Return of the prodigal blogger...

A significant period of time has passed since I was last here. Twas never meant to be that way - it just evolved. Summer visited with vengence - forcing all ex-pats to flee the stinging heat. A flurry of activity in the old country. Some happy occurrances and some sad and unexpected events. This is life. It strikes whether we are strong or vulnerable, rich or poor. The beauty of it all is its cyclic nature and reassurance that if we are down, we must surely come up - and vice versa.


My greatest joy, after the summer exodus, was to discover that I am happy where I am. This may not be my location of choice. I may not have the privileges experienced and taken for granted in my previous life. But...I am happy. What a huge relief it was to feel and say it out loud. The return to my old life - for a few short weeks (which actually felt quite long) provided time for observation and reflection. Life, lived unconsciously, isn't as it seems. I'm awake now. And I'm so very grateful for all that is true in my life.

Agenda...

Item one - withdrawal from Every Day in May challenge.

I tried. I tried for at least...oooh, four days. Or was that four posts. Anyway, it all became too hard. The scanner made me madder than a crazy lady in a bee hive. Where on earth did that come from??? Oh well, it's working for me. So, being mad AND being very busy just didn't support the EVERY Day in May challenge. So this is my letter of withdrawal. Without penalty.

Item two - things I love

I wanted to share some of the beautiful things I love. The things that keep me from true insanity. Not the insanity I suffer each day that is really easily overcome by a sumptuous ball of wall or a tantalising fibre to mould, fold, stitch and stretch. No, the true insanity is kept away from mamma's door by the little things I love.
Such as...



my favourite flowers...
























finding floaty, wispy spiders webs all over my lawn...
















or Jack Frost on the hairy plane window...


















Ah yes, these are a few of the things I love. I love sanity too! Sometimes.

Item three - travel

Feet are itching. Passports are located. Car possibly being returned after going through the registration process today. The last item on today's agenda is the possiblity of a magnificient retreat to Muscat. Only two days. It's not much but it is so very needed. Omani border, here we come!

Trying to run...

It's official folks, I have that dreadful complaint where one attempts great feats before one has even accomplished the first step. In my case, it's trying to get fancy with watercolour when I haven't even learnt the basics of it. And let's not forget that I really should just be focussing on my sketching skills. Perspective is off. My eye, brain and hand don't seem to want to co-ordinate. But that's ok. I may have hair trigger enthusiasm and a dash of eager daring but I also have patience. I think. Hmm, actually how about we wait and see about that last one.


Today's sketch was drawn looking out a different window in my home - the vista I enjoy while blogging and taking care of all things admin. In the near distance is the water, which is very calming. Then I see the houses on the opposite side of the water - pretty much what I sketched in the first pen and wash. It's quite a relaxing view - as long as you don't mind the lack of greenery. I miss the colour green. I miss the enormous gums in my garden at home. I can't wait to be reunited with it again in July.

Trouble at the scanner...yet again!

I admit. This is shoddy beyond belief. I'm having MAJOR issues with my scan and save facility. Or perhaps it's just that I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

Still having to go via Mr's laptop but can only save to a few programmes. One of which is Word. I then have to convert that to another format - and that's when the games really begin. So, this is the farthest I've got today - and this is with yesterday's sketch. Gee...shish kebab! It's enough to make a girl give up on 'Every Day in May'.

Anyhoo...this sketch was done at the kids school yesterday. From the distance the building looks like a giant wave, hovering in the desert. It's very blue with touches of sand (yes, more sand) on the smaller facades. The biggest windows run the full three floors of the building. As I literally only had a couple of minutes this was as good as it got. I didn't have my sketch book with me so good old Filofax note pages made a handy sketch surface. What I really want to do is sit inside and draw the giant spiral staircase that winds up the three floors. Must do that some time this week.

A sketch, I believe...

Well, I tried. It was day two of Every Day in May yesterday and I promise that I sketched on that day. I just couldn't post as my scanner didn't want to work with MY laptop. So today, I asked if it would very kindly work with Mr's laptop. And it obliged.

So, here is an attempt at pen and watercolour. I should be embarrassed but I figure I've given birth and besides, there really are far too many serious issues in the world to be concerned with. So, I've decided to be brave. I would LOVE to be brilliant at sketching - particularly architecture. And I'd LOVE to learn how to 'do' watercolour well. All in good time. For now, this will do.

Every day in May...

I have seen this challenge in blogs all over the web. I couldn't decide whether to participate and then I thought, what the heck. How hard can it be? Hmmm, I might regret posing that question. I think it's meant to be a drawing/painting challenge but I probably won't be doing that every day. And I figure knitting is just painting with wool and needles instead of paints and brushes....

Admittedly it's late in the day on 1 May but I have been creative today. I'm finalising a mini-project for the knitting group I belong to at home in Australia. In a nut shell, the little project is a 30x30cm knitted square that is joined with eight other knitted squares (one created by each member of the group) to make one big, lovely, bright and cheery knee rug. Each year we meet to have a Christmas in July (is this just an Aussie thing???). In the past we knitted a little gift and had a lucky dip but last year we came up with the brilliant idea of a collaborative blanky. Unfortunately, only one blanky can be created each year. The recipient's name is drawn from a hat and there is much whooping, cheering and dancing on the rug. It's going to take nine long years for us all to get a blanky so we have also inadvertently, developed a way of maintaining a committed membership to the group. Sinister snarl, snigger, snigger, snigger.

The sad thing is...I can't share any pics with you as the whole thing is a surprise for everyone. Everyone that is, other than the fabulous Miss Loani Prior. You see, she has the onerous task of piecing together nine very different squares into one gorgeous blanket. Thankfully she's great at this sort of thing. She's more than great, she's incredibly talented - but don't tell her or she'll never shut up about it. If you would like to know how big her greatness is then view her blog which is all about her creative life as the Grand Purl Baa - oh, and there's a little bit about her bestselling book, Wild Tea Cosies too.

But just for good measure, here is last year's blanky. My square is bottom left.



So, for now you will just have to trust that I have done something creative and when the time is right I will post a little pic of my little square that has been lovingly conceived and knitted and joined to its equally lovingly conceived and knitted cousins.

Food wars...

It has to be said - because it's true - that although I adore food, I am less enamoured with the process of cooking. Somehow and somewhere, over the last 16 years, my desire for cooking has eroded - to the point of having panic attacks when considering the evening meal. No. Let's be honest. It begins in the supermarket when I'm making decisions on what ingredients to buy. It really is enough to make a sane person crazy.

I think the fact I have fussy children has done it. It's soul destroying to spend hours lovingly baking knowing it will be largely unappreciated. There really is only so many "oh yuck, I hate mushrooms/it's too spicy/too salty/contains onions (even though you've minced them I can still taste them)/contains meat (and today I've decided to be vegetarian!)" one mother can take.

Even so, I have made a new pact with myself, that I will - inspite of all objections - cook food that I desire. Enough is enough. If they don't like it they can starve. And let's face it - they aint going to want to do that!

So recently I found some recipes on this handy site and yesterday dedicated a few hours to preparing a delicious beef pie, some gozleme and a banana cake.

The beef pie was a resounding success. Kalamata olives were, of course, swept to the side of the plate. That's ok, more for Mr and me. The gozleme was also a hit - but only if warmed! And the banana cake satisfied the most scathing of critics.

delicious spinach, feta and sundried tomato filling...



a small stack of gozleme, to feed the hordes...well, perhaps only four.


I will continue to assault the family with delicious home cooked food until they surrender. Victory will be mine!