Holidays

Hi to you lovely readers who take time to read my ramblings. I have had a very relaxing week away with my wonderful husband, we both needed it. Was great to spend time with my oldest daughter Kirsty and her family. Collie is two and a half hours drive away and we don't get to go down and see them as often as we would like. Kirsty feels a bit neglected sometimes. When your children grow up and have their own families and a ultra busy life, as parents you feel that you dont quite fit in as much as you love them. I treasure the times when Kirsty is able to come and stay with us in Perth on her own and we get to spend one on one time together. As I too treasured the time I was able to spend with my dearest mother who died 15 years ago, I miss her so very much. Just a message to those of you lucky enough to still have your parents with you, treasure them every day. Well enough of my thoughts. While I was in Collie on Saturday they had a Trotting Meeting that Kirsty, Jack my grandson and self went to on the spur of the moment. We are not gamblers, but I have always loved horses and find trotters pure poetry in motion, so I just love to spend time watching them. We where the last of the big gamblers, took $1 bets on the last four races for a bit of fun. I spent $4 and won $2.30 so for $1.70 had a lovely afternoon. The week was extremely hot and the countryside down south is very dry, so it was a rather beige landscape of dry grass. John and I spent one day driving a round trip to Kattanning where there is a wonderful antique and collectible shop called 'The Goose's Bridle' can you remember the saying a wigwam for a gooses bridle when you asked what something was, well this is what it is named from, how cool is that and what a great name. Naturally I found a few things to purchase, they also have this wonderful old Aussie shed to the side, cobwebs and all. In there I found a tin of old rusty nails, a part of an kerosene lamp that looks like a crown and a lovely old bedside clock which I like to collect. Inside I found some lovely vintage fabric peices that I just had to have. Some of these peices are for a collaborative peice that Joanne and I will be starting very soon, I will put the different stages on the blog as we go to share the creative process, this will be using techniques we learnt from the wonderful Michael de Meng. The fabric bits will be going into a vintage mixed media book I am designing and will be teaching. This book requires a lot of vintage peices and fortunately I have been collecting for a few years now. I will also put this on the blog to share with you and I will have it on display at the Art Retreat, so I will have to work my butt off to get it done in time. Still I find with most projects its the collecting of all the elements that you want to put into it that takes time. Here I am digressing again, its just that I have so much I want to get into, art related. Above is a photo of the beautiful Collie river on the hottest day!Above is my dear Kirsty, worrying about her double chin hah! she should worry. We spent a lovely day in Bunbury, this photo was taken at Aristos where we had a fresh fish lunch. While driving around Bunbury we came across this row of baby doves taking flying lessons, how cute are they. We have doves in our back yard, but never have I seen so many babies altogetherThis one obliged me as I zoomed in for a close up. How ghoulish am I, a baby pigeon flew into our garage and killed itself trying to get out, I left the body there for months until it mummified, its safe in a container now waiting to be put into the right art assemblage, its short life was not in vain.I cannot stay away from art for long, on pondering what to give my two Collie grandchildren I came up with an idea that would involve them as well. I picked them up after school then we went up to the bush and gathered bits and peices to make a birds nest for their easter eggs. Think they loved the gathering part most, although Jack 8 enjoyed the construction also. We got a couple of tennis balls to use as a mold. Wrapped small peices of the lovely paperbark around one half. then was the creative part of twisting wire, old string, dried grass, leaves, seed pods, bits of glass etc around the shape, gluing with lots of pva glue. When all this was dry we took the ball out and lined the inside with lovely goose feathers we found down by the river. We wrapped the easter eggs (bigW) in glad wrap keeping mind the mites etc that would be in the feathers. and wella not as good as the bird makes, what do you think, the kids loved them. Now I am thinking how am I going to make 7 more before easter!

This dear little nest we found on the ground in the laneway, as I collect nest this was not one I was prepared to give away, goose feathers enhance it.

Well now its back to work again, must say I love my work, mmmh parts of it not so much, the creative side of it yes! We have a lot of work getting things ready for the two art retreats. Have you seen the lovely Judy Wilkenfeld's blog Red Velvet, this girl is going places her blog will wrench your heart. Judy is off to teach at Art and Soul very soon, and we are negotiating to have her teach at our Art Retreat next year so keep an eye on our website www.artisticjourney.com.au Joanne has some real interesting artwork that she has been doing lately, if you have time take a look.

ciao bella