fiveandtwo

My Brain Was Boiled.

Truly. It was SO HOT.

 Yesterday we moved Linsey's stuff from Armadale to Clifton Hill. First round was her car and our car loaded up and then unloaded. Next round was our car with Linsey and Roger doing a second load and me with twins in tow doing a "provisioning shop" at Northcote Plaza, using Linsey's car. I sort of knew where I was going, but from a different direction. Needless to say, I spent a bit of time driving around Northcote, and even Thornbury, trying to get my bearings. The air conditioning didn't work in Linsey's car. Clare and Al were supposed to be navigating; I cast my eyes over them at one stage and they were all wilted and gasping. "Drink some more water!", I said. We three boiled. Thank goodness shopping centres are air conditioned, and there was a shop to treat Clare and Al with a cold drink.

So, we provisioned her, except for things requiring refigeration. No fridge until today, and that a bar fridge. A full sized one will be next weekend's project. Collecting one Linsey has bought. A job for her and her boyfriend.

Gosh it was hot. I could harangue you with the trial of the dodgey motel we stayed in Saturday night; nah, boring. We went to a pub for tea. The "Post Office" Hotel. It was quite good. The Mister and I could have stayed all night talking to Linsey, but the small fry were really tired.

I like visiting Melbourne, off and on. Forces me out of my comfort zone. And Melbourne is a wonderful city. Once-upon-a-time I loved Sydney the most. Now, since living in Victoria for over twenty years, I love Melbourne the most.

Gosh it was hot. I fear my brain will never recover.

Coffee Cup Paintings.

A new obsession. Like I even need a new obsession. However, it has to run its course. I have to paint coffee cups until it wears off. Otherwise I will become a tortured soul.

A quartet of cups. They're small, only 14.8 x 14.8cm each one. Each one works as a painting on it's own, or with one, two or three companions. Top left is one of my favourite cups for a coffee fix.

1960s Japanese mug. I have several of this ilk. At the moment they're "out of circulation" in a high cupboard. Until the kids leave home and any breakages will be my fault.

This is an unfinished one (I've finished it now though, pic in a later post). I like the yellow/blue-grey/black colour combination. Not one I've experimented with before. I've two more partially finished paintings, and five more in sketch form.

I'm considering another etsy shop for art work. Separate from the sewing stuff. What do you think?

That Old Gas Stove.

Remember this old stove? Stove-top worked fine, oven door had a tendency to fall off (despite much repairing).

Behold its transformation:

A barbeque! Truly. It works splendidly. The cover and side thingies are pirated from our old rusted out BBQ. In the "oven" is an old saucepan which collects fat from the hotplate. Mister Resourceful welded the hotplate together to create a gentle slope to a hole in the middle that drains into said old saucepan.

There's still the four burners, and they're regulated by the original knobs.  You can see the burners above, in operation. We light them with a striker tool. No electic ignition now.

Mister Resourceful is competently resourceful. Modifying a gas stove to a BBQ requires...I don't know. Understanding of the workings of these things. There was a point when I was , umm, a small amount concerned about the outcome (not wanting him to be blown to smithereens).  He somehow knew what gas bits to buy, and did the usual spray bottle with detergent thing to detect any gas leaks. This is what the gas bottle deliverers do when they fit the replacement bottles.

It works splendidly. It looks...unusual.

Spider Web

I'm really a top house cleaner. Really I am. Actually, I pay Clare and Ally to clean the house. They do a reasonable job. Doesn't run to brushing away spider webs.

One of many webs. I'd really like a dusted, de-webbed and sparchy clean house. Windows, skirtings and all. I have stuff, family members have stuff; and mess abounds. Why is there a mattress upright in the hallway? Why is the table on the deck covered in paint tins/brushes/etc? Why do I sleep in the sewing room?  Why are half-finished paintings on the kitchen table? I guess this explains the mess and stuff. Half finished projects everywhere (doesn't explain the mattress, however). I have to compromise with my inner spartan all the time. If all the surfaces are swept clean every day it is difficult to have projects-on-the-go (unless you're blessed with a work room). When I die I don't want to be remembered for a very clean and tidy house. Other things, I hope. Heh, this is my excuse (and I'm sticking to it!).

Now, gratuitous photo of cute kitteh having a sleep.

So, how do you people handle the house work dilemna? Give me your hot tips.

 

The Almond Crop

Considering the tree is a youngster growing in gravel over clay; on the nature strip where watering is rainfall; I think nine nuts is a terrific effort.

Micky investigates. Being a cat and all.

Oh yeah, there's his stitches from the dog bite. The drainage tube has been removed but the insertion sites are still a bit icky. Still not sure what to do about Suska. I think, given the opportunity, she'd attack Micky again. Micky is very cautious now, so opportunity hasn't arisen. But...

I think there's an element of self interest. I really don't want to dig a greyhound-sized hole. It would have to be in the driveway where it is compacted gravel over compacted clay.

I have a muzzle for the dog. We'll see.

 

Bits And Pieces

First day of school last week and the three youngest are not overjoyed.

Leah refusing to join Clare and Al for a photo. She's begun year 12.

Clare and Ally jumping for joy. They've begun year 6.

Here's Linsey in a splendid dress made by Jack's Daughter. A local etsy seller! Linsey chose the fabric for two dresses; this one has little cowboys on it, the other dress has green leaves fabric and a fuller skirt.

This was before attending a wedding on a boat and getting terribly sunburnt. And before indulging in rather a lot of free champagne. Always good to get a before photo.

I bought some exclusion bags from Green Harvest for the grapes. I've started putting them on.

This way we might actually get some grapes. The birds have eaten every single one the past two years. The birds had started eating the not-quite-ripe ones. I'll leave some for them.

I haven't finished painting the pergola (on which the grapes grow) but today I bought an extension ladder (from The Reject Shop, of all places) that goes to over 3 metres; so I should be able to reach the parts I need to work on now.

In the meantime I'm transforming a vanity unit I bought at a secondhand shop. It's "1980s Country" I think.

The top will remain timber. The rest will be painted. I got a white porcelain hand basin (that fits!) from the tip shop. I also got some white tiles that I may paint, if I can't find the right tiles to replace the existing ones. The Mister can handle this, but transforming a chest of drawers into a vanity doesn't even make the priority list (a bit like scraping/sanding/priming/painting parts of the house that require it).

I finished The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins; I've had it on the shelf for a couple of years. First one: gripping, second one: gripping, third one: not so much. I found myself reading ahead quite a lot in the third book. It became static and repetitive in parts although when I did finish it I saw that the boring bits set up a background for what was to come.

Bits And Pieces

 - Still forcing myself to finish the house maintenance painting. The most fiddly, working from a ladder part awaits.

- Enjoying Micky kitteh. Look, here he is snoozing on the windowsill.

Enjoy it now Micky. When you're grown up you won't fit there.

- The Oakleaf Hydrangea is flowering. Not so big and blousey as the "everyday" hydrangea. Different charm. I'm a fan of both kinds.

- I went to TAFE with assemblage sculpture and journal (to show that I actually did the work etc). I have filled out the enrolment forms. I've decided on a painting major, but I'm torn between painting and sculpture. There's only a major, no minor as well (which would mean I could do both).  And I'm not sure I can afford it anyway. My painting etc isn't dependent on gaining a Diploma , so it doesn't matter if I go to TAFE or not.

- The sunlight  coming inside has been particularly lovely lately. Out comes the camera!

- Giles and Ruby (girlfriend) have a pup. A Golden Retriever pup. He is waaaay cute. He spends time at our house and at Ruby's house. I have only one fuzzy photo of Cooper (not a fan of the name). Both cats and Suska think he's revolting. It's like Giles and Ruby have a new baby: many friends visiting to see the pup. Pup being passed around, "Can I have a hold?". Playing with pup and much baby talk. Goodness...

Actually, I'm hoping this is a sign that Giles will be moving out of home soon. Shacking up with Ruby or something. I have the room changearound all thought out and I will get a work room! Bring it on!

Big Ears

I've been dealing with the old knitting patterns I have. Since I am a non-knitter there's no point in keeping them once I've scanned the pictures. The pattern photos are what I enjoy, the more weird and unusual the better.

I've collected some boy knitting patterns. Is it me, is it the short-back-and-sides haircut or did boys have bigger ears forty or so years ago?

Behold:

Look at Mister Sneery on the left!

The ears are big? Yes? It's not just me? Splendid-looking boys, however.

 

Hot Cat

Micky isn't bothered by being in the same room as the dog, unlike Pip. Micky should be more wary, however.

Impossible cuteness.

Where's The Camera When You Want It?

The camera? Hundreds of kilometres away at home, that's where (insert sound of teeth grinding). I remembered when we were already two hours on the road.

We went for a long weekend to Canberra and Goulburn. This is what I did:

- drove many kilometres

- had horrible fish and chips at Cooma

- bought Clare and Ally a manga book each in Canberra (bribery)

- bought a pair of red rubber garden shoes (French!) fron a Canberra oppy

- had a truly ghastly meal at the Queanbeyan Bowls Club (frozen mixed veg, soggy chips, strangely flabby- textured steak). The other meals were equally bad.

- went to the Renaissance exhibition at National Gallery of Australia. If you have the chance - go and see it (buy your tickets beforehand though). I was so excited to be there, all that art...the general collection, the special exhibition, the sculpture garden. I kept exclaiming over paintings, kept telling the twins about famous works and those by artists I admire. We frizzed our hair in the Fog Sculpture.

- went to the War Memorial and was confronted once again, especially by the "hands on" Lancaster bomber exhibit.

- had a good meal at Goulburn

- spent three hours reading and ignoring Clare and Ally bickering while Mister 5&2 perused the merchandise at a "motorbike only" swap meet at Goulburn Showgrounds.

- finished Roger Deakin's Waterlog (loved it, along with his other books), read Marion Halligan's Valley of Grace (lovely, if you've been to Paris it will resonate) and Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog  (I made the Mister do more driving than me on the way home so I could finish it, a page turner)

- caught up, briefly, with my oldest friend

- took no photos, obviously, but it was a good weekend.

Edited to add: While Marion Halligan's Valley of Grace is lovely it does have its darker aspects. The discovery of a child who'd been kept locked in an attic all its life, for instance.