Christmas Day

Wow! So much snow!

I hadn't skied before, but what an experience.

Enjoyed a week skiing in temperatures ranging from - 6 degrees to -20 up on top of the mountain. All a bit of a shock after leaving temps of 38 in Australia.
I was really proud of myself after skiing 6kms down a mountain on the third day and 14kms on the last day. I had numerous falls and acquired heaps of bruises. I was really scared when going so fast and out of control but it was a fantastic experience and I plan to ski again, next time in Australia.

Sussex Coastline

Seven Sisters

Eastbourne Pier

Here are some pics I took on my first day here in UK. It so strange the short days, it doesnt get light till 8am and the sunsets at about 4pm. I haven't experienced a winter in England for 25yrs.

I have had to shop for some extra warm clothes and borrow some from family. At the weekend, when I left Australia it was 38 degrees. On Sunday morning I went to the beach. The sand was glaringly white, the water was turquoise and crystal clear. Now a few days later I'm walking along a shore of coloured pebbles, dressed in thick clothes, scarf, hat & gloves.

Off Travelling Again

Leaving Perth for the UK. This is the coastline looking towards Fremantle.

Playing with Clay

These are some earrings that I made when I had a play with clay about a week ago. I had arranged a playday with May Bartrum who has been spending some time in WA. Unfortunately May couldn't make it so I played on my own.

Visitors

Its strange how life deals out the cards. I've been dealt some pretty low ones over the last 18 months, but just when I felt I'd been dealt a few more low cards, along comes the ace to bring me a high.
My brother, Alan is arriving this week to help me organise the irrigation system that waters the 2,700 citrus trees that I have on the farm. The trees have to be watered adequetely through the long Australian summer. It's a big job and one that I felt I couldn't manage on my own.
My family and my friends have been a fantastic support since I was left to manage the farm. My neice, Becky and her boyfriend, Paul have recently gone back to UK after staying on the farm and helping for 5 months. They took on the challenge of managing my market stall and carrot business extremely well and this enabled me to visit the States and attend workshops,classes and a conference with top US artists.
I have another visitor recently, a cat that mewed at my back door for 2 days, until I finally gave in and fed her. I think she may have been adandoned as she is so affectionate and gets on well with my dog Tess. The pic is of Becky and Rhonda..........we called her Roger to start with, being a lodger. Later we found he was a she, so we named her Rhonda after the Beach Boys song 'Help Help me Rhonda".

Topsy Turvy Again

Where does "Topsy Turvy" expression come from? Anyone know?
As I thought of writing in my blog after another break, I am finding my life once again turned upside down, I thought of the title "Topsy Turvy".

Recently I had a plan in place that would allow me to have time to be creative and smell the roses, it wasn't to be. Now I am back working on the farm and my creative side has once again been put on hold.

Any creative project I now make is well thoughout as I drive my truck delivering fruit or vegetables. As I drive I think about what I will make when I get some time in my studio. Creative time is precious.

Sydney

I arrived in Sydney with a suitcase full of tools for my workshops and a few clothes that I threw in at the last minute. The first day I was teaching it was 33 degrees. Phew! Still it gave me an excuse to go shopping.... lol. I did an interesting workshop where I gave the students screens that were coated with photo emulsion. Designs were placed ontop and exposed to a light source, either the sun or a lamp. The lamp took up alot of room in my suitcase. Once the screens were washed and dried we started printing. It was alot of fun.

More of Tehachapi

Klew in her studio

Klew's shop

Taco lunch

Tehachaphi countryside

Back from USA

What a fantastic trip I 've had. Met some lovely people, learnt so much...........wow!

After checking out Los Angeles, we drove to Tehachapi for a few days workshops with Karen Lewis alias "Klew". She and her husband, Carl showed us such warmth and hospitality. Jen and I are pictured here on July 4th, Indepenence Day. We were invited to share their family BBQ.
This is me concentrating and cutting a translucent polymer cane that I had made with Klew.

We worked at making translucent canes and covering a base bead. This one of the beads in progress.

One Klew's amazing beads.

USA here I come!

Two more sleeps and I'm off to America for a holiday. It's been a year now since my husband left me and it's been sooo hard but I think I'm coming through it and who knows the direction my life will now go. I am visiting several artists in USA and attending the PMC conference at Purdue, Chicago. It's really exciting to be part of this conference and meeting so many people interested in this medium. I am travelling to New York after the conference and going to see the musical "Wicked". I'll try and update my blog more frequently but the last 12 months have been a nightmare. I have been working hard on the farm trying to keep it all together with the help of family and friends.

Extruder Beads

I use this wonderful tool a great deal when I'm playing with clay. It's the Makins Ultimate Clay Extruder and I sell it for $40 AUS. Please contact me if you would like one. The pics are of a couple of pendants I made. The Extruder is so easy to use and gives fantastic results.

Where I live

These are a couple of pics of my home. This is luxury compared with the partially renovated farm house where I have been living for the last eighteen years with no kitchen, no laundry and no inside toilet.

Paverpol Figure

I've been playing with Paverpol as it's used in the Contempory Clays Instructors Programme that I'm involved in. This figure was a present for my sister to place in her garden. Fabric soaked in Paverpol becomes rock hard and weatherproof.

Lunch

A very good friend visiting Perth, invited me to lunch. I saw on the menu the controversial Patagonian toothfish, so decided to try it out, hoping this was all 'legal'.

The Patagonian toothfish is considered one of the tastiest fish you can buy. It has distinctive white flesh, high in oils with an even texture. The main customers are Japan (where it is known as mero) and the USA (where it is known as Chilean sea bass).

Patagonian Toothfish (Antarctic sea bass)The Patagonian toothfish may not be the most beautiful creature you've ever seen but it is a truly remarkable fish. Of the 20,000 known species of fish in the world, only 120 live in the Southern Ocean. Throughout the past 40 million years they have adapted to the freezing conditions by developing a special 'antifreeze' component in their body fluids. Antarctic fish are especially vulnerable to overfishing because most species take a long time to become sexually mature and are long lived.

"The Verdict".................it was yummy.