Alcohol

Was going to post a cogitation on the effects of alcohol and how it is to not use it, however have used too much of it tonight, so will rethink and possibly post about sobriety tomorrow.

Not too bad

So, here's how I keep the oven closed when I'm baking:

There's currently a lovely stew baking away.  Very happy with that, but would like the oven door to stay closed without the assistance of the propped chair.

Please don't look to closely at the grot on the floor.

Apart from that, all is well.

New Life

Yep.  I need to get something going on.

Here's the clag around my bedside table at the moment:

And that's not the half of it.

So I've decided to get rid of all the crime fiction.  This week I'm going to read 'The Great Gatsby' - again.

I think, of all the characters I've ever read, I most identify with Nick Carraway.  I've read that book so many times.  Fell in love with it in high school, and not just because Robert Redford played the Gatsby part.

I'm looking forward to the new version, although I don't understand the need for 3D. 

Apparently Tobey McGuire (Spiderman for farks sake) is playing Nick.  I can see that, but I don't think he has the solemnity.  I'll wait and see.

Gaaah!  So many books, so little time.

Poor thing

My neighbours (over the back fence ) have a dog.  I'm sure she's a lovely thing but tonight when I was hanging out my washing, she was crying.  This isn't the first time.

I'm at home most of the time at the moment so I know when anyone is about.  This poor dog gets no company at all.  I think I've seen people in their yard maybe once in the last two weeks.

What should I do?  I've had a bit of a barney with the neighbour about something insignificant but would like to offer to walk the dog.  She needs company.  I understand that that is the nature of dogs.

Might call the RSPCA tomorrow for their advice.

Any advice is welcome.

It's Autumn

And it's struck hard.  There's snow on the mountains hereabouts.  Quite beautiful.  I'm just glad my brother (who lives in Darwin) came down to visit last weekend and not this one, 'cos it's freezing.

The cats enjoyed his visit.  Here he is with Cilla. 

I don't know if Burmese are bred to have less dignity.  Whatever, they are dags.

Yesterday was fun.  I went to a meeting which was held in Campbell Town, a couple of hours South of here.  The great thing was to look at the landscape.  Lots of snow up North but none in the Midlands.  Interesting.  On the way back we got a spectacular sunset view of Ben Lomand.

It's interesting that the landscape in the Midlands of Tasmania is very similar to that around where I used to live in New South Wales.  Sheep everywhere!  Just like home.

To finish, I'll add a pic of a couple of my favourite objects.

They're made from orange plastic and wire and are great playthings.  I bought them in Wagga a couple of years ago.  I think they are from Africa.  It would be great to know where they came from.  They are wonderful creatures to play with as they both have fabulous expressions.  I hope the people who made them were paid properly.

I'll let them say the cheerio's.

Fun Fun

Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous.  A long weekend with  perfect weather.

On Saturday I went for a drive to Evandale to see the Glover Prize .  This is an extraordinary landscape painting prize.  Always beautiful work, but a apparently a little contentious this year as the winning piece featured Port Arthur and Martin Bryant . Apparently very disturbing to some, not surprisingly.  It was interesting that much of the painting was a photograph of Port Arthur.  The whole thing looked very much like a Romantic work.  Quite beautiful, but disturbing.  My favourite kind of art.

Yesterday I did a workshop on creating sea-birds out of clay.  So much fun!  And lots of lovely people.  Here's what I came away with:

One of the people running the workshop said it looked a little like a Leunig bird.  I was quite flattered and am really revved up to make more of them.

And to end, today I am working from home.  Here's what I have to contend with to get anything done:

She keeps attacking my hand and chewing the end of the pen while I take notes.  Not helpful, Dusty, but lovely company.  I keep having to move the keyboard out of the way when she leaps up on the desk.  I've already had to go wireless with both mouse and keyboard because Dusty's sister, Cilla, kept chewing through the cables of the old ones.  Now all I need is a force field to keep Dusty off the desk.

Life could be a lot worse.

Road Trips

Well.  In the last couple of weeks I've been to Zeehan (twice!) and to Hobart.  This makes about 2000 km in total, but it's been worth the trip.

I'll take a brief side trip here to say I am currently drying home grown tomatoes.  And here they are:

Happy little vegetables in the dehydrator.  There are about four trays of them and lots more on the bush out in the garden waiting to be eaten.

So, I went to Zeehan yesterday for an International Women's Day event and to 'launch' the Material Girl exhibition.  On the way we stopped at a spot near Tullah, and this is the shabby view we got:

There are mountains and mountains and masses of forests.  It's beautiful.

So when we got to the hotel, I waddled out on to the veranda  to have a fag (yes I'm a nicotine addict) and this is what I saw:

Frankly not too shabby.  That's only a fraction of the vista taken over the top of the hotel.  It went on for miles and miles each side.  Gorgeous.

So now I'm back at home with my furry  children.  the '2012 Bendigo Bank Material Girl Exhibition' has been launched at an IWD event, and I think I talked a few arty types into entering, the car worked going both there and back (phew!)  and all is well.