As the holidays wind down to an end, I can honestly say I am finally feeling recharged and relaxed enough to enjoy the days to their full. I mean, I've loved the leisure of each day but I'm finally switched off to irrelevant things and am wholly just here.
Its just a shame it took me over 5 weeks to get to this point and in a matter of just days the routines will begin again.
I have always been an early riser and felt if I didnt get up with the sun I had wasted half the day, but almost every morning for these past 5 weeks I have enjoyed a monster sleep in.
Usually the first hint of light or squeak of the floorboards as Boof goes to work and i am wide awake with no chance of getting back to sleep.
But not lately! I hear him get up for work and I'm catching z's again before he closes the front door!
And napping during the day.. what is happening to me?? I guess my body needed it.
So on a beautiful morning that I did wake early and refreshed, I sipped my way through a pot of Southern Sunrise tea (from
T2) and watched the dawn clouds pass me by.
Ive tried to fill the holidays with little bits of happy sprinkled throughout.
I took PoochGirl for a swim in the ocean where she became a beautiful, youthful mermaid. Her years fell away and she had a wonderful time playing chasey with the tide.
My not~so~little babies and I had a quick dip while the wind was away. They love the beach so much, they wear some of their biggest smiles here. Son2 gave his new metal detector a crack but no luck that time.
We took a drive to the bush to give him a go there but still no riches. We did find some nice old bottles still intact to go on a new bottle tree, and some rusty treasures for the garden.
A poignant notice in a scarred landscape.
But nature is resilient and the paper flowers are ever strong despite their delicate facade. Hence why I chose them for my blog name 🤍
Back at home KittyPuss snuggles up close for her cuddle~loves. I will never be bored of her tongue hanging out. Funny girl!
Slowly.. very slowly but surely for sure Son3's blanket is taking shape. Its beyond scarf size now and I'm so impressed at his design.
Blank watercolour paper is a magical thing to me. I love the way it feels.. smells..
My trouble is I can never think of what to draw. Sighh. But on impulse I googled some reference photos of one of my favourite wild birds.
Pink and grey galahs are quite special to me, have been forever. There are a flock that roost nearby that visit my yard daily. I usually have a seed brick hanging in the garden for them but when they chow through it in 2 days it starts to add up. The sunflowers are nearly ripe for their breakfast and dinner so they will have to remember to forage til then.
Growing up in the bush has made gum trees (Eucalypts) very close to my heart too. They just tell me "home" and I instantly relax. If I had more space in my yard I'd plant one or two.
My terrible night time photography gave that
lovely orange hue, but still, the detail is visible.
Realism is not my style. I'm too far from being a perfectionist to handle it. But this feels close enough for me. I do wish though I had used a water soluble pencil to sketch the outlines as it wouldve been closer to looking realistic. But I gave it my signature style of solid outlining.
Now my sweet parrots are hanging on my hallway wall. I feel I have taken a new step deeper into my artistic journey by attempting new subjects and techniques but still keeping it personalised with my own little touches.
I am inspired.
Slowing down over the holidays has given me the chance to remember how much i love the sky. When the routines of each working day are in full swing, time seems to whizz by so fast. There's always something that needs to be done. Cooking, cleaning, listening to the boys' days, showering, screaming like a drill sergeant to get the boys ready for school/bed, getting my
self ready.. it goes on and on. But when I just happened to gaze up and see these pure white wisps streaking across the vibrant blue ether, I stopped breathing for a second. It just struck me so intensely. I guess they are just unimpressive clouds to most, but the brilliance of the contrast got me right in the heart and I realised it had been a looong time since I took the time to notice the small things.
Even while working on my galah painting in the evenings, I had the bedroom window open to dispel the stifling air. Although the light was obviously on, the light of the waxing moon was flooding in. It took me back to a time when i was right into my art, things were much simpler and I was more in tune with nature and myself. I loved that feeling and hope to hold onto it and keep it around. I lay in bed at night and follow the moons journey across the sky. Feeling safe and protected as though she is watching over my family and me in our little house.
There has been a change in me and I like it.
Please please please dont let it leave when the holidays end!
🤍🤍🤍
