This Month of Busyness

Well, I've been meaning to come in here and write - but well, everytime I do, life has just gotten in the way!

Let's start at the beginning, okay? 

My birthday was in the first week, and I drove to my brother's house with all birthday gifts for him and my niece (as they have birthdays two weeks after mine). Anyway, we had a great day and night together, with plenty of laughs and music. Their dog was just a sweetheart and sat my feet and enjoy the doggy treats I bought for her from Mount Tamborine last month. 

Then the following week, I scored a nice, heavy easel from the LAA. They were giving it away; and it was just perfect for the days where I'm going to sit and do detail work on a painting. So, it's a great piece to own. 
During the month, I worked on my garden, and shopped at Bunnings to get myself a good lot of cheap plants and some mix for the garden. I also moved my plants around to make more space for the Tahitian Lime tree; as it needed the room to grow. 

I had moved the office around a little last month, and so I began to shred a lot of paperwork from the filing cabinet and looked into what kind of new desk I'll be getting for my office - as I'm going to be doing that in the new year. However, the front garden and backyard still have a few little things which needed work on. 

My artwork came along well at the Tuesday Art Group. I finished on painting, and continued with a few others. There were two I'm working on; on called 'The South Arm' while the other is called 'The View' - both oil paintings and both nearing their completion. I can't wait finish them both, and move onto new work. I've decided to not only paint landscapes of the Northern Rivers area of Brunswick Heads, but also Brisbane, Sandgate and around Thorneside and Logan City. It'll give for a wider scheme of projects and I'll be able to work on a better lot of places over the next year or so. 

My beanies are finally in their exhibition at the Logan Art Gallery's Pop-Up Store. They're all for sale and I do take on commission works if you wish. Just tell me what style you're looking at, and the colour you'd like, and I'll work on it over the next few weeks. I'm a fast knitter. 

This month has been a wild ride. I've had some sadness just before my niece's birthday, though. My dear friend, Mark Davey, who lived to paint and draw every day, passed away from cancer. He was suffering from another illness, but that wasn't what took him away from us. He was the best man anyone could call a friend. He encouraged me in my work, pushed me to become a financial member of the Logan Artists Association and showed me ways to paint like I've never thought possible. I will miss him dearly as a friend, a fellow artist and a Birthday Buddy as well (as we shared a birthday together). Rest well, Mark. Paint your part of Heaven in the way you did in life - with every colour on your palette; and more you never saw here.  

A Busy Month

Oh yes, it's been a busy month; and I've finally got time today to tell you all about it.

It's raining. It's Spring and it's raining - finally. The thunder is rolling overhead, which is lovely, and my garden is getting watered without me having to do it. And I've worked on it for most of the year - just little things really - but the plants are going well. 

It's October already and my birthday has been and gone, my brother's birthday is today, and I'm working on cleaning out my home office. I've almost got the black 2-drawer filing cabinet cleaned out, and will be shredding more things from the place today. Along with that, I'll be moving all my stationery into a better place, so it doesn't take up the space on top of Grandpa's desk. I still use this desk for what I need and I'll be cleaning it out for what I want - as it's got so many little things in it from his time (and I love so much in there but it's not of any use for anyone now). 

A lot of what I've been doing lately is preparing for the Pop-Up Store at the Logan Art Gallery. I've made a few beanies and found an old suitcase which I've had in storage for ages. I cleaned it up and cleaned it out and have begun to put things inside it to take to the demonstration day there. I can't wait until that day. It's going to be a good day. 

Otherwise, I've been putting things away, cleaning out and donating items to charity. The garden also got a clean up over Winter and now, just yesterday, I put out some lawn seed and watered it in. And thankfully, it's raining and I don't have to water this afternoon. It'll help with germination of the seed. 

I'm doing National Novel Writing Month next month; and so far, I've been very prepared with everything - from the research to knowing what I want to write about. I've begun a draft of the work too. So, I'll be working on something straight away when it comes around next month; which is great! 

But I'm taking it easy lately, seeing I've got laryngitis. And the doctor told me to chill out and not talk unless I need to; no whispering or singing. No singing? Oh man... but then, I have a cough which sounds like a horn now. I guess it's going away. I just have to make sure to not sing or speak - kinda hard when my phone rings and people keep trying to sell me things all the time or the NBN keeps telling me to join the NBN when I've already done that. Or some body is trying to scam me saying somebody I know is in hospital.... well, how can I not speak? 

Oh well, can't win 'em all, right? 

Anyway, that's my month. It's been busy and weird. We've had a heatwave and freezing cold nights. We've had four seasons in one week - and a day too - and yet, it's still October. Halloween is coming up and I'm looking forward to that as well.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

October

It's the beginning half of my birthday month; and so far it's been so busy, I've barely had time to sit still.

I've spent last weekend at my brother's house for my birthday - where we all swapped gifts. And thank goodness we did that! Because this weekend, I've begun losing my voice. On Thursday last week, I was forever clearing my throat, and just couldn't loosen up the frog from my throat in the morning, and by last night, I simply couldn't raise my voice higher than a whisper. 
This morning, I was coughing and sounded horrible. So, off to the doctors I'm going to see what I've caught. I'm feeling fine, it's just my throat which isn't.

Anyway, this week, I had so much planned to do - like heading back to the gym on a more regular basis - but that will have to be put on hold until this throat clears up. Then, my art group will have to be missed until I'm better (yeah, I'm not going anywhere near there until I'm less contagious). 

I've been decluttering my place in big ways again too. I cleared out a big space in under the stairs and it was great to get rid of things I seriously didn't need anymore and get them off to the charity stores. 

But today, I reorganised my back garden too. My Tahitian Lime Tree needs a new - bigger - pot and so does my Ficus, and I'll be buying a the new pot for the Tahitian Lime first. It's trying to put out fruit, so I'll get some citrus mix for it and then a large pot for it too, and repot it by November. Then I'll do the Ficus before Christmas.

This first half of my birthday month has been great - except for my forced silence of my voice - otherwise, I'm going well. So, how are you all? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.