A Few Things

~ Here I am, back blogging and doodling in my journal after a few weeks break from all things creative. Thoughts of a new painting have been pestering me lately, so it might now be time to get back to it all. This one was the last one painted, it seems like months ago! It's been good to have a break and it's given me the opportunity to think about what I am creating and what I might do differently.

~ Yesterday I had fun watching 'Julie & Julia' at the movies - a warm and funny movie. I loved seeing the streets of Paris - the bread, the cheeses, the wine - and came out of the movie feeling very hungry! Julia Child's upbeat character was irrepressible, considering she must have had a kitchen sink full of pots and pans to wash up each night! A joyful creative!

~ And lucky me! I won a prize from Sandy over at the dreaming cafe last week - a free copy of Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles? Something to look forward to in the post. I have not been so much blocked as pre-occupied with other things. Still, it will be interesting to see what Steve Pressfield has to say.

The Humming Tree

Last week I managed to misjudge the stairs and did a spectacular, flying leap, landing heavily on my ankle and knee. Swollen, sore, bruised... Since then, I have spent a lot of time sitting down with my leg iced and raised up on pillows. The weekend was cold and wet, so I haven't felt too bad about languishing inside watching movies.

Today I'm feeling like things are mending and made a trip to the nursery to buy some more spring herbs to plant in the garden. Basil, coriander, thyme and grape tomatoes. Tomorrow, the garden...

The weather has been crazy, but Spring keeps on coming. The Crab Apple tree is in bloom and the bees are going berserk in the tree (whose name I don't know) out the front of my house. It is loaded with tiny bunches of green, nectar filled flowers and the whole tree hums and vibrates, the grass below a carpet of drunken bees.

This and That

I planted these nasturtiums in a sunny hot spot where they can rub shoulders with parsley and sage. They all seem to like it there.

Outside my window steady rain is falling, washing off all the red dust that settled over everything during last weeks dust storms. Snails are out and about and everything smells fresh. Nature knows just how to restore the balance.

Today is my son's 16th birthday and I have baked a wicked chocolate torte for his birthday cake MMmm. I'm looking forward to icing and decorating it with little chocolate buds and strawberries. The tiny baby with skinny legs who failed to put on weight when he was first born has now grown into a tall, strong, active teenager. I am so proud of him, I could burst!

I am still travelling through a funny phase where I am not feeling very creative. A weird feeling. So for now, I go with the flow, thinking maybe I need to 'fill the well'. Next week I am going with my sisters to see the Blake Prize, 'the oldest art prize in Australia dedicated to spirituality, religion and cultural diversity'. Just in time to stimulate some creative juices!