a landscape and a lonely shoe

Two more lino cuts - a little landscape using different cuts and a two cut (for two colour) peacock. Both fun to do

Meanwhile a few photos from a little reserve at the bottom of our street -

 One only, so your guess is as good as mine...

The differents stages of the banksia flower

Flowers and fruit of a pomegranite - not sure whether it was ever planted, or is self sown, but it is quite large now with good size fruit.


From the garden - I think this takes the cake - or rather the cacti! I quite like having the blackbirds around, though they do make a mess of the pathways as they dig around the edges of the beds. I got quite a surprise yesterdaythough, when I found this pot...

which I had only planted the day before, with the contents gone, and the surface all scratched over. I suspect (or dare I say hope) the culprit bit off more than he could chew, because the contents were no where to be seen, and it was a couple of these small cacti 

 

 that I had planted in the pot!

a quick and easy art folio carrier and a superb singer

With the art classes I'm taking and my homework/practice I seem to have a growing pile of paper, sketching pads, pencils and charcoals etc so I thought I should find somewhere or something to keep them all together. A reusable carrybag I have been taking to classes isn't really big enough (and I'm not keen on advertising that telco anyway) so I decided to convert a small quilt into a bag. The quilt was a very early one, made in 1994. It spent many years on the wall, but has more recently been folded in the cupboard. So - I stitched a couple of pockets on the inside, folded it in half and stitched up the ends (sides). I attached a couple of recycled bag straps (from the 'that might be useful' collection) for handles, and there you have it, my rather flash art folio carrier -

 

I did this on Friday morning, and later that day set out to attend the opening night of WOMADelaide. The weather was perfect without any of the projected possible rain, and we entered Botanic Park to a raucous white cockatoo chorus from some hundreds of birds in the trees on Frome Road. They, fortunately, moved on or went to sleep by the time the performances started.
Just through the entrance gate was some more screeching and we looked up to see a large colony of bats flying high and settling into the treetops above some of the colourful flags.

There were lots of fabulous textiles in the global marketplace

and some colourful and creative decorative pieces in the trees including this

 

  and these dream catchers

 

Saw (or heard) several performances as we wandered around and I really enjoyed the New York band Hazmat Modine,  and The Spooky Mens Chorale from New South Wales. The event I particularly went to see was Angelique Kidjo performing with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. All I can say is brilliant. She is amazing and her voice incredible.

 

...and this just says where it was. I thought I did quite well with my point and click...
I'd like to have attended all weekend, though I doubt any performance could top that of Angelique Kidjo.
          

a little mending in mad March

I can report some stitching this week, but it was of necessity, not anything creative or inspiring. I replaced a zip in a handbag for my daughter, though for the time it took I could have stitched a new bag! It is a carry all shoulder bag that she originally requested and designed some years ago for everyday use and travelling. I get to make a new one as they wear out. She left it with a soulful "Mum, can you fix this?" when she visited a couple of weeks back, so I thought I'd better have a go.

Apart from that I'm still busy with art and lino cutting classes. I am enjoying both without any particular projects in mind - just new techniques and posibilities for future work. These pictures show different types of cut, and a single colour print, a two colour print and a three layer print

Managed to eat out a couple of times during Rachel's visit (can highly recommend The Salpopian Inn at Mclaren Vale  salopian.com.au/    and Little nnq on Gouger Streert  www.nnq.com.au/littlennq/  ) and we spent some time at our splendid Monarto Zoo  www.monartozoo.com.au 

 the sentinel meerkat

 hungry chimps

 deer in the shade, seeming so delicate

 giraffes v the bus - seeing things in proportion

 white rhino and baby

 hyena in top condition

 and laid back lions after dinner

 Adelaide is very much alive at the moment - mad March we call it, but it begins in February (or you might even say January, with the Tour Down Under Cycling) as the city hosts The Fringe Festival, The Festival of Arts, Writers Week, WOMAdelaide, the Clipsal 500 race and possibly some I have forgotten. I'm going to WOMAD on Friday but won't get to much else.  I can report that I did see a race car on Friday - I had a dental appointment in the city and the track (which is on city streets) passed nearby. Through a break in the screening I got this shot - would make a good ad for the fencing people or Holden!

The folk on the balcony and this camera crew had a much better view though

 Saw this very effective CD curtain on North Terrace, but I was nearly past the reflective point when I got the photo

and the front of the Art Gallery looked splendid in the filtered sunlight. They do generally hang advertising banners on the front, but these seemed particularly bright and colourful.

The weather lately has been very hot and humid (for Adelaide) with some thundery showers. The blue skies and fluffy white clouds have been picture perfect

 The sunrise yesterday

 and rainbow in the opposite sky foretold some showers

From the garden, the birds have eaten the tomatoes (learning to take them at just colouring stage to beat me) but fortunately they've left the capsicums and eggplants! And this is a photo of heat stressed bay leaves - quite beautiful I think, with very interesting marking.