I'd take a picture but...

the paint is still wet :D so you'll have to wait till tomorrow! I have been playing with a new technique. Yes, I did clean up the mess!

and she hit publish...

heh.

Various rants have not been published LOL When I am unwell, I am a cranky old bitch and not afraid to let fly BUT then my kind heart kicks my hard ass and tells me not to be so unkind! [ ok,ok, you can all stop laughing now, you'll hurt yourselves!]

Apart from unpublished rants, I have been busy recuperating and trying to catch the sun, which is proving to be an elusive bugger here. Hubby got me the new Pink Australian Funhouse dvd, so I have been watching/listening to that as well as the Bushfire Sound Relief Concert dvd. The cost of both really surprised me, I got Pink for 24.95 on Friday as it was released and 35.00 for Sound Relief. Excellent value for money, pity others don't follow that idea as I'd buy more music then.

One of the rants I didn't publish was about the Record Industry, I'm sorry but I am getting a little tired of them bleating about cd sales dropping, which MUST mean people are illegally downloading. What a load of Bullshit! They never mention that LEGAL download sales are up [iTunes, Bigpond etc] Do dvd sales count as cd's? If not, then there's another of your totally legitimate reason for cd drops. People are paying for downloads and live music dvd's rather than just a music cd. I'm not saying that illegal downloading doesn't happen, but technology has moved on, it's like saying record sales dropped when cd's came out.

The best way is to buy direct from the artist though and if I can, I do that.

I'm an artist, so yes, I completely understand but I think the record companies need to move with technology faster and aggregate ALL sales not just individually.

and now, I need a good cup of tea, a bex and a lie down!

OH,and the hoon got caught unlicensed, unregistered, leaving the scene of an accident and another charge. twit.

Bloody seagulls at Phillip Island interrupting the bike racing, you'd think they'd hear the bikes and fly the other way, but no. Wonder if they think they're food? LOL No, I didn't go to the Island either as I am not really well enough yet to go gallivanting but plan on chuffing down for World Supers next year though.

'Avagoodweegend!

I'm late, I'm late....

The headline on this story reads :

Hugh Jackman hissy fit stops Broadway play

BUT, it should have read RUDE ARSEHOLE interrupts Broadway play.

Seriously who is SO important that they need to take their mobile into a freaking play. Geez people, no wonder there is so much rage everywhere you go, noone has time for relaxation and enjoyment any more. We're all too important to take time out.

If you MUST be *on* 24/7, at least put your phone on silent or vibrate, so the rest of us unwashed masses with manners can enjoy our down time. k? thx, bye.

blerk...

Boy finished last day of school with a mild cough, which has now shown it's true colours and run rampant through the household the past week. Lucky me was the last to get it and initially thought, Huh, they were all whining over *this* but lo, see what happens when you mock the germ gods! I should have bought shares in tissues and various cold and flu concoctions that you need to provide 100pts of ID & 3 hours for a pharmacy consult to buy ONE box of. Geeez.

Yes, Yes, they are precursor crap but hey, one box? and one time? gawd blimey, bit overkill I think! Not to mention that you get the 3rd degree if you dare to try buy panadol at the same time even if it's just to replace the empty packet you found when rabbiting around the first aid box at 3am in the morning for anything to take to get rid of the bloody headache until the chemist opens.

No wonder the emergency depts are full, for all the runaround & questions you get just going into the chemist, you may as well go see a Dr.

Kidlet is applying to Uni, Hubby is applying for jobs and the boy did very well except one subject. I am still forging flowers and knitting beanies and scribbling down ideas that have been coming thick and fast in my fevered imagination.

Can't be sick, have to go to Melbourne on Friday for a charity party and have a good time. My favourite muso dude is performing at it too :D Plus the other kidlet wants me to go see their house, which I haven't been able to yet because of weird random life crap.

'Scuse me, I have to go crack open another box of tissues :D

I may be thick but...

WTH has smoking got to do with Superannuation? HUH? Has he mixed up Superannuation with Life Insurance? or is he talking about the Insurance [ Personal Income Loss etc] that you can buy from the funds? If that's it, then why are they adding products without authorisation from the owner of the Super Account? If not, how me paying for a future pension [ whether it's the Super guarantee or my own top ups] in an investment fund got to do with whether I die early or not?

Savings go up in smoke in secretive super rip-off

At Colonial's FirstChoice fund, for example, when an employee is moved out of his or her company's super plan into the personal option, fees increase by $475 a year.

In part, this is because insurance costs are based on the assumption they are smokers.

blimey...

Now another one who we haven't heard from in ages messages me to pass a message on, then when I reply to say I have, throws a dummy spit then messages me again to tell me not to contact them again. LOL

Downside of FB, I guess, people can find you but when they do, they decide they don't.

And clearly, I am damned if I do and damned if I don't.

sooooooo....

said slime has been shoved back in his bucket and the lid nailed shut. Jerk.
I am sick and tired of being the one who deals, so this time, I'm not and said so.

Onwards and Upwards, We had the Outlaws and Kidlets here this weekend for the hubsters birthday. Went looking at wedding dresses with the b2b, with camera in hand of youngest. Still shiveringly cold here and wet. We waddled off to the Bistro for lunch which was nice and so no washing up :D The B2B and I went to the cheesecake shop and ended up with 2 birthday cakes as we couldn't choose, so got a nice mudcake and a carrot cake with carrots on it, if you've ever read the cake wrecks blog you can probably guess what we were looking for afterwards. Sadly no naked baby jockeys to be found :D

Got some more info on my elusive artist, he was listed as a signwriter in the electoral rolls and on the certificates I got.

Been working on a techniques journal, trying to collate all the stuff into one art journal rather than spread over 50 of them LOL Paint tests, recipes, technique results etc

Gordon Dalyrymple Nicol

So, I have found some further info about the mysterious Gordon Dalrymple Nicol but not that much :( I still have a Canberra library collection reference to chase up though but don't hold much hope. On the bright side The State Library of Queensland is sending me the catalogue they published for the exhibition :D

He was born approx 1894 in New Zealand to Francis Maitland Dalrymple Nicol & his wife Rose [nee Tahn] and had 1 brother Thomas [ who may be a twin or just registered at the same time] and a sister called Dorothy. I've sent off for the certificates.

He died in 1969 in NSW. He may have had an image published in a London magazine in the 1930's but I can't verify that.

I spoke to a very helpful gentleman called Ralph in NZ and he gave me a few ideas to chase up in relation to the Christchurch School of Art, which now may be known as the University of Canterbury.

He actually illuminated 3 poems for Angus & Robertson Ltd [ nope, they have no info either]

Song of the Wheat by AB [Banjo] Patterson
Kiss in the Ring by Henry Lawson
Darrell by Will H Ogilvie

I've got my mitts on a copy of Song of the Wheat, so will be hanging out waiting for the postie now for a couple of weeks :D

Apart from this meagre info gleaned using my genealogical skills :D he remains an enigma.

swamp creatures

Don't you just love how some people slime back out of the woodwork, chuck a grenade into your lap then piss off back to the swamp for another 5 years or so, leaving you to deal with the fallout.

Turds.

Hot on the trail...

I have been busy researching Australian Illuminated Manuscripts after a searchy thing sent me an email after about 3 years to tell me that my keywords entered had finally paid off. Strange that it took that long :( and it's a good thing I kept all my original sketches and notes.

I have found one [1] Aust/NZ Illuminator who illuminated the originals of 3 or 4 Banjo Patterson poems and illuminated them using Australian flora & fauna rather than using European imagery. Haven't been able to find out a whole lot about him as he seems to be unknown & can't find any other works yet. So far, I have found out he was a New Zealander called Gordon Dalrymple Nicol who was in Bondi and comissioned by Angus & Robertson Ltd to do the works in 1924/1925. I also found a death notice in 1966 but am still unsure if that's definitely him or not, also according to the AWM a serviceman went to the Korean War, but that's a bit late, so possibly a son or relative named after him.

I also found a reference at the Canberra library in the Barbara Ross collection that has given me some ideas to chase up. Apparently she corresponded with a calligrapher in NZ, so I'll try to contact her and see if she knows anything.

I also sent off an email to a book guy who has several reproductions of the manuscripts for sale and at a reasonable price, so will get my mitts on 2 at least :D

Apart from that, yes, I have been unwell again, the Dr wants me to do another 12 month course of Methotrexate but I have chosen not to until the flares are closer together or really severe or I break something. But hey, at least it's not pleurisy *grin* I can usually get my butt going again after a few days.

Still ploughing on with the flowers, so far I have not managed to set fire to too many things and the fingertips still have prints on them, so I'm doing well.

Nearly finished moving my studio into a different part of the house...and now we're actively looking for another place to move to. Always the way! but I am sick of wonky flooring, blocked drains and the hot water system blew up last week, so although living in an older house is cute, 'tis not for us anymore!

Oh and btw, the delica bead escapee that I thought had been removed from my keyboard is currently stuck under my *c* key, so if there's any missing, I apologise. Now, I'm off to hold my laptop over my head while shaking it and shoving the vacuum cleaner hose in at the same time!

There must be an eclipse....

This neighbourhood is defintely weird interesting. In the last year we've had 3 drunks tossed out of cars, 2 of which were knocked out cold & involved cops & ambulances. One drunk woke up decided to try and thump hubby & another driver who'd stopped to help [ I was at the front door with the baseball bat & was going to go out if he'd kept it up] Cops chasing unregistered motorbikes that use the vacant land behind/beside us as a getaway, a slow speed chase with lights & sirens that the guy gave them the slip, a fire bomb twice in the allotment down the road and then last night... I was woken at 3am by the sound of a wheelie bin being dragged along the footpath. What's wrong with that, you may ask, yes, I also initially thought someone had forgotten to put their bin out but the noise went on for a long time, so I went for a stickybeak.

I have never seen someone taking an empty wheelie bin for a romantic moonlit stroll before. Especially not to a cemetery

      .------------------------.
      |       PSYCHIATRIC      |
      |         HELP  5¢       |
      |________________________|
      ||     .-"""--.         ||
      ||    /        \.-.     ||
      ||   |     ._,     \    ||
      ||   \_/`-'   '-.,_/    ||
      ||   (_   (' _)') \     ||
      ||   /|           |\    ||
      ||  | \     __   / |    ||
      ||   \_).,_____,/}/     ||
    __||____;_--'___'/ (      ||
   |\ ||   (__,\\    \_/------||
   ||\||______________________||
   ||||                        |
   ||||       THE DOCTOR       |
   \|||         IS [IN]   _____|
    \||                  (______)
     `|___________________//||\\
                         //=||=\\
                         `  ``  `

Now I have, my life is complete :D
Neighbourhood life was never this interesting in Melbourne!

blah

Have had an absolutely shitful weekend. Some blithering old twat tried to run me off the bloody road because he didn't stay in his lane as we came out of the shopping centere, how the guy behind me didn't run up my arse is beyond me. My only avenue of escape apart from slamming on the brakes was to go off into the trees, which promptly made me blow my fuse and reignited both the back and migraine. He didn't even know that he'd changed lanes. GAH!

Although I did have a larf at the fact that he was going so slow that people were blasting him with their horn, 20 in a 70 zone and not knowing which lane you're meant to be in should indicate that perhaps grandpa should hand in his licence and sell the car before he kills someone.

So I've spent all weekend whining about the light, the light and STFU before I duct tape everybody.

I couldn't even look at my laptop because OMG it's bright even when you use it on battery power. and I'm about 5000 flowers behind in my goal for the wedding.

Last night we went back to the local Bistro to see if the previous meal was a fluke and happily it was not! Different cook as well, so that's pretty good. This time we had chocolate pudding as dessert, OMG, it was YUM! so that is now our preferred dining out choice. Except others have twigged, so we need to get there earlier :D

I've noticed recently that lots of places we've been to make chocolate anything really dense and toooooo rich, now, I love chocolate but it doesn't need to be overkill to be wonderful. I once ordered chocolate cake, which was more the texture of a double choc muffin with chocolate sauce poured all over it and chunks of chocolate on top and a chocolate mousse type cream. Too much, so please stop doing it. BTW, each piece of cake does not need to be drizzled [swamped] with chocolate sauce as a decorative effect.

I'm glad Julie won Masterchef, so there :p

Belated Birthday Bash

Tonight we finally went out for my birthday LOL I decided to try the Bistro at the Football club, if you ever come to Bendigo, ask me for the info. It was excellent and there was no way I was going to finish it all. They definitely are not stingy with the food. The prices aren't bad either.

White chocolate cheesecake .... drool..

and they even passed the coffee test! [most places fail dismally]

They're going down like bowling pins in the team trials tonight :(

No, I don't think they should allow riders who have tested positive for illegal drugs back in to the Tour de France. It doesn't matter if it was not performance enhancing, if it's illegal...tough. I don't care if you don't agree, you try being the mother of a long term drug addict and tell me it's okay to make it out to be nothing of consequence. You can't tell me there are no consequences that affect other team riders either. If he was serious, he'd be in rehab getting clean after 3x testing + for cocaine.

So, flame away but unless you have intimate knowledge of drug use and how it impacts on people around you and tell the truth, not fanciful excuses. F.O.

Hopefully I'll be scooting down to the city in the next few weeks, I need to go to the art shop and the coffee shop and the book shop and the errrrrmmmmm, oh! craft shop and then Southland & Chaddy.

Oh and I need to visit somebody & drop some stuff off :D I'd let her know 'cept she's never home when I've called the last few weeks. I hate 101. LOL

I'm bloody glad I ain't a rockstar!

cos there is no way I am going to drop from a ceiling in a sheet.

Went to see Pink's funhouse concert with D2 at Rod Laver on Tues night, excellent! Although the drive down was terrifying due to the heavy rain and icy road :-( then on the way back we had heavy fog!
And as if I just conjured it up...it's pouring again now :D

I said I wasn't going to buy anything but in the end I bought a mug, tshirt and poster. I really must erase the "S" off my forehead!

Every single guy in the audience was waiting for the pink love heart to come adrift :D I should have pics next week as the daughter still has them.

The reason why it was a drive down was because the teenage boy in the family has suddenly discovered an intense need to go to school every day. Usually it's the opposite and I drag him kicking & squealing all the way, so I have concluded that there must be a female incentive :D

Husband likes his new job. So I guess that means we are staying.

Nightynight :D

Forging Flowers by Fire...

I think I may have been a bear in a former life, I feel like hibernating as it's so coooold here. I feel a lot better now and hubby has also been saved from being nagged to death by being gainfully employed. We also succumbed to marketing ploys and got a Mr T flavour waver thingy that I am still to test out.

I had a great birthday in the end and a little bit late, thanks everyone :D I got an Epson printer that prints archival ink so that I can explore mixed media further. I also got from the lovely Ann O'dyne some beeeeyotiful cards with Illuminated manuscript images that in order to prevent from becoming soggy as I drool over them are going to be framed and put on my studio wall. She has impeccable taste in gifts does Ms Ann O'Dyne! Tuesday night I'm off to the big smoke to see Pink in concert with D2.

Here has what has been keeping me busy apart from kids, flowers forged by fire LOL I have lost track of the number of times I have burnt my fingers or stabbed them when sewing in the delica beads *grin* The dark one's are for D2's wedding and I need to make lots and lots and lots! The rest were test one's but am thinking of chucking them in my online shop and selling them. I love the white one's :D No clue how much for though, so will ponder a day or 2 :D

I know I promised no more swine flu jokes...

so how about a tshirt instead :D



you can buy one here

sick kidlet

D2 woke up covered in blood today from a nosebleed, so we're waiting to hear what is going on. Her neurologist wants to see her tomorrow but also wanted her to see a GP today as well. She's been at Emergency since then as she couldn't get in to see a Dr anywhere else and at least they have her medical history with the seizures & medications she's on. The Emergency Dept even tried a few clinics for her but no go. She just sent me a text to say they've moved her into a different room as her nose started to bleed again :-(

Hopefully it's nothing, she said she didn't feel like she'd had a seizure.

Meanwhile back at the ranch we've had youngest home as well, he must be okay as he just came in and asked if he could go to school tomorrow LOL
No he doesn't have swine flu.

I've been torturing some fabric into flowers and now I am sewing seed beads onto them, one tiny bead is stuck under my keyboard randomly sticking a key LOL I've tried vacuuming it out but the little bugger is playing hide and seek with me!

I also got some cam coloured wool, so am making the youngest 2 beanies and scarves from it.

Sorry, I know this is a bit disjointed but I'm worried about the kid. Anyway, back later!

Germany - Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Final - BBC One

I dunno, I reckon this one should have won Eurovision! I mean what's not to love? Tight shiny pants, tap dancing, girls in suits and Dita Von Teese just in case the rest didn't get ya LOL

Bye Sol, we will all miss your cheery face! not.

Did you know that the knitting hook you use to loom knit with is actually VERY painful to sit on? They are. very. You're welcome, I am always more than happy to sacrifice my butt to save others :D

Tonight I will be road testing sewing needles and seed beads :D

In other news, I have now watched the complete series of To A Manor Born, got to Master Boss level in Mafia Wars and was rewarded with a golden toilet :D and watched Eurovision entries on YouTube.

I tell ya, that's the highlight of my life this week, right there. I am so bored BUT have almost mastered the art of being more vertical than horizontal again. I look a bit like a newborn foal or more like an old drunk staggering out the pub at closing.

Hubby cooked a stew with me yelling directions and ingredients from the bedroom lol It was very tasty too, even if he did chop the celery too thick :D

Oh, I forgot, the actual highlight was the idiot [me] who accidentally set the heater to doonah smoulder while I was practicing my vertical skills in the bathroom.

I am off to Spotlight this arvo to obtain some fabric to do a test run for the daughters wedding favours. At last, I have found a way to reduce the number of seed beads I have! I also want to check out the fabric store of wonderment that Jenxo posted about, but that will have to wait until next week. I want some non ironing fabric to make pants for summer out of, so no rush. I want to try my hand at making wearable art. Whether it ends up either or neither is the fun part hehehe

So, hopefully I have kicked the resident bug permanently out now, I feel much better but strangely enough, still tired! I think we should buy shares in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

If you emailed me and haven't gotten a reply, sorry, I am almost caught up.

And now, with a nod to Dogbait who posted the first swine flu joke, here's my contribution

A lion, a bear and a pig are in the pub, showing off. The lion claims, "I'm the mightiest creature on the planet, I roar and the Plains shake." The bear claims, "I'm the mightiest creature on the planet, I roar and the Forests shake." The pig replied, "I'm the mightiest creature on the planet, I cough and The Whole world shit's itself...

and

If you receive an email from the Department of Health telling you not to eat tinned pork because of swine flu - ignore it. It's just spam.

and that's all. Adios Amigos, till next time!

lalalalala

I really hate being unwell and I seem to have been nothing else since we moved here. I'd have to say that it's stress based as the Universe seems intent on kicking my arse just because she can and it all coincided with our move and change of life. So, no point whining about it or you know what happens! However, I am making myself sick by internalising my feelings, so watch out if you piss me off, I will not walk away telling you what I think in my head but to your face. out loud. and I will no longer say thank you to those who don't deserve it.

I used to be so good with change, this time, not so much. I am working on my feeling of displacement but need to stop trying to fit in. If I do, great, if not, sorry, move along if you don't like me. I think I've been suffocating my personality so people like me and I have friends and have to thank someone for making me realise that, even if she doesn't know she did :-)

So, last night I took a night off from everyone's dramas and watched some Midsomer Murders episodes, read a book in bed and stopped fretting and worrying. Did some more knitting for the coat I'm making for BattleQueen 3 [Hi Honey! lol]

Pebbles the cat laid on me, over me, beside me and generally snuggled up to me all night. At 5am she decided to go kitteh pscho all over the house and did the *boing* jump on to me from the cupboard. At that point I told her sternly GO.TO.SLEEP. and she did. HA! at least the cat listens and obeys :D

Did some ideas sketches and worked on getting the image in my head started on paper.

Have revisited a theme I had abandoned for others and am wandering along plotting and planning.