Builders lunch

Our builders are made of stern stuff down south.

What I didnt say yesterday...

Was that I have been in my ceiling the last two days vacuuming and sweeping up rat poo. DIGUSTING!!!!
We are having dormer windows put in up stairs and as the first wall came out there was strong evidence of fresh rat. YUCK and as you all know we live right by the sea. Our rats are not small fellows.
My friend mary told me a story about the man three houses up, who pulled up his floorboards and found a metre long nest with an eel carcass in it. OOOOHHHH AND DOUBLE YUCK!
So I ripped all the bats out, chucked the ones that had nests in the middle and there were a few.
Ripped tops of ones that were still ok but yuck on top.
Spent a good amount of time squashed up in a triangle position with the nozzle of the cleaner stuck between floorboards at the back of the water cylinder (they like it there nice and warm) sucking up bags and bags of rat poo.It made a ticka ticka sound...ticka ticka rattle rattle and then there would be a thwack and I would pull the nozzle out and a desiccated (usually )rat would be stuck on the end. These I pulled off (yes I was gloved up) and put in the bin.I stopped counting after five.
It made me very grumpy.
I showered twice and bathed and still fiberglass itched and prickled me.The new polyester bats were a dream but the stupid horrid pink bats were a pain but they are back now.And I am thinking the rats probably died from chewing the fiberglass so maybe they are useful.
Yes I also crawled back in and rebatted the whole space. Last time I ever do this!
I now have a very clean ceiling space-at least until the rats move back.We are into the poison now..seems sad but necessary.
I am still fond of our pets rats too which seems a little ironic,I think it is because they are contained and I can clean the cage out frequently.I also know where they are.

zacs room

macrocarpas and sky

I have some gorgeous pictures of the bats in Sydney Gardens with pink blossoms, I have been waiting to do a picture for a while.I think this might cheer me up.Watch this space.

Holy Colander

Last week I decided to make mondays my blog day as long stretches were passing without alot of input from me.
Well as it has turned out it is now wednesday and I am finally doing what i said I would.
I have done some good things for myself though.
Years ago I bought a book which has sat on my shelf unread. Julia Cameron's 'The Artist Way'. This week I started reading it.
I decided that I need to start practicing what it is I say, I want to do..which is teach or inspire creativity, using the process of Art Journalling among other things.
The research I have been doing on-line is great. But, I have come to realise that the way I see it being done is slightly different than what I am coming across on line.
So I need to sort out what it is exactly I am saying and doing.
Part of that process is to follow other people courses and recommendations - I think I need to try as many as possible to get an idea.
I have to say I am enjoying Julias book. I listened to short talks by her online today and they were great.  http://www.theartistsway.com/.
Her key recommendations are the morning pages, an artist date and walking.
These things I worked out for myself whenI was in my last year of Art school.
I wrote whatever in the morning.Went for a walk and took myself on Adventures.It all worked .
It is a timely reminder to do it again.
The way Julia puts it is more organized and clearer and specific ,she also outlines specific results.

Lighthouse Studio

So I went to my my friend Lynn's studio yesterday and had such fun photographing her gorgeous space.
The hardest part was editing.

Lynn said to me that recently she had experienced feelings of unworthiness because she wasn't a surgeon-(this came from significant time spent in hospital).
When she told me I laughed out loud because it is so outrageous and because I recognized the statement. It was a laugh or cry moment.
I thought If lynn was a surgeon there would be a lot of perfectly mended people out there but the world would have less beauty, unless she was a plastic surgeon.
Check out her blog
http://lynn-taylor.blogspot.com/

Gaz at his favourite Golf Hole

The week that was march 7th-13thZach

Zac and 'little one' trying to dive back in the hood

zach and new toy

Vlietsra and Davy boy

one very good wee girl waiting for pass the parcel at her big cousins birthday

17 candles

definitely cricket

Kip my dads lovely lab

Ella and I up the umbrella tree

 Building the new chook gate

Tarrah here it is.Keep my girls in !