SYDNEY PICS

my very unattractive room - granted, i told the booking agent i wasn't fussy - the school was paying and i understand they're on a budget. but it was a funny old place, this room also had a QS bed in it, non-working aircon, it was old and tired but at least the wifi and telly worked and the bed was fine.   and it was in a great spot to walk from the station and visit a lovely little local shopping centre

 nice walking between the station and home

late afternoon - fran and i caught up at circular quay for oysters champagne and dessert.  delicious food, sparkling water and good time with me old mate  :0)   very nice

WORK DAY

TWO FLIGHTS AND TWO TRAIN TRIPS HERE  but a short ride to the catholic boys' school where i did three sessions with years 7 and 8.  i didn't realise it was a boys school till i got there,  it was also MUFTI - aka casual dress day.  that's a word i've never heard but apparently in NSW it just means no uniform day.    teachers warned me that the kids could be a bit unruly because of it, but of course they were all great as they always are.  i even got whistles and hoots when i finished my drawing at the end of the talk  pretty nice    : 0)

strange to look up at the rows of boys in the raked auditorium and see so many hairy legs - i'm used to working with primary kids  

SWEATY SYDNEY

HERE I AM in the shittiest motel room - it has a QS bed and a big white metal double bunk, DB on the bottom and single on top, right in front of the window.  the aircon doesn't work, the fawn synthetic blankets have cigarette burn holes in them and it's 'wet hair' humid.
but i have tv and wifi - so all is well.
it's called the marco polo and i imagined something quite nice, couldn't have been more wrong but 10 minutes walk from the station (2 flights and 2 train trips to get here) is a nice little shopping area with good restaurants, great fruit shops with fresh cheap goodies, a great little asian supermarket and nice old buildings.
no pics because my battery is flat.


 so i'm sharing my friend laila's gorgeous photo of spring breaking out in england - i'd swear it was sakura time in japan.  lovely patterns of branches.

and it looks like the calster is taking off :0)

MONDAY

A LAZY DAY at home - moya, brian and i had a late big brekky, a long walk along the river (my camera was found to be without its card!)  looking at the huge old redgums, late afternoon on the couch watching rake, then down to look at my exhibition.  the gallery is also the yoga studio - my class was at 5.30 then i just walked across the road to the pub and met moya and brian for dinner.  they also visited the perry sandhills

pics from my riverbank - early morning

with moya and
brian

NEW WEEK

MOYA AND BRIAN ARRIVED last night around 5.30, we spent some nice time out on the lawn having a cool wine till the mozzies started to arrive.   a night of talk and food and a bit too much wine if my birdcage mouth is any indication.   i think i'm getting out of practice - the old lime and sodas are becoming a way of life which is good.

i'm doing the 52 week illustration challenge on facebook, this week is week 10 - architecture is the theme so i revisited my old sketchbook from istanbul/kefalonia and redrew one of the gorgeous mosque views of the city.

CRAZY WEATHER

IT'S BEEN A FUNNY DAY- this morning it rained,  lovely steady rain on and off all morning. it was lovely to see the roses outside my window with raindrops on them.   then this afternoon a wind blew up and before i knew it there was a mild dust storm blowing up the river.   weird.

moya and brian arrive 

tomorrow for 2 nights.

I had fun this afternoon trying out monoprints to illustrate the next book i'm doing, it's set in 1910 so the finished result could work well.  nice to put everything else aside and just spend the afternoon working on a copper plate.
i did two images, two prints off each one.  i'm thinking it could create a really lovely book

working the on copper plate

 

i'm using this picture as reference material - it's

my grandmother taken around the turn of the

last century

finished image on the copper plate

finished printed image - i'll be adding colour, and i'll try some adding the colour on the plate

second print adding some oil,  less contrast but worth pursuing

RESPONSE

i get a lot of anonymous comments here on the blog- always with slightly odd english and strange messages - always ending with 'check out my blog '       this one arrived yesterday

What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness 
of precious knowledge on the topic of unexpected emotions.

ah yes

FLAT AS A PANCAKE

THAT'S ME today - don't know why, maybe it's the wind down of the end of the show, departing houseguests, a first day at work and a big bill arriving.  i've had two really sleepless nights, i hope tonight is better.
i decided if i felt so crap i may as well spend the day with the laptop and get my bookkeeping up to date.  i've been at it all day and it's only half done.   :0{
i have a great looking piece of plum cake for dessert, that'll cheer me up .

FIRST DAY . . . LATER

IT'S JUST ON 10pm but i'm completely bushed.   my head is full of so much information and using a  PC all day instead of a mac has been ...... zzzzzz   i'll be in bed soon.

however,  it's been a great day, i feel at home in the art vault, the work is all familiar, the sort of thing i do for myself - press, emails about openings, invitation design.    and it was krystal's farewell at the end of the day, 10 of us had dinner at the pizza cafe.  i'm tired but happy.

 at my desk



sonja's lovely linocut, the cover to the book of memories she made for krystal, filled with messages from everyone, and some artwork

 kev, julie, krystal and mia

 sonja, andrew, rob, angelie and bernard

 ah yes, the mr. curly dessert

 and the inevitable selfie

the catholic church window, on the way home