And now, some art....

Merryl is progressing at a glacial rate.  I am so strung out with life at present I barely give her the time of day

Over the last two weeks we have worked on some timed, small tonal studies during our portraiture class which has been so much fun - although I was such a cranky pants last class one would NOT think this is so (sorry Don and my lovely arty friends)!!

Taped up and ready to start.  We used a large brush, burnt umber and white and slapped, ha!, delicately/confidently/expertly applied the paint in generous blocks of tone.

10 minutes in, a likeness is beginning to appear.  Viv has had a breakdown beside me by this time (I saved mine for a later lesson and mine was non art motivated methinks).

30 minutes in and 'brushes down'.

One hour each and a lot more paint - aaaargh and much more tuition and assistance and demonstration from the ever patient and generous Don.  I need to adjust the nose and eyes of the monklike fellow at bottom before next lesson. Hopefully I am able to find time instead of just rocketing around in a state of perpetual anxiety and unease as I have been of late.  I mostly feel like a crazed squirrel at present.

Hope all is well with you.  xxx

Garden Adventures Part 2

After games of  'Swiss Family Robinson', Robinson Crusoe etc in the wilds the kids decided to join in with the adults and become a 'garden army'.  Here I am supervising the selection of the 'weapons'.  If you look beyond us, the area we are working on is the heavily planted area past the fort.

Some more of the garden army.....two lovely husbands.  My sister and I are lucky girls.

 Uncle Jeff supervising mister M using a tomahawk for the first time to chop down a sappling.

After a very short time hacking and chopping the garden army transformed once again into the Swiss Family Robinson again and set off exploring their island.  Yes there are children in there.

The two youngest made a foray upon the house to get supplies.

And partook of said supplies in copious amounts....they were very sneaky.

Garden Adventures Part 1

A fun, impromptu family day in our garden that started when Jeff, my brother and my nephews cut down two palms near the house in preparation for the replacement of our back deck and green house.

Some serious cubby house building took place with the downed palm trees.

Hearing about all the action and not to be left out, my 'favourite' brother-in-law turned up prepared for action.

He brought my other nephew and my niece who joined their cousins for some wonderful, wild, gardeny adventures. For the first time they were allowed through the fence and down the 'far back' of our yard (we have 1/4 acre of wild bush and dam full of wildlife). 

 Lots of fun was had exploring the dry dam bed. 

A week later some nice rain filled this to almost 2/3 full. 

The girls had to stay on the other side of the fence.  They had tick collars on but we were making sure they were as safe as can be. As it was at the end of the day there were a few ticks pulled off the humans. I had 5 with four of them being paralysis ticks. Luckily they don't affect humans like dogs.