Plans and projects

 We went over to Quebec last week to pick up Dave's mail and I dropped into an op shop while we were there as I really wanted some French books...and found heaps of cuties..

 Some of the fabrics and tapestries I pulled out to sew into cushions...and a quilt is planned too..I also have bought a small yellow round metal table for the kitchen and plan to mosaic the top so some photos will be on here soon..

For Zoe...

This is Donna and Mikes' house...it is very cute and full of antiques and pottery and teak furniture. Donna used to live in a stone house, actually she has lived in 2 stone houses, and also collected antiques so she has quite a bit of stuff still. I love going there as she is always finding something new. In the turret is the front door which you can see and upstairs is the ensuite to their bedroom at the front right hand side. The whole house has lots of little extra rooms all over the place for no reason..it is really lovely. They are going away soon for a month and we will be going out to house-sit for a few days here and there..fun!!

I need COLOUR

 This is my art table..yep it probably looks like a junk pile and it sort of st but the junk is good junk and it all means something to me and I love it...I cut a cork pinboard to fit the big silver frame but it is not attached at the back so when I push the pins in it all falls apart...lol..need to remedy that...and the kitsch shell map of Australia had to come back with me from an Aussie op shop...and my collection of botanical prints on the wall is growing...love love love those.

 Some soft pretty colour that jumped out at me...this was originally a picnic basket although not very sturdy...I removed all the daggy old fabric lining and stuck the whole thing in the bathtub for a good soak and then out into the sun to dry off...it is now all clean and fresh...and in the same op shop was this vase,

exactly the same colour and so lovely..it is old and in perfect nick. There are lots of flowers around here so it will be full soon and in the meantime it just looks great on its own with my other few little pieces of bright china...

It is bleak outside but nice and cosy in here.

 Since arriving back 3 weeks ago, the weather has not really been friendly to us...this photo is typical of what it has looked like from our balcony...out there somewhere is a river and a bridge which on a good day is a lovely view. But it makes art and reading and listening to music very cosy pastimes...and I was lucky enough to buy some lovely old books from my first church sale for the year.

 This is the collection I found...for about $5...a lot of them were in one box for $1.50. It was a real lucky dip...the old Medical Dictionary, (below), was what I was after but the church man asked me if I would just take the whole box so I was happy to oblige and then found quite a few new books in the bottom...most of them really interesting. One on buddhism for Don..he has been wanting one since we got back...Funny how things work out..

 This cover is beautiful and the book itself very thick...It has an extremely long convoluted title and finishes with: "by men who have had great experience, and are acknowledged authorities in their various Departments." Good to know.

 The little book on the left is a book of maps and somebody's newspaper cutting from the last war was tucked inside..

 The green book with the red spine is Selected Tales by Guy de Maupassant...from the 50s and the set of school music books - The High Road of Song, are also from the 50s...

 These pics are from the Teacher's Art Manual on the right a couple of photos above..it is a gorgeous book...I could have put every page on here to show you...

Life starts again..

 Normality is returning slowly..I spent some time in Westboro the other day, wandering through my favourite art gallery, drooling over the gorgeous works which I cannot afford at all but can appreciate at least and found this little gem right outside on the light pole..I loved it.

 I have begun spending money at the thrift shops and consignment shops which abound here and are chocablock full of great finds...This box is some sort of letter box maybe in a church for internal newsletters etc..it is very cute and I love it..not sure what I can use it for but who cares?

 First painting: a woman inspired by an old black and white print of my dad's. I forgot to take a photo of the print...I wanted a feeling of mystery and movement and not a skinny barbie doll type figure...hence the large body.It is collaged in the background and now some layers of colour have been added..the body needs lots more details.

 And.....my first heart this time back...

Canada Life Once More

Well we have been back for 2 weeks now and it has been quite difficult settling in..I suppose a lot of factors have influenced that...the car accident, the delayed flights resulting in some extra hours and one extra flight coming over, the weather here since we have arrived...it has snowed twice and been extremely gloomy for the  majority of the time and also I think purely because we spent so long in Australia and had really made a nice life for ourselves and settled in quite well in all areas. The only thing missing over there was contact with family and friends here.I feel a lot better than I did so time is taking care of things.

We have been scouting around for furniture and as we speak Don is putting together the dreaded flatpack from Ikea...I quite like their stuff and it was fun yesterday walking through the monstrous building...we realized though that if we are going to buy anything else from there we really need to set aside a lot of hours for it...and be very patient. Our living room is very slowly beginning to look like a home...its still quite bare on the floor as we don't have our big rug back from friends and in this weather it makes a difference to the cosiness of our home..but the big comfy lounge chair is back in place and this morning I put the cover on it which is very pretty and instantly made a difference.
We checked out the consignment shops for furniture but the problem with second hand is that what you want is not always in stock so no luck there. I would like a second hand sideboard...I just love the patina of the old timber so will try to be more patient with that purchase.
My art room is set up and I have begun some new notebooks to send over to Holland..I have to find more papers to use in them and have also begun a new painting. Melanie and Phillipe babysat a big painting of mine (which I hated) and so as soon as I got it back I collaged over it and started a newie! Big canvas all set for me..
A new consignment shop has opened up just around the corner so I went over yesterday and bought a funny little old wooden 'mailbox'...it would have been in a church or somewhere for notices...will take a photo today. And they had some really pretty old pottery jugs in gorgeous colours...I can feel a new collection coming on! In this weather I really have a need of lots of colour!!!