Escape Artfest - Milton 2012

We just had a beautiful sunny week down the South Coast. The weather was amazing - it's so nice to get out of the cold mountains for a while. Near where we stay at my folks place, a little town called Milton had an Art Festival going on. There is art in shop window, displays and hanging up in shops, cafes and gallerys.

I was was really taken by this art display in Home Address' shop window. The artist is Jan Kierzkowski. Check out her blog Notes from the Willow Grove to see more of her beautiful artwork.

We met Jan on the evening of the Milton Gallery walk. She was so lovely answering my kids and my  questions about her art work. She got Katie and Mr F inspired.

These pictures are some of the entries in the Bendigo Bank Art Prize 2012 8X8 Canvas. I love this tree picture - the bark had a raised texture which was coming out of the canvas. Unfortunately, the photo didn't capture it very well.

 

I also love this tree branch coming of the canvas too. Katie took these photos.

We got there a bit late as we had been at the beach that afternoon. So by the time we got cleaned up and got there we caught the last hour of the walk and a bit of music. It was a beautiful evening - I could feel Summer on its way.

And of course, what is an Artfest without street performers.

After looking around, we went to Pilgrams Cafe. It has the best vegetarian food. We got a nachos to share. 

I was taking a few pictures without the flash. I like the warm light from the street lights - it gives the pictures a softer edge. Sometimes I find the light from the flash is a bit to harsh.

As the cafe was really busy we had to wait a while. So while we waited, the kids did their own version of performing a bit of street theatre................

Goodbye Winter......Hello Spring

Goodbye Winter, hello Spring. Even though Mother Nature is putting on a beautiful flower display and the plants are waking up, it is still cold up here in the mountains. I'm getting sick of the cold. But we're heading off to the ocean down the South Coast for a few days. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful. I had to post about the snow that fell here a few weeks ago - it wasn't a lot, but very exciting for my kids. I've been hooked on Pinterest, so blogging has kind of fallen by the wayside. Katie finally got to build her snowman in the back yard. It was still there the next day, much to our amazement.

My boys looking very proud of their snowball. Lou is shivering in the picture from the cold and the excitement. I wish we got more snow.

Look, mum.... we're ice skating. My boys were slipping and sliding over the trampoline. When most of the snow had melted they came in shivering and cold, and their clothes all wet, but nothing that a nice warm shower and a hot chocolate couldn't fix.

Grrrr!

Katie and I have discovered Pinterest.

I'm hooked - so many ideas and inspirations.

Katie got this idea from a pin we saw. It's on my craft board on Pinterest if you want to check it out.

Katie had a hole in her jeans and made this patch all by herself. I thought it was pretty cool ....:)

Bread Creatures

What chilly (brrr), cold and windy days we have had up here in the mountains. We had a tiny bit of snow but nothing that stayed - it melted on contact. My children are hoping for a big dumping of snow to make a snowman. It used to snow like that here years ago.

With the fire going, we cooked home made pizzas, banana cakes and bread. The fire has warmed our home, cooked food to fill little bellies and dried the endless loads of washing.

We made creatures out of our bread. Playdough that you can eat..;)

The kids made a spaceship, a monster and a snail.

Bread creations before they were cooked.

Our Nectre oven in action.

The cooked masterpieces for afternoon tea.

Fairysteps and 37

This beautiful bag arrived in the mail a week or so ago. It came all the way from England from a talented lady who has an online shop called Fairysteps. She makes exquisite one off bags and shoes. I'm not a handbag type of girl - I've been using a little backpack or shoulder hippy-type bags that I've been finding in opp shops for years. Then I discovered Fairysteps...... and I was in love. This is my 3rd handbag. I have a mustard yellow bag and a brown bag that I use for everyday. I have picked out a bag each year for my birthday for the last 3 years now.

I don't know what I'm going to do next year (LOL). It's not that I need a lot of hand bags (unless Ren makes a cherry red bag - hint, hint..;) ) but I know these will last a life time. They are built to last.

 Ninja Cat Marty had to pop in for a photo. I love the pink and purple - these are my favourite colours.

The scarf that I'm wearing is a Noro scarf that I knitted years ago - my first time knitting with Noro.

I was 37 on Sunday. I had a great day. In the morning I went to the growers market to get some goodies. When I got back home, Katie and Lou had made me lunch and had a hand picked bunch of flowers for me. My other son was at a sleep over at a friends place but I got lots of birthday cuddles from him when he came home. 

My birthday lunch.

Beautiful fresh flowers from the garden...:)

Sydney Biennale Part 1

Bhodi and I took a trip down to Sydney a few weeks ago to see the 18th Biennale of Sydney. We boarded the free ferry to Cockatoo Island and spent the day looking at all the art works. I'll post this in parts because I took too many photos to fit in one post. Some of the art work I loved. Some made you think. Others I walked past quickly! I loved this one - it's a shipping container that has been turned into an art work. I love the little characters that have been made by carving the metal. At first it looked like cardboard, then you touch the cold hard metal - it is not as fragile as it looks.

  

This is a space filled with wind chimes. The bottom parts that dangle are in the colours of the rainbow. 

Bhodi took a picture of me. I'm living in my Noro cardigan - I love it. The Silk Garden does stretch a bit after a bit of wear. Next time when I knit this pattern, I'll make the arms a bit tighter.

This one is hand made paper - it looked pretty just suspended in the air. I love the old windows in the background.

Nectre Bakers Oven

It has been just over a week now since we got our fire. It's made such a difference to our house. The house is not so cold and damp, and we don't have condensation on the windows anymore.
 

I've been borrowing a friend's gas heater until we got our fire. I think the gas was putting to much moisture in the air and giving me this cough, which has since cleared up after I stopped using the gas heater. I've been cooking a lot on the fire, making use of the heat. Tonight was the first time making bread in the oven to go with the soup I was cooking on top. The bread turned out beautifully and the house smelt amazing.

Here, I found Marty warming his belly up in front of the fire. He is such a character and he makes me laugh all the time. I love how his little paws are just hanging there.