Art for Heart's Sake

Puppy from Hell Today

Hi there, well, yes you guessed it, Chester is being a naughty puppy today!  It's amazing how he can have days when he is REALLY well behaved then others when he is like a naughty attention-seeking toddler.  Giggle.. In human years he is around 9 at the moment so I guess that explains it.  Also we had a visitor yesterday afternoon and Chester got far too much attention, hence his attention-seeking behaviour today. 

We are still on the waiting list for obedience classes and all I can say is hurry up!  This lad is so intelligent he needs to be extended all the time regarding obedience.  He is doing sit, stay, down really well and fetch and heel most of the time.  As for ''come'', hmmm selective hearing!  This morning he ran into the next door neighbour's paddock which isn't great as it means he could eventually get down onto the road.  There isn't a gate between our paddock and theirs and I think we may have to put some temporary fencing over that area.  We drive through there to add our big garden debris (tree branches etc) to a bonfire site.  Needless to say he continued to misbehave so he was put back on his lead and taken back inside.  My day started with him jumping up on me again and again and I couldn't seem to get him to stop it so I walked away.  I had a funny feeling his run around the paddock wouldn't be simple!  aaaggghhhh....  He is now in his den - I put him in pretty much as soon as I got him back inside - possibly a bit early as the den is supposed to be a positive place, but I just had had enough.  Phew... needed to get that off my chest!  Thank you for reading it!  It's only 9.56am and I'm exhausted already.

Yesterday I did some more weeding in the main perennial garden and also in the blueberry patch which is horrendously hard work.  The couch grass roots are well and truly matted but I am determined to win the battle.  That will teach me to protect the blueberries from the birds, giggle!

Speaking of birds, I also need to protect our black grapes, in particular, from marauding birds.  In a minute or two I am going to hunt out the box of cut up pieces of frost cloth so I can start tying them over the most beautiful bunches.  Some of the grapes are black but they are still fairly tart so I need to let them ripen a bit longer on the vine.

I hope you are having a good monday morning or sunday evening, wherever you are.  Big big big smiles, she said positively!

A Coughing Instructor and Another Gift Tag!

Giggle... I had to quietly giggle to myself yesterday morning.  There is something slightly incongruous about a zumba instructor that has to keep stopping because she's having a coughing fit!  The poor girl shouldn't have been doing it but there is no-one else to take the class.  So we carried on each time she stopped, as best we could - hmmm in my case I was slightly uncoordinated brainwise! 

It was a gorgeous day yesterday - cloudy with the odd shower here and there.  I decided to take the wire top off the cage around the blueberries and harvested most of the rest of them.  Now for the hard part - because I had to cover them and couldn't get in to weed the bed comfortably, I am now faced with the HUGE task of attacking major couch grass.  I started yesterday and it is exceptionally hard work.  All of the couch roots are matted together and I just hope and pray they don't weaken my blueberry bushes!  Sigh.. I really hope not.  I am going to try to do some more weeding in the bed today but the sun is out again and I have a feeling it is going to be too hot.

Here is the photo of the gift tag I made my dear sister-in-law in the UK.  It was Ruth's (hi dear!!) birthday on the 25th and I wanted to make a very special tag for her (you!).  I loved making this!

 
That reminds me, I must take another photo of the kitchen garden shed.  John finished putting the roof on on Friday and yesterday nailed down all the weather boards.  It looks fabulous!!  The door is next!  Right off out to DO something.. giggle...

 

Zumba Saturday

Hi, well it's Zumba Saturday again, yippee!  I so look forward to going to my zumba class.  The gym I go to is a small very basic one and I love that.  Sometimes when I get there it looks as though there will only be 2-3 of us int he class which concerns me a little (in case they cancel it for good) but generally about 4-5 more arrive with seconds to spare before it starts.  I love that it is a small class - there is a good atmosphere and I can really concentrate on the instructor too.

Apart from that I hope to spend some time in the garden again today.  I am managing to make some progress in the main perennial garden and my next task is to uncover the blueberries and weed like crazy!!  My blueberry bushes are more or less buried under weeds at the moment.

I am still working on the gift tag for my stepson and his fiancee's engagement party next weekend and I also have loads of ideas for things I want to make.  I have some beautiful papers that I would love to put onto canvases, embellishing them as I go.  I haven't played with gold leaf for a while and I am longing to.  My mind is reeling with ideas at the moment.

Christchurch is continuing to have lots of aftershocks and the recovery of survivors (as of yesterday) is still continuing.  Search and rescue teams from around the world are here which is just so wonderful and very necessary.  By yesterday morning 50% of Christchurch had mains water again but a lot of people are still unable to use their toilets etc.  It's incredible how we take the most basic facilities for granted until a disaster like this happens.  There are petrol, bottled water and other food shortages too and I imagine this will get worse before it gets better.  These shortages will also affect us as Christchurch is the main distribution point for the south island.  I think the reality of the magnitude of this disaster is really only just beginning to sink in for the people involved in it.  The central business district of the city will have to be rebuilt almpst totally. 

I really hope you have a wonderful start to your weekend, and don't forget to take note of all the wonderful ''little'' things around you - we never know when they may be taken away.  Hugs and smiles...

Two Photos of a Gift Tag

Hi here are the photos of the gift tag I have made for my niece, Katherine, for her birthday next week.  I'm pretty sure she doesn't look at my blog so there's no harm in posting this now.  I've included two photos because one shows how glimmery the frame is but doesn't show the images very well.  I tried something different with the frame - I wanted to use Candy Apple glimmermist but was concerned it might diminish the black outline of the frame too much so I used Ranger Glossy Accents which is the most amazing glue but also can be used as a glossy 3d finish on things too, on the black areas.  To my delight this worked as a resist perfectly!  I outlined a section of the paper I used on the dressform using Daler Rowney Acrylic Artist Ink and a fine artist pen nib and then used glossy accents again to highlight the area.  I am so happy with the way it looks.  I hope you like it too! Smiles..

 
 

A Plane with a History!

 
Hi, more about the quake in a bit, but I wanted to share something very special.  This may seem like an odd thing for me to have hanging in my studio but this plane has a very important and sentimental history!  When I was around 11 or 12 I think, I used to help Dad fly his model aeroplanes.  He used to build them from kits and improve them where he could, before flying them by radio control.  I have very fond, if very cold (giggle), memories of standing in a field on the outskirts of Invercargill watching Dad making his planes fly.  I tried a few times but ermmm generally the planes crash-landed!  Mum and Dad moved out of the family home in the mid 1990's and as Dad was suffering horrendous rheumatoid arthritis and angina at the time, a lot of his treasures went west.  Dad had the most fantastic workshop and it was packed from floor to ceiling with all of his hobbies and interests plus all the equipment he needed over the years.  There is so much I could tell you about my father, he really was a very talented general practitioner (doctor) with a gifted mind when it came to engineering and electronics.

Long story short (sort of, giggle), John and I visited my family home when we were in Invercargill in 2009.  This was so exciting for me as I truly adored that house.  Dad's workshop was full of all sorts of ''stuff'', which Dad would have loved and in the corner I spied a plane.  I know the family that bought our house.  Apparently Dad gave up on taking the plane because he was worn out at the time so he left it in the workshop.  The current owner said he thought it would be good for his grandchildren.  I remember walking away wishing I had the courage to ask if I could have it if they decided they didn't want it.  After returning home this is exactly what I did and after a wait of 3-4 weeks I got an email telling me it was mine.  I was SO excited that I immediately got a dear friend to go and pick it up so I would know it was safe.  These dear friends stayed with us a couple of weeks ago and they brought the plane with them.  It was an amazing feeling to hold onto the wing (that was separate from the main fuselage) and think ''wow, Dad put this together''.  I could almost feel his hands on it.  Needless to say I got home one day last week, opened my studio, and John had used sticky foam pieces to hold the wing on, and the tail and there it was hanging from the beam.  I will treasure it, always! 

Re the Christchurch earthquake, they are continuing to search for survivors and the city continues to be rattled by aftershocks - more than 105 so far.  Every news report is filled with the quake and it appears the outside world has ceased to exist for most New Zealander's right now.  I do still think we ought to be hearing what is happening outside our country, no matter how much of a disaster has happened here.  It seems wrong somehow that we are not.  Please don't'get me wrong, I feel terrible about what has happened, I just think we need to be less insular, particularly as other countries are offering us and giving us aid.  Smiles...

Another Devastating Earthquake for Christchurch

Hi, well I'm not sure what to say this morning as it feels rather surreal sitting here typing this when people in Christchurch are devastated in the wake of another huge earthquake.  For those of you overseas it struck at around 12.56pm and was 6.3 on the richter scale - not as large as the first quake in September but more shallow and in a different direction.  Central Christchurch is cordoned off and is a disaster zone with bodies lying in the street and many iconic buildings reduced to rubble.  The cathedral which dominates Christchurch and the square surrounding it (the cathedral) has lost it's spire and is severely damaged.  As of yesterday it was possible people had perished in the collapsed tower section but I haven't heard whether this has been confirmed or not.  Two buses were crushed by falling buildings, along with numerous cars.  Rescuers worked throughout the night getting survivors (and some dead) out of the rubble, in some cases having to amputate limbs to get them out.  There is so much more I could tell you but it really is just hard to know what to say.

As I am typing this I have goosebumps.  I simply cannot believe it has happened.  The quake was terrible in September and Christchurch was just starting to rebuild itself.  Now the situation is looking pretty hopeless for the moment.  Aftershocks are frequent and most often larger than 4.0, there was one that was 5.7 last evening.  I am petrified of earthquakes, so much so that I hyperventilate sometimes so I can only imagine how the aftershocks are affecting people who are already so traumatised.

The one thing this does make me think about is that no matter what is happening in our daily lives, little annoyances (or large ones), disappointments, sorrow, problems we feel we can't do anything about - we MUST take the time to raise our eyes and look around us and realise we need to be thankful for what we have (in terms of health and happiness) and for the people we love and who love us in return.  Life can change in an instant, sometimes irrepairably.  Some people went to work yesterday and didn't go home.  It truly puts life into perspective and I am going to try so so hard not to ''sweat the small stuff'' if I can.

Please send strong thoughts to everyone in Christchurch right now, they need you.   I am going to garden today and just be thankful I can, even if it's only for an hour because it's too hot.   Hugs...

Yay, It's Cloudy!

Hi, well yippee it's cloudy today!  Rain is predicted but somehow I think it is falling in Nelson itself, and not here, oh pookies.  As long as the cloud stays all day, that is better than nothing.  I really want to work in the kitchen garden but John is working out there on the garden shed (bless him, the roof is going on, how exciting!!) and he loves to have the radio on while he works.  I struggle with this a bit as I love peace and quiet when I'm gardening - it's my time out from life, even with traffic noise in the background (which strangely enough I don't notice unless there is other noise on top, hence my dislike of the radio).

Chester is in ratbag mode today and so at the moment he is in the dogproof area on our verandah for a while.  You know how puppies are some days, just into everything and obeying no-one!  So time-out for him too, giggle..  He is such a gorgeous dog, I don't like feeling angry with him and I must learn to consistently keep my voice quiet and very very firm when I'm angry because of something he's done.  It's too easy to raise our voices and of course dogs don't get that and it makes their behaviour worse.  Breathe, Philippa, breathe, you can do it...  quiet voice quiet voice.. giggle!  Who, me?  I've never been known for my whispering!! 

I have started working on another gift tag for John's son, David and his fiancee's engagement party in a couple of weeks.   I can tell already that I'm going to like the finished result.  I finished my niece Katherine's tag yesterday and have taken a photograph.  I think I can post it here because I'm pretty sure she doesn't check my blog at all.  Will post it later for you.  Well I'd better get back outside while the going is good.  There are loads of weeds reappearing in my main perennial garden too.  Smiles...

 

An Amazing Moment, then a Sad one!

Hi, well I've had an interesting experience this morning.  Firstly I had to take Sabah to the vet and he had to stay in to have sub-cutaneous fluids as he was pretty dehydrated.  His gut is having a bit of a flare up so I have to give him 3ml laevolac to help draw fluid into his intestines, twice a day for a while.  He's also had a steroid injection to help settle things down.  I also need to keep him inside for a couple of days to monitor his system.  No mean feat when you have to listen to him meowing to go out, not to mention having to have the house closed up.  Luckily the house stays more cool that way, so it is a blessing in some ways as the weather is still hot.

John left for a walk and personal training and I noticed something sitting in the driveway, a little bird with its head tucked under its wing.  Not a good place to sit and so I got our bird cage in case I needed it (we use it for rescues) and picked the little bird up.  I was stunning to realise it was a young native female bellbird, one of the most exquisite natives we have.   She woke up so I put her on the garden where I noticed she was really weak (in hindsight I now wish I'd left her there) so I put her in the birdcage.  I mixed up some sugar water and eventually managed to get her to have some.  This little darling was hanging upside down (as they do on native trees etc) in the doorway of the cage, having sugar water out of a dish I was holding.  What an incredible moment that was!  Shortly afterwards I realised she was having trouble standing up so I knew she wasn't going to make it.  I've now put her by my studio in the garden with the sugar water close by but she is dying.  I so hope my helping didn't make her situation worse.  It's always hard to know what to do for the best.

I've just looked at her again, and she is still alive, if only just so fingers crossed!!  Google New Zealand Bellbird if you would like to read about them.  Their song has to be heard to be believed!

It's another very hot day today so I can't see me getting a lot of gardening done.  Very frustrating, but nothing I can do about it so I musn't feel bad.  I can just hope that we get some cooler weather very soon. 

Oooh took Chester swimming again yesterday, still on the leash so we both got VERY wet, giggle.  He is going to be a strong swimmer!  Smiles...

Aaagh here are the Grapes!

 

John's Artistry!

Hi there, I hope you're having a lovely weekend, no matter what you are doing.  I thought I'd share a photograph of the lovely garden shed John has been building in the kitchen garden (KG as we call it).   This shed is going to hold all of the equipment I need to use in the KG which is so brilliant because up until now I've had to lug it all from the farmshed which is up near the house beside our garage.  There is nothing worse than starting to work down there and then having to go back up to the farmshed because I've forgotten a hoe or something. 

John is really good at building things and I have to say I would be lost without that talent.  His attention to detail and the thought that he puts into things is pretty phenomenal.  Thank you honey!  At the moment he is working on the roof.  I'll post another photograph of the completed shed when it's done.

 
We have a couple of grapevines trained on wires around part of our verandah.  This is a photograph of a lovely seedless green grape that I planted 3 years ago.  It is fairly laden with fruit this year, as is the black grape, E A Robertson, which is just so divine!  There is so much fruit that there is no way I can protect it from the birds so we will just have to share I fear! 

It's really hot again today, which I have to say is getting very ''old''.  It is almost impossible to get anything done anywhere in the garden right now so I just have to deal with that and try not to let it worry me.  Surely we will get some cloudy days soon????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Smiles..