The animals need us too...

Night after night our television screens are full of images of devastation as bushfires race across Australia, so many people have died, many more have lost their home and even their town. So much is needed to help survivors recover. And yet, my heart turns also to our animals.

There are homeless and injured dogs, horses and stock throughout Victoria. Wildlife of all types, kangaroos, lizards, birds and of course koalas, have lost their habitat and in many cases have been injured. Koalas eat leaves. Gum leaves. This is all most of them eat, for both moisture and nutrients, without gum leaves they can not survive in the wild.

A quick search of the web yielded many wonderful organisations for supporting our people and animals. If you have a few dollars to spare:

http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/giving/appeal_details.form?appealId=1115

are accepting donations to help wild animals, and

http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/giving/appeal_details.form?appealId=1702

are providing food and temporary homes for domestic pets.

http://www.jirrahlinga.com.au/Hospital.html

and here to sponsor and wild animal while it is being treated medically.

Practical Creativitity

I needed a handful of thank you cards and was very tempted to go out an buy some, but common sense prevailed. On my desk was a stack of card, embossed on my friends' brand new Cuttlebug, and plenty of bits and pieces. I painted some of the card with verdigris paint, and activator, then lightly sanded it back.

These corrugated iron and number backgrounds are the result. I have a container of rusted and verdigrised shapes on my desk - just in case. The birds were once metallic red and the rectangle shaped piece a cheap plastic. So a few laps with the sewing machine, some scraps of fabric and the top four were complete.

Another few sheets of embossed card were painted with cream paint and sanded back, then a light wash of paint applied. It was good to finally use some of these pre-cut window cards (I am sure I had the small ones for a decade), even if I did decide to completely paint over most of them.

A lovely local salesman has organised a new car for me, it should arrive in the next week. It will be soooooooooo good to have my own wheels again, I had not realised how dependent I am on that freedom.

Harvey, and the Car - aaaghh!!!

It is just over a year since the rather handsome Harvey joined out family so I was pleased to take this picture. It is just after midnight here, and Harvey likes to sleep in his basket from about midnight through until we get up in the morning. He was ready for bed, but his little mate Archer was 'borrowing' the space. How I laughed as Harvey first rubbed noses with Archer, then backed slowly up and wriggled into place, giving plenty of time for Archer to move over. I am not sure however, that either of them are completely happy with the end result...or perhaps they just did not want their photo taken.

On another note the car is still missing and I am looking for a replacement. I am completely, 100%, totally over car salesmen, it doesn't matter how nice they are they just can't stop the patter:

This one is exactly like your Viva (except it is 2 years older, has a 100,000 km on the clock and is a hatchback).

I have just what you are looking for (except that it is a three year old Astra and I am looking for a 12 month old Viva).

We can get you a new one, exactly the same - except the tinted windows (and the alloy wheels, floor mats, mud guards and cd player) for just an extra thousand dollars, and you will have a brand new one (with '08 compliance plates, and mine only had 18,500 on the clock anyway).

I'm looking after you, there's nothing in it for me.

Whinge over, there are a lot of people worse off than me and I will end up with a car soon. Have a good weekend.

A little whimsy

For some reason I have managed to photograph the tassels on this piece true to colour and yet the canvas seems lighter, perhaps it is the layers of paint and gel letting in light. This was a fun piece which will turn up at a friend's house in the weeks to come.

Thank you for all your kind support, the car is still missing and if it remains so until Thursday then the insurance will come into play and I can begin to look for another one. I lost my mojo for a week there and was quite blue, but I am back focussing on the good, on the wonderful sunshine filled summer, my amazing friends and yes even my little 'not' guard dog.

I am living a soap opera...

...and someone forgot to pay me, no really it feels that way.

It was 2.00am Wednesday night (that makes sense to night owls, for the rest of you 2.00am Thursday morning) I sat on my bed, laptop on, room lit up, Archer snoring, curtains open - enjoying a warm breeze. There were lights on in four other rooms (I figure after the story is told you won't grouch too much about my lack of environmental awareness) when I heard a "Ping!", just a little ping. It passed through my head, "Silly Charles, what are you doing now."

and then,

the lone footstep... imagined? ... Archer still snoring ...

the neighbours dog goes ballistic, I run to the dining room, see my car lights flash in the carport below, dash to the lounge ...

in time to see my car head off out the drive-way. My bag, purse and the biscuit tin (the illusive ping) with it. Next morning I find the biscuits in the drive-way, I wonder why they wanted my tin?

The collage/assemblage of four mini canvas is a gift for a kind friend, you can click on it for a close up. It is relevant because people have been so very kind. So many friends offering money, bringing wine, biccies and other treats. One car loaned already and another promised if need be. So many wonderful e-mails and phone calls, I wonder that everyone is not sick of the drama that seems to follow me...

If you are in WA my car is a burgundy Holden Viva, 2008 model (you will remember it is just six months since a careless driver ran into my other car and wrote it off), my number plate is PL764, and Archer would like his car bed back too.

On another note, don't the pegs look fantastic? They are just 1" long, I rusted some years ago and when they ran out I looked everywhere for them. Now I have five bags, and I am going to share, I rusted the whole lot and will pop some in my Etsy store soon.

A llittle bit of this and that...

I made this notebook over the last few days, the background is lace and texture paste with one coat of shellac and several paint washes over it.

I like the back as much as the front because there you can see the detail in the background.

Two precious gifts a wet felted birdie from my friend Dawn and a needle felted needle case from Jane. Do you see my little Archer in the small frame?

The notepad below was made by covering core board with assorted postage stamps. I then over stamped them with one of my favourite Tim Holtz stamps, the quote is: "To those who can dream there is no such place as far away.

I then applied several layers of shellac and an image from a vintage Sunday School card in the postage frame. I think this one is for me!

What's in the pot?

Apricots, apples, dates, ginger, sultanas, pepper and more, all set to bubble away into a thick fruity chutney, perfect for with Indian curries, or cheese and crackers. This was my first creation yesterday and I so loved the look of all the fresh ingredients I decided to stick with focusing on them rather than the finished products.

Apricots, onions, freshly grated nutmeg, ground cloves, spices and a second chutney, golden in its jars and delicious with everything! Can you tell I love chutney?

The last of the apricots lightly stewed ready for winter crumbles, and muffins. It is a long since I have enjoyed cooking as much as I am at the moment, for a long time pet food and quick curries were all my poor pots experienced.

Archer's dinner carrots, beans, garlic, oats, rice, and yes-a little meat under there.

Dark ale, date and barley bran muffins.

I went to bed feeling a special sense of achievement last night, lots of jars just waiting to cool and then be moved to the dark linen closet, containers stacked in the freezer, muffins in the tin. Sublime.