Artists Blog

Remember that cheeky little sunbird who would sing to itself in my car mirror or window? She really has furthered her fetish. She has progressed from the Red Beast…

To the Green Heap belonging to The Man.

First she lands on the side mirror. Looks left, looks up, looks right. Then, when no other bird is looking, she hops onto the window rubber,

Where she can admire herself in stereovision.

Of course her husband is never really far away.

 

And as with all married males, can’t see the point of a mirror anyway.

Had a busy day today, organising and sending off dad’s and my sis’s birthday packages. Aussie Post has gone and changed pick up times to 2pm, so missed  the Express, and normal post is now picked up at 5pm instead of 6pm. Apparently they have missed the plane a few times and bottoms have been smacked!

My morning coffee smiled back at me today…

The colour RED surrounds me at the moment. Even though it’s not my favourite colour (not since I was 11), I seem to be attracted to it, to wear it, to eat it.

My first EVER acrylic painting, which was a scary thing to do at my age (uni assignment last month), composed in red.

Then there are the cherries. Cherries in June? Any fruit is possible this far north I’ve found. Cherries run a close second to mangoes in my list of fave fruits.

These were not the familiar deep burgandy colour, but a vibrant vermillion red. Still tasted just as divine.

I’m still trying to figure out what all the trees are in our garden. I think the fruit I have been hesitantly nibbling on is from the Lily Pily tree. Does anyone know for sure?

The following flowers have the sunbirds wantonly throwing themselves at them.

 

Very pincushion like.

Chillies are my Gotta Have at dinner time lately. Unless your nose is running, you’re not enjoying your meal.

There is an odd man out there….I do love the long shadows cast in this early morning shot. Like long, pointy, witchey fingers reaching across the table.

One sure way to quench the fire in your mouth is the Raspberry Slushie. Two is better.

I saw 3 people in the creekbed in front of my house recently. What were they doing? What were they picking up and putting in buckets?

Seeds! All sorts of wonderful seeds for jewellery. Jennifer (far right), is an Indigineous Australian, whose family used to live in the area long before it was settled like it is today. Her husband Hugh is a potter, whose works, as well as Jennifer’s jewellery, can be seen at the Holloways Beach Sunday markets.  The lady on the left is Sue, who owns a wondrous house around the corner, covered in mosaics and mirrors.

These are the seeds and pods of the Sandlewood Tree. After collection, Hugh will clean, drill and varnish the beads for Jennifer to string into necklaces.

These are the two necklaces I bought. The one on the left uses sandlewood and Poinciana seeds (I have collected the pods of the Poinciana to use as pastel holding trays - a post for another day). The one on the right uses sandlewood seeds and Burny Beans, prized by children because if you rub the bean quickly on your clothes, it gets hot enough to hurt your victim!  Next time I see them I’ll ask them to make one with the burny beads drilled through their side, so that they face you like a coin.

Poinciana bloom on the banks of Deep Creek (Also known as a Christmas Tree).

Can hear the Man calling, there’s a tall flute of red(ish) bubbly waiting for me….

Cheers,

Artoholic Cindy

To see the original, click Canetoads in My Coffee 

This morning I leisurely wandered out into the backyard with a steaming cup of tea. It was so quiet.  There’s time to dawdle when it’s only you and the yawning birds. Time to organise my thoughts, plan the day, and just savour it’s promise. When you’re up before the sun it feels like you can achieve everything, not just anything.

It’s times like these that I miss perhaps the favourite of all the houses I’ve lived in. It was a “Renovator’s Delight”, which we “delighted” in for over 9 years, on a high point besides the Canning River in Perth. We built and rendered courtyards, dug and mosaiced ponds, and painted walls in outrageous colours. This was one of my favourite places just to sit and daydream.

I painted holographic glitter over the mermaid’s tail, and at night we lit her up with an underwater halogen spotlight. Instant disco with the rippling, splashing water shadows!

What I don’t miss are the bazillions of tiny leaves falling into the pond from the overhanging Jacaranda tree from March through until November. But from then until well past Christmas it was just magical with the lilac blossoms forming a glowing carpet over everything. Just magical.

Purple was a continuing theme, with the 10mtr long water wall out the back swathed in a lustrous shade as well. Even the pots couldn’t escape the purple onslaught.

Our new Home is unfortunately also in need of a good reno. Though small, it has good bones, and a wonderfully peaceful setting. Bordered by creeks, mountains, and Coral Sea, it is just seething with wildlife. Something I’m grateful for everyday. And rather scared of sometimes!

And speaking of new homes, at long last I can call a new corner of the internet HOME. This time it’s with my own .com.au, so no more surprises, unless I spring them!

It’s like Christmas with your own site - photos as big as your heart desires, and no flashy corporations trying to flog you their products - sheer bliss!

Not much has changed in Canetoad Country, even though it’s supposed to be winter. Still around 28 C max, and even though the nights are cooler, I’ve only thought about putting the sheepskin slippies on. Opening up the camphorwood chest I said a brief “hello” to all the winter woolies that are living in limbo. Will I ever use them again? The locals suggest it takes 2 years to acclimatise, and that I should feel FREEZING like the rest of them come next June. I’m quite happy never acclimatising!

It’s good to be back….

To see the original Canetoads in My Coffee, click here.