Preparing for the week

I have been madly trying to catch-up and organise myself for the start of uni tomorrow.  Have got lots done but the rain this morning means that I am not able to mow the last little piece of ground as planned.  Never mind, I have lots of other things to do anyway. 

The trip to Tassie as I said in yesterday's post was an amazing trip down south.  What surprised me was my attitude to some of the sights that I saw, particularly those spots that mark the last of the great Huon Pine Trees.  One such spot is near Stanley and here you can be surrounded by forest and a couple of huge lovely old Huon Pines.  While we were there a number of other visitors arrived, stayed long enough to take a photo of themselves and loved ones standing by the trees and then left.  I have to admit the whole experience left me a little cold...I was mesmerised by the size and majesty of the trees and I felt so sad for something that has been lost and can never be replaced.  Ah well...maybe I am getting old. 

On a brighter note, the photos below are taken from Sleepy Bay in Freycinet National Park and of an approaching storm taken the verandah of our accomodation.

Back home now and getting ready for the rest of the year!!!

Hi there

Well we are back home now and sorting through all the paperwork and chores that we have to catch up with.  We were only away for two weeks but it feels like months, the trip was fantastic and I thoroughly recomend that you vist Tasmania if you get the opportunity. 

The photo below is of Wine Glass Bay in Freycinet National Park.  I will post more in the next few days.

The trip was interesting from a number of perspectives - I found myself thinking differently about some of the lovely sights to see in Tassie after learning about politics, the environment, and transnational history last year at uni.  Will post more on that in the next few days also.                                                                             

The role of the media, leaving for th holiday, and the next picture

I am really interested in understanding what the role of today's media really is.  There just doesnt seem to be any links to the tenets it started with ie 'freedom of the press to report the truth'.  The case in point is this silly gaffe by Tony Abbott.  All concerned have said that the words were taken out of context and yet the media continues to relay the story from bulletin to bulletin.  Surely there is something more urgent and interesting happening in the world to report.  But, maybe not.

We are heading off for two weeks and its raining.  Are we complaining = absolutely not, a holiday, is a holiday:):)

Again not much of a picture but I am still trying to work on that perspective thing:)  Have a great day and I will try and blog when i get the chance but as I dont have a laptop yet, I will be relying on public computer venues:)

Wikileaks, the next picture and getting organised for the holiday.

It seems very odd that Swedish authorities are going to the lengths and expense they are to get Julian Assange back to Sweden.  Particulary as reported by the ABC, that prosecution lawyer, Ms Montgomery, dismissed defence arguments that "Swedish prosecutors were abusing the fast-track European arrest warrant process because they only want to question Mr Assange and have not yet decided whether to prosecute him." What is really going on here???

The picture I have done here is my first attempt to use perspective in my work.  I dont think its a very good picture but I was happy to be able to try something and see it work ie the road going off into the distance.  Now where is that road going?  Well that is up to the viewer to decide.  Me, I think it will take me to the next part of my life:):)

The lady in the lovely photo of hummingbirds above is Abagail xxxx of Pine, Louisianna who has been studying the hummingbirds as they come to her garden to feed.  Her husband took these lovely photos. 

I am almost organised for the holiday, just to finish packing, organise the esky, and refuel the car:):):) 

Sorting out last minute paperwork, politics in NSW and the next picture

Have you ever tried to be as organised as you can before you go on holiday?  Well I am trying to be but it seems that the gods of 'no you can't' are winning the day, but they should not I won't give up! 

Politics in NSW is set to get even more interesting as we now enter the election phase before next month's confrontation between the voters and the 'would be politicans'.  My concern is that we are still waiting to hear what the policies from every persuasion are really going to be.

I really love this little painting because it shows how paint and water and paper can work together to produce some fantastic effects - all without my intervention.  This painting is watercolours wet on wet on fairly thick watercolour paper.

weather and holidays, and picture 3 in the series

This is crazy weather at the moment as we get organised for our little bushwalking holiday.  We will be gone for 2 weeks and I am getting clothes out of the wardrobe as fast as I can, but what to take?   I will just have to take everything I think to combat heat, cyclones, flooding rains and days marked by copious amounts of sweat.  Ah well - I guess we are very lucky in the scheme of things to have this problem. 

As yet the picture the last picture in this particular series is an unfinished sketch but I will get time to work on it soon:):)

Wikileaks and picture 3

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is calling for help from the Australian Government as he faces the next part of the legal process in London where he is due to appear in court to face extradition to Sweden on possible sexual assault charges.  I really wonder what is going on behind closed government doors on this one - and would like to be a 'fly on the wall'!

Picture 3 - is the second picture in the series mentioned yesterday and again the colours are really an important part of the picture for me.  The materials used are felt tipped pens and water colour paints on heavyish water colour paper.

When I get time I love to go to Youtube and find all the how to draw videos - my favourite at the moment is drawing perspectives at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp4ykackWDo.  Hope you enjoy as much as I do:):)



All the craziness in the world and Picture 2

It seems as if Egypt is about set to become a very serious situation and I heard on the news this morning that yet again foreign journalists are being targeted.  Wonder why!!!!!  The aftermath of the cyclone in Qld is the next hard event that people up there have to deal with...our hugs and good wishes are with them as they pick up the pieces.  If I wasnt going on holiday next week I think I would be looking to find out how I could volunteer to help.

Picture 2 - well its the first in a series of three pictures using felt tip pens on water colour paper.  The theme of the series is 'emotional responses to life issues' and the colours I have used are important to me - just not sure of the psychology behind this yet - but there you go:)

Blogosphere

I have been trailing around the blogosphere over the last couple of days when it has been too hot to work outside.  I found some pretty darn wonderful blogsites = lots of talented people brave enough to post pictures of their work.  As I am working on my new book now (yeah:):) ) I though it was also time for me to put it out there and post a few photos of my own paintings.  So the picture below is the first.

Constructive feedback is welcome:):)

Queensland floods, Egypt, and the book etc.

Queensland is certainly getting a battering from the weather gods these days. Floods following by cyclones, what next one wonders?  And then there is Egypt...it will be interesting to see what the US attitudes in the next few days will be - will there be a new regime anytime soon?

Ah...the book.  Well guess what, I did actually make a start on re-writing the book yesterday, and I will make myself do a little everyday - that way it wont be a big deal, I hope!  That's the plan anyway:):)

Link to Revedoa webpage

Here is the link to our Revedoa webpage:)

http://revedoa.com/page1006.html

NSW Power, writing that novel etc

Well the 2nd tranche of NSW power sell offs have been stalled - which is a good thing.  Why am I not happy then?  I think it must be to do with not knowing what Barry O'Farrell's plans are and that we now have a mixture of public/private ownership - not always a good outcome.  Regardless of who a companies partners are (ie government) they need/want to make a profit.  Call it scepticism if you want, but you would think by now, with all of the 'in Australia' and 'overseas' examples we could be drawing on we wouldn't keep making the same mistakes! You would think!

On to more cheery events - I started this blog to not only comment on poltics etc. but to also get into the habit of writing everyday.  I want to write that big novel!  I have some ideas in mind and I have made it to the point where I can seriously start putting these down on paper and start planning the storyline:):)  This will be done in conjunction with another project I have started, re-writing a book I wrote a few years ago.  So in the afternoon heat I will sit in the study and start typing today - wish me luck:):)