Jess and the hose.

Wa hoo!  Millie got into Elam!  I don't care if she changes her mind and doesn't want to go... it is the getting in that counts!  I love this photo she took of our dog Jess.  Millie is very clever with her photography. I love how she can capture the essence of the subject.

The 'project' and thinking about spaces.

Lately I have been considering the spaces we live in and how we use them.  Here are four photos.  Each are part of a pair. (Before and after). Before we moved in and now we are here in this place.  I tried to take them from the same angle as the first photo. Both these are of the dining room.  It is interesting to consider how we as humans use the space we live in. Also how spaces change over time and with fashion.  These photos of the same room are taken 18 months apart. There are many changes to make still.  The initial changes on the house have been cosmetic... recycling and upcycling where possible.

New Rats or are they 'Foxies'?

This rat is in 'Kina'. (A craft and design store in town).  It hasn't sold yet.  Sonja who works there rang and said people don't like the idea of rats....and suggested I change the name to 'foxies'.  I resisted because these rats came about in memory to the rat that died in our ceiling. (See an older post). When I have more work to drop in I will pick him up and bring him home. He can keep me company in the studio.

Aunty's row boat.

My Aunty has always had a thing for row boats. I have done chalk drawings for her of them and a few years ago made this row boat.  It was one of the first things I made in clay.  The wood tech teacher where I worked helped me fashion the oars.  I like it now. I like it's imperfections.

Caravans for fun!

As my dilemmas continue about the caravan 'do-up'.....I found another couple of pictures that tickled my fancy.  Have you ever heard of the saying 'Trailer Trash'? It is a saying that has always made me giggle!   ANYWAY....I have decided to leave the Elk baby pretty original.  Easy to change my mind later but not so easy to go back if I have painted etc.  We are going away in the new year for a week in her.  That should help us resolve what to do. I have sewn new curtains out of some 1970's tea towels.

Moving stuff on!

Sometimes it is good to clear out stuff and move it on !? Make room for the new. Due to way too little time to create lately and the need to put work in a local exhibition I have had to look again at work I have up around the house that could be used. I have got so used to some of the work that I don't really notice them anymore. I have had to step back and try to see them in a more critical light.  Up to now I have tried to keep one work from each stage I have gone through.  The exhibition is timed to be on during world cup games and is called 'The Blue Line'. I like this title.  It is called this due the the blue line our local council has painted along the footpath to led visitors for the world cup from the centre of town to the stadium. A distance of about three kilometres. Quirky little idea!

More snow Photos!

Worth putting here for the family record! A once in a life time event. SOOOO 'cool' and wet and cold...

The Big snow.

A few weeks back we had the once in 50 years snow fall. AMAZING. It suddenly started about 6.30 a.m and we were guttered to have to head off to work around 7.30 a.m. We all desperately hoped it would still be snowing when we got home late afternoon.....but it wasn't. In the morning it just covered the fields for miles and miles around.  The bit I liked the most was the eiree silence that accompanied it. And it was so pretty.
A few weeks on, I am cursing how it has killed all my plants that had just started getting their spring growth. The Taro, Canna lillies and Puka trees have been especially hard hit.
On, what shall now be forever called the 'snow morning', I did curse and hiss alot. It was bitterly cold in the early morning trying to get covers on the horses with the snow being driven in horizontally in the dark...trying to do the cattle etc, get to school/work and get my class of new entrants on a trip to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery by 9.00 a.m AND then discovering me and my daughter had head lice as we left home (for the 20 minute drive into town)! Oh the perils of teaching!

Caravans

I am about to get the caravan out and spruce it up.  Do I leave it as it is... or do I fancy it up?  Such a dilemma. Last year I took these photos of caravans.  The top image I took in Arrow town and the bottom one in Wellington. Our Caravan is a 1976 Elk/Sprite.  It has yellow upholstery and cream vinyl.  The exterior is baby blue.  I love the caravan.