It’s January, it’s hot, it’s Summer!  We didn’t have one last year.  She must have unilaterally decided to give my part of the country a miss, I believe it wasn’t personal, she just had other places she would rather be.  So there has been unbounded joy in this little corner of the world – long hot days followed by long warm dusks.  It is just now getting dark about 9.30 pm, light by 5.30 am.  And my word, you should see my garden!  It’s a jungle out there folks, no room to sit and sizzle in the hot sun, it’s been taken over by tomatoes and salady stuff and petunias and lobelia and sweet-peas – let’s not forget the sweet-peas!

I was getting worried about the lack of fruit on the tomatoes when voila, up these popped overnight.  If you can’t see them, biggify the photo – they are there I promise.  So proud!  🙂

Siddy and I water every evening, well I water and Siddy bustles and bumbles about through the undergrowth, rather reminiscent of a rare black and white wombat –  eventually popping up all muddy and wet and happy and puppy-ish again.  [This one’s especially for Jill.]

This is his ‘Whaddya want mumma?’ face, because I whistled him and he stopped what he was busily bumbling about with and rushed up to me.

As a complete aside, a few days ago we celebrated Siddy’s ninth month birthday.  He has stopped visibly growing, thank heavens.  He is much calmer now, he loves his mumma very much, adores Orlando and his aunty YD is his most favourite person in the whole world – but should he meet you, you would immediately become his next favourite person in the whole world.  Siddy’s joy and enthusiasm for life and people remains unabated.  It is just tempered with slightly better manners these days.

Getting a scenic shot in my small garden is impossible – so here is a little montage

This tiny garden, organic and companion planted, growing mostly in buckets and tubs is in good looking condition – but something has been eating my peas!

I’m picking them this evening, ready or not!

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My ‘rhythm of life’ – that thing some of you refer to as routine – has suddenly disengaged.  It erupted!  I knew it would.  I signed on for a year long art course last October.  I’d been waiting since mid-May for the signing date to arrive because I knew I needed and wanted to focus on developing myself as an artist.  I don’t usually refer to myself as ‘an artist’ – I say I ‘muck abart with mixed media’ or ‘I paint’.  Some folks have thought that means I’m a house painter – [which makes me smile because I spent years decorating my homes with paint, now I do it with mostly fabric] and start to ask me which paint is best for this or that problem – or even offer me a job!

Anyway – having taken that little meander off subject, let us return …… the art course has started.  It started for me on January 2nd, with a bang I might add.  Immediately I fell behind as I had, coincidentally, been asked to act as an honorary ‘colour advisory consultant person’  and I was a bit caught up in that process.

But I got my act together and set about creating this

Beacon of Light – Pauline King

If you follow my progress with mixed media you will see a huge improvement in the way the paint has been applied especially to the face – I learned so much in just the first lesson!

In case I have piqued your interest, the course is called Life Book 2015 and clicking on that will take you there.  You’re welcome!  🙂

I was so pleased with the result of this first exercise that I set myself the task of doing an older more Contented Crafter version – here she is underway, but with a LOT of work still to be done.  What do you think?

 and the eyes, with which I am particularly pleased

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If you have noticed me missing from your blog, or missing with my usual long and opinionated ramblings in your comment section all the above is the reason why. Suddenly there is not enough hours in the day.  I wasn’t so busy when I was still a working girl!  [Ooow, did that sound wrong?]  I’m still doing my best to read everyone’s posts – I always feel that if you took the time to write and proof-read and insert photos and anything else you do on each of your wonderful posts, the least I can do is participate fully!   I just can’t fit it all in at the moment –  But, like Arnie, I will be back!

And I nearly forgot – there’s also these, that sometime get a look in during the long warm evenings – but progress is slow

Life is warm, it is busy, it is very happy.  Life is good!  I hope you are enjoying all your busy moments too.

This is my 150th post and I just recently went past 350 followers.  Most don’t read, but to those who do, who come by regularly and leave your endearing messages of support and cheer, thank you, thank you, thank you.  You warm my heart, encourage me in all kinds of crazy directions and inspire me daily.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!