Well the past week or so has been absolutely FULL ON. My last post was the 18th?… it’s not that I haven’t thought about blogging… I have been beside myself busy (I wish I could clone myself). The first couple of days were filled with grant writing and doing things that would free up my time for the following week. I needed to clear the deck because the Innisfail Art Society Inc. was holding a weekend artists’ book workshop and the tutor Rebecca Berrett was about to come stay at my place for 6 nights – and I needed time to be the hostess with the mostess and show her around.

The workshop had one or two hicups… a few people couldn’t come at the last minute – so much for the grant budget – the key to the venue wasn’t where it should have been, and couple of the artists attending the workshop left their imaginations at home … But all was not lost … everyone managed to complete an artists boo albeit empty ones – more the better… as artists we should see ‘empty’ as an invitation.

Rebecca received the guided tour of some local sights. Unfortunately we didn’t glimpse a crocodile in our river and the Cassowaries were not to be found either, not for lack of looking (Etty Bay at 6pm possibly isn’t really good cassowary time). Mission Beach was beautiful, I especially like Garners Beach. We lunched at Elandra Resort – I had Cajun Pepper Squid on a bed of …. something extremely yummy, it was a holiday on a plate, I felt myself relax and unwind with each delicious mouthful.

The next day we headed for the Atherton Tablelands, we didn’t get to see as much as I would normally drag a visitor around to see, but GUESS WHAT WE SAW… wait for it… something hardly EVER seen … more elusive than platypus (which we also didn’t see – we thought we did though)… Are you ready? A TREE KANGAROO!!! You can live up here your entire life and never see one… I will try to attach a photo… … … … nope failed. I will ask my web guy to show me how and post it next time O K .

Today I spent a lovely day with my family. It was an early start 4.30am… the boys race Moto X, there are a couple of short videos of them on You Tube… If you want to see I guess you just type in my name?

Any way you’ve caught up on the news for now see ya.

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Howdy Doo Everybody….
I think I am going mad, and not slowly either. In the past few months I have written three grants for funding to run different aspects of the Innisfail Art Society’s Biennial Art Exhibition. Two grants I have had success with and one I am in the process of finishing, so obviously I haven’t heard if I have got it or not. I am a right brained, creative type so all of the government speak and budget balancing is seriously NOT my cup of tea – or block of chocolate as I don’t drink tea.
Luckily the biennial is named such because it is only on every two years, this means a rest is coming my way sometime after the beginning of November. This Biennial has over $8500.00 in prize money, not bad for a little country town. I am really quite pleased, so much work goes into the event. Workshops are held, tutors found – another grant, sponsorship acquired, a judge and venues booked etc… then the exhibition itself. A grand opening with entertainment and catering, the hiring of lights, entry forms, invitations, catalogues – more grants…. Aaarrrgggghhhh!
All of this used to done by a young lady named Liz, she had help from another lady named Annette, I now feel pretty guilty… I used to address envelopes for past entrants, put together the catalogue and offer more help – and sometimes deliver… but really I wasn’t too much help. Although the first year I was a member of the Art Society I organised the judge but in reality I was one of those people who stood on the sidelines and watched.

But the past couple of years have been different, I’m busy. You know I think if I put the equivilent amount of effort into my own projects (or my family) I could be quite successful. Maybe that should be my New Year’s resolution – I never make those resolutions on New Years, I think important decisions need to be made when one is clear headed not half tanked and looking for the most atractive person to be discretely standing next to on the stroke of midnight (after puckering up when no-one was looking).
After November I am going to get serious about MY art and writing – someone slap me if I don’t.

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My family came back after their trip away… and there is mess EVERYWHERE. Not that I’m complaining, much. Life will be so different when we move into our new house. Living together in this shed for so long has been a little trying at times. Having space and cupboards to put our belongings will be quite a treat.

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6th August

Something exciting is happening here, my family have gone away for a few days, and I am at home all alone except for the horses, the dog and cat. Because I have got a few days by myself, I thought I would buy myself a computer program called ‘Dragon Naturally Speaking’.
Because I do a lot of writing and am much better at talking (I thought somebody else could do the typing for me) that would be a good thing. I am still learning about it, I’m up to four hours now, and well, this blog is a little bit of … um, well it’s a practice run you might say. NS’s a pretty good program (it should be for the price) it allows you to talk directly on to the Internet, on to your blog, into an e-mail or into a Word document or whatever you like really. I’ve chosen for tonight, to practice my blog into a Word document and then cut and past it because, well, it seems to be doing quite well but it doesn’t quite understand my Australian accent because it is an American program – but it is doing a pretty good job because I am reading some back. (I really shouldn’t read and talk at the same time because I get confused.)

Speaking of being Australian, I’m a little disappointed in our sporting heroes at the moment it seems our swimming champions have been up against a special suit and they’re complaining about it. Do they forget that they were the first to have a special swimming suit and the rest of the world complained, are they also forgetting that we had the winged keel, that was complained about but we were allowed to keep it. We won the America’s Cup win that. Have they also forgotten about our underarm bowling? It’s okay when we are the ones winning and doing these things to help us. When somebody else is doing it, it seems it’s just not good enough, it’s just not cricket. Well I think we need to learn better sportsmanship, what are we teaching our children? And as far as breaking records with the special swimming suits, think about the older Olympians that ran in their bare feet, not out great light weight Runners that we have now, or rode bicycles that were, now you can pick up a racing bike with one finger. It’s amazing the records that we keep breaking, I guess we will continue to break them; technology keeps on going doesn’t it?

So, how do you think my first attempt at dictating went, it’s a little stilted, or it is at this end anyway. Maybe next time with a little more practice, it will be almost like talking to you.

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Well today I had a road trip. My youngest Lachlan and I drove to Ingham and home again via his music lessons – piano today, saxaphone Thursday, drums and guitar Fridays… Ingham is over 200km’s away, I guess it is a long way to drive just to deliver some artwork. Mind you I love the shopping in Ingham, I can highly recomend it.
I was working on my painting till the last moment this morning…. obviously, this piece went on top of the tower of art in the back (and middle) of my car. Luckily I drive a BIG car, lucky too it is a 4×4 because the rain and wind today made driving the state highway just hopeless. There was heaps of holiday traffic too – holiday traffic – not because it’s holiday season but the ‘Grey Nomads’ – retirees – SLOW drivers – loved the warmth of the north in winter. I had to explain to Lachlan why there were so many caravans, motorhomes etc… We live in a holiday destination – one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Oh, back to the art…. the Hinchinbrook Art Awards are on, the work was delivered today, the award night is Thursday the 13th August. Wish me luck…. I could win $1000 and that would be NICE. I need to find out how to post photos on my blog so I can show you my art pieces.

Also… I have finally finished the Innisfail Biennial Art Awards entry forms…. first prize is $2000… if you would like an entry form send me a message and I will email you a form. Entries close for this comp 11th September 2009.

Must fly… new pieces to work on.

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