Hobart

Oh my goodness it's Thursday already - work has been crazy busy since I got back and the good vibes of our little holiday have completely worn off! In fact I think I might need another holiday about now, I had to come into work both days of the weekend and that is not at all my preferred method of operating. So I'll put some pictures of Tasmania up, even though it seems like a million years ago already.

We had great weather - not too hot and only a few spots of rain on the first day. Just as well, because we walked for miles and miles and miles - averaging about 18 km a day. Luckily we stuffed ourselves with all kinds of delicious food as well, so no chance of wasting away. We stayed in a little old stone cottage in Battery Point - which is central and historical - very cute and very convenient. 

We loved the Botanic Gardens - colder climate gardens are always beautiful, and we got lots of highly unrealistic plans for the retirement house. Unrealistic because of needing decades to grow (we don't have decades, despite how we might delude ourselves) and also the sheer amount of water you'd have to pour into it. I didn't take photos but there was an excellent cactus garden that might be more suitable.

We went to the Salamanca markets, and the farmer's markets, and had a nine-course degustation dinner. Whisky and gin are big things here - micro-distilleries - but neither of us are spirit drinkers so we didn't do any tastings. Well, we did do lots of tastings but they were bao and dumplings and scones and sourdough crumpets (AMAZING). We went to a cat cafe - this was a super cute picture until the cat moved at the last possible moment. Cats are contrary.

I carefully pre-booked tickets for Mona - including the ferry ride up - for what I thought was Tuesday, but was actually Monday. We went to leave on Tuesday for the wharf and the tickets were saying 'expired' - you know that sinking feeling of dawning realisation that you've just stuffed something up quite monumentally? I was so cross with myself because I'd been looking forward to it for literally months (and it was about $150). What an idiot! They were non-refundable of course but I emailed pathetically and Mona very nicely will give me a credit that has to be used in 12 months. We will have to go back ... silver lining I guess. 

So we hired a car instead and drove into the countryside. This is the oldest bridge in Australia still in use ... 1820s I think. And we also did a tour of one of the original jails which was pretty grim. Tasmania of course is all convicts, genocide of the Aboriginal people, misery, slave labour and general 19th century nastiness. Flogging for insubordination, public drunkenness and weevilly bread.

And for something different, this is a derelict mental hospital. Or possibly lunatic asylum, when it was built. Definitely not the kind of thing you see in Canberra.

So much travelling

It's been planes trains and automobiles for me for the past ten days - actually no trains now I think about it but I did go inside an army tank :) First up was a trip to Adelaide last week for work - or a day in Adelaide and then a day in the wide open South Australian spaces. We saw another snake! It had settled in quietly on a hilltop rock and four utes filled with people drove up and got out, poor thing. So much nothing in every direction.

It was excellent to go somewhere else I've never been, not that there was much to see, just the Australian scenery. Red dirt and salt bush.

We had to take a tiny little plane, this is a selfie of me in what appears to be the cargo hold, but I did actually have a seat, it was quite comfortable. 

And only about 40 minutes flying back to Adelaide, in time to get the last plane back to Canberra on Thursday night, to get up at five the next morning to catch a flight to Hobart! But this one was for a holiday, a long weekend for our silver wedding anniversary. I'll post pictures separately because we had such a lovely time, it was great, but here are a couple from 25 years ago...

Prepare your eyeballs

So.... I thought I would like to be able to paint portraits. Super easy right? A few youtube videos and away I go ... well I did the youtube videos and the results are baaaaaaad. I am always honest about my disasters with my loyal readers (hi Dad and Pam) but you need to prepare yourself for these.

Ooooo first attempt not good. So I thought - clearly I can't quite master skin tones yet, how about I try a monochromatic portrait? Surely that would look more human.

Nup. Avatar meets the Uncanny Valley. I decided to try youtube tutorial number three.

Marginally better, but not exactly very good. All three of these are copies of online headshots and they look NOTHING like the originals. I am trying to do the thing of finding one piece of a work that is satisfactory but I am struggling. So I have decided - most uncharacteristically - to purchase an art course and I've spent many Great British pounds on the portraits in acrylics course by Will Kemp. I will keep you posted.

Very spring-like

My walk on the weekend had all the parts of spring - wind, sunshine and fluff! The silver birches are in full float, making everyone's eyes itch. Pretty, but impractical, and much cursed by people who suffer from hay fever. Which is not me generally, but this kind of nonsense will make me a bit sneezy.

And the other spring event was a snake on the path! Twenty years of Canberra walking and I've never seen a brown snake out and about, but there was one happily crossing the path at the Jerrabomberra wetlands. Scared the pants off the cyclist coming the other way, who warned me, so I hung back and watched it meander its way into the bush and vanish. Highly venomous but unlikely to bite you if you don't piss it off.

More pictures of fluff. Absolutely no pictures of snakes.

Another artist

I did a couple of paintings with Katie Jobling videos that turned out quite well - she is into 'art as therapy' which is nice and soothing! I'm not sure if it took me in any unexpected directions but here is what I did. 

A vivid sunset, and some hydrangeas. She has a cute British accent that is easy to listen to ... this is important! I always end up replaying bits over and over so an accent that isn't good can get very grating indeed at the fifteenth iteration of 'cadmium red light has a warmth that is good for skin tones' while I desperately try to copy whatever it is they are doing on the screen.

Another beautiful beach weekend

The three of us went down this time - me, husband, cat - and spent a very slothful couple of days. Watched some footy semi-finals on TV, went for walks. I cleaned out the food cupboard and threw out some expired food and ate an entire packet of marshmallows that was due to expire soon. Be a shame to waste them.

It was a more normal September temperature - about 20 degrees - so I didn't swim, despite the sunshine. The water wasn't any warmer.

When we got back home the birds started squawking for the Bird Man so he had to go and feed them all first thing. The gang-gangs have brought their babies down to meet the Bird Man but they are a bit clueless and like to land on his head and fossick on his scalp. Hmmmm, sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

More vases of flowers

I was quite struck by the Jane Slivka vase of flowers and thought it might be fun to do it bigger - those were all A4 and I also have A3 canvas, so I scaled it up. First we have one very similar to the first one. Splotchly splotches.

I didn't love the bright orange underpainting and then painting the pale blue background over the top - I think there is too much going on. And the whole thing is a bit light. So I did another one where I used the same colour for the underpainting and then the background colour - and made it darker towards the bottom.

Kind of OK, but not enough flower types, so I did one with purple roses.

The roses looked odd - as did the rest of the foliage - so I did another one and tried to get the roses a bit more impressionistic. I wasn't thrilled so added some cherry blossom. My daisies/coneflowers are better on this one.

And that was about the end of the line for the flowers. But I did blu-tack them up to the end of the wardrobes in my sewing room, so now when I walk up the stairs I see this! Pretty, they look good all together.