Things I Never Thought I Would See ...

I opened this slightly weird week by seeing a dog drive a car

seriously

I was getting the bags from the back of the car at the grocery shop

when out of the corner of my eye I saw a car gently rolling across the car park

which is unusual enough but add to that there was a dog sitting very calmly in the drivers seat

and I was fairly gob smacked... so what did I do

I stood and giggled... I mean come on there was a dog driving a car

 it kept rolling until it came to rest against a now slightly crumpled BMW SUV

the dog continued to sit there tongue out  and looking fairly pleased with itself

turns out he wasn't much of a driver because there were plenty of older cars he could have come to rest against, but no he picked the newest and shiniest to act as his brake

I realized there was another witness to this madness because there was an elderly gentleman laughing so hard that he could barely speak

eventually he stopped laughing and all he could choke out was

that dog is a rubbish driver ...

 no kidding that is what he said

anyway I have no clue how it all turned out because he said he would wait and tell the driver what happened because he wanted to shake the hand of the dog

he seemed so amused by the whole thing that I left him to it

of course I couldn't wait to tell Sinus and Phantom,

though they took some convincing that I had seen a dog drive

Next on the list of things I never thought I would see is the laundry room floor

the great wall of washing is no more because it turns out that I am not the only one capable of making the washing machine work

Sinus and Phantom have stepped in and done some washing to help out

when I am laid up by the dreaded chemo and it turns out it isn't that hard

well as long as you don't mind a few misshapen clothes 

and some creatively tie dyed numbers as a result or mixing colours and whites

not to mention the poor washer has danced across the floor so often due to uneven loads 

I have renamed it John Travolta

but the great wall is gone and that is quite something

The final thing I never thought I would see is that I finally lost my rogue hair

due to the onslaught of chemo I lost my locks months ago now

but there was one random very grey hair that stubbornly hung on behind my ear

not one of the really long past my shoulder type hairs thank goodness

that would have looked very odd

but a shortish single grey hair ... It may sound a bit weird but I was quite fond of that grey hair

and the tenacity it showed so I named him Nigel

not for Nigel over at freebird... that would be oddly inappropriate

but Nigel as in Nigel No Mates

but this week I woke to find poor Nigel had finally given up the ghost

and was lying forlornly on my pillow

poor Nige ... he was a good hair

So it has been a week of odd happenings

so I am also posting the odd drawings I have done in my sketchbooks this week

did I paint a dog driving a car ... no

or a washer named John Travolta ... nope

or a lone tenacious hair that deserved to be immortalized for hanging in there for so long... sadly even poor Nigel didn't get a look in

instead I painted my water well pens, some masking fluid

and the Buddha wall hanging from outside... 

which like everything else this week is a combination I never thought I would see...

happy painting all... xx

Endings And Beginnings ...

This week has been all about endings and beginnings

Sinus man said goodbye to 45 and a big hello to 46

and 46 suits him very well I have to say... 

the flowers I got last week gave up the ghost

but not before I got the painting finished

but then I got to say a big hello to some new blooms

they weren't for me mind you but for our precious daughter, Phantom Steve

who is graduating high school today

that is a big ending and beginning right...

The blooms were from Super Aunty Karyn Happy Feet

who sent them to her niece as a congratulations for scooping 7 different awards

at her final speech night

which means Phants is going out covered in glory and magnificence

she can't tell the difference between a grasshopper and a lobster

and she can't even spell geography let alone find anything on a map

but her brilliantly stupid genius is boundless and I can't express how proud we are of her

as a nice little side bonus for me I get to paint her well deserved flowers

and I am thinking I may just use my new Golden flows

another new beginning... no ending to go with it... just lovely little pots of colour

The colours are just perfect for these blooms,so nice work Karyn Happy Feet

and if you are wondering why my sister has the name happy feet

it is because she took the unprecedented step of wearing bright pink shoes 

to her youngest son, Tim's, formal last night

now Karyn is not known to wear girly gear at all

her daughter Grace is another matter all together

 she was born for pink and leaves a trail of glitter in her wake that is legendary

however Karyn in pink shoes with blooms on them are the least likely shoe choice... ever

but they looked magnificent and she pulled them off with style

Tim looked suitably handsome of course and he is graduating today as well

albeit two and a half hours away, but sharing a graduation day with his cousin is kinda cool

and I am insanely proud of them both

Now I don't get Super Aunt status because what did I send Tim???

Nada... nothing... bumpkis... bad aunt... 

doesn't mean I don't love him to bits

or that I am not embarrassingly gushy about the creative, interesting and caring young man Tim has become

I am just a slack ass at these sorts of things

so happy graduation to Tim and Phantom Steve 

hope you both enjoy the big ending today

and wake up tomorrow full of excitement of the new beginnings... xx

Back In The Studio.... Finally ....

Feels awesome to be back in the studio after the longest break I have taken in years

weeks without painting and drawing have taken quite the toll on my sanity

and before you all snort and scoff that I was ever completely sane

I admit it is all relative, though I have been a touch loopier than normal lately

But  luckily there is something about the scratch of a pen on paper

the smell of the paints, splotching them on the palette

the swish of the paint brush in the water container 

that calms the brain and makes all seem a little bit more manageable

even cancer and chemo are easier to take with a brush in my hand

it is totally the best therapy around

More great therapy is having amazing flowers delivered 

and these crazy gorgeous blooms from my sister in law Kris are stunning

I love these lilies which smell so diving

and they are a favourite to draw though I haven't attempted them in a while

but I jumped in and was hugely and happily surprised that I still had some skills

There is always that moment when the pen pauses

and you wonder if you have suddenly forgotten how to draw

I almost resorted to using a pencil for a minute

but in the end I couldn't be assed hunting one down so I ended up with this pen drawing

which I was thrilled with... maybe the break was a good thing all round

I was quite excited to get started on it this morning

and then I glanced up and saw one I had drawn a few years ago

and was completely overcome by panic that I wouldn't be able to capture it as well

I used watercolours and prismacolour pencils and it is a bit of a favourite

and it is right there front and centre gazing down at me from the studio wall

just daring me to do a crap job of the new one

so with rather uncharacteristic restraint

I decided to maybe do some painting on something else first and not risk ruining the drawing

so I painted up the last drawing I had completed before my enforced break

which was an ever so fascinating view of my kitchen window

hardly that thrilling I know but a good way to ease back into paint mode

and while the end result may not be my most light handed piece

it was sound enough to restore some confidence so I jumped in to the lilies

layer one all good ... 

and layer two came along pretty well too

and that is as far as I have gotten with it at this stage

because it is on the last layer that it could all go terribly wrong

so I am going to go and make another cup of tea and fortify myself with some chocolate

and attack it while the painting gods are being kind

happy painting all ... xx

PS ...  thanks so much to all of you who have been sending cards and messages and emails

you have been such amazing support and have kept a smile on my face through this whole horrible mess... seriously you are all gloriously amazingly perfect people to have in my life and I am grateful for each and every one of you... xx