanga for dinner, another new recipe so I hope it works out.
We had to go and feed up T's ponies tonight, and my toe has decided it doesnt like me much so I dont know what the problem is. any way we managed all of that and now I need to feed the chooks, the dogs and cat are done, then it is us.
I was going to do all sorts of things today but this wretched toe is really getting me down again, so I did a bit of reading instead, and painted some background paper. Not the house work! Tomorrow.

A varied day

This little wrap around doll made its appearance last night, I like playing with scraps and something new appeared.
This morning Max and I walked and did a bit of a detour to take photos of some of the old machinery that is in a paddock, all farms have bits, I just wish I could get those wheels and some of the cogs home.
Then on my way through the back gate the scarlet runner beans and the zuccini flowers took my eye so another photo. I am freezing a lot of the zuccini for winter soups and if we get the scarlet runner beans early they are lovely, older ones not so but I would grow them just for the flowers.
I did walk Max for half an hour at home.
Then John and I went in to walk along the beach, with my shoes off, paddling in sea water! I havent been able to do that since the end of October.
It was bliss, the toe hasnt completely healed and there is a horrid callous but this is part of the treatment, at last.
We havent taken Max out walking on the beach yet as he is so frightened of other dogs and people and I feel he needs to be confident in me and me in him before we try.
Here he roars out the back gate and up the paddock at a million miles an hour, you would think we kept him in a minute yard but the back area where his is huge, much bigger than a suburban block.
I have been stewing peaches, I have a lot to do and then I will freeze them, lots of breakfasts ahead. We did manage to net the little peach tree and foil some but not all of the birds. No apples or pears though, the big old trees are not able to be netted and the birds wiped out the whole crop before they were even half grown.

Fish, Oscar and Max

John's fishing trip on Sunday was a success and as you can see Oscar was terribly pleased and waiting not so anxiously as they were filleted. He gets the ugly looking rock cod and red mullet.
Max is so hard to photograph as he sticks next to me when we are walking but I did manage to get this photo yesterday morning.
I have had a busy couple of days, not doing a lot of constructive work but Monday I went over and watched the Anne Bagley video that W had, I think I must get it as it is very well done and such a long video you get almost a workshop for the price of the video.
Yesterday we went to Adelaide, had lunch with a friend and John had a meeting that was later than I thought it would be, I also saw my sister. A very pleasant day catching up.
We ended up getting a take away from the asian place (and very nice it is too) as we were both tired. There are always the dogs and chooks etc to feed when you get home as well.
I gave J the heart I made and he was terribly pleased with it and said I dint make many things for him. I suppose I thought he wouldnt be interested, one should never make assumptions.
Oh I didnt realise that gum tree had got in, it is a lovely shape and one we pass every morning. The colour is a bit off, early morning light I suppose.

Three birds and a heart

My little camera doesnt take terribly good bird photos and I have to crop them but I was quite pleased with the Adelaide rosellas that I captured on film the other day, especially the one eating the rose hips, as well as the Willy Wagtail on the fence by the seeding dock head.
The heart is one I had to do in a hurry for Holey Moley and it is athe result of some samples I had made in various classes, the back which you cant see, is silk paper, the middle bit is sari ribbon embellished onto felt and then stitched and the front bit is some threads that were stitched between romeo (dissolving stuff) all put together with button hole stitch.
I went over to play with Wendy today, instead we watched an Ann Bagley video on how to make painted backgrounds, fascinating and then ran out of time. Now I know what it is all about we may have a try next week, or the week after, whenever we have time to get together.
Last night we had a lovely bbq to celebrate Gabbys birthday.
Perhaps that is why I feel tired tonight.

Two walks this morning

First with Max up the windy and dry looking hill, although we have had a bit over 6 mm of rain overnight, the sky was looking incredible.
Then in to Victor to the market and a walk around on the road at the bottom of the Bluff, again a low tide and high wind and the sea and clouds were wonderful.
Click and aclick again to enlarge.
Wind blown and refreshed we drove out to take Millie her doll, she was most impressed but hastened to tell me there were more dolls in that book!
She didnt think it needed a name, but played happily with it the whole time we were there. She is a delightfully self contained child who plays by herself quite happily. I just hope we dont find that she is dyslectic like so many in our family.
So a nice morning and now I am about to start something, but what? I have enrolled in Mary Ann Moss's Remains of the Day class, you will find her blog in my side bar as Dispatch from LA, this is to make another(??) book, I am a sucker for making and collecting how to of books, I really shouldnt need to but I cant help myself. I am now collecting all sorts of ephemera for it. Love the name. This is something to play with slowly, actually it will have to be as I have committed to a lot this year and I have an exhibition to get ready for as well, our annual, Easter show with a heap of mixed Media people.