Choir and sketches

It's been a busy week! 

Poor Aaron and Beau were sick 

with flu. 

I didn't feel all that great myself 

but it didn't get a good hold of me, thank goodness. 

Brad and I had our first choir practice on Tuesday! 

Brad's occupational therapist started
a six week choir project called - Sing for Health -
and she invited Brad and I to join. 

Brad LOVES to sing so we could hardly say no. 

I never imagined myself being a member of a choir 

but we truly had a blast 

and met some lovely people too.
I never knew choirs could be so much fun!

My baby girl had her last birthday in her twenties! 

She's not looking forward to her 30th next year. 

Funny, that my 30th birthday was the ONLY birthday 

I ever got depressed about. 

I felt like I was over the hill. lol 

Every birthday since has not phased me in the slightest.

Okay, pencil-free sketches for this week are below.

All are done in my pocket Moleskine sketchbook 

using only pen and ink. 

I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches today at this link.
To find out more about Sunday Sketches, check out this link.

I hope you all enjoy a beautiful Sunday! xx

Sketches galore!

March is my birthday month so 

I decided to set myself a personal challenge. 

The plan is to sketch daily although 

I've given myself permission to miss a day 

here and there. 

So far, I've stayed on track!

The following sketches are all pencil-free. 

They are sketched from life, not photos,

using pens of various types and colour, 

in my pocket Moleskine sketchbook.

Day 01 - a Faber-Castell PITT pen in a grey shade

This is one of my newer tools.
I bought a Faber-Castell Manga PITT pen set which included five shades of grey. 

Nope, NOT fifty! 

Day 02 - my feet

Five days after this sketch, 

I broke the little toe on my right foot. 

A month prior to that, 

I broke the little toe on my left foot. 

Both bruised very badly and 

were oh so painful.

I can't wear closed-in shoes 

at the moment due to the pain.

Day 03 - a large shell from my collection

Day 04 - another large shell from my collection

Day 05 - My Buddha bell

Day 06 - I sketched this apple late at night 

using only BIC ballpoint pens and a hint of black PITT pen to emphasise. 

I was quite pleased with how this one turned out. 

Here is a link to the BIC pens I used as well as a review - BIC Cristal Pocket Scents. 

Day 07 - decorative bulldog clips

I spotted a packet of these cute clips featuring various designs 

in our local newsagency.

Naturally, I just HAD to have them! 

Aren't they cute?

Day 08 - my old prescription glasses 

I use them only to tighten the tiny screws on my newer glasses. 

I would never be able to wear them for more than a few minutes at a time 

because the prescription strength is so poor compared to my current glasses.

It's a sad fact that my poor old eyes are getting old....

OH okay, that includes the rest of me as well.

I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches today at this link.
To find out more about Sunday Sketches, check out this link.

Book reviews

Reece gifted me with a signed copy of 'The Happiest Refugee' book which he'd bought at one of Anh Do's stage shows.  Anh Do is an Australian stand-up comedian and a truly nice bloke.  He has made many TV appearances including the Australian Dancing with the Stars. 

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely loved this memoir! I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed and cried some more. Anh Do and his beautiful family touched my heart. Their harrowing journey, as refugees, on an old boat to Australia certainly put a human face to a very real issue even in current times. Those against boat people would do well to read this book.

Anh speaks from his heart as he tells of the hardships and triumphs he and his family experienced in getting to Australia and how they managed to survive once here. Ahn's mother is an amazing lady who clearly adored her children and only wanted the best for them. She worked so very hard to meet her children's needs after their father left them when Ahn was only thirteen. Life was tough and they struggled financially but the love they had for one another was priceless and saw them through a lot of difficult times. There were many happy, fun moments too and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the plans Anh orchestrated that didn't necessarily have desired outcomes. Well worth reading!

I found this book hard to put down and I would definitely read it again.

Anh Do on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGETRI81DE

He also does a show on modern Vietnam. Documentary length - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBBg0G7zOh8

One For The Money by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After losing her job, Stephanie Plum becomes a bounty hunter out of desperate need to earn some money. Her main mission is to find and apprehend Joe Morelli; a cop in hiding who is facing murder charges. Unfortunately for Stephanie, she also finds herself pursued by Benito Ramirez, a boxer and a madman with a brutal and dangerous lust for women. Stephanie Plum is a likeable character who finds herself in quite a few precarious situations. Some are laughable; others highly dangerous.

In truth, I wasn't overly impressed through the first couple of chapters but, to be fair, this is not the usual genre I like to read. As I progressed further into the book, I found myself hooked. It was a light, intriguing, and fun read. I plan to read more of Janet Evanovich's books so I guess that also means that I can add a new genre to my reading preferences.

View all my reviews