Gone but not forgotten

We lost a legend today, one of the seminal influences of Australian Rock and Roll and he will be sadly missed by us 'old' rockers
well not so old LOL

Vale Thorpie- We didnt think you were crazy
we just loved it when you rocked out -without you there wouldnt have been an AC/DC or Midnight Oil.

Another birthday done and dusted

I've stopped counting now! Who needs to know LOL
HAd a great party with family and friends which was laid back and fun- even getting one of my colleagues dressed up in a saree- the wench looked stunning being one of those lovely petite women. Unlike moi being the statuesque type with big knockers LOL
I didnt tell all invited it was my birthday because the party was not really about that- it was about survival of the past year or so and the new phase of life M.O.T.H. and I are about to start.
But it was nice to have my folks down for the evening and I even didnt mind the birthday cakes my sister in law made for me DESPITE the veritable forest fire of candles on top LOL
Rose you looked great

Party time

I am throwing a small party tomorrow and after that past fortnight of getting back into school etc I havent done much work at all- oh well needs must as they say.
I am looking forward to it because I used to have lots of fun entertaining but that has gone by the board over the past couple of years - that hold health issue being the main culprit.
But healthy and more importantly HAPPY again it is time to rejoin the world and have some fun!!!
My Mum is coming too which is a big buzz after her surgery last year she took a bit to recover but has finally finished with dressings and stuff like that. She is being very good about her diet and not eating the bad things any more. She has dropped 7kg since the surgery which is brilliant for her.
So it is food time in our house because even tho' its my birthday party- well that is the excuse even if it is more to celebrate the fact we survived the past few years- I do the cooking because I have always loved to cook but over the past couple of years that interest like many others waned.
I have no idea who is coming - maybe no-one outside a few close friend and family who have responded but I dont really care. I want to cook again because I love it and it give me a chance to cook non vegetarian food. For those who dont know M.O.T.H is a strict vegetarian and has been for over thirty years. This is my chance to load up on some iron LOL
Seriously we live a fairly vegie lifestyle but I am still an omnivore. I love seafood and sometimes I just NEED a steak LOL must be iron I crave I suppose.
Proposed menu is curried Goat, vege curry, rice, salad and chicken for the non spicy eaters. My sister in law is making a cake so that will be dessert.
Although I DO know how to make WICKED desserts LOL
But before all that I am making a birthday cake for my little mate Alex (7yo) whose birthday it is today- mine was yesterday (22nd) and he is coming over tonight to have a barbecue with us and blow out the candle- then hairdressers to get the mop cut,shopping for food and THEN cooking
BLISS

Back at school

School is back on and this week and last week has been a tad hectic but I have finally finished going through all my pics of Nth Qld. Because it was the Wet Season there were fungi everywhere and some really spectacular ones too
The hairy cup shaped ones were taken at the Mossman Gorge and the brilliant yellow ones in my friend's garden. Spectacular colours but like all the colours up there they seem richer and deeper. Certainly when it is a little clouded you get such rich tones and it was cloudy for all but two days really but I didnt mind in the slightest.

Barron Falls

The power of this place!

Frogs

Hmmmn well who ever thought that I would hate a froggy but I did one night
this one frog was singing under the window ALL NIGHT!!

he kept saying STEADY MUM STEADY MUM
it probably had more to do with the peppermint tea I drank that evening BIG MISTAKE lol which led to a bout of insomnia.

Then another night there were frogs all over the place, we went cane toad racing which is a rather strange ritual that involves catching the dreaded Cane toad that is decimating the frog and wildlife populations in tropical Oz. If you're interested you can check out
http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/canetoad.htm
Anyway being ever so slightly mad Australians have a love hate relationship with these really UGLY critters and do weird stuff with them like race them. My nephew David runs races at the Ironbar in Port Douglas and we went along to watch and ended up being involved due to the machinations of his son Nathan.
The participants are meant to pick up their toad and kiss it- no princes come from that kiss let me tell you- and then they are place on the table and you are giving a paper tickler to get the thing moving and you catch it before it leaps onto the floor from the table and place it in the bucket. I came third in my race.
Then later that night back at the house we had a HUGE treefrog in the bath- he usually camps on the front verandah but that night he ended up in the bathroom instead and a few night previously another one was inside and had stayed hidden. And it began jumping around too
but I didnt really mind although for a companion it was all a bit too much

Mossman Gorge -again

It was really interesting to see the Gorge in the Wet
although the contrast here is not as strong as another place I revisited while I was up there.
Still a gorgeous place although the water was a bit COLD but I was wet from the rain anyway (GRIN)

Strange fruit

No not the Billie Holliday song but something I HAVE seen before in Sri Lanka but I have no idea what they are called, M.O.T.H reckons they are Elephant Fruit but I have to do a bit of research. These were beside the road in Cairns. Wild!!

Water water everywhere

During the adventure of the water over the road I was too sh*t scared to pick up my camera- funny that eh? But a couple of days later we went into Cairns for Ken to do some stuff he had to do and made a trip to the Crystal Cascades- which I am sure do look like Crystal in the dry season but looked like a white water rafters wet dream when we were there. REALLY dramatic

Ken's Orchid's

Aren't they simply gorgeous? The pink and yellow one was past its best he kept saying but it was still fabulous. But the other one- the colour is very similar to a pashmina I bought in India in 2005. Certainly the same tonal range - is simply glorious!!
I watched it open from a bud on our first day to the blooms I photographed on my last day.
Aargh what inspiration- I am doing Chine Colle in Printmaking as my first brief this semester and am dying to get into it because I intend to use that orchid as my inspiration. I am doing to dye some silk tissue I have to use instead of just paper and it will glow I am sure- I will probably do some other silk too.
Drooling at the thought LOL

Tropical leaves

Needless to say I had a ball in the tropics during my visit. Because of the drought down here being up there was a complete balm to the soul. GREEN!!! It appeals to the Irishness in me for want of a better term.
I arrived in Cairns late on Thursday night and went for a quick stroll around town to stretch after the flight then to my room at the hotel and beddie byes. Up lateish next morning so I nearly missed brekkie but fed and watered and checked out to pick up my hired 'bomb' and on my way a bit further north.
I dropped in to touch base with my niece and nephew and make plans to catch up and ended up being booked for a cooking session with David. I am a pretty good cook if I say so myself ;-)then up the hill and the long winding road to my final destination to be greeted by a big bear hug and a glass of vino.
M.O.T.H. and I were up there back in August and while I loved it for the beauty etc I was not in the right frame of mind to really fully appreciate it. We did talk about moving then but the whole concept just seemed so huge. It didnt help matters that I ended up with a dose of flu at the time either which on top of my other health issue of the time made it all a bit too much. This visit had a couple of purposes, to see if I could handle the humidity- yes- and to unwind and relax- that took a couple of days longer really.
But after only an hour or so my sketch book was already on my knee while we talked and inspiration was bubbling to the surface. A good sign and a precursor for what was to come.
Saturday morning was spent looking at yachts and Port Douglas then a trip to Mareeba was slated to stock up on supplies. The local supermarkets were not that full because of the heavy rain cutting roads and supplies not getting through. On the way back one of the creeks was well up and we sloshed through with water coming in the doors of the ute- we hadnt taken the little car because of the rain thank goodness- and over the bonnet and washing like a tidal wave onto the windscreen- YYIKES! I didnt lose it - well not completely LOL- until I felt the clutch slip and I swore but was reassured by the calm of the driver saying we were through the deepest bit. PHEW.
Needless to say that needed a couple of drinks when we got back to the house.
My friend's house is glorious, this very talented man pooh poohed my observation it was a work of art but it is. He built it himself and his talent and taste made it a wonderful building and his partner's contributions of colour and details have turned it into a home to envy. The verandah is my favourite place. To sit there and listen to the rain falling gently while dressed in a sarong and tee shirt was just bliss. A sarong is SO comfortable I would love to be able to get away with wearing one most of the time.
The funked up shirts I did a couple of weeks ago now live in the area as pressies for nephews and others too.

Here are a couple of piccies of patterns that inspired me - I can see a lot of green in my work now LOL
More to follow- off to class now
/R

Lush, lovely and sensual

is North Queensland
this pic is just one of a couple of hundred I took during my stay
just sitting on the verandah of my dear friend's house - the perfect place in the rain.
Had no internet since yesterday so I havent been able to upload things and should be getting ready to toddle to Uni so this is just a taster.
A rave about the whole experience is forthcoming
/R

Back home

Well Far North Queensland is definitely the place for me. The wet tropics in the Wet Season is magnificent. Just the balm for this drought ravaged soul but Droughts are made to be broken aren't they?
Staying with a dearly loved and trusted friend was wonderful, long, long chats over a glass of wine or two- even three sometimes!- was just what I needed. And the inspiration for some interesting works in offing
pics to be posted as soon as I can charge up some batteries to get the cam up to download but bedtime first

Away for a bit

I am heading off to North Queensland tomorrow- oops today-and wont be around for a bit. I did some more dyeing today with some really nice dark navy in the mix which gave me the effects I wanted but no pics yet because they are still curing and I probably wont be able to do much more than rinse them tomorrow and really look at them when I get back. Cant wait for that
So I thought I would leave some more music to play while I am away
This is a Billion Dollar Blues Band in my eyes- sure a tad commercial but the leader is Mr King and he does have some pretty hefty back up. Ladies and Gentlemen the legendary Louisiana Gator Boys and one special Gal.
lol see if you can recognise them?



It's a bit of a buzz to realise I have seen quite a few of these characters live

B. B. King - vocals and guitar
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - guitar
Gary U.S. Bonds - vocals
Eric Clapton - vocals and guitar
Clarence Clemons - vocals, tenor saxophone and tambourine
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Bo Diddley - vocals and guitar
Jon Faddis - trumpet
Isaac Hayes - vocals
Dr. John - vocals and piano
Tommy McDonnell - vocals
Charlie Musselwhite - vocals and harmonica
Billy Preston - vocals and synthesizer
Lou Rawls - vocals
Joshua Redman - tenor saxophone
Paul Shaffer - director and vocals
Koko Taylor - vocals
Travis Tritt - vocals and guitar
Jimmie Vaughan - vocals and guitar
Grover Washington, Jr. - baritone saxophone
Willie Weeks - bass guitar
Steve Winwood - vocals and organ.
Enjoy the Music and life and see you around the 12th or so