Monet, ‘One Life’ and Another Way to Minimize Landfill

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Monet in Paris

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We went to see ‘Monet In Paris’. Claude Monet (born 14th November 1840, Paris, died 15th December, 1926, Giverny) belonged to a group of artists known as Impressionists. This electronic immersive experience with both images of paintings and photos projected onto 7 metre high screens highlights the most famous works of Monet and other artists working during the same period. This list includes Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Henri Toulouse Lautrec. These artists tried to capture 19th century Bohemian Paris and the lush French country side, highlighting the social and political environment of the time. When they exhibited their works, a journalist said they were more like ‘impressions’ rather than traditionally detailed paintings. The name stuck.

Image Pixabay

The images at Monet in Paris were shown on huge screens allowing the viewer to hone in on the details of the paintings. These are not overly detailed works of art, they are ‘impressions’. The subjects are not posed in the traditional manner, but show people going about their every day lives. Accompanied by classical music and some intriguing moving visuals I found this show captivating. It was also very entertaining watching a small child nearby try and catch a fish and a dragonfly, both images projected onto the carpet.

Image Pixabay

The invention of tubes for paint opened up the outdoors to artists. John Goffe Rand invented a type of syringe or tube in the 1840s which evolved into tubes for paint as we know them now around the 1900s. This meant artists could paint en plein air, to capture immediate and everyday images away from their studios.

Image Pixabay

Many of Monet’s well known artworks feature his garden. He claimed to be good at two things, painting and gardening. His famous garden, Giverny, continues to attract thousands of visitors every year. He developed strict rules about mixing colours, shapes and surfaces, analyzed over time by many garden designers and historians. He admired reflections and movement on water so much he employed a gardener whose sole responsibility was to keep the pond clean and to ensure the water lilies were separated by variety. Many of his most famous later paintings feature aspects of his amazing garden.

‘one life’

It’s blisteringly hot in Perth at the moment so we went to the cinema. We saw ‘One Life’ starring Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn and Helena Bonham Carter. This is the story of (Sir) Nicholas Winton. Nicky, as he was known, was a young stockbroker living in London with his Mother. He set off for Prague in 1938 to visit a friend for a week. The Czech Sudetenland had been annexed by the Nazis and they were expected to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia imminently. He was confronted by the masses of Jewish families fleeing the Nazis.

Nicky Winton did what he thought was right. Overcoming enormous obstacles he organised visas, trains, sponsor families and the money necessary to temporarily home 669 Jewish children in the United Kingdom.

Nicky Winton was haunted by the ninth train he arranged being intercepted by the Nazis on the station in Prague. Fifty years later he is invited to a television program where it is revealed that everyone in the audience was a child who had survived and grown up in the UK, due to his efforts. Most had stayed in the UK as their families were murdered during the holocaust. This was a very moving film.

‘One Life’ is a beautifully told, one of many about repatriating fleeing Jewish families ahead of the Nazis arriving. All tell of immense bravery and determination to do the right thing.

‘If something is not impossible, then there must be a way to do it…’

Sir Nicholas Winton, 1909 -2015

minimizing fabrics going to landfill

Fashion is an enormous contributor to landfill or to the pollution caused by burning, especially clothing made of manmade fibres which do not break down quickly. Another source of fabrics to landfill has been decorative fabrics. These are often made of cotton, wool, silk or linen although cheaper curtaining and furniture covers are often synthetic or blends as are cheaper carpets.

Image Pixabay

An interesting shift is occurring in the UK with the end of season, display samples or end of roll fabrics from decorative suppliers. Some fabric houses are extending access to their textiles by offering warehouse sales with considerable discounts offered, direct from their websites or instore sales. To view warehouse sales the shopper needs to register. Fabrics offered can be as little as 2m and up to 40m.

The smaller pieces are ideal for cushion covers, slightly larger lengths are good for stools, table linen, blinds and headboards, four or five metres will upholster a chair and the larger pieces will make generous curtains. Hope to see this become common practise, adopted everywhere.

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Christmas Countdown and Prawn Stock

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christmas countdown

The cakes are cooked, the cards are sent, most of the gift shopping and wrapping is done but despite my determination to be super organised this year, I still have a TO DO list. We’ll be having two Christmas Dinners, the first when our son arrives late Christmas Day and the second when we go and spend a day with my Mother. Tidied up the fridge and freezer to accommodate the Christmas food and drinks.

The whole TO DO list thing is a bit controversial. Some people feel writing down their tasks to be done is really efficient. They tick off the jobs as they are completed and focus on the next one. Other people say they don’t remember to look at the lists, struggle to make lists to cover everything that needs to be done or the length of the lists makes them anxious. I lived by lists when I was working, running the house, walking the dog, establishing the garden, doing the shopping and cooking and trying to maintain friendships. Then life relaxed a bit and so did the list. Lots of things slipped by so I went back to making lists, especially for shopping. Works for me.

In the middle of the Christmas preparations and fuss, I discovered one of the downsides of having very good eyesight again. I noticed most of the door frames have chips in them! I pondered on this for a while and finally realised, looking at the height of the chips, most of them are probably from mopping and vacuuming.

It’s a very hot day and I knew I’d need to do two coats to restore the frames. I started by sanding them back, then wiping the dust off and working out which paint ( I have lots of tins of white paint) matched the best. The best match turned out to be a spray paint, so I used a piece of cardboard to protect the walls and got spraying. Two coats did a good job. Then I washed and wiped all the doors. I noticed a chip in the plaster near the front door but that will be a job for after Christmas!

A sheet of cardboard to protect the walls, a can of spray paint and some sand paper, too, and the job was done. Really pleased with the outcome.

prawn risotto

We get wonderful prawns from along the coast of Western Australia. Many people associate prawns with summer eating and particularly at Christmas time. I had a pile of them to peel to make a stock for a Prawn Risotto. My traditional way of peeling prawns seemed to be taking so long! I usually cut the body from the head, slit down the underside and peel off the shells with the legs, then a small cut along the back to remove the digestive tract. This method was taking so long!

Wondered how restaurants dealt with shelling prawns. They’d need a faster system than mine. So I looked up Gordon Ramsay’s method but it almost what I was already doing and after looking at a few more entries, finally accepted I’d be shelling prawns for quite a while, get on with it. Then all the shells went into a pot to make stock with water, tomato paste, sweated onions and garlic. ( Someone told me later that many restaurants buy prawns which have already been mechanically peeled.)

Asked my husband to help but that wasn’t a success. He doesn’t really eat prawns or crabs. When we talked about it he said he never ate them as a child. I grew up at the head of an estuary and ate a lot of crabs as a child and still eat then whenever possible. Some years ago, when I returned from Milan with a broken wrist, we were at a crab party and he was preparing crabs and handing them to me. I’d eaten quite a few and suddenly realised he wasn’t eating any. ( Lucky me)

Made the prawn risotto. Forgot to photograph it. I’m not a big fan of rice (which was awkward living in China for a few years and visiting frequently for many years) but the packet of Arborio Risotto Rice was in a gift pack and I don’t like wasting food.

Back to Christmas preparations, about to check Spotify for some old fashioned carols to add a bit singing and dancing to the kitchen routine as there’s many jobs on the TO DO list!

WISHING YOU A MERRY

CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY

NEW YEAR!

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Spots, Rubbish, Books and Electric Cars

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Several technological problems resulted in a muddled and late post last week. My apologies.

SPOTS AND RUBBISH

I have a navy cotton/linen blend dress with big white spots. It’s versatile and can be dressed up with strappy sandals and for a more casual occasion, worn with espadrilles. I’m telling you all this because I’ve just read in a decorating magazine that psychologist Dr Dion Terrelonge says we should avoid spots and polka dots as they can cause stress and a negative effect.

Instead we should opt for horizontal patterns. Apparently our eyes naturally scan horizontally so these designs echo patterns found in nature. Interestingly, the article acknowledge that spots and polka dots are big in fashion this year, but there’s no comment on how these patterns on clothing impact on our stress levels. I really like my navy and white dress and it will be out and about come spring. It will be worn frequently, unlike most pieces of clothing owned by Australian women, which are worn only seven times before being discarded.

Apparently, only 15% of clothing donated to op shops/thrift shops can be on sold. The rest goes overseas to developing countries or is sold by weight as rags. It all ends up as landfill. There’s lots of information online about effectively laundering clothes to keep them looking fresh, ways to invisibly and visibly mend everything, even zips, and reasons why we should all buy less and certainly less man made fibres.

Ahead of the annual Clean Up Australia Day, it has been revealed that beaches in Western Australia are the most littered in Australia. Although we have the least amount of plastics collected in the cleanup, we have the highest amount of other rubbish, mostly metal and glass. This results in 1100 tonnes of metal and glass going directly to landfill.

We pride ourselves on having one of the most beautiful coastlines in the World but the figures highlight the need for a different attitude towards caring for our beaches. The five most common pieces of rubbish are

1. cigarette buts

2. glass fragments

3. alcohol cans

4. alcohol bottles

5. bottle caps and lids

OTHER THINGS

I know you’re not supposed to play with your food but I like to paint mine before I eat it. My eyesight is not good so I’ve moved from botanical paintings to smaller, less detailed subjects.

Small paintings every day in an old, unused Moleskin diary. Not really water colour paper, but small, quick paintings are very satisfying when life is so busy.

Currently reading Large Print books leading up to eye surgery. The first, which I’m really enjoying is Louise Penny’s All The Devils Are Here, set in Quebec and Paris involving a Canadian detective investigating his French Godfather’s attempted murder. Shakespeare said,’Hell is empty and all the Devils are here’. which indicates the many twists and turns throughout this story.

Winner of the Agatha Christie Award For The Best Mystery Novel of 2021 this is Perry’s 16th Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sureté du Quebec series. I’ll be looking for more.

The other book is Claire Balding’s Walking Home, My Family and Other Ramblings. Balding is a well known horse race commentator in the UK and is also an award winning British radio announcer known for her commentaries from the Olympic Games. She’s prolific author. This book details her ‘rambles’ around the UK all recorded and broadcast on radio. She is eloquently describes the beauty of each of her walks while interviewing people of interest. Apparently, the broadcasts, called “Ramblings” are very popular.

As usual, both books are borrowed from the library.

A BATTERY ANOMALY

Last week a group of protesters gathered outside Western Australia’s Parliament House to protest about logging in native forests. All logging is banned in Western Australia’s native forests by 2024. WA already imports 80% of timber required.

Apparently, according to Green MLA Brad Pettitt, ‘The main issue in WA is the mining practices which would still be allowed in the forests after logging stops.”

Here’s the ANOMALY

To supply the quantities of lithium, copper, nickel etc required for electric car batteries and storage batteries will need more of all these metals in mineable deposits than is known to exist. These batteries are known to last for less than 10 years. Then those chemicals will need to be replaced with freshly mined chemicals as there is no effective method of recycling them at this time. They will become landfill.

Image Pexels

So we are saving the Planet by hugely increasing mining which is said to be destroying the environment with no end in sight. We must also ignore the well established but inconvenient fact the electric cars require six times more energy to manufacture than ordinary cars and that their manufacture produces much more CO2.

It is a dilemma which makes me think of the children’s story,’ The Emperors New Clothes’

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The Eclipse, ANZAC Day and Vermeer

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THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

Now you see it and then you don’t! Did you see the images of the eclipse of the sun on 20th April? We live in Perth, about 1 300km (808 miles) south of Exmouth, the ultimate place to view this eclipse. For a second or so the sky darkened a little in Perth as if a cloud passed the sun, but the effect was spectacular in Exmouth.

Image PIXABAY

The actual movement of the moon passing across the face of the sun takes about three hours. During this time, the sun is completely obscured (eclipsed) by the moon for about a minute.This was seen most completely in Exmouth and was witnessed by people from all over the World who traveled there to view the event.

Actually, total solar eclipses happen about every 18 months but are usually only visible at sea. This one on April 20th, was clearly visible from the coast, at Exmouth. Normally a township of about 2 800 people the population swelled by more than 20 000 visitors. Best known for fishing and the North West Cape Naval Communications Base, Exmouth is also the northern gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Park.

Beach at Cape range national park in Australia royalty free stock photos

The beach at Exmouth. Image DreamstimeANZAC DAY

Anzac Day, celebrated on the 25th of April, commemorates the Australian and New Zealand involvement in all wars and conflicts. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Historically we have tended to fight and drink together.) It is a public holiday in Australia. Traditionally we gathered at local memorials for a formal service of remembrance but Covid changed how we commemorate Anzac Day. These services acknowledge the bravery and sacrifices of all servicemen and women in all countries and all conflicts.

Image IStock

During Covid we were unable to attend the usual service at our local war memorial. The compromise was for people to stand at the end of their driveway with candles, listen to the Last Post being played on the radio then stand in silence for one minute. We did this along with our neighbours.

A new way of remembrance was established. Afterwards one neighbour brought out coffee, we all brought fold up chairs and sat on the verge chatting and sharing Anzac biscuits, made to celebrate on the day. The next year we met on someone’s driveway, commemorated with the Last Post and a minutes silence then shared breakfast with my husband acting as the barista. He makes the best coffee!

Image iStock

Actually, the same group of neighbours host evening get togethers every few months and they are such lovely evenings, sharing food and news. We are very lucky!

JOHANNES VERMEER (1632 -1675)

This year the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam presented the largest Vermeer exhibition ever seen. Many of the paintings were loaned to the museum from private collections and have not been seen by the general public for many years. Unable to visit this amazing exhibition, we went to the cinema to see ‘Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition’ a film showing the exhibition with the director of the Rijksmuseum and the curators involved in presenting the exhibition providing the commentary.

Image Wikimedia Commons

Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter known for his paintings of middle class domestic interiors. His first paintings were based on Bible stories and mythology but he soon specialized in paintings of interiors. Generally, the paintings feature light coming from a window, seen or not seen, on the left of the room and usually the subject is a female. For example ‘The Milkmaid’, ‘The Music Lesson” and many other works.

Image Wikimedia Commons

Within the close Calvinistic society of the time, it would have been difficult for Vermeer to find female models so historians assume he relied on his wife and eight daughters to sit for him .His wife was a Catholic. Unlike so many other famous artists, we know very little about Vermeer’s life as he didn’t keep a journal nor are there recorded any letters by him.

Image Wikimedia Commons

His works are significant also because there are no apparent brushstrokes. He developed a style which create smooth finishes. He is also known for using white dots to create highlights. Probably his most famous painting “Girl With The Pearl Earring” demonstrates this technique at its best.

Ninety minutes packed with information and beautiful pictures. I really enjoyed it!

We’d also gone to the cinema recently to see Living starring Bill Nighy. I’d read rave revues and the lines went out the door when we were at the cinema to see the film about the Mary Cassatt paintings. So we went one night. Neither of us enjoyed it. The acting was good, the close, intimate settings, such as a train carriage, an office, a cafe or dining room were well done, the acting convincing but the story? So predictable and tedious and obvious. Nothing was left unsaid. It has many five star reviews but not from me.

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Slow Living and Bruschetta

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slow living

During Covid lockdowns many people found they enjoyed a less hectic, home focused way of living. There were many advantages, such as no time spent traveling to work, no need to dress in work clothes, money saved eating and drinking coffee at home and greater time with family. Post lockdowns, many people want to maintain the more relaxed way of living, of being able to use their time in ways that better suit themselves and their families, to have contact with their neighbours and wider community and to get more time to exercise or just enjoy being outside.

Wandering around the park observing the old trees is relaxing and interesting. For years I’ve watched this self germinated Moreton Bay Fig grow out of the rough bark of an old peppermint tree.

The new focus in the well being arena is the Slow Living Movement. My immediate thought was, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen! I’m so busy caring for other people. There are no quiet moments.’ I’m a pretty active person, anyway. ( my Father called me Pepper Pot) Reading various articles about slowing down makes me think about how hard it is to do so. I will really have to think about it and plan for a calmer life. I need to ignore some of the expectations of other people and limit the interruptions to peaceful time. I’m not sure how I can achieve this but the reasons for trying are compelling!

I think many of us find ourselves stretched in so many directions and find it hard to slow down. Why try? Because it is good for your mental and physical well being! Slowing down means you can focus on the things that really matter and make you feel relaxed. The goal is to be present, to focus on one thing at a time, to enjoy and encourage closeness. Enjoy what is important to you. It sounds easy, but it may be very different from how you are living now. Unclutter your life, not just things, but interruptions to peace and quiet, too.

Although Louis likes to run and run he also likes to investigate every new smell and other dogs. Going to the dog park is very relaxing.

Some ways to slow down include being outdoors and really looking at the sky and the trees and plants, or watching the dog doing the same. Enjoy the environment. Try new ways of cooking. Only eat dinners you really like and think about preparing food in a slow cooker. The delicious smell of cooking makes you really look forward to dinner.(Sales of slow cookers have increased enormously! This might also reflect the rising cost of energy.) Batch cook to give yourself good food and more time. Become uncontactable by turning your devices off before dinner, don’t take your phone when you go for a walk. Use the evening time without interruptions to read, play a board game, sit and chat. Turn off the TV if the program doesn’t engage you to the point you’re totally engaged watching it. If you’re also on a device turn it or the T, off. Do one thing at a time. Avoid the programs on TV that don’t really resonate or add something to your well being. Watching programs with subtitles really helps you focus!

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One of the suggestions professionals in the area of well being frequently mention is arts and crafts and other rewarding hobbies. Dr Daisy Fancourt, quoted on the BBC Great British Creativity Test found hobbies can alleviate stress, free up mind space and build self esteem when you create something or learn a new skill. Another frequently recommended activity is to garden, if possible, or nurture some indoor plants.

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Slow living is about feeling at peace and happy with your life. You have to learn to love yourself a little too. I read these articles as they promote better sleep as an outcome of slowly down and living in the present. Fingers crossed I’ll get there one day!

eating bruschdetta

When we went out for lunch last week my husband chose bruschetta as his entree (first course). Of course, I needed a little taste and was glad I did, because I’d forgotten how wonderful tomatoes, garlic and basil mixed with olive oil and vinegar, taste on toasted bread. So when I was considering some leftover artisan loaf later, I thought of bruschetta. Usually, I make breadcrumbs from leftover bread but I already have a jar full and sometimes I make croutons but it’s the middle of summer and I add them to hot, winter soups.

Gathered the bread, tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic, plus some finely chopped red onion then came to a halt. I don’t have any basil! I knew it hadn’t germinated this year and meant to plant more. I forgot. Off to the shop to buy basil. A bunch of bought basil, enough for 1/4 cup when finely chopped, cost nearly $5.00. So I’ll be planting some basil very soon.

Followed the instructions to make the bruschetta. It was very good. The amounts mentioned in the recipe made so much that was all we ate for dinner!

did you know

More than 300 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia, including 45 Indigenous languages. In fact, 21% of Australians don’t speak English at home.

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Why My Dog Has A Bank Account and Other Matters

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the dog’s bank account

When our previous, wonderful dog became older, his health began to deteriorate. That meant frequent visits to the vet. And we all know that means lots of bills. When we got Louis, our lovely Groodle, we investigated many pet insurance companies. We compared the cost of our vet bills with the insurance costs, especially as a pet gets older and did our sums.

It made more sense to open a term deposit account specifically to cover any health care costs for the dog than to buy an insurance policy. At the time the interest rate was pretty good, then it was pretty bad and now it is improving again. The point is, at nine years of age, Louis has savings in a term deposit to cover probable costs for healthcare.

why i drink coffee at home

I love coffee, but I drink it black so I really taste it. Many coffee shops, cafes and restaurants make acceptable coffee if you add milk and maybe sugar, but black coffee leaves nowhere to hide. I rarely buy coffee when I’m out because it can vary from just drinkable to stewed, brewed, weak and when did they last clean that machine? I know how I dispose of stuff, but have no idea how commercial providers recycle their packaging and grounds. So, I drink coffee at home and drink herbal tea when I’m out, so long as it is made in a pot and not from a bag (many brands have plastic in them)

sorting christmas wrap and ribbons

It seems the thing now to reuse wrap and ribbons from Christmas time. Good. Just make sure you get wrapping paper with no plastic in it. Try scrunching the edge of the paper; if it says scrunched, it’s paper, if it springs back it has plastic in it. Don’t buy plastic or foil wrapping ! Similarly with ribbon; avoid all ribbons except fabric, woven ribbon which can be sprayed with water, ironed and reused, and reused probably for ever. Years ago I bought a roll of grosgrain ribbon on line and I’m still using the same roll, probably because I collect the ribbons when the gifts are all opened and iron them, ready for next year.

eating

Christmas week

So many families have traditions about the food they eat on special occasions. So, birthday cakes, matzoh ball soup, ham and turkey, pumpkin pie, hot cross buns and plum pudding and many other recipes feature for some families at different times . Christmas time as a child and now, means bowls of sweets around the house. It’s a Christmas thing and we enjoy it! Then a week after Christmas we’re back to most of our coloured food being fruit and vegetables, not confectionery.

crafts

A magazine I was reading had a list of pre-Christmas markets being held locally and those tantalizing words ‘ handcrafted textiles, original artwoks, fine art prints and ceramics’ really caught my attention. The very words suggest beautifully designed and produced pieces, each individual and special. I love looking around craft and art markets, but it’s the usual dilemma which stops me buying, those harsh words in my head, ‘but do you need it?’ Mostly, no, I don’t, but sometimes I buy because I really want it and usually those things remain while other things are sorted and deemed unnecessary.

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I like handmade arts and crafts, the individuality, the uniqueness and the fact each piece is hand designed and hand made. These pieces employ materials available in the local area which adds to their individuality and appeal. I enjoy looking at old artifacts in museums and books showing everyday utensils made by hand and used by several generations. At the moment I’m thinking about printing and am about to do a lino printing course. I actually have the lino and the necessary tools, but a class adds the input and ideas of others but most importantly, access to a printing press!

Image Pexels

Post pandemic articles often refer to the explosion of interest in hobbies. Confined at home but with access to tutorials and kits online, it was easy to explore or rekindle a craft. Kits to try every craft imaginable are easy to access. The internet is awash with painting and drawing tutorials. Lots of inspiration, too, encouraging people to make items that can be used in their own homes. The interest in making items for your own decor was so great after the television series ‘Escape to the Chateau’ hit our screens, that Angel, one of the couple restoring the chateau, created a line of her designs for sale and she and her husband Dick have a spinoff program about recycling furniture and making your own decorations. Her workroom looks very enticing!

Wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR, full of good health, good people and good fun!

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Six Things In Seven Days

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exercise

I go to the gym twice a week. I occasionally remind the sports physiologist who did my initial assessment and supervises my workout that my goal was to feel healthy and flexible, not to prepare for the next Olympic games. She just laughs and ups my weights and repetitions.

Image Pexels. Not me but I use this equipment at the gym. I don’t look like this super fit person!

Although I usually exceed my daily goal of 13 000 steps I am now more conscious of how often I am in the cardio/peak fat burning zone. An hour at the gym twice a week exceeds this goal. An hour of yoga each week offers no zone points but is wonderful for flexibility and relaxation. The recommended amount of time in the cardio zone for a week is 150 minutes.

blooming

Spring! Our flowers are wonderful. The roses have all recovered from chili thrip and are in full bloom. Roses, ranunculas, hippiastrums, alstromerias, geranium, nasturtiums and arum lilies plus clivias ar all flowering now. I have yellow and orange nasturtiums growing together and found I now have yellow nasturtiums with orange centres and stripes. The bees have been busy.

I also cut back the 22 year old spring onions for the second time since I planted them. They get a bit straggly after about ten years so I cut them down to the white bits and they’ve all regrown. Sweet, healthy little spring onions. So handy to add to so many things. Still picking snow peas, too, and a few tomatoes.

driving gloves

No, I am not going on a long journey, nor taking up rally driving! My husband recently came home after a long drive on a hot day and said his hands felt burnt. He decided to get some driving gloves to protect his hands during the heat of summer. As a fully paid up member of the melanoma family, I wanted some, too. I’d tried cotton gloves but they didn’t grip the steering wheel very well. Although I uses masses of sunscreen all the time, I also wash my hands a lot, so very little sunscreen remains.

Bought online, our gloves arrived quickly, fitted perfectly and do the job well!

painting

When we lived in China I learnt about the Chinese style of painting from a man we called The Master. Typically, he trained Chinese students to be artists. It was like an apprenticeship where he loaded his brush in a particular way, then the student copied. He’d make a mark on the rice paper, again, the student copied. This was very much the approach he took with his three or four “gweilo” women, too, which was very different from the way we were used to painting.

Until the last thirty years, Chinese painters often did an apprenticeship with a master, a recognised artist, then graduated to their own works, mostly in very traditional styles. These were often annotated with comments about the leaves, the mountain or other subjects. Recently I’ve seen a lot of Chinese artists’ work online and it is very different from the traditional themes and styles. Bold colours and often social commentary feature. I wonder what The Master thinks?

Last week I began a Chinese and Japanese painting course. I have worked with this tutor before, drawing from nature. She is very talented! Unfortunately, whatever I learnt in the past has disappeared. My bamboo leaves were fine, my bamboo stems not so good. Needs more work.

eating

Despite wanting to eat simple food this week I jumped at the opportunity to make Authentic German Frikadellen, German meat patties. Why? I’d accidentally bought bolognese mince, a mix of beef and pork and had no idea what to do with it. It’s just what this recipe required, so I gathered all the ingredients. We also had the required two slices of white bread bought to make curried egg sandwiches for visitors and promptly forgotten about lurking in the fridge. No waste! The only thing missing was marjoram, a spice. I try not to buy spices I’m unlikely to use again as I don’t think they last very long so I’d have to throw the remainder away. Tasted good without it, anyway.

Soaked the bread in milk for a few hours, then began the process. Fried the onion and garlic, added it to the other ingredients. My husband blended the mix by kneading everything together, as suggested in the recipe. We shaped nine quite generous sized patties from the mixture and browned them on high heat, then left them to cook through on a gentle heat. It was not included in the recipe online, but I used the pan juices to make gravy to serve with the patties.

We ate these wonderful patties with spicy Chinese cabbage and potato salad. A dab of mustard on top. We’ll have these patties again.

reading

Richard Osman has written three books The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice and the latest one The Bullet That Missed. It’s another wonderful tale about the inhabitants of an old peoples’ home who like to solve murders. All a bit improbable but very entertaining. Apparently he’s already working on number four. Good.

Do you have an author you really enjoy and eagerly await their next book?

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Living the Simple Life, Rubic Cubes, Packing and Dog Toys

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living the simple life

A week down south during the Margaret River Region Open Studios was great for seeing a huge range of artworks, but also interesting in other ways. Mostly, the artisans work from studios within or attached to their houses. So as well as hearing about their philosophies, motivations and work habits, you learn, in many cases, what makes their lives fulfilling and satisfying.

Image Upsplash

The artists we visited live in suburbia, on hilltops with nothing between the beach below and Antarctica, on small bush blocks and on working farms. Heavy winter rain means the southwest is lush and green with masses of arum lilies and many wild flowers beginning to bloom. This is a very beautiful area. ( The arum lilies are considered a weed and used to be sprayed every year but apparently not this year!)

The people I spoke to often referred to seeking simpler lives. My immediate image of the idealised simpler life is living on enough land to support chickens, a horse, a cow for milking and a large area for growing vegetables. This is not necessarily what everyone was seeking. Being without the constraints of traditional work hours, living in ‘off the grid’ houses, as often the usual services are not available, and reusing existing housing styled to suit their needs were common discussions. assorted-color paintbrush lot

Image Unsplash

Tending to vegetables and animals would eat into their working time, there’s amazing wild flowers in the bush, so why grow your own flowers, working digitally at times that suit their other interests provides sufficient income and there’s still small rural schools or school buses for their children if they’ve chosen to live out of town. These were people who had chosen to live simple lives by their own standards.

Many of the artists are tech savvy and you just swipe your card on a tiny machine to pay and a receipt pops up on your phone. Many of these people have taken what they really want to build simple, harmonious lives for themselves. They have created time to follow their artistic passions. Sometimes that’s creating amazing food, beautiful pieces of art, glorious gardens but only after they’ve had a surf !

This area is extremely diverse. There’s traditional farming, vineyards, breweries and distilleries, every imaginable type of accommodation, plus deer farming, olive oil production, patisseries and lavender products. There’s all sorts of little shops selling lovely things, views that stop you in your tracks and some of the most amazing houses. Plus lots of people living simple lives and achieving their artistic goals.

rubics cubes

Do you like this Rubics Cube birthday invitation?. The 3D puzzle cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Emö Rubic. He intended it to teach his students about three dimensional squares. Clever invitation, clever puzzle.

traveling

In a previous covid free time we liked to travel. My husband’s work meant he was frequently overseas, so our son and I would travel to spent time with him during every school break. I must have sewn and embroidered this drawstring bag for stowing slippers very early on as I soon adopted far less grand ways of packing. Not so pretty but very efficient.

Laughed photographing these slippers as we are currently sleeping under a zebra print rug and I have a leopard print dressing gown.

These boubouche, bought in Paris nearly 20 years ago have been worn and worn but despite looking a bit misshapen, still fit well.

I actually ended up with quite a few pairs of slippers. It was often customary to remove our outdoor shoes and wear socks or slippers indoors. I wore slippers until about four years ago when I left work and wanted footwear to suit every situation, indoors or outdoors, including long walks. I began wearing Skechers most days and my collection of slippers live unworn on a shelf. Not in a pretty drawstring bag!

We spent last week in Margaret River and I briefly contemplated the embroidered drawstring slipper bag, just like I considered a tailored, wool coat. The slipper bag stayed home as did the wool coat. The puffer jacket which came with us is light, warm and doesn’t need dry cleaning. Unfortunately it makes me feel like the Michelin man, a warm Michelin man but a very well padded one, too.

The zebra

When we’re not using the zebra print rug, Louis, our groodle likes to claim it as his own. He likes to spent hours asleep partially under it, only rousing himself if anyone comes to the door or he can smell things cooking. Any food aromas require instant investigation.

Seeing a very cute zebra toy in the pet section I bought it for Louis. He tolerated it being on the rug with him but them ignored it. He is very fond of soft toys and his reaction was a bit puzzling. Zebra has been totally ignored since he and Louis were introduced. I think it’s because zebra doesn’t squeak! I watched him chew zebra’s body, legs and head and getting no reaction, ignored him.

Body doesn’t squeak, legs don’t squeak, lost interest.

Did you watch the royal funeral?

A magnificent display of pomp and ceremony and an appropriate farewell to a remarkable person..

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Margaret River Region Open Studios 2022 and Farewell to the Queen

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open studios

Margaret River just before it enters the Indian Ocean. Later in the day the wind was so strong there were little waves on the river.

Margaret River, south of Perth, is well known for it’s vineyards, restaurants and amazing surf but it is also home for many talented creatives. The Margaret River Region Open Studios is a wonderful fortnight when 168 artisans in the region open their studios. Visitors can watch them working, admire their work, chat about the process and also buy their products. The region is divided into four areas. Just as well as the project actually covers a large area.

Lookout overlooking where Margaret River joins the Indian Ocean.

The four regions are Busselton and surrounds, Dunsborough and surrounds, Cowaramup and surrounds and Margaret River and surrounds. If you can spare the time, visiting one region each day and visiting about six studios seems to works best. Obviously, not everyone can commit five days including travel time if you’re outside the region, so it might be easier to focus on your particular interest.

Amongst the art works on display are paintings, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, textiles, glass making, woodwork, photography, hat making, printmaking and even tattoos. Some studios have more than one artist displaying their work.

All the information is online, but we prefer a paper copy. To begin refining our plans for the week my husband and I mark the studios we’d like to visit, then select our joint bchoices by negotiation! This year I wanted to revisit one studio we went to last year; I’ve often thought about the artist’s work and wished I bought one of his prints last year and intended to this year.

Adam Ashdown, the printmaker we revisited is an Gyotaki printmaker. This is an obscure form of 19th century Japanese printmaking begun about 100 years ago as a way for Japanese fishermen to record their catch. Using sumi ink they would coat one side of a freshly caught fish then carefully apply a sheet of rice paper before before rubbing it all over to print an exact copy of the fish.

I originally saw gyotaki fish prints in Dunsborough at Adam Ashdown’s open studio last year. Ashdown, the owner of Saltybones, has perfected gyotaki printing to record the fish caught locally around Dunsborough. Like the original Japanese printers, he also prints trophy fish for fishers pleased with the fish they’ve caught.

Leon Pericles is a well nationally and internationally. Visiting his studio and garden was a delight. He is a master printmaker, painter and sculptor with a wicked sense of humour. His displays and garden were so popular it was impossible to get photos but I photographed the entrance to his house and studio as I couldn’t capture the artwork, the whimsical landscaping nor the waterfall in the bush.

Another artist I first discovered years ago is Rebecca Cool. I have one of her paintings carefully stored somewhere but mislaid as we moved several times locally, then overseas and then returned to Western Australia and built a new house. By then we had the goods and chattels from four houses in storage and a container coming from overseas so many, many things are somewhere safe, but just where is a bit of a mystery.

Apart from her artworks, Cool has illustrated several children’s books and has two more being published soon. Cheerful, happy pictures.

Milliner Kimberley Box makes a dashing range of ladies fur felt hats. Gorgeous designs and interesting to talk to her about becoming a hat maker. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back to see her next year!

A collection of lasts and feathers and other decorations.

.There’s an enormous number of accommodation options in the south west. Putting up a tent is probably not one of them! This is the coldest I have ever been down here. There’s motels, hostels, many bed and breakfast places, resorts and lots of holiday houses to rent but you might need to book well ahead. Unfortunately, due to post Covid extreme staff shortages, finding venues open at lunchtime is tricky but most of the well known cafes and restaurants in towns and vineyards are open in the evening. There’s several supermarkets, lots of bakeries and light meals available in coffee shops.

HM Queen Elizabeth 11.

Image depositphotos.com

The Queen is dead, Long Live the King! A cry not heard since the death of Queen Victoria nearly 120 years ago. So much has changed profoundly in that time. For most Australians the Queen is the only Head of State we have known. Stability and certainty are reassuring during troubled times and our Queen will be sadly missed.

The best tribute was expressed by Paddington Bear, “Thank You Ma’am, for Everything.”

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Six Signs of Spring, Father’s Day Weekend , Roses and Snow Peas

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you know it’s spring when…

The dawn chorus wakes you up! There’s birds everywhere. The pair of white cheeked honey eaters nesting in our garden is loud and energetic.

The days are noticably warmer by mid morning although the evenings can still be cool. There’s still rain every few days so the spring garden (and weeds) thrive.

Suddenly the shops are full of summer clothes.

There’s so many people outdoors, walking, riding, picnicking and just sitting in the sun in the middle of the day.

woman leaning on white table

unsplash

All the bare, deciduous trees are sprouting lime green fresh leaves.

gray pathway between green trees during daytime

Unsplash

In Western Australia there’s another thing too; everyone remarks on how bad their hay fever is, how their eyes itch, their noses run and their sinuses hurt! Caused by the prolific number of wildflowers which grow in our bush and grasslands.

father’s day

On Sunday 4th September we celebrated Father’s Day in Australia. Our son arrived Friday night from Kalgoorlie and stayed until Monday morning which was lovely! When he arrives we like to go to our favourite yum cha restaurant. We sit and chat, eat delicious little bites and drink tea and really enjoy being together.

I made apple muffins for afternoon tea as no one wanted lunch after yum cha. Neither breakfast nor lunch, yum cha is eaten mid morning as brunch.

My husband likes Zwiebelkkuchen, German Onion Pie. It tastes best made the day before you plan eating it. A delicious mixture of egg, bacon and onion, obviously, it also has sour cream, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. It is most often made in a pastry shell, but we prefer it without the pastry. So this was our Father’s Day breakfast on Sunday.

Rich and delicious served with a spicy fruit chutney and tomato.

For lunch I made a family favourite; Lasagne. I know everyone has their favourite recipe but I make the one on the back of the lasagne sheet box! It always turns out well, rich in flavour and looking superb when it comes out of the oven. The leftovers made two more meals for us and I think the flavour became richer each time.

I had also made a lemon meringue pie for dessert but we had it later in the day. I make my own version of Pâte Brisée, an all purpose pastry. I don’t know where I got the recipe but I’ve made it for years and it never fails.

There was some pastry leftover and because I try not to waste food, I lined a pie dish with the off cuts after I’d rolled them into a ball and made another pie!

The lemons were from a neighbour and were fresh and tart. The pie was quite rich, too, so I served it with cut up strawberries, pears and apples. I look forward to the citrus season every year and enjoy the fruit in both sweet and savoury dishes. I don’t really like oranges but love the smell of both mandarins and oranges and waft the scent of both around the house or burn an orange scented candle.

spring roses and snow peas

Do you live in the southern hemisphere? After a very wet and cold winter the onset of spring weather is very welcome. After two years of battling chili thrip which decimated our roses, I am very pleased with these highly scented, big unblemished blooms on the Holterman’s Gold rose bush. The other roses doing well now are Glamis Castle and the red Pierre de Ronsard. Pretty, scented and long lasting as cut flowers, they are the first of the spring roses to bloom.

Snow peas have done well, too, so a little crop to be harvested every couple of days. Picked, washed, added to leftover German Onion Pie with some fruit chutney for lunch another day.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

Our son presented me with a box. The outside hinted at the contents! Chocolate and licorice, perfect things to find in a box. During the pandemic there was a push to Buy From The Bush as passing traffic ceased. These small businesses struggled to survive, so promoted their products online if they had reliable broadband. Many of us sought rural suppliers during this time. Lucky me! A big box of organic licorice and chocolates was my surprise from Junee in rural NSW.

It is with great sadness we acknowledge the death of Queen Elizabeth 11.

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