FRIDAY A DAY’S DRIVE down to halls gap, low grey skies all the way, I just drove straight there no stopping or op shopping.

look at that lowdown face - mean!

FINALLY I get to hold little mara, what a darling little treasure she is. Cal’s so big now next o her, a real boy, go go go all day, mostly in an iron man suit complete with built in biceps and 6 pack.

It’s great to be here with everyone, a big family weekend in icy weather in a large warm house.

 Saturday, a long walk to the shops for the papers, I’m sure it must be snowing somewhere it’s so icy.  Nice though, I imagine Scotland is like this,  thick white cloud hanging over the excarpments.

WONDERFUL to spend time with family, all together with nothing in particular to do.  and so lovely to see rene and sayaka with the kiddlies. 

 

 

 little emperor cal in his magnificent pjs  :0)

    a great end to the weekend, time in the sun at the Pomonal               market in the lovely primary school grounds

            my beautiful new granddaughter

SAD NEWS

I'M SO SAD today to see that my friend Kevin Burgemeestre, (who i didn't see nearly enough of)  has died, I had no idea he was ill but he's just had a return of cancer and in a few short weeks he's left us.
my fond memory is of kevin with his big pencil headdress, a giant pencil on a headband which looked like it was going right through his head.  He would wear it when he did his workshops and school visits, always made me smile.
He was a lovely man, i'm very sad for his lovely wife Lee and family.

found this pic on google, kev with smile and
pencil on a school visit

GET UP

YES GET UP ANNE!  it's 6.45 and i need to do a lot today, make pumpkin soup, a rhubarb crumble, pack for the weekend, drive into mildura to see accountant and arts centre (re. publicity for exhibition), visit metalworker about my signage for the house, pick up some goodies from the op shop (old sheets for the fabric dying workshop), finish mounting the two large prints for the Bellarine Print prize, whizz around the house and tidy up.  mahdi and husband lloyd will arrive same day i get back so i need to leave things spit spot.  good, now i've unloaded all that i can get up and start.
ooh, and pick up a huge sheet of black plastic that's been blowing around the back of wenty swimming pool.  a perfect drop sheet for the fabric dyeing workshop


my entries in the bellarine print prize

RENE PICS

RENE and family are ensconced at sunny's in parkville, great to see pics of him with sunny and ron, also with his great mate mark.

PACKING

BUSY getting things ready for the workshop - i head off friday for halls gap.  Mounting prints for the Bellarine show, knitting a beanie for cal, sorting the print studio, electrician came to day and put new powerpoints and light switch in the airbnb room.
no pics today

THEY'RE HERE!!

THE MATSUSE-SPUDVILAS FAMILY

is now on

 Australian soil.

 I haven't spoken to

 them yet,

 hopefully

 tomorrow

 :0)   :0)   :0)

COOLER WEEKEND

BUSY BUSY all day Friday framing more work, so spent saturday after a walk and coffee sitting and knitting, watching netflix. 

FRAMED - progression of a cover design for Jenny Angel, eventually unpublished

 AT the end of the day i looked at what i'd done, an attempt to knit fairisle pansies off my own pattern grid,  and it was terrible.  a whole afternoon of wasted time!!  so pulled it out and sat up till late redoing a different pattern. grrrrr    it's ok now :0)

Large sudsy lumps of foam were floating down the river on friday morning.  this is a strange natural occurrence, it happens a few times a year.  apparently it's caused by the effects of leaf decay and the movement of the water

I WENT TO THE FILM FESTIVAL in mildura this week, friday night 'Goldstone' with a ravaged but still very sexy Aaron Pederson in a stark outback setting.  moody and good.   

saturday morning, 7am.  the moon sets as a magpie carols.  :0)

Yesterday at the Film Festival was The Meddler with Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne, a mother daughter film that struck a chord, then in the after The Wait with Juliette Binoche, about a mother grieving for a recently deceased son.  I was worn out by the end of the day, all that emotion.  All good films. 

The weather sounded pretty wild even from inside the theatre, and it was wet and stormy skies on the way home with a spectacular rainbow at Merbein.

    the road to wenty

I had a lovely time between films visiting the Pumpkin Patch and buying three dresses for little mara and an aussie outfit for cal complete with mirrored aviator glasses :0)

THE GRANDCHERUBS

                look at those legs!

cal with rene's barista, tira

    mara with auntie yuna

FEELS LIKE SPRING

Morning walk, long overdue. It's been so 
mild, even at night.




favorite lichen
at the cemetery

                   at the pond on the golf course

LAST NIGHT WAS THE OPENING of a great show at the Art Vault.
Raymond Arnold, Robert Hague and Geoffrey Ricardo, what a trio. great work and dinner at the brewery with Helen and Sonja, a good night and a beautiful full moon on the way home

beautiful sunset on the drive in to the vault

Raymond with his stunning etchings, a mindboggling show

good old Iwan, always making lovely music

    Bob Jankowski, local artist with Robert Hague, big Kev and 
    Geoffrey Ricardo, gorgeous guys

ah yes, the automatic timer is on :0)