FULL MOON

YESTERDAY still feeling funny when i woke up but it passed,  i'm nearly finished re-organising the house, ready to start work.  i had my first swim at the pool today, it opens november to march.  it's an outdoor pool and i've always swum on the 3 mornings it opens from 7-8,  but yesterday i swam at 2p.m. and had the whole pool to myself.  the lanes aren't sectioned off either, so it's wonderfully free to swim and float in.   it was just lovely.    so i'll be organising my days around an afternoon swim and break.

TODAY i'm going into mildura for a film with donnie, yoga this afternoon and i've invited friends for a barbie, it'll be really hot today so i hope the cool change comes over this afternoon.

YESTERDAY'S PICS, evening down on the edge of the river

SUNDAY BLUES

DON'T KNOW WHY but i woke up feeling bad - negative and crummy.  still,  i continued on my quest to organise my workspace, not really sure what i'm doing but i did achieve a fair bit. I've cleared out the inside studio room (except for the plan drawers and work desk)  - just have to look at it and imagine.    and i lugged 22 boxes of tiles out to the shed,  thank god for my handy dandy bunnings lady trolley.   i've had a big and very small stumpy tail on the lawn, the ducks, butcher birds, maggies (a very noisy demanding baby)  kookaburras   .  .  .  no excuse for feeling flat but who can say how the emotions work?    damned annoying and a waste of valuable time.  

tonight . . . that ol' devil moon

SOCIAL SATURDAY

LIFEDRAWING today at steve hederics' place Tara.  it's a group of buildings, a small rustic living space and large separate shed that's been converted into a great studio space, lots of windows looking onto fruit trees and river redgums.   it was just the two of us and model jess, who's lovely to draw and great to talk to.  a very nice few hours with lunch at artback in the middle of the day.

ring neck parrot outside the house at tara, i love the colours in this pic

then home to change and into mildura for the closing of the 5th anniversary show at the Art Vault, also the closing show for anita klein whose work was in the back gallery.

anita with paintings she's done during her art vault residency

happy girls  - a wedding party opposite the art vault - why would you be choosing this spot for a shot?? 

 We finished the day with drinks at julie's - it was a lovely breezy warm evening

no one sits in the sun up here  -  steve and kev

anne hederics takes a quiet moment in julie and kev's garden


ON THE DRIVE HOME - i stopped at the lock to capture the evening sky 

THIS MORNING - looking in the opposite direction

END OF THE WEEK

i put these roses in a vase  the day before denise arrived on october 31 and just threw them out.  this pic was taken yesterday, they just dried in the vase.   as i lifted them out (thinking i'd hang them to dry properly)  they just fell to pieces, little miss havershams.

SORTING cont...

sorting out the studio, i came across a favorite photo, dear friends isobelle carmody and gail lambert with isobelle's daughter adelaide. i realise looking at it that it's the day i took photos for the portrait i did of isobelle and adelaide in the kimonos that jan had bought them

this was a lovely day at isobelle's house in apollo bay

Isobelle and Adelaide    oil on canvas   2006

SORTING SORTING

What did i do yesterday?  thinking thinking . . .  not much, i had to stay home waiting for a courier - those couriers,  they never let you know when to expect them, just a day.   i was sending off the artwork for a book,  months of work so i need to know it's safely on its way.     i spent all day on the phone.     courier Australian National Carriers rang to email me a consignment no.   it didn't come through, then they changed their minds, someone else would ring.
a different company rang, said they'd send a con.no.   then they didnt.  finally after ringing a few times to see if they were coming they said they didn't think they'd make it,   was tomorrow ok?  i was not impressed and said i wanted to know 'morning or afternoon'.    
'we'll get back to you' they said.    No courier arrived yesterday.
Today i rang them back, 'rick' wasn't there, so whoever i spoke to said he'd ring back and let me know what was happening.  that co. was call GTX.
so - i thought i'd go out and water the garden and there was a white courier van parked at the frontdoor - TNT!     
finally after a couple more phone calls to make sure my artwork would end up at allen & unwin, i let the package go.     fingers crossed  :0{




HOWEVER, today has been a very nice day, i'm feeling better and very much at home here.  during the day i've been surrounded by the family of wood ducks, two grass parrots and the stumpytail lizard who ventured in to check out the print studio this afternoon.    the ducks are getting used to me and don't fly off now when i come outside.
had a coffee and brekky down at artback in the sun and did the crossword then came home to continue designing a business card for me mates' wine bar ;-)   and sorting the studio.  more furniture has gone out to the garage studio and i'm deciding what to do inside.  

i've put up a wall of my life drawings, other walls will have images i like and other peoples' work and a big pinboard for the work i'm sorting out 



THE BATHROOM is just about finished, just the lights to be sorted and i have 
to paint the walls.   

MORE WORK on the walls, this wall was a tricky one with the strong timber colour but i think it's good

It's a beautiful sunny day and the world is looking good from here

boss duck - or wooddrake - keeps watch over his six female charges

stumpy comes to visit the outside studio

if the door had been open . . .

LAY DAY

YESTERDAY turned into a day on the couch - a head feeling like lead.  i wish i could throw off this lurgy,  at least today i just have to stay here waiting for a courier, so i'll get into the studio room again and keep clearing it out.  i now have a full wall of the life drawings i haven't been able to throw out,  some dating back  10 years to the days when i did life drawing with godwin bradbeer.   they were such amazing afternoons, i still miss them.
The builder finally came yesterday (got me out of bed after i'd decided to try to sleep in the afternoon) and installed the bevelled mirror doors to the bathroom cabinet.  they look good, although if i wanted to be picky the wings aren't exactly level, about 3 mm discrepancy.  but i'm ignoring it,  sigh.

NEW VISITORS

A FAMILY OF WOOD DUCKS has moved in - one watchful male and seven females.   they're beautiful birds, always down at the lock on the lawns there.   they seem to have taken over all areas of my place, both front and back yards, and i can watch them through the lounge room windows from quite close.   i put the sprinkler on and some rosellas, two kookaburras and a mudlark all came and joined them.

this strange insect was sitting on the back deck, about 3"
long - no idea what it is.   i guess if it was on a treetrunk,
i wouldn't have seen it at all