So Where Do You Live?

As many of you know I have recently moved house. Although I have only moved locally the move has been hectic, (is there a move that isn't!!!), and I am a little exhausted. We have a house full of relatives visiting from all over the Australia and the rest of the world and it's a hectic time in the lives of various family members at the present. One of the nieces has turned 21 and rather than everyone visiting the family in Sydney to celebrate, the family has taken the opportunity to have the celebrations here in Noosa as we often do. Everyone loves this part of the world and once again the family has come from all over the world to gather here as the place of choice.This has left me thinking about where we live and how lucky we are, and how beautiful this place I choose to live in is. The family was not born locally, we are from many other places, but now we all think of this area as home more than any other. This is the place we all choose to gather for the significant events in our lives, both past and present. With all these things happening I thought it was time to share a little of it with you all. Tune out now if you don't want to see a gratuitous commercial for my neck of the woods!

Welcome to Noosa, Queensland Australia!


Average temperature around 29-32degrees C in the summer months.
Summer lasts about 6 months of the year.

It's subtropical!


Noosa enjoys loads of sun, a little light tropical rain now and then, (read that as tropical storms, LOL) and day after day of glorious sunshine!
Winter is sorta non existant! (Average winter top temperature 20degrees C and low of around 10degrees C, as I said non existant!)


The heads and inlet from the Pacific Ocean to the Noosa River.


It sits on one of the worlds best strips of sandy beaches at the top end of what is known as the Sunshine Coast.
A section of sandy beaches stretching for over 100 kilometres with vast areas of undeveloped beaches and natural bush. It is famous for it's sunshine, beaches, everglades, salt water lake sysytems national parks and nature walks. This strip encompasses a number of small towns of which Noosa sits at the northern tip.



The local tourist beach in Noosa.

The salt water lakes.

The national park here in Noosa where you can walk to one of the best surf beaches in Oz!

Fancy some more?

The river area at sunset.





Fancy a walk along the local surf beach?





One of the locals has been fishing again!


One of these guys lives literally around the corner from my home!




So there you have it! A small glimpse of my home here!
Hope you enjoyed this plug for tourism Oz style, LOL!

We'll get back to your regular viewing channel soon, I promise!

As soon as the family leave and I finish unpacking!!!
(Read this as a week or so...)
Now where's that drinky gone???



In the meantime...


Fancy a walk with me along the beach?

Lifes too good, hope you're enjoying yours!

Check Your Pulse!

Have you checked your Pulse lately?


No, not that one, The Pulse!
The fabulous Seth Apter of The Altered Page is once again taking everyone's art pulse, gathering information of interest to we arty types!

Have you checked it out because you soooo should.
If you do nothing for yourself you should really get involved with this, but I'm sure you know all about it anyway.

Several times a year Seth gathers info on what's happening in the world of online art, artists and mixed media, compiles and sends forth a wonderful gathering of information about, well... all sorts of stuff of interest to the art community. Its happening again but this time something a little different is underway...



Check your Pulse...







Its a Secret, shhhh!




This time Seth has a wee secret to share!

On a Sunday!

Sunday November 22nd to be precise!

Seth has sent out a call.
Beginning Sunday 22nd November a series of weekly posts about...

secret art business, LOL!

If you want to know more, and I know you do, pop over to Seth's blog post and find out!
You won't regret it and you will be glad you did!



I'm soooo excited, I love secrets...




but the suspense nearly kills me, LOL!

It's no secret, check your Pulse now!

Obsessions

Admit it!


We all have them.


Obsessions!


Oh yes you do! Those things you just love and have to have but are usually completely impractical. Oh we all justify them, sometimes well too, but really could you live without them, yes but why would you!

I thought I'd show you one of mine.

I love old photographs! I know many of you do too. How often do we pull them out to use as grist in the makings of our art? Quite often these days I think if you look around. I love faces and people. Portraits particularly but I will opt for landscapes and still life as well if the other isn't around. Portraits painted or snapped on film, I'm not fussy, I love them all.


Usually I like to guess at the people in them. Who were they? What are they thinking? What were their lives like? What is their relationship to the others in the picture? I like to make up lives and stories for them.

Recently I came across this little beauty and thought I'd share some of it with you all. It is an old antique Victorian album containing lots of photographs, mostly from around the late 1800's and early 1900's. It is not small as it measures approximately 12"x 9" and is about 2.5" wide. When I saw it I fell for it's charm and the obsession bug kicked in. You know the one that screams mine, mine, mine at you and refuses to let you leave the store without it! Oh, I argued with myself about the price, haggling internally, poo pooed at it and spun tales of how it will feed my artistic inspiration for decades to come etc; but in truth I must admit that it is really just that this is my own personal obsession. I purchased it and took it home and have gazed adoringly at it almost everyday since. LOL! From its covers wonderful textures to the gilt on each and every page to the gaze of those who inhabit the pages, I am lost...


The front cover...



Embossed leather, it feels wonderful. If you're a texture peep it will draw you in right here.



The spine, yumm!

and without even opening a page, I was in love with the back cover...

The most amazing cutting and embossing ever! It feels wonderful!!!


(Told you all I was obsessed, LOL!)


So I suppose I should give you a glimpse at the lives inside the covers too!


Isn't she wonderful!

Don't you love the artwork on the pages and the foxing!

Does it make you wonder who they were too?



No hands touching there, I wonder why?


Another gorgeous decorative page...

and then there's the girls...

I love that one of them is sort of peeping away candidly at the camera from the side.

What was she thinking?


And then there's these lovelies.

Lots more of course but I don't want to bore you all completely.

Think I'll just close it up now or I will be here dreaming all day!

What obsessions do you have?