An interesting morning

I am doing a class in March with Sandy Webster and one of the requirements on her list is that we bring some soil from home or some that means something to me. Well!!! I got a bit carried away and after I had received her book the other day John decided that as he wasnt going fishing he would take me on an 'adventure'. I had been on about ochre and the fact that I would like some and that there is a red ochre mine between Maslin and Moana Beach at a place called Red Ochre Point and perhaps we could find some on the beach. Of course I had no idea what I was looking for, but we duly made our way along near the Point, to find interesting colours in the cliffs and lots of rocks at the bottom of them that I couldnt negotiate. Oops. Any way John duly went with plastic bags and a trowel and found me some, I hope interesting stuff, while I fossicked around on the beach and found some bits of rock that when I tried drawing made an ochre coloured marks so maybe this is ochre after all. What ever, I now have several bags of interesting material to take to the Grampians with me. I also have some red clay from home so it will be interesting to see if I can use any of it or none at all. I dont mind, it was a lovely day, not too hot and I was so busy searching for rocks I forgot to take more photos so these are not terribly interesting. Duh!!!

Playing with Warrandyte

I bought one of Dale's packs (the thread studio) and have been happily stitching. Tried to get it up on Feb but am not clever enough to do that! Any way the pack was called Warrandyte with a heap of lovely stuff in it. I did add a few things from my stash too. Only small I think I have enough for at least 3 more small stitcher is. Fun!

Brilliant walk this morning

This is what summer should be like, warm, blue skies and a lovely breeze. Grab it when you can say I as the stinking heat will be back upon us before you know it. A very low tide this morning, quite nice for fossicking for a few shells. There is a black snake hanging around the house at the moment, so far we have seen it but as both John and I dont seem to see as well as we once did he or she is a bit of a worry. I am trying to tidy up work rooms and having a bit of play with some hand stitching, nothing really to show yet. I dont seem to be able to get on with any painting at the moment but I suppose it will come. Off to keep an eye out for that snake while I feed the chooks.

Ten Years of blogging

I suddenly realised that I had missed my 10 year anniversary. My first blog post was on the 21st of January 2006. Quite a milestone. I had a quick look around the walls of the house, memories of good times, some a long time ago,some more recent. Things collected on trips away and stuff I have made. I have certainly got older and slower over those 10 years but with any luck there may be another ten. I have learnt a lot, played a lot and fallen over quite a lot too. To all those who still follow my blog, thank you for hanging in there, you are very dear to me. Now what will the next year bring?

The last few days in pictures

I made a collage of he last few days, the class with Dale Rollerson and what I managed to do when I got home, placing stuff in my notebook and trying out a few things Dale told us about and I didnt have time to do at the class. These went into a lovely notebook I bought from Ro Bruhn when I did her class in Melbourne. I am slowly filling it up. I have been having fun doing extra stuff and using some of the sprays and paints I have had for ages. We have walked a couple of times, this morning, Australia Day, was cold and damp down here and we decided not to go into the celebrations this morning as I was feeling pretty tired, the first time since John was made Mayor and then our local Australian of the year, which is getting to be a while ago now. John and I have been getting a flat pack fowl house together, enough said!! The curses and carry on was horrendous and I should never do this, whats more its pretty flimsy so I just hope it survives. Any way we walked the cliffs this morning and it was a bit blustery and cool but a lovely walk. As well as that I have been trying out a few felt bird patterns, to see what I might like to go as Christmas presents next year to go with my pear trees. Not entirely happy with either of these so I am still making patterns. Something to keep me out of mischief when I am feeling tired. If you double click the photo it should enlarge.

Workshop with Dale

Just back from a 2 day workshop with Dale Rollerson of the Thread Studio. It was great fun and although I didn't get a lot done, I never do in workshops, I learnt a lot and I can't wait to try out a few new ideas. I have put up a few photos, we made silk paper with cocoon stripping and embedded a leaf, used stencils and stamps, paper napkins bonded and burnt, paper napkin grids and more. I am supposed to go back tomorrow for a different class but there are various reasons why I won't be going but the main one is that the body isn't quite coping with another 2 days of sitting. I obviously thought I could do more when I entered. One other reason is the big cycle race, The Tour Down Under will be all along the roads I would need to travel. Better to not be on the roads!

Fun wirh felt

I have been playing with little brooches using some rather nice wool felt. Something quick to do and using up some of my beads as well. We have had some quite interesting clouds on some of our walks lately, the first was taken this morning and the second a couple of days ago we have some a few different walks this morning along the beach at Hayborough and the other around Pt Elliot on the walk down from the steps. We also went to the market this morning and then on to see the Rotary Art Show, this is an annual event and is always interesting to see. Nothing really said buy me, which was just as well but there were some awful and some lovely very well done paintings, always the way and what I think are awful may just be what some one else loves. All in the eye of the beholder. Just as well I have been trying to get together my stuff early for the workshops I am going to next week, it is tiring and of course what I knew I had to take took ages to track down. I think I now need to weed out some of the stuff so I dont fill the entire car with 'stuff'!! Considering that my knee for some unknown reason played up last night and I probably only had about 2 hours sleep I am surviving quite well.

A totally wonderful, unexpected day

I have been feeling a bit grumpy, John is still keeping me awake at night snoring with this wretched cold and although he wasnt feeling brilliant he suggested that as it was cool he would take me up to Adelaide and we would see the exhibition at the South Australian Art Gallery called Fashion Icons from the collection of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs which ends next month. I had been really wanting to see this but I was so surprised at my feelings, especially of the early stuff, up to I suppose the mid 1980's which was when I was making my own clothes, all from Vogue patterns and so many of the clothes on display were similar to ones I once made and wore. No way I could do that now. These photos are taken from the Gallery newsletter and they are, 1st photo, Christian Dior, such an iconic photo, I remember it well, 1955, photo Willy Maywald, I hope I am not breaking any laws by getting these up, but they are all so wonderful.2nd photo Yohji Yamamoto. photo Jean Tholance, isnt it yummy? This is a late one 2004. Next is another Dior, I just loved his work, photo is by Clifford Coffin 1948 L'Opera Paris and the last is another Dior Autumn - winter 1951 -52) Photo Jean Tholance. Any one who is in Adelaide it is on until the 15th February and is stunning and if you are like me made your own clothes around the time some of these were gracing the cat walk, dont delay. So a lovely but tiring day, a coffee and cake at McLaren Vale on the way home, another good place to stop, the Visitors Information Centre there. I have been complaining about our unexciting life style, cant complain today.

Fish, book and a canna leaf

John is not feeling at all well, he has a summer cold and is just functioning, but he did insist we walked this morning and the beach had changed again, very still close in and lots of baby fish. A couple of mothers with small babies and toddlers were there as well, Johns comment, it must be baby drowning time this morning. Awful man, they were very sweet and all very well looked after. I came home and had a play with this origami pocket book, I had done one before ages ago but I was reminded of it and had a play, finished it off with some tiny little tags popped in the pockets with some nice wool on the tags, looks like a rather smart star the way I managed to sew it together. I have this really spectacular canna in a pot, it gets frosted off every winter and then comes back, it has these fantastic leaves. I would love to re pot it but I think I would have to break the pot and I really dont want to do that. It is very hot and humid. 100% humidity as it is dripping out there, not the real rain that we have been promised over and over again, but it is something. Maybe we will be lucky and get more over night, but it wont be a pleasant night to sleep through (a coughing and spluttering husband as well as the humidity will make it interesting!) Not a lot of creativity being done, I am being naughty and reading, although I did manage to cut back the seed heads on the small blue agapanthus today. Too hot and humid and one goes to ground, probably much like those of you in the northern hemisphere when it is cold and snowy or wet and windy.

Low tide and windy

Taken this morning and yesterday, and probably the day before. This morning it was very low tide and a bit rough out to sea, as you can see by the waves behind the birds on exposed reef, I love the reef at the bay with its round rock holes caused by rocks swirling in the depressions and over time, lots of time getting larger until they wear away. Yesterday there was a lone wind surfer, he took ages to get up but once there he was away. When we walked the cliffs and down to Depps beach I saw the lovely pattern in the sand. We have been walking but John doesnt feel well and I think that we are sort of getting over the terribly hot weather, one should get out and be terribly active as the heat will come back but all we want to do is sleep. I am doing dreary things like cleaning and a bit of tidying up and some hand sewing, almost finished my 20 felt pears and have found a bird pattern I might use to go with the partridge in a pear tree theme, looking ahead at the moment while I can! We had very little of the promised flooding rains, a whole 5 mm but it has been positively cold and overcast and more is promised for tomorrow, I hope they are right this time, the garden really got rather crisped in the 42 degree heat and I would love not to have to go onto spring water for the house, rain water is so much better. Hope everyone has had a lovely week end. I am actually enjoying being a bit slow and reading and sewing, just got the latest Peter Robinson for my kindle I have been putting it off for ages but finally decided I needed to have it, trouble is I may not put it down until I finish it.

In the mail today and an early walk

A lovely, well not surprise,as I had ordered it, but a wonderful package arrived from Trace Willans in Cairns. One of her lovely hand made books and other odds and ends, she is very generous. I had seen her books when I did a class with the wonderful Sandra Brownlee and Trace sat next to me. I couldnt afford her book then but I was given a bit of money for Christmas so this lovely one came to me, Trace has an etsy shop on her soewnEarth blog. Now to fill it! We went in early this morning for a walk and to get papers and mail, it was lovely on the beach, a light breeze, a very low tide and not too many people. It is already getting hotter but so far not much wind. They are talking about some rain in a day or two, I hope they are right but the weather bureau hasnt been terribly accurate lately. It may only be to the north of us as so often happens. We can only hope. So sad for those who have lost houses, I feel even more for those who havent been allowed back in to see, wonder about their animals, I think it is very short sighted of those in charge to not let people through to see, I know it is dangerous but I am afraid if it was me I would be getting in somehow, it is now 5 days, far too long. I know today and in particular tomorrow are going to be bad and I think people who live in those areas really need to rethink how they site their houses and gardens, hills and scrub and strong winds and fires are not a good mix. I think too that what has been forgotten is the larger numbers of hobby farms, not proper farmers who live in these areas. More people, more houses to defend. Having said that I am just glad it is not me.

Walking the coasrt

The brown jelly fish are the sort we didnt much like when we were diving as they stung, quite a few on the beach at Kent Reserve yesterday. this morning we walked the steps at Pt Elliot and it was still a bit rough and there seemed to be a nippers surf carnival on the beach. I havent bust myself with the weather being quite mild but getting sticky, household chores and cut out some morte felt pears. The fire to the north is still uncontrolled but at this stage contained, people still cant get back in to see to stock or if they have houses. Trees keep falling on the roads and are too dangerous. More high heat tomorrow so every one is a bit nervous about it, although rain seems to be for cast for Thursday and over the week end when we have a show, in the hills!! I think it is time to change the date of that show. Or move it out of the hills where the fire problem isnt so great.

Helmet shell

This morning while walking along the beach near Kent Reserve this helmet shell was sitting in the sand. He was still alive so after taking his photo we threw him back in. We used to see these while we were diving but I havent seen one here in all the time we have walked this beach. So pleasant to walk early before it got too hot but it has been a dreadful day for so many people, many we know with ponies in the hills behind Adelaide where for the last 2 days bushfires have rages uncontrolled for 2 days and there are no signs of getting them under control, we have now had a wind change which is likely to make things worse as it heads in a different direction. We have been very lucky down here as it has been relatively mild with no raging winds. So far there are no reports of how many houses have been lost, quite a few, and if there have been any deaths or injuries as they have been too busy trying to control this raging beast. Summer in Australia.

New cover for my 2015 daily diary.

Terribly hot today and bushfire around but none so far near us thank goodness. We got to about 39 degrees, Adelaide was in the low 40's. Very hot off and on in the next week. The older I get the harder it is to cope with heat, we do have an air conditioner but it isn't always as good as one would like. Today I made up the cover for my daily diary. I used a piece of fabric I had used to do some free motion embroidery after a tutorial by Gina Ferrari, this was fun and I look forward to using it. Apart from this I haven't done a huge amount, surviving is the order of the day.

First walk for 2015

Sorry I have uploaded one photo twice, not sure how that happened. We walked along the cliffs from Petrel's Cove this morning, a stiff breeze and a low tide. The mermaids necklace sea weeds were exposed on the rocks and I couldnt help taking photos of them, the cliff walk, a lot more people around today, to be expected as it is the holidays, and a lovely clump of rocks snuggling together. A bit tireing but a lovely walk. We went to friends for dinner last night and stayed up to watch the fire works that were appearing all along the coast from Goolwa and further and Victor Harbor, a few trees have grown and obscured the view of the Victor ones some what but it was still lovely and we had a fabulous night with new and old friends. I am not sure of what 2015 will bring, probably not all good but here is hoping for an exciting year none the less.