travelling moments

the day has arrived.... we are off to Nepal and India....!!! yes I'm excited. if you'd like to follow our travels you can check out my our travel blog here. see you after Xmas....

cat's noses

cats have such cute noses don't you think?

like little cold buttons...
happy sunday

past moments

these images are from my erosion bundle before they went in the ground or up the tree

I like the soft quality of the photos
they don't look like this now and I haven't created any artwork yet out of the results...that might have to be a Xmas holiday project now

it's the weekend

happy days.....the weekend is hereit's time to get outside, do some more walking, conquer some more hills, prepare the house and garden for our absence, do some more planning and take time to breathe......ahhh!

did I miss something?

I'd like to be here...down by the river, having some quiet time...away from the rush...hiding amongst the reeds...watching the world go by...

I think I missed some days....maybe I'll have a last week splurge and keep up with blogtoberfest. but don't hold your breath...I'm not so good at this!

sunday moments

woke up to a clear and crisp day...not a cloud in the sky

maybe this afternoon will look like this....
enjoy your Sunday

in a tight spot

missed another day and wondering if I can keep up with blogtober and posting everyday. back to work this week has put a spanner in the works as it's REALLY busy and I'm trying to get organised for our trip....only three weeks away. what to do? give up now or keep plugging away? so much to do.....

things I like part II

more of my favourite things...old windows. these photos were taken by my son last year. lovely old house and good composition.

things I like

ripped paper, collage, found art

torn paper, old posters, layers of old paint, old walls, the patina of age, old bricks...

monday moments

back to work today, but only three and a half weeks and then we are off the Nepal and India. the rain continues but when I got home from work it was clear enough for an hour's walk. found this sign recently when out walking....it really made me laugh!

still raining

oh oh! another day missed....I'm not doing very well with this posting every day. it seems this wet weather just doesn't know when to stop. it's still raining and my garden is looking very water logged. but it's not all bad news...last weekend I was at the Yamba Quota Club annual craft fair and the wet weather was very good for business. and to be honest I really like rainy weather. I just don't like it when it rains so much that it floods - although that has it's fun moments too! but I don't think that's on the horizon for us at the moment although it has been for some people not so far away. hope everyone's doing OK.

letters and numbers

oops - I missed a day....walking each day gives you lots of time to notice things in your environment. have you noticed how many letters and numbers are around you? even out of urban areas there's still lots....on signs, to indicate water valves, house numbers, on the road, found objects left along the way.....these photos are just a few of the numbers and letters I photographed this morning with my phone camera. what do you see where you live?

finding flowers

as I'm walking each day I'm noticing the wild flowers - some would call them weeds (but not me!) - along the sides of the roads and lanes around my place. morning glory, clover, dandelions, plantain, scotch thistles and lots of others I can't put a name to. all pretty and ready to be brought home to a vase.......these images were taken with my camera phone.

raining

it's been raining cats and dogs here for the last few days. thankfully today it's eased off....yesterday it bucketed down. this morning on my walk I was told by someone who lives close by that we have had over 12 inches of rain in the last three days- wow! at the moment the sun is out and the wind is blowing so I guess it's just about gone now. just a little drizzle now. at least I got out for my morning's walk again today. the real cats and dogs are much happier now that the rain has gone....they were feeling very sad that they couldn't get outside to play.

blogtoberfest

I've joined blogtoberfest (a little late) hosted by Cathy at tinniegirl . the idea is that each day for the month of october you write a post on your blog....yep every single day.....on anything you like. it's just what my blog needs at the moment as it's been sorely neglected lately. so to start off here's a couple of pics of some poppies from my garden. they have been so pretty this year....and yes I've been stealing some from my mum's garden as well! don't tell her....shhh! see you tomorrow....and don't forget to pop on over to tinniegirl to see who else is participating in blogtober

the weekend

when we head off to Nepal we are doing a 10 day trek through the Annapurna region.....so needless to say I need to prepare for the walks. last week I bought my trekking boots and have been out walking each afternoon since. yesterday I walked to the lookout in my nearby town of Maclean ......phew! I have driven up there many times but never walked and it's quite a hike.....but I made it. there are some great views from the walk up and back. afterwards I met my lovely friend for coffee and a long overdue catch-up, bought some magazines and did a little op shopping. in the afternoon I tried out my new watercolours - not a medium I've used much but one I want to get better at. hope your weekend has been fun.

spring moments

spring has well and truly sprung here at my house. the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. I have to admit I hate to say goodbye to autumn and winter as they are my favourite seasons (I know, I know...I'm a bit weird) but also because it means that hot summer days are on the way and I don't cope with heat very well anymore. but spring is beautiful and our days have been lovely lately - how could they not be with all these prettys in the garden. here are some snaps I took yesterday afternoon. hope you've been enjoying your weekend.

time

time is so hard to find at the moment...especially time to blog. ahhh. we are planning a trip to Nepal and India later this year and every available moment is spent researching. we are travelling with dear friends and one of them has had some health concerns over recent months so our plans have fluctuated over the months. now it seems that things are looking good and planning is full steam ahead. my excitement is building. I love travelling - as those who have read my other blog will know. lots of the excitement comes from planning and organising but also from going into the unkown. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on other things at times as I immerse myself in reading about Nepal and India....these birds were inspired by the colours of India for a member of my Passages group toran.

more treasures

oops it's been a while...again! but I read a post recently about blogging without obligation so that it doesn't become a chore. I love keeping my blog but sometimes (read several recent weeks/months) it's just been too busy to post consistently. I've been to Sydney and Brisbane to textile events, been away to visit friends and tried to survive the end of term rush. the Textile Art Festival in Brisbane was great - a really interesting and informative mix of exhibitions and traders...well worth the visit. anyway here are some more pics from my auntie's house. some photos from the kitchen.

long weekend

what a lovely long weekend we just had. big family reunion, seeing relatives I haven't seen for ages, visiting the home of an aunty I haven't visited for a long time and taking lots of photos. here are a few of the photos from my aunty's home....she loves to collect old things just like me!

sunday moments

this past week has been very busy, busy, busy. today I plan to do some gardening, catch up with a friend over coffee and try to rearrange my house a little to accommodate the new drum kit my son bought last weekend....actually a little is probably an understatement - we are doing a major rearrangement! her are some lilies from my garden back in summer. hope your weekend has been fun.

drum roll please!

I've had word back about one of the exhibitions I've entered.....and I got in!!!! I'm a finalist in the Brisbane Textile Art Festival recycled textiles exhibition - in the textile art to live with. I'm very excited and now I'm definitely going to Brisbane that weekend. now what else can I fit in whilst I'm there???!!

too long

oh dear it's been a long time since I've posted. but I haven't been idle. I've decided that I really need to start entering some exhibitions and competitions again this year. I had a bit of a break last year whilst trying to get Etsy up and going (without a lot of success!) and doing some local markets (much more successful!). but I really miss entering exhibitions...it's very nice to see your work 'out there'. so this is a little sneak peek of what I've been up to. both juried shows so I won't tell you what they are until I know if I get in.....maybe later! off to do some op shopping now. have a good weekend everyone....

Anzac Day

the end of a beautiful and moving day

the Australian trenches

today is Anzac Day in Australia. I have to admit that until my son and I travelled to Gallipoli in 2008 I hadn't felt much connection to this part of our Australian history. that visit, however, was deeply moving even though at that time I didn't think we had any direct relatives involved with the campaign. Gallipoli is a significant site for Australians and Turks and both countries were involved in a war they didn't want to be in. the loss of life was staggering. to realise that if he had been born in another time my son could have been part of the losses which many Australian mothers endured was very scary. I felt real grief whilst I sat in the Australian cemetery looking out to the Aegean sea - such a beautiful place which has seen such horrible outcomes for so many young men. here are two of my favourite photos from that day when I learnt and felt so much....

bundles revealed

weathered photo and fabrics

nails peeping out from their bed - wake up!

some beautifully rusted lace

it's a little past the official reveal date but this morning I dug up, cut down, collected and revealed my erosion bundles......here are a few of the delights found inside. of the four bundles I made and placed in my yard one didn't quite make it. it was the one I buried in earth and I almost couldn't find it, but after a little digging I did find some bits and pieces. most of it though has completely eroded into the earth! I'm going to attempt to put lots of images up on a separate page (when I figure out how to do that) in the near future, but for now here are a few so you can see the changes....some really interesting things happen out there in my yard!

last favourite

realised this morning that I hadn't posted my last favourite from my book I made...birds! as you would have noticed there have been several birds here on my blog. we have many species of birds here where I live and they visit our garden daily. I love to watch them come and go with their families.

bluesfest moments - WOW!

fashionista!!!

gumboots were the order of the day!

dreadlocks in all shapes and sizes

monstrous tents

Blue King Brown

Mama Blue

Music Maker Relief Foundation from New Orleans - keyboard player 83 years old!

I know that's a big scream in the title - but bluesfest was soooo much fun!!! many big WOW moments over five days. lots of great bands, lots of dancing, lots of people watching, lots of gumboots, lots of dreadlocks....puddle jumping, eating great food, listening to many different sounds and styles.....feeling tired but also very energised by everything we listened to. hope you enjoy a few of my photos taken over the five days.