I Forgot To Explain.....

I posted that I had worked out WHY I am am so tired and grumpy lately!  I forgot to explain that, and it was a gentle query from Bethel (of Bethania), that reminded me!

To the right, you see Buster-cat.  Buster is an elderly girl - about 16 or so by my memory - and she is arthritic, deaf and demented.  And she utterly forgets to bring that tongue in, but that is irrelevant.

The "arthritic and deaf" anyone can cope with, but the dementia is really difficult.

My husband was away in NZ visiting the family, and while he was away, she decided that rather than wanting to come in or go out 16 times per night, that it was LOVELY to sleep on my bed, snuggled in and warm.  That worried me not at all, but when the husband returned, he objected strongly to having the old snoring creature (HUH??  snoring??  the cat??) between us.  So then Buster cat wisely moved herself to the un-husband side of the bed, and snuggled up sooooo warm and cosy, to my chest, that I could not (can not) move in my sleep for fear of waking her and setting off another yowling festival that keeps the entire neighbourhood awake!

It may sound as if I am flippant about the situation, but I am not.  Buster has been part of our lives for a long time. I cannot imagine the pain that families with older relatives go through with this problem.

Buster variously decides that other positions are the OUT door.  Sometimes it is the ensuite bathroom door - once it was the oven.  She goes out, then stands indignantly with an expression that clearly says "WHY???? am I out here?" and immediately sets forth with the "I WANT IN" - and it matters not a jot which side of the door she is - she wants the other one!

(NO I did not let her in to the oven!)

On the other hand, the local currawongs have NO kidney problems!! I know this, because they eat the food that she leaves, on the front deck.  (I started feeding her out there a couple of years ago.  The kitchen had been gutted prior to rebuilding, and she simply had no idea which way  was "UP".  It seemed unnecessary to further confuse her....)   As she had a total renal failure about 5 years ago, and has since gloried in the expensive Hills Science Diet KD, I know that what she leaves, is the renal salvation of all the local currawongs.

Unfortunately currawongs also have their left-overs.  Some of it is very difficult to scrub off your deck furniture.....

So that is the answer to the tired-and-grumpy issue!

Nothing at all to do with the sad lack of sales at the Exhibition last weekend.  I sold not a single baby blanket - but the shawl will be the next payment, on my next workshop - the Judy Wilkenfeld weekend in Melbourne in November!  Yay I am ahead!!

I so enjoy reading comments that you leave - please continue to do so!

cheers

Spring Has Sprung

This is the gorgeous explosion of blossom, that is making at least one corner of my back yard, look gorgeous.  

Spring in Canberra is something special.  We do complain about our weather, with good reason, but at least we DO have clearly defined seasons.  Autumn is glorious, winter is shocking, spring is beautiful, then summer - well  - unbearable.

It has been worse over the last ten years of course, with the drought that seems never-ending, but most of us here are not trying to make our living from our land, unlike those hardworking farming folk, who have also been suffering this for so long!

Some parts of the country seem to be getting far more than their fair share of rain!  I have a brother in Newcastle - they have had so much rain for the past couple of years!  It is heartbreakingly lush and green up there, every time I go!  I saw people hosing off their drive-ways - I wanted to get out of the car and PUNCH them!!  Not fair, I know, but we have been on rigid water restrictions for so long, as is a lot of the country, that it just seemed soooooo wasteful, and hence my desire to punch them silly!!

And I am a very peaceful person, under normal circumstances!  :)

Oh I am so happy to report that my big shawl has already sold at the exhibition!  I was a bit concerned when I did not see it there today on sale, but was left with a MUCH better feeling when I was told that it sold on opening night!

The weekend is coming up, and saturday and sunday will hopefully be busy days - I am really hoping that some of those little baby blankets are also sold!

Selling your work is very tricky - there is no way that you would ever be able to recoup your costs AND a decent hourly pay rate, but I know that some people are able to do that, and I applaud them!  I know that through my work at the craft shop, when people come to us, asking for something to be made or mended or fixed in some way, I have no trouble asking them for a decent rate, for the artisan who does the work for them!  But I also have the advantage of KNOWING that they can't do it themselves - or why would they be looking for someone to do it for them??  Presumably they value whatever it is that they require work to be done on, so that makes it easier.

The question is of HOW to persuade people that YOUR OWN work is valuable.  If anyone has any insight into this tricksy question, I would be glad to hear your opinion!

Okay that is it for the day.  I am so far behind in my art commitments, and have a busy weekend with the exhibition, so leave with big hugs to all who have posted encouragement to me, and hope to post on Sunday night, with a cheery nod to a successful weekend of sales!

cheers!

Been Busy!!

and lost the last post altogether!!  See?  I said I was a technophobe!

These are baby rugs - either cot size or crib size, and a contemporary version of the traditional wool embroidered baby blanket.

The central motif is needle-felted in merino and the embroidery in mohair or merino.  

I sure hope that they sell! They are being offered at the local textile group exhibition next weekend.  I am also hoping to sell some button necklaces, and my huge woolen multi-yarn shawl.

The shawl was actually supposed to be part of the Exhibition - The Living Reef - unfortunately I have just discovered that as such, it should have been lodged last weekend.

Sigh - one day I will grow up and be on the ball.  

And I have discovered WHY I am so tired and grumpy!  In my next post I will explain all - AND I will post another picture!!  

I really want to say thank you to all who have posted such encouraging comments on this little baby blog - it could grow up to be major fun!!

hugs to all

Sunday Blues

I am feeling a little tragic tonight - no real reason, just tired and flat I think.  Maybe I will feel better after a good sleep - sure hope so.  Actually I tried to have a good sleep this afternoon - I feel asleep in my chair after a vigorous day of cleaning up the disaster of a back yard that I currently loathe.

It was not a good sleep, my poor head kept falling off my neck, and waking me, and that is less comfy than it sounds funny.

I had a very brief visit from my beautiful daughter overnight.  She flew in in the afternoon, from Melbourne, and left early this morning to drive to Orange, in New South Wales, to teach for a week.  

Happy Fathers Day to all the Australian Dads.  Don't know how my husband feels about FD without girls around - I know that I found Mothers Day to be a bit of a loss.  

Like all the holidays, I guess that commercialism has built these days up, to be huge in our minds - and if we don't live up to the dream, then we are not doing it right!!  I love Christmas, but am always beset with fear for the weeks leading up to it, that it won't be what people need of Christmas - and WHY do I feel that I am responsible for Christmas anyway????

Beats me!

So no arty fun this weekend - there is a pile of goodies that need to be completed and sent off VERY soon, but none of them got touched.  Why does LIFE interfere with ART on such a regular basis?

That beats me too!!

Okay next post will be more cheery and will sport photographs of something - I swear!

Birdies For Deb - The Watchers

I finished a piece of work to send to my friend Debbi in W.A. - I was full if trepidation when I sent it off - I have been in an arty-drought for some time, a bit overwhelmed by life from time to time I guess, but the deadline loomed as they do, and I had to stir my stumps and get moving.

I don't generally jump on bandwagons, but gosh the birdie craze has me firmly held.  I even sent to the US to Green Pepper Press, to buy Michelle Ward's fabulous Painted Ladies plate.  Anyway Deb's canvas was a great excuse to put rubber and ink together!

Now that Deb has received it, I can post it here.  I used a canvas board, and some fabric that I had rusted, and one of my precious pieces of mica.  The piece is called The Watchers.

Though my scanner is now working, it was not when I had to send the piece, hence the dodgy quality of the photos!

Button Day!

My friend and I heard a rumour that there was a Textiles Display at the University last weekend, so down we went.  Discovered that it was Open Day at the uni, which was a fun experience.  Many young people and their hopeful parents wandering around dreaming of a bright future.

We headed to the Textiles Faculty, not a lot to see, though what was there was very impressive, and found ourselves at a table manned (womanned?) by three lovely young women, who were making buttons to sell to raise money for the Department.

Why do Universities have to sell buttons to raise funds?  Is this not peculiar??  A button cost $3 - buy ready made or make your own.  How many buttons would they need to sell, to keep the Faculty afloat??

Being Crafty Types, we elected to make our own, and had such fun!!  I remember childrens toy button makers, never had the experience myself, but this was one hefty older brother of the little FP toy from a toystore!  It was lots of fun - simple pleasures are still good to me you see...:)

I hope I don't develop into a true cynic any time soon....