Gloves, hats, mittens and scarves

Gosh, we need them all today. It is cold and windy. Icy cold winds coming up from Antarctica. All the animals are hiding away and I don't plan to leave the house for the rest of the day... at least until feeding time. I might boil some potatoes and carrots for Juliet.

Yesterday it poured rain all day. I stayed inside reading and working on some little art and craft projects. An ATC for a friend which required a lot of glue so it is taking a while to dry. Of course because it is sitting there I had to add to it with a touch of gold paint.

I also finished a little 3x3 which is being sent to the USA.

I really am enjoying small art at the moment.

I have also been working on some real estate.

I have to admit a lot of my spare time has been spent reading lately. I am really enjoying books again and seem to always have one or two close by. I don't watch TV anymore so I have more time to spend with books. Right now I am reading an old favourite trashy horror writer, Dean Koontz. I still love his books after all these years.

Yeah, it's new!

I thought for Winter I'd have a winter themed blog! Although it isn't very Winter-like down here in Tasmania right now. It is still very much Autumn, with the last of the Autumn leaves still hanging in there and the warm sunny days. It is really lovely and I need to take advantage of it and get outside more.


And mow the lawn!


My herb garden needs a clean out too. The curly parsley has taken over and gone woody. I'll probably pull it all out and feed it to Julia and grow some more. I still have plenty of harvestable continental parsley, thyme and sage. I should plant a bunch of coriander seeds as well.


Yesterday I was thinking about the 2012 conspiracy. My old friend Rob would probably argue that it isn't a conspiracy and he would probably be right. He has read everything ever written about the Mayans predicting the end of the world in 2012 and has a blog dedicated to it. I was reading some of his blog yesterday and it got me thinking. I wonder if I should do something to protect my family... just in case? But then having just read Cormac McCarthy's, 'The Road' I kind of hope we all just quickly get knocked out.

Honestly, I don't believe anything will happen at all. I prefer to be happily ignorant of any future Apocalypse and blend into the beliefs of the masses. Rob's blog is interesting though and he has some good points and I cant deny I believe Mother Nature is pissed. I believe that is why we are having so many earthquakes, severe weather activity and volcanoes. I read a book years ago by horror fiction writer James Herbert called 'Portent' and I think about it every time masses of people are being destroyed in natural disasters. It is uncannily proving to be a little less fiction for my taste.

Rob's blog helped me to realize what happened in 'The Road'. McCarthy never actually tells us why the Earth is covered in ash and why the majority of life has been wiped out. All of the way through that book I kept thinking 'why bother'. I really don't think I would want to live in a world reduced to that. I certainly wouldn't want my children to suffer like the little boy in the book. Although part of me wonders if I shouldn't maybe stock up on some bottled water and canned food... but then I'd be contributing to global warming which is probably a bigger threat to the Earth than a super volcano.

So basically, were fucked aren't we? We have been treating the Earth like shit for hundreds of years and now we may very well have to sleep in that bed.

I really hope the Earth isn't destroyed in 2012. I rather quite like it!

Oil paint and embroidery

I pulled out my oil paint a little while ago and have been working on a painting in my art room. It is the first time I have tackled oils since having the children. Now that I have a room I can leave it out to dry and not have to worry about my little helpers touching it.


Yeah, I'm a little rusty but it has been fun. I also forgot I had given the kids most of my brushes for their art so I am fumbling through with what ever I can find.

This little lady in the red coat has turned up in another little project I am working on.


This one is embroidery and water paint on linen.

I've been doing a little bit everyday on these. I always seem to have several projects on the go at once. I'm also working on another one like this.


The weather is looking great today. Hard to believe it is the first of Winter. We haven't had much rain, hardly any wind and the weather report this morning said we are not going to have a very cold winter. I'd love a cold Winter but all the animals don't. Today I have to set up a little house for Dustin's chook Sylvester who is officially moving into the orchard.