Me Again

I know it had been a while since I blogged last… but now TWICE in one day!
Tomorrow Australia goes to the polls and votes in a new Prime Minister, it should be pretty close…. I wonder who will come out on top? I’m not fond of Julia Gillard for a variety of reasons – one being her voice, well not actually her voice but the way she uses it. I really think anyone who has the desire to be in public life as she does should have elecution classes. She sounds like Kath and Kim…. I can’t stand it.
Tony abbott on the other hand gets teased for wearing Budgie smugglers but I say good on him. They are much more in form as a life saver and in the surf – I think people are just jealous Tony! I’m not too sure about him as prime minister though… he has some very old fashioned ideas… well we will find out tomorrow.

Now Miranda Kerr was until yesterday the face of David Jones but they dumped her due to rumours of pregnancy – which have been confirmed. Congratulations Miranda and Orlando… As the face of David Jones Miranda did a great job, I thought so anyway. Now wouldn’t you think that they could have a pregnant representative? They do actually sell everything from high fashion to baby furnishings… wouldn’t it make sence to keep her as the face?

Well I’ve said my piece – good luck voting tomorrow – hope you don’t get mobbed as you walk in the gate, do the right thing and purchase the cake from the school cake stall.

See Ya

Long Time No See

Boy have I been busy… 52 000 words down in the novel I am writing about 50 000 to go. I started it in last November,s Nanowrimo. If ever you need inspiration and motivation to start something (Like a novel) Nanowrimo is the way to go. Although the challenge they give you is 1167 words a day for the month on November which will leave you with 50 000 words on the 30th;for the most of the month I managed to keep up… then life and migraine took over. BUT. I decided that I need to finish what I started. I have been over my 52 000 words and made them the BEST 50 000 words I could put down and now I will finish the story. I have given my self a dead line for my first draft.

I also have been busy painting. The above piece is titles ‘Home Time’ and is now for sale with other work in the Underart Gallery Cairns. A piece is underway for the cairns Art Awards and for the Bundaberg Art Awards both of which are coming up soon.

Last Tuesday I was fortunate enough to attend the opening of the Hinchinbrook Art Awards… I won first prize in one of the sections for an artist book Yay.

I should get back to both my easle and novel… lucky I have a short attention span.

See ya!

Time Changes Everything

Hideeeho Everybody

My beautiful niece/nice Tamara is in town at the moment and tonight we have had our last dinner together. Dinner was at my sisters house and I am currently using her computer – excuses for any spelling mistakes. Tamara my niece is 21 and gorgeous -kinda like me at the same age-NOT. Once apon a time I was awesome like her… and could climb walls… dance on tables etc. I would put up picture or even a video but this stupid computer isn’t fool proof ( I can’t use it after a bottle of white wine)…. stupid thing.

New day – my computer… Rah has gone back to Brisvegas and life goes on its merry way. I do have some photos I could put up, I just need to pick one out. Bear with me a moment while I fiddle with my camera and memory/SD card………… here we go.

The kids love each others company even though there is a huge age difference as you can see – they’re all cuties don’t you think.

I have another photo to share with you. Remember a few weeks ago I told you I was working on a mosaic… well, it is being put on the wall at the moment AND IT LOOKS AWESOME. Its exactly 1/2 done in this shot, next week I will post a completed picture for the TA DA moment.

So this is the wall of my new ensuite, the mosaic goes to the top all the way to the ceiling. As you can see the top of the tiled area is a slightly different colour to the rest it is being grouted and has to be washed back. The remainder of the tiles are up there are just a few tidy up things to do as the ceiling is raked [on an angle] tiles need to be cut – I’m feeling pretty clever and happy with myself – back to working on my writing and painting projects. I have a gallery waiting for seven paintings… better put my finger out.

see ya

New Zealand… we’re here…

Well I don’t have a photograph to upload for you tonight only because I have left my camera over in the romm and the internet kiosk is next to the pool table the family is using. SORRY, maybe tomorrow after the luge.

We arrived in Auckland two days ago and so far I have been EXTREME go carting (I’m not too extreme) but holy cow can you slide around the corners… this track was two story too so there were hills to go up, down and wooooo on.
Poor Lachlan even his mum beat him, sorry Lock. There was another woman in the track at the same time and Lockie gave her a run for her money.

Yesterday we also went to the Auckland Museum and that was fabulous. Then… we came across – actually just up the road from the Mecure where we stayed was the Lonely Dog Gallery… I LOVED IT, I only wish I had a spare gazillion dollars.

Today we arrived in Rotorua on our way to the snow. We went to a thermal village that has 36 letters in its name. Cambell said if we lived there he would have a stamp for his postal correspondence – or something like that anyway.

More adventures await… oh and i really enjoyed the four story Borders Book store in Auckland while we waited for a movie to start (Karate Kid) great movie – I cried and laughed always a good sign.

see ya

Fun up North

Rocks at Josephine Falls – Cambell is the photographer – nice shot I think.
I spent the past week or so in a cleaning frenzy… visitors were on their way… not just ANY visitors either.
A very special friend and her family were to spend a couple of days with us on their way to Port Douglas. Luckily for me Lyn phoned to see if I needed anything before she arrived and guess what – I had my dates wrong – they were a matter of hours away not days. Aaaaagggghhhh. So instead of the day in Cairns I had planned my sister gave me a hand to finish the last of the scrubbing – yes where I live needs that kind of attention – living in a shed on a dirt road with lots of dust and bugs. Anyway we made it in time and met them up the highway at Mirriwinni Servo so we could take them on a tour of Josephine Falls and lunch at Flying Fish Point Cafe.

The falls are magnificent and the kids had a ball climbing all over the rocks. Lunch at Flying Fish Point was great, Lindsay the new owner there has brought the cafe back to a fine standard. Great to see, there is nothing worse than taking someone to lunch and getting bad service or food – thanks Lindsay lunch was fabulous.

Our horse kept the kids entertained mornings as she gets out of her paddock and thinks she is a dog. Our dog thinks it is a kid and spends most of its time jumping on our trampoline, the horse is never far away and I am sure if it were possible the horse would be on the trampoline too.

I think the Potts Family had a good visit they got to do just about everything one does in North Queensland in winter, eat, drink, drink and be merry. Cassowaries finished off the visit with a trip to Etty Bay for coffee before a meal at the Currajah Hotel watching the cane trains rumble past.

The kids had a mix of swimming, exploring in the creek and through the paddocks up hill and over dale, they took heaps of photographs of bugs, played a little Playstation but mostly were on the trampoline with the dog and horse. Isn’t it great when a group of kids of various ages all enjoy each others company and no matter what they were doing, inside or out they were all smiling having a great time – and being very polite (important stuff) I love school holidays and I loved the Potts Family visit.

Australia has a female Prime Minister

Wow, who would have thought Australians would wake up this morning with one Prime Minister and have another by smoko. I really don’t like Kevin Rudd as PM but I feel very sorry for him today. Captain Crudd as I dubbed him reminded me off the Wile E Coyote… always comming up with super duper plans that come unstuck and bite him in the arse.

Julia Gillard was the lady in waiting until about an hour ago. Now Australia has its first female Prime Minister – one for the record books. I was suprised to find myself a little emotional when the news was released on one hand I was sad for Captain Crudd, but on the other I was proud of Julia Gillard and could only imagine how her family must feel right now. Would they be aprehensive as to her new role, how much time will she get to spend with them, will they get to down G&Ts on the lawn at Kirrabilly House or infact will they even get to see the inside at all.
I hope Julia does the right thing and throws a party (using tax payers money of course) at Kirrabilly for all the rellies – actually I am friends with a very distant one maybe she’ll be able to bring a friend…

What have I been doing?

My mosaic - the beginning

I found a wasp nest on Sunday while I mowed… I am still swollen and sore. Luckily for me they only stung me on one arm and leg, so now I am just lop sided. One of my fingers is so big I can’t bend it to hold a pen… lucky again I don’t rely on using chopsticks to eat.

Enough moaning. I am busy with yet another project. The difference with this one is it doesn’t involve writing or painting. I am in the process of making a mosaic for the new house. In the old house we had one on the floor of the dining area – everyone (friends) were more upset about the loss of the mosaic than they were about the loss of our entire house when it blew away in the cyclone. Anyway, not that I am really into them because a badly done mosaic is … can’t think of what.
In the photograph above you will see piles of small glass tiles and a black and white plan of what I am creating in monotone. The house design is industrial, so this mosaic of cogs meshing (very industrial don’t you think) will go on a wall in my ensuite which is seen from the back deck – so a waterproof piece of artwork I guess. Not counting the time spent creating my plan and then the WEEK (more like ten days)counting the different coloured tiles so I could order them … I have spent two whole days making squares, I have finished the entire A row, B row and am half way through the C row. They are numbered A1 – G11, yes 77 squares … each square has 15 x 15 tiles = 225 tiles. It might take a while.

Wish me luck it looks good when it is finished – I may have to leave town, sell the house if anyone would buy it with an ugly mosiac…

Love my Workshops

Well it’s nearly the end of our Queen’s Birthday long weekend, bummer… I’m yet to take Lachlan to his piano lesson, that’s in another hour or so. He has exams soon so at the moment he is practising, practising… I wish he would do that with his school work.

Yesterday I spent the day in Townsville (300kms away) the WITS group held a writing workshop with Author Nikesh Murali. The workshop started at 10am and finished up just after 4pm. He had us working hard for nearly all of the time, we had 1/2 hour for lunch and 10 minutes for both coffee breaks – slave driver. I’m not complaining though it was great. I learnt so much about one of the story structures for novels as well as for short stories. He is energetic, interesting, fun and knows his business. I would certainly attend any workshop he held in the future, even the travel to and from Townsville didn’t take the shine off. The motel I stayed in on Saturday night… was something else… I think it must be hired by the hour. When I was looking for accomodation there was nothing available – anywhere. Well I guess staying somewhere like that just gives me another ingredient for my story writing.

Meteoric Metaphoric Workshop

Yey…. today I had 13 people over to my place to have a wokshop on writing. Dr John was the tutor and environment the muse.

Above is my ‘Scarlet Ladies Slipper ‘ vine at night… it is a beautiful vine and grows prolifically, I think it has its roots in the septic.
Back to the workshop… it went really well with great attendance and participation. John read his short stories and then pulled them apart showing us how and why, talking about word useage and flow. It was very interesting and I think we all learned a lot, I know I am still inspired and now can see where some of my work lays.

Speaking of work… my cow drawings are coming along, I have them doing weird things like climbing trees etc. My novel is still at a stand still, BUT, I am giving it quite a lot of thought and am determined to have my first draft finished by 31/12/2010 YES New Years Eve. Along with the novel first draft I will also have at least one picture book finished and off at a publishing house (hopefully being looked at).

Today I finished a painting – a photo of which I will put in my next post – this painting is to be donated to an auction raising money for the Cairns Childrens’ Hospital Special Care Unit. My eldest son Cambell spent a week in that Unit after he was born so I am more than happy to give away a painting I hope will raise about $1000, even if I had no tie with the hospital I would be happy to donate as I feel up here in the North we get a little forgotten by the State and Federal Governments. We are still waiting for the Federal Government decision on the new library grant application… waiting… waiting… waiting…

Inspiration

Iceland's Volcano could belong to a wicked witch

Sometimes an image can inspire magical stories. The above image came to me in an email … along with several others. They are of the volcano in Iceland that has managed to cause trouble for people around the world. Anyway wouldn’t this mountain be the perfect home for the most wicked of witches? I can see her now, elegantly enveloped in furs to keep out the Icelandic cold whipping up the fire and brimstone beacuse she is throwing a tantrum.

The past couple of days I have been drawing cows. I am working on one of my 1/2 finished childrens’ picture books – 11 more to go. That is my goal this year… get some picture books to a suitable stage to send a dummy to a publishing house. Just think of the hard work to come.

This Sunday John – the new member of our writing group I have told you about – is holding a workshop for us … we are going to learn about metaphors…. Oooohhh. I am so excited… this is perfect, his writing is beautiful and we are going to learn, learn, learn, I want to get as good as I possibly can with my writing… and I am sure John is exactly what I/we need at this point.