June

June was punctuated by workshops, festivals and illness. Winter settled in and all the blankets came out.

Images

When the sounds of possums cast the shadows of nefarious men into my dreams_Day 152 of 365

When you wake to loud noises on the veranda at 3am and realise that anyone who was trying to break in would be much quieter than the possums knocking things over outside your door.

Garden Helper_Movie Still_Day 153 of 365.JPG

When Alby found me lopping the Dracaena’s in the garden, he got a bit upset with me and said that we should keep them because they are nice. I explained that they grew back quickly and we needed to cut them back because the possum was climbing up them to get on the deck and eat his dad’s veggies. I gave him permission to throw the cuttings like spears from the top of the veranda. He had so much fun that he convinced me to trim even more plants so that he could fling them through the air.

Pickleball_Day154 of 365.jpg

A poorly executed attempt at feigning infdifference Day 155 of 365.JPG

Urban Sketching Day 156 of 365.jpg

My first morning with @urbansketchersmaryborough and I had a wonderful time. I took full advantage of the road being closed in the aftermath of yesterday’s food festival and sat in the middle of cherry tree lane to sketch this wonderful building. I met lovely, friendly, enthusiastic sketchers and am sure this is the first of many adventures. This image incorporates my sketch from today with a digital self portrait.

Winter Sun Day 157 of 365.JPG

Winter Dog Day 158 of 365.jpg

Penny spends a lot of time under blankets, in jackets or in the sun during winter.She has a lifestyle that I aspire to.

Winter in Qld_Movie still_Day 159 of 365.JPG

For some reason we like to pretend that it doesn’t get cold here in winter. Whilst it might not be cold compared to other parts of the world, it is still really cold in our poorly insulated poorly heated homes. My house is shaded all day by tall trees and never warms up. When I go inside I put more clothes on than I wear outside. We have one heater that takes a long time to make a difference and I hate to put on. So we layer up and pull out all the quilts and wait for warmer days to return.

Blue Ribbons Day 160 of 365.JPG

This is the first year that Alby’s school has handed out ribbons for their athletics carnival. Alby came home with three first ribbons for the 100 metre, 200 metre and Long Jump. He has received awards before, for over coming adversity and perseverance, but has never won anything. I don’t care that he won, but I love the way that it has made him feel. After school, he waited for his dad to get home so that he could tell him all about sports day. He dragged the story out. Right at the end, he pulled the ribbons out of his pocket - like they were made of gold-and presented them to his dad. My husband quickly met my eyes and we both smiled smiles that reached our hearts before he enthusiastically congratulated his son. The ribbons are still on the kitchen bench and as Alby walked past them this morning he said “ I bet you were surprised to see those”. To which I replied “Not really, I know how fast and strong you are”, he nodded at me and walked away with confident strides.

The intimacy of Winter.Day 161 of 365.JPG

With only one heater in our home, the pull out couch in the family room is being put to good use. We now resemble a multigenerational version of the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We have closed off all of the doors to unused rooms and reversed the fans. This is apparently the coldest start to winter for the area in over 100 years and it sure feels like it. Looking forward to next week when things ease.

Long Winter Shadows_Day 162 of 365.jpg

Masterclass Day 163 of 365.jpeg

This weekend I attended a 2 day masterclass of drawing and animation presented by the amazing @fuller_todd with the support of @brgbundaberg I had a wonderful time pushing my personal boundaries. I left today feeling inspired and recharged and full of ideas of how to incorporate different techniques into my practice. We are so lucky to have such wonderful workshops coming to regional Queensland and I am crossing my fingers for many more. This drawing of my Nana’s pinking shears is the final drawing from my animation.

Penance Day 164 of 365.jpg

Today I tackled the backlog of washing caused by my absence this weekend. The workshop I attended was totally worth it.

Sun Trap_Day 165 of 365.jpg

Drying off after a trip to the beach.

724 am on a school day_Day166 of 365.JPG

Hustling to get the lunches ready before the kids get taken to school.

Just one more shot_Day167 of 365.jpg

Looking after the sick boy_Day 168 of 365.JPG

No covid, but a pretty sick boy here- being looked after by Penny. This was yesterday, today he feels much worse. Last day of school for the term though, so loads of time to recover.

Sport carnival pirate_Day169 of 365.JPG

On the last day of term, my daughters school had their sports carnival. She does not really enjoy it, but she goes without complaint. This year, I guess in an attempt to make the event more exciting, each house was given a costume theme. Her house’s theme was pirate and she was excited by the idea of dressing up. She had all of the components apart from the hat, so I got her one. Her dad made her an awesome wooden cutlass- which I did not let her take with her, but she posed with it for me before she left. Upon her return at the end of the day, she told me how much she enjoyed herself. Even though she didn’t compete in any events, she circled the oval more than 20 times with a group heralding her house flag. She found a way to participate and enjoy herself and I am extremely proud of her. Here’s hoping they keep the costumes.

Sunday Morning Bench_Day 170 of 365.JPG

I am hopeful that the fruit will make it into the fruit bowl today. Oh, and that single little rusty orange on the bench was our whole citrus harvest this year. The possums helped us out.

Falling like flies_Movie still_Day 171 of 365.JPG

Not covid, but we have now all succumbed to a pretty decent cold. Feeling a little sick and sorry for ourselves, but glad that it happened during the school holidays.

Flat as pancakes today Day 172 of 365.jpg

I still walk with Penny_Day 173 of 365.JPG

Thankfully my cold is improving. No matter how bad I feel, I always walk with Penny and she always makes me feel better.

Jigsay_Day 174 of 365.JPG

Starting to feeling better but still only have enough energy to do short bursts of low impact activity.

Serious Contemlation Day 175 of 365.jpg

Penny hovers between different stairs, reflected in water puddles, she contemplates just how badly she needs to pee and wonders if she can hold it until the sun dries the grass.

Cosplay Day 176 of 365.jpg

Today I attended a steampunk event with my daughter. She has recently become interested in prop design and costumes. During the run up to this event, we attended several workshops and spent time together creating steampunk accessories and assembling costumes. I made an umbrella gun and she painted and aged a Nerf crossbow. This is not my thing. At all. But it is her thing, so I am all over it. Today we dressed up and had a wonderful time together. Day two tomorrow and I find myself looking forward to it, but mostly to time with my daughter.