Art Every Day Month and some updates

Hi everyone, 

Just a quick heads up to let you know I have decided to participate in Art Every Day Month hosted by Leah on her blog - Creative Every Day . This runs for the whole of November. I participated for a few years running but that was some years back so time to give it another go. 

The thing I like about this challenge is that it encompasses all forms of creativity such as art, photography, handicrafts like crochet/knitting, writing, music, cooking, etc. 

To find out more and perhaps sign up for the challenge yourself, click the image below or click HERE. 

Some updates if you've been following my blog previous posts -
Firstly, I'm very happy to report that my brother and his brother-in-law have now been cleared medically after their ordeal at sea. You can read what happened HERE.
Secondly, I'm very sad to say that the three plover chicks I mentioned HERE did not make it. One by one, they disappeared as the days went on. Plover parents really don't look after their babies too well — unlike other bird parents I've observed.  I kept checking on them when they were down to just one baby and then, the poor wee thing just disappeared overnight. :(
And lastly, I have recovered from the fall I had while on our day trip, mentioned HERE. I do still have a hard, tender lump at the base of my chin but I'm sure that will fade in time.
We've had rain and storms over the past week. We had a break a couple of days ago and I snapped the pic below around 7am. Can you see the steam rising off the fence as the sun hits it? A warm day was ahead...

I also want to wish all who celebrate it a very Happy Halloween! I'm sure the pandemic will be affecting regular Halloween activities so enjoy it as you can but please stay safe. Australia doesn't celebrate Halloween in a big way even though participation has picked up gradually over the years. Below is an old Halloween sketch I did back in 2008.

And one from 2017

Love, Light and Peace to all.

A day trip to Redcliffe to see The Bee Gees Way

This week is flying by!

Most weeks, we usually have a cards night at my sister and brother-in-law's place and, at the last one, we planned to go see The Bee Gees Way on Sunday. Bradley, being a major music buff, was particularly excited about seeing the tribute monument and all the memorabilia dedicated to the Bee Gees. 

The Bee Gees first arrived in Australia from England in the late 50's and Redcliffe became their home. It was approximately an hours drive to Redcliffe and, when we arrived at the entrance, it was walled off and we were greeted with this sign (see below). It was a disappointment to see The Bee Gees Way was closed for renovations but we chose not to let it spoil the day.

After a stroll through the busy Redcliffe Markets, Bradley treated us all to lunch at the Sandgate Post Office Hotel. This beautiful old building was a Post Office from 1887 right up until 2009 so quite a lot of history behind it.

The hotel has a lovely old world charm with a few pieces of memorabilia from yester-year like this Wurlitzer jukebox. I don't think it's operational — more for display.

An old fireplace — not sure if it is still a working one. 

The modern TV on the wall above seemed quite out of place.

We felt so relaxed at the hotel — or perhaps that was more due to the Espresso Martinis we had with lunch which were super delicious!

The staff were very friendly and it was such great service. For lunch, Brad and I had the Vegan Parmigiana which is Crumbed eggplant with napoli sauce, sliced tomatoes and vegan cheese served with hot chips and salad. It was so delicious! Forgot to take a photo unfortunately. Next time. Thanks for the treat, Brad. xo

After lunch, we went for a walk along the Sandgate/Shorncliffe foreshore — Lovers Walk is the esplanade we chose as it was right along the waters edge and took us down to the Shorncliffe Pier from Sandgate. Next time, we plan to take the other route where it is promised we will see lots of turtles.

As you can see from my hair, it was a very windy day. lol
I gave up trying to keep it in order. 

Photo collage above is courtesy of my sister, Angela.

All other photos, unless otherwise stated, are taken by me.

View of the beach

There were a lot of kite-surfers on the water that day. 

The strong winds made ideal conditions for them.

The tide was out but coming back in

Shorncliffe Pier

A few of the signs along the Pier 

Brad taking photos with his iPhone

At the end of the Pier - My sister, Angela, and brother-in-law, Peter, with Brad

And a couple with me in it

Photo below is courtesy of Bradley

On the way back to the car I took the photo below of an old church. 

It is classified as Gothic Architecture and was built in 1887.

Sandgate Baptist Church

Not long after, an unfortunate accident happened — I had started using my walking stick because my hip was hurting from the long walk. However, the walking stick jarred on a bit of uneven concrete, which sent me off balance, and I fell, face-planting onto the concrete. 

Thankfully, my bag protected my hip, but my big toe and chin copped a nasty hit. I also had minor grazes on my thighs, hands, and top of my feet. My toe was bleeding all over the place as I was wearing thongs. My chin was badly grazed, spotting blood, and already bruising. Pete raced off to Woollies to buy Band-Aids, Betadine antiseptic cream, and some Panadol.  Thanks, Pete.

Not the best way to end such a lovely day out but we all agreed that the injuries from my fall could have been a lot worse. It's three days later and the body aches from the fall are easing but my chin is still very tender. 

We are already looking forward to our next outing. 

Love, Light and Peace to all. 

A day trip to Darlington Park

In July, our Coronavirus restrictions were eased, so we decided to go for a much needed day trip. We went out country to one of our favourite spots - Darlington Park.

It was in the middle of our winter and, while it was sunny, 

there was a chilliness in the air. Below - Aaron taking photos with 

his miniature poodle, Scarlett, by his side.

I'm a sucker for trees. 

We've visited this site quite a few times but, this time around, 

the birds took a real liking to us....

or maybe it was the food we had with us. LOL 

Not to be confused with the Indian Myna bird, 

the birds below are Australian Noisy Miner birds 

and, they had no qualms getting close to us. 

This one was right beside my legs. 

They are obviously used to being spoiled by campers.

We even had some Magpies and a Blue-faced Honeyeater show up for a feast. 

This Honeyeater was cheeky enough to demand some coffee... 

...while a Kookaburra watched on from a nearby tree 

I was surprised to find some cherry tomatoes growing by the river bank. 

I guess campers threw away tomatoes or seeds at some point and they grew.

Tomato shrubs are definitely not the norm in our rugged Aussie bush 

We had such a lovely day out and it was sad to leave and head home. 

Maybe we will make it back out that way one day soon.

And there ends my post for today. 

I hope you all stay safe and well. 

Love, Light and Peace to you.

An update and my latest painting

Happy October everyone! 

Can you believe we are in the final stretch of 2020?! What a crazy year it has been so far with this pandemic looming over us. 

UPDATE on my brother - Thanks so much for the caring words regarding my brother's horrific ordeal at sea. He has been released from hospital now but will continue to see his doctor for blood tests and such until he is fully recovered. Billy's Creatine Kinase levels are continuing to drop. His leg swelled up quite badly from a large hematoma which they will keep an eye on. He is resting and very glad to be home. Charlie, his wife's brother-in-law, is also out of hospital and checking in with his regular doctor for follow-ups. 

I'm just so very relieved it wasn't worse and that my brother and Charlie are both alive to tell the tale. 

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I have another painted piece to show you. Meet Chico. You have probably seen Chico featured on my blog in the past. He was called Phoenix for a while. 

Here is the framed finished piece (sorry for the glass glare - can't be helped)

And some of the progress pics. 

I usually start with the eye

Laying in more feathers

And more feathers, 

I work in layers so more layers will follow

Layering and building up the feathers for more depth

Starting on the head features

And pretty much finished. 

Acrylic Gouache on 360gsm paper for acrylic paints - 5"x7"

Framed together

Next up on my desk easel will be a miniature poodle.

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It feels so good to be back blogging again. I thought you might like to see some gorgeous sunrises I've taken over the past few months from the front yard. I'm a sucker for skies!

One morning in June - 6:30am

One morning in July - 6am

One morning in August - 6:30am

One morning in September - 5:30am.

Red sky in the morning, 

A sailor's warning.

We are officially in Spring although our hot, summer-like weather is not far away. Here in Queensland, it's more like two months of reasonably cold mornings and evenings which we call winter, and the rest of the year it goes from hot — to hotter — to downright unbearable! We are now in our 14th year here and finally got around to asking our landlord for air-con. He very kindly obliged so those dreadful hot and humid days will be more bearable now. 

Our lounge-room air-con above the painting. YAY! 

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Recently, my soft hyacinth woven laundry basket started breaking away near the base so I bought a new basket. I sat the old one beside the dining table and Kya loves it! She sleeps for ages in it and likes to shred it too. 

I think Kya may well be a frequent model for my blog. She is so photogenic! I will do a follow up post soon on Kya's story to let you know how we ended up with her officially. For now, I wish you a happy week. Stay safe and well.