Merry (second) Christmas

We had a very quiet second Christmas and over to friends for Boxing Day - I think knocking over Christmas on the 21st should happen every year! Makes it all very chill. The museum exhibition wasn't fabulous - lots of wonderful items and the explanations were good but it was just in one big room and felt a bit bitsy. Like it had all been dropped in a space, which we know is really unfortunate given how much thought goes into these types of things, and how many people with PhDs contemplate the thematic groupings. 

But we did thoroughly enjoy our cold drink on the cafe balcony afterwards, with this view of a very serene and empty Christmas Eve Canberra. Just a few go-boats slowly wandering past. Canberra clears out at Christmas as people go back to where they really come from. We walked around the lake on Boxing Day too and it was HOT and STILL. Not a breath of wind, but good to get some exercise. The fountain was completely vertical.

I burned myself making Russian fudge for number two to take back to Melbourne. I put it in the mixer to beat it and turned it up too high so it went up the sides of the bowl and flicked 135 degree fudge (soft ball stage) across the kitchen, including over me. So I had to put it under running cold water while my husband dealt with the fudge and cleaned it off the cupboards. Yay for me .... it was delicious though.

Merry (early) Christmas

We had Christmas on 21 December this year - number two had to work so came up for the week before, we had our Christmas Day and now he's gone back. To hopefully an actual christmas day with friends, but I don't think he is too bothered. And neither are we! Having christmas early is amazing, we are having an extended five day boxing day with nowhere to go and nothing to do or buy. I went for a long walk this morning, my husband is mowing the lawn, and at 3 we are going to see the Feared and Revered exhibition at the National Museum. It is probably not going to be crowded but you never know - people go to museums on christmas eve?

Our christmas day was very normal, had a big breakfast, exchanged presents, scallops for lunch, attempted Trivial Pursuit 2010-20 edition (so obscure, number two won EASILY), home-made dinner for pizza and general relaxing. It was lovely to see the younger one again, so many stories about his university and Melbourne antics! Even the censored-for-mum versions were entertaining. 

And number one has also moved out! Found a new-ish townhouse fifty metres from the tram stop on the other side of town with three bedrooms for the three of them ... so much excitement. We went to IKEA yesterday as part of the christmas present :) they have actually done quite well with free furniture but needed some shelves, a desk, doormats, dish rack ... Literally hours of fun, but 2023 might be a bit different round here.

Low concentration levels

I can't seem to concentrate on anything complex on the art front at the moment. Not surprising given the time of year I guess. So that means nothing complicated, just doodling. Some doodling inspired by random internet stuff, and some just splashing the paint on and drawing over the top of it. From Youtube we have this attempt to paint along with Shana Circe .

And this with Diane Antone again. Brad asked if the rabbit was preparing to get eaten and I said no it is WHIMSICAL.

Tiktok tried to teach me how to draw a chrysanthemum, or dahlia, or something. Just marker pen, no paint, but still quite satisfying.

And here are the splashes-with-doodles. I don't even know what to call this.

Or this.

Yet more beach

I took a day off and very happily went down for an extended beach weekend. The traffic on a Thursday evening is delightful compared to Friday! And only one speed camera, which is a record. Every trip I see either a police car, or a speed camera, or a random breathalyser, or any combination of those three ... my record is SEVEN police cars with speed cameras, which isn't bad for 130 km of road. And one of the many reasons why I don't bother speeding. I just take my time, singing along to random hits of the 1980s and country music and using unladylike language towards other road users.

The bank that was washed away is starting to re-grow, you can see the green bits. Fascinating process; first a few twigs get washed up, then the very sturdy plants start sprouting, then the plants catch more debris and dirt, so other plants start ... it will take a few years but you can see how it would cycle up and down, assuming we have no more Extreme Weather Events. Look at the colour of that sky, it really was beautiful.

I had a lovely long swim each day. It was sunny but not super warm, but a very good swell and that is enough for me! I caught some waves and ate some sand and got suitably windblown and sunburnt. I also made a dress which turned out OK but was an absolute curse to sew - a very light polyester print that did not want to stay put when I cut it, or pinned it, or sewed it. Nightmare, but it's red and christmassy, so I wanted to finish it.

Number one has finally got a rental application approved so we may be empty nesters before the end of the month!!!! It's a bit of a shock now that it's all happening - I think someone is getting a fish slice and a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. Perhaps in a laundry basket, wrapped up in new towels. Classy.

Circus tent shirt

I wore a slightly more colourful shirt to work than usual yesterday - end of year frivolity! Wow. It is a large stripey shirt so obviously reminiscent of a circus tent ... but comfortable. It is a cotton/linen mix I think but I can't remember where I bought the fabric, or what pattern I used to make it with. This is part of my auditioning shirt patterns to find the perfect one, and I think I decided this wasn't it, although it is perfectly fine.

Unlike my selfies, which are dreadful. Either dodgy bathroom shots or incredibly untidy sewing room shots. I am not cropping the mess out of this one, it is what it is.

We put the christmas tree up earlier this week while baking a double batch of chocolate chip cookies to take to various morning teas. Easier to do them all at once, and the cookies are really really good. Very chocolatey. 

Here is number one with the finished product. You will note a half metre of no-ornaments at the bottom because of the pear-shaped pirate. The cannoli of carnage. The destructive dirigible. She managed to climb up the inside, but not very far, and we think the tree is safe now.

Quiet weekend

Parliament finally got through the last sitting week of the year, which is always exhausting as they try to get all the laws through ... and everyone is tired and cranky and also having christmas parties. But we made it, and then a very quiet weekend. Our car has died - we had to get it towed it was literally undriveable - and turns out the clutch is completely stuffed and we have to get a new one. Lots of money and a week with only one car to share, which is a pain. It's only five years old, which I think is quite recent, in car terms :) - but I suppose we should expect more problems with it than when it was brand new.

It was a bit warmer this weekend but I still went for a walk. The gardens are looking beautifully green because of all the rain. 

The cat is not sure about her first summer, she was born in autumn so this is new to her. She spent all of Sunday stretched out asleep, airing her tummy. There is a lot to air. She got tickled a LOT.

We went out for dinner on Friday night with some friends and I wore a new dress that I'd made - rayon, light, floaty, very comfortable. This isn't a great picture but there's not much to see from a fashion perspective! It's a very basic pattern, McCalls 8214, not much fitting, cap sleeves. Great to wear. I did view B.

Shit beach photography

My husband follows a Facebook group 'Shit bird photography' which he finds highly enjoyable and even contributes to on occasion. I took a photo of a pied oystercatcher in the creek that probably qualifies ... although he says that if you've got all the bird in the photo and you can actually tell it's a bird then it's too good for the group.

He also follows 'Shit brick fences of Melbourne', which is apparently another winner. I like 'Disapproving Corgis' (where people post pictures of their corgis looking disapproving) and of course God who is very funny. Here is an arty photo of those fluffy things on sticks that mean beach and summer to me. I have never known what these things are called so I googled "fluffy beach plants" and they are apparently hare's tail or bunny tail grass, native to the Mediterranean but naturalized in Australia and NZ (lagurus ovatus). There you go, I have learned something.

I had a great beach weekend - slightly longer than expected because there was a crash on the highway coming home. There's a sign about twenty minutes in with road information and it said there was a crash about an hour further on, and delays expected ... so I called my husband to google it and it was road closed in both directions, people trapped in cars, helicopters etc. So I turned around and went back to the beach house for another night and drove up Monday morning. Which is tiring, but better than sitting for four hours in a queue, without snacks. Or indeed better than being helicoptered to a hospital, poor things.