Some Aussie winter pics for Melanie, Dave and Phillipe

Sunday morning the 4 of us, Don and I, Tom and Trudes, drove up to Peregian Beach which is about 20 minutes away to visit Alex and Zoe for brunch. Don made pancakes with maple syrup...real Canadian maple syrup! and Zoe made bacon and tomato and croissants...and I made the coffee and tea. We only had a short while to visit as the Brizzie kids had to get home for Tom's indoor soccer game...but we had time to duck across the road for a play on the beach. Being on the beach does seem to bring out the kid in all of us as you can see from some of the photos...

Tommy is always a clown...a very entertaining clown. Trudy took the following pics..she has a great camera and is very talented with it now. The closeup still life photos are details of our place in Buderim..and then the path down to the beach..while we were there we stopped an older couple (well, my age anyway) pushing their grandson along in his pram, and we asked if they would take a group shot 'if they had time'. They laughed and said they thought so...it just meant that when they reached the cafes they would be having coffee 30 seconds later. What a good life!

Trudy has some beautiful photos on her blog and when I learn how I will put the link on here but she is listed on my list of favourite blogs on the right hand side...so have a look..

Family weekend...

I'm sitting in bed coffee in hand and laptop where its meant to be, on my lap, perusing facebook and my daughter's blog and her friend Laura's blog and other inspiring and gorgeous blogs and facebook pages.

One of the facebook pages is from Rosebed St Gallery & Studio in Eudlo where I took part in a workshop on Friday morning. We worked out in the garden under a canopy and the day was gorgeous. The workshop is about letting go of preconceived ideas and attitudes we may have about our art and becoming more self-expressive. I feel that this is great for all of life not just my art. There were 6 of us in the class and we worked collaboratively which was different for me. I think what I got from it was a feeling of play and fun and loosening up. Which is probably exactly what I am after as I find my art can be very tight and too 'worked'.

Today my gorgeous girl, Trudy and her partner Tom, are coming for an overnite visit and I'm very happy about that.In a couple of months they will be heading off overseas to Europe for 2 or 3 years and I'm beginning to realize how close it is getting. I will be going back to Canada next April and so we will be closer but I don't know how long we will be apart for in the next few years.

So....the thing is to live in the moment and enjoy our time together now. If there is no rain this afternoon we might go to the golfing range and hit some balls and just hang out and have fun. Tomorrow morning we'll head up to Peregian and have brunch with her brother Al and his partner Zoe...I really appreciate it when I have my 4 kids together...(I call Tom and Zoe mine too...)

Stanthorpe for the weekend - @ Penny's place.

The weather was so gorgeous over the weekend. We took advantage of it and had a picnic lunch down in the garden...I fell asleep for an hour out in the sun. At night though it was cold enough to have a fire...very cosy..

These photos were taken early one morning with the mist hanging over the little valley and rising above the dams.

Mothers' Day with my mum

This is my mum Marcia with her lovely old friend, Joanie. Joanie and mum share a birthday so they are twinnies...at 84! They're very cute and Joanie looks out for mum as mum can't speak anymore. Mum is holding the flowers that I picked in my sister Penny's garden. It was a gorgeous bouquet of roses and daisies and herbs and pretty soft leaves. A real 'tussy mussy'.

I'm not sure if mum realized it was Mothers' Day but thats okay...I loved seeing her of course and I think she is a very cute old girl now and nice to be with.

Sunday morning Jane picked me up and we drove down to the Caloundra markets, about 20 minutes away...Julie met us there and we checked out the market for an hour or so and then went down to the waterfront for coffee. These photos are of our view from the coffee shop and then one of us of course. The market was fun but I didn't buy anything..there was a lot of clothing and jewelry from India and things like handmade soap etc. I bought a Japanese pancake which wasn't great...I love Japanese food but it had mayonnaise all over it and I don't think that is strictly Japanese...oh well I had to try it.

Julie is on the left, Jane in the middle and then me! Jane is my artist buddy...we have lots to talk about when we get together..