THE DRIVE HOME

I'M HOME and it feels 
good.everything's looking great, nothing
has died and i'm really happy to
be here.  here are pics from the
trip up




















helen and don's gorgeous garden, i stayed
overnight in the grampians with them, 
feeling so much better than i did on the
way down - a huge relief

morning walk with helen and flash 

helen and don's place is in

an area that has an endless

variety of eucalypts, huge 

beautiful old trees along the

road on the walk down to

lake lonsdale  

a face only

a mother could

love  - scarily

resembling

jimmy saville,

that eye!

a corella, haven't

checked which one

yet

i love the little flash of soft blue on the kookaburra's wing  -  still on the walk with helen.

beautiful

blue wren

in helen's 

garden

AUSTRALIA'S answer to mount rushmore - the

 grumpy giant koala

at dadswell's bridge - have to photograph

him every time

 i go thru

it's the roadside stop

that just keeps 

on giving :0)

this sad little fellow

must have just been

hit -  only a few weeks

old i'd say - i couldn't

tell what it was when

i drove around it, had

to get out to check it

wasn't alive

I arrived home around 3 yesterday (THURSDAY) and was relieved to be

really really happy to be here, the house

feels so settled and the river is as gorgeous

as ever, last night was a clear starlit night.

i headed out to the airport to pick janeen

brian up at the airport for a weekend of

work and relaxation.

   my first guest

to arrive by air

LEAVING TOMORROW

the light coming in gail's windows in the morning is just gorgeous

IT'S TUESDAY
and i've been at gail's the last couple of nights
and tonight, lots of scrabble and some cooking, today anne
and i walked young mockie down to torquay beach.
   feeling a bit nervous
about the long drive back but i'll stop in
the grampians again.
eeek - hope i'm ok. 

japanese
inspired 
bathroom 
window at
gail's lovely
house

GAIL scored 85 for this! triple word and  

she used all her letter - buggar!

She's not one to rub it in though

i retaliated with
quartz on a double
word  -  48,  
not bad but gail
thrashed me 
anyway :0|

fun at torquay beach with mockie - such a sweet funny little fella

on the walk home

THIS WEEK

It's SUNDAY    

and i'm in torquay at sister jenny's.   i've been with friends all week just chilling out and letting people drive me around - really surrendering to having a rest, i really need it

LOOKING BACK  this week

I've stayed with anne and den

- easy time just veging out with

dvds and food, a bit of wandering round the garden,

catching up  -  very nice

annes' knitting these very cute beanies in wonderful multi-coloured wools, like gumnut babies

of course we had to have a dedicated op shopping day - absolutely the most reliable therapy for a washed out overtired girl like me,  lots of goodies to be had at the surfside op shops :-)

FRIDAY . . .

then it was on to gail's for a stay and some serious scrabble - another well acknowledged therapy, more good food and company.   what would we do without our dear friends and family.

SATURDAY 

NOVEMBER  17

NOAH  what a little character - he posed for most of the pics in my new book and this was the first time he'd seen it, 

just before the opening of the group show at TUSSOCK tussockupstairs.com.au

Noah and family
outside the bakery
in point lonsdale's
seaside shopping
strip -  

BELOW - Pics from the opening, good sales and a really great afternoon with lots of friends and family and people i hadn't seen for ages.

happy customers  :-)  

WHOO HOO

RED DOTS

after the exhibition, dinner at

the torquay pub,  sunny's taking

the pic

SUNDAY 

staying at jenny

and freddie's now in

jan juc,  this beautiful lily grows along the walkway to the front door, a large arum lily, but i've never seen one with this blush of pink before, it's just

lovely

We went down to the sunday market on the front beach and mockie went nuts in the water afterwards - a very funny and lovable dog

jenny, freddie and mockie,  the water today was the most vivid blue

a much needed moment of solitude here - i've been with people every minute this week and need to catch up on how i am - have to decide when i'm ready to go back - soon i hope

so it's goodbye from me . . . and 

goodbye 

from him

WEDNESDAY IN TORQUAY

a fantastic lace monitor at jen and rob's in
the grampians
on the way down


























below - the beautiful
tower on the old
hospital building in
ararat

IT'S BEEN so good to be driven down here by jen, and to be now here in torquay with my old friends anne and den, close to family and friends.

ANNE AND DEN'S next door neighbour with his new duckling, which has taken a liking to the little pond here    He's gotta be bird of the day :0)

 

A DAY OF REST AND HOPEFULLY SLEEP FOR ME HERE TODAY 

TUESDAY in stawell

well, i've come to a grinding halt today -  had a good night with jen and rob but the anxiety i've been experiencing for the past couple of weeks has got me, i simply couldn't drive on.  i'm physically and mentally exhausted after the most frantic stressful year i can remember and it's time to stop.  i have no choice.  

the overwhelming nature of the huge change i've had after so many months of hope, planning, moving out twice, three exhibitons and five trips away both

interstate and overseas within three months, then moving to the murray - it's been too

much.  

dear jen has driven me down to torquay so i'm with friends and family here and i'm just going to rest.

HEADING SOUTH

DRIVING South today, monday 12th to stay with jen and rob in the grampians
before driving to melbourne for a couple of appointments, then torquay visiting 
friends and for the opening of our show

gorgeous roses brought out
to me on sunday at the bbq,
from margot at ampilon,
a glorious 5 acre garden 
near mildura




















BIRD OF THE DAY

swallows are 
nesting under the
carport outside
the kitchen 
window - also
in the garage where
they manage to fly
in through a gap 
no more than 5cm
wide - amazing

ON THE WAY  south - sitting waiting for the longest, slowest goods train in the world

love these wheat silos up through the wimmera and the mallee