I have not been wasting my time as you can see. One Acrylic, one pastel and one water colour.

The day I was due to go into hospital for surgery I fancied doing a water colour - something I haven't done for about 40 years or so. After I returned home the urge to do watercolour is still there, so I have completed another one and working on a new one. My acrylics have been set aside for the time being. By the way the surgery went well and I was home in a week. All tests come back negative for cancer so it's a big weight off my mind.

Painting

I am enjoying spending more time at my easle painting. The lessons have been most helpfull. I have to give them up for a short while because life has become too busy - away when the lessons are scheduled, and it looks like I will have to have a little surgery soon. If you view Secher's blog (one of the blogs I follow) then you will be able to see how I have been keeping myself busy and some of the paintings I have created with the help of my tutor.

Taking Lessons

I've decided to take some painting lessons and feel that after just one lesson I am already moving ahead a little. This is my rendition of my header page of a sunset in my local area. Hope the teacher is happy with it when I go back later this week. I feel the lessons are just what I need to put me in the right frame to do a little more than I have been doing of late. I didn't make any New Years resolutions but as well as taking some painting lessons, I have joined a choir. We, the GD and I have also informed our families, that for about the 2nd time in our married life we will not be hosting Christmas this year as we have booked a cruise so that we can be waited on for a change. I think the children and their attachments have got the message that we are getting older and more stressed about taking care of everything at that time of year. We've already received offers that the following year they will do their bit. I think they all took it in tahe manner it was intended. It's been a busy health month what with "skin Scan", "breast scan", "lung capacity test" - thank God the colonoscopy wasn't due this month. Not really complaining - all these things halp keep us on this precious earth a little longer than we might have. I went to the funeral of a card playing friend this week. Seems like only yesterday she was having a good laugh during our 500 game just before Christmas and now she's gone. Even though she was quite a few years older than me it make one realize their vulnerability.
Ain't it a buggar gettin' old?
We're flying south in a couple of weeks for a happy celebration when my son and his partner tie the knot. We'll be pleased to have her as a welcome member to our family.
Thank goodness we have had a little relief from the heat and dry conditions with a couple of wet days, though some areas near by have had a little more than they wanted with some local flooding.
Well, back to the paintbrush - gotta keep this momentum goint.

Our Christmas Day was a quiet day with just the one of my sons up from NSW, the GD and me. The GD prepared a delicious dinner of roast duck. The three of us had no trouble at all comsuming the lot. It was however a very busy holiday weekend. My son returned to his home, leaving in the early hours of Boxing Day. Off with the linen, in the WM and back on the bed for the arrival of our house guests. One couple in the guest bedroom and another couple in the studio. It was a stinking hot day so before lunch (table all prepared in the above photo) we spent a little while in the pool. Lunch was a typical Danish Smorgasboard (spelling?). We have catered for up to about 20 friends on some of our traditional Boxing Day lunches but it was only a small gathering this year. Some of our friends who are usually with us were away for the Christmas/New Year Holiday period this year so were unable to be with us. We are also getting just that little bit older and just don't feel we can survive a big gathering any more. It was a most enjoyable day with the usual Danish Schnapps with the pickled herrings and then other cold cuts with everyones favourite tipple. After a long lunch it was time for a nap to recharge, then another dip in the pool followed by sundowners, before we settled down outside for a BBQ. The rain looked like it was going to send us indoors but it held off long enough for us to enjoy our sausage and salads and a few more drinks. The weather looked like it might get serious so we adjourned to the living room for a fun evening of Trivial Persuits. GB from the farm was the winner. The GD cooked us all bacon and eggs and toast for breaky. Then our guests hit the road and all made it home safely.
Since then the GD has been busy in his garden when the weather is not too hot and I have almost finished another painting.
Prayers for rain have been answered and we have had some good falls over the last week. It's been enough to top up the pool and fill our fresh water tanks. We've actually switched over from town water to using the tank water throughout the house as it looks like there is more rain to come.
We had a very quiet New Years Eve, staying awake till midnight to watch the fireworks from Sydney on the TV.
I took down the Christmas tree yesterday and packed it away. It's back to business as usual.

Hope everyone has a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2010.

Another hot dry day in our neighbourhood. Just had our Nana nap and feeling at a loose end. I usually go and play cards on Thursday and my body clock says I shouldn't be at home today. We had the family gathering last night for Xmas Eve. We've had it early this year to fit in with having the most family able to be here together at any given time close to Christmas. 9 our of 23 of immediate family was the best we could manage. It's a shame so many of the family live so far away. It was a great evening with all the trimmings you might find on a Scandinavian table for Christmas eve. All cooked by the GD. As usual the almond in the Ricecream ensured that all the desert was eaten before the almond was revealed by one of the family, who with great difficulty had managed to conceal it in her mouth till everyone had their fill. The GD then donned the Santa hat and handed out the presents from under the tree. It will now be a very quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with one of our sons visiting from down south, the GD and I. The son will leave on Boxing day and four friends will arrive to spend Boxing day and overnight with us. A couple more people will also join us for Boxing day lunch. One of the nicest things I like about Christmas is receiving Christmas cards and Christmas letters from friends describing their year's activities, many of these from all around the world, we only hear from at Christmas. At our age it's nice to know they are still with us. It's always sad though to receive a card that tells of the loss of a loved one.

The photo is of too helpfull elves (two grandchildren) who visited a couple of weeks ago and helped to decorate the Christmas tree.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

At last, I feel like I'm getting somewhere with all things Christmas. It's been a mad rush this year and I still have a couple of gifts to get. The chore of wrapping, finding boxes to fit and posting presents is just about done. I'm sure it would be so much easier if the family were close by, but they are scattered all over this wide brown land. The tree is up and as we are expecting a couple of the younger grandchildren through the week for a visit, I thought I would leave the decoration of the tree till they were here. They liked having that job last christmas if I remember correctly. We might have one of the immediate family with us for Xmas but waiting for confirmation. We also look like having an early Christmas Eve celebration to fit in with some family who will be away visiting other members of their family before Christmas. Gee it gets complicated when there are split families to gather around. With some luck the GD might get some christmas lights up tomorrow but since we both have to go to skinscan tomorrow it might not happen. I have to have a sunspot cut out of my hand and one on my temple. Not looking forward to that. We spent the weekend before last up the coast for a surprise 70th birthday party and then had the guest of honour as our guest with his wife for a couple of days early last week. As usual the challange of the Rummykub took place along with a little of "the creature" (Yule Schnapps). I didn't win. We are feeding two Kookaburras now but only irregularly as we don't want them to become dependant on our feeding. We need rain badly in this part of paradise so if you are having more than your share please send some our way.