Happy New Year!

Gosh I cannot believe that it was October when I last updated my blog. But I guess this blog doesn't lie eh?
Well Christmas has come and gone and this year we had our family day on the 9th December which threw me into some confusion. Ont he 10th I went to the shop and couldn't understand why all these people were still doing their Christmas shopping. Very strange. Lovely Christmas gatherings with friends from China painting and Encore ended the year on a high. I won a lucky door prize at the St Mary's Historical Society's Christmas party and felt like a thief. I did donate a small plate as a prize but maybe I should have asked them to redraw my prize-hence the guilt.
Haven't been to visit Robert for a couple of weeks as it has been so hot I haven't ventured out of the house often. Art drives me to the shops then I call him when I have finished shopping so that he can pick me up. That way the car doesn't sit in the sun. The temperature has been around the mid 30's now for too long and even reached 42C one of the days. Our electricity has gone up to $112 a fortnight...
My friend Stella has had another fall over the Christmas break and has been in hospital and again I should have gone to visit her but the weather needs to cool down before I can. I am such a wimp. Unfortunately my MS makes me feel the heat even more than I normally would have.

So, because of the heat , I have been drawing my way through a book called 'One Zentangle a Day' and I am up to day 22 I think and I have drawn 18 zentangles and practicing how to make Dorset buttons. I have to go answer some messages now and next week it is first Gazette of the year week so wish me luck with that :)

September's gone then...

We have been to Perth and are now home again. What a wonderful holiday. A big thanks to Pam and John for shouting us this great experience. John drove for hours taking us to The Wave and The Pinnacles (photos following) Wonderful Fremantle -what a lovely feel that had. It would take months to see all this state has to offer. Pam and John headed north to Broome when we headed home to Sydney. The weather wasn't too hot for us which was good.
Wonderful Stuart took us to the airport and picked us up on our return. How lucky are we?
After we got home I had to get the Gazette out and Art had to have a colonoscopy and now those have been completed, we just have to plant a few things and we are nearly ready for Christmas.
Not before we head to Scott and Beverley's on Sunday for lunch.
We are in a Virgin aeroplane ready to go...

We thought the fields of gold might have been canola...

This is the wave and that is John up on top...

This is the Hippo's Yawn...

This wonderful lace was an unexpected find at the Wave.

This is on a rooftop in the middle of Perth-All these wonderful vegetables that they give to volunteer groups to feed the needy.

The kangaroos across the road from The Vines Resort where we stayed they were all over the golf course.

We went to the Art Gallery in Perth and were allowed to take photos of Warhol, Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian and others...

These are the Pinnacles. You might have seen Billy Connolly dancing through them without any clothes on...
It was so amazing -like a moonscape.

As we were celebrating John's 50th he had to have a lobster so we went to The Lobster Shack and had the freshest lobster and prawns I have ever tasted. Delicious:)

This is a kangaroo paw-a plant not actually off a kangaroo...

This is a view of WA as we flew home:)

I have no idea what that is a photo of I guess it could be a quarry or something...

So that was September's doings now to get on with October.

September 17-soon be Christmas!

I cannot believe how quickly the year is going -heaven help me next year! Am in a scramble to keep up to date with shopping and washing and ironing as we are off on holidays soon. Can't wait. So looking forward to it. Have been very slack with my cards lately and not a lot of China painting either. try to fit at least one visit to my brother every week but can't do that successfully either. Saw him on Saturday but he was fast asleep -opened his eyes once then went back to sleep. Next time I will manage to see him will be his 82nd birthday on September 30th. A lovely artist called Ingrid Lee commented on my Rainy Monday blog. Thank you Ingrid for the lovely remarks I will reply to you on facebook.

 This is my iris finished, Ingrid.

 My Clarice Cliff attempt.

 Some of my cards:-

 This beautiful crosstitch was done by a friends' husband, David Marshall, who is no longer with us and she gave it to me. I am so thrilled with this gift.

 Another attempt at Clarice.

 More cards.

This last card is very special-my youngest grandson (7) made this for his mum when he had a sleepover.  All his own idea and all cut stamped and stuck by him.
Notice the bling -his eyes lit up when he spotted these  trinkets:)

Sunny Sunday!

It really will soon be Christmas.
I was all excited yesterday because I thought there was a Papercraft show on at Penrith. Fortunately Angela Sargeant who is a Stampin' Up Demonstrator saw my excitement on Facebook and contacted me. Angela will have a stand at the next show which is in November. I gave her a heart starter:)
My daughter and her husband are shouting Arthur and me a holiday to Perth in September. How good is that? We are so lucky, we have great kids-all of them.
Our other recent present was from Stuart. He purchased a new TV for us, so there is all this learning involved. We can download shows onto a USB but I am having trouble with that so I will stick to my VCR until 'fully trained'. Having said that, my VCR has broken down, probably from overuse-so I will transfer Art's from the back room. We are drowning in TVs.
I managed to put out the Gazette for August but with some mistakes-oh dear. I have said we are charging $20.00 for a demonstration when it is only $5.00-and no form needed. Where was my head?
The Encore Group have nearly completed the ADI Uniform. All that is left to do is the cabinet and a decision as to where she will be located. She is looking very good-too good to be making ammunition!
Visited my brother Bob yesterday and he definitely knew it was me. The nurse asked him 'Who is this Bob?' and he replied straight away'This is my sister'. But he is not well at all. They said he was moved to this ward because he can't walk and he had a temperature and they have to feed him. It is just not fair. This getting old is cruel.

This is the bra which Barbara Porter has made in the 1940's style for our Val.They are all so talented these ladies.

Here is our Val, see what I mean about looking too good for a munitions factory:)

Just another rainy Monday!

It is so cold and miserable today I have had to make a couple of cards to keep my spirits up.
Since I last wrote on the blog my lovely sister in law Elaine has died. My son Scott summed her up with"Ever a generous spirit who never had a bad word for anyone" So sad and my poor brother is none the wiser of her passing. I must say though that the last time I visited him in the nursing home a very aggressive Alzheimer patient was shouting at me and accusing me of owning three house and the law would soon throw Robert out. He ranted for a while then Robert turned to him and said 'This is my sister.' At that stage the nurse wheeled Colin away. Then the next time we visited he was in the Hospital with an infection-that was last Thursday so I will visit again on Wednesday-and hope Colin is happy in his room:)

 I don't know how to turn this photo around-sorry.

These are two plates which I painted at a workshop. One fire -although I do want to change the abstract Iris as it looks a bit odd on a round plate. But the extra lines have made it look much better -all I need now is to purchase some fat oil at the Jolly July Day.