My poor neglected blog

My blog has taken a back seat to many other interests of late. One of the best things any writer can do is to live their life. Experiences add authenticity to prose and poetry. How can we write about a thing when we have nothing with which to compare it?
 I completed the art work for one writer and have begun some concept drawings for another. My new chair and desk have arrived and I am so very excited to have a brand new chair just for me. I took it for a spin around the kitchen and got in touch with my inner child. I had to adjust all the other furnishings to fit the art desk in perfectly and it all worked out well.
I have decided a move to the city may well be on the cards so in anticipation I hired a skip (large 3metre rubbish bin) and promptly filled it with old and broken bits and pieces from the yard, the shed and the house. I have been sorting out excess clothes and bits and bagging them up to give away to various places. Charity/church op shops are always good for clothes, small furnishings and bric-a-brac. Books will go to book sales for fundraising. I promised my sister she could have ALL of my decorations and any excess crockery( my old catering crockery is still in the shed) and I offered some people various bits and bobs that I will never use again so they might as well get some use out of them.  I like the feeling of cleaning out the things I no longer need and knowing they will find a new lease of life in someone else's care.  I suspect that when and if I do finally move again I may well need another skip but for now this one has done its job. Oh and I ousted dozens and dozens of spiders, mostly redbacks.

I don't like to disturb them but in the interest of clean up they had to move. Sorry girls.


week 30 of the 52 week challenge is themed Sydney. Not a city I am fond of, I found this a difficult challenge to come up with an image. I found Sydney a difficult place to navigate both physically and socially although I do have one or two fond memories that became short stories. Anyway here are my submissions on this theme.

 This piece is inspired by how I felt each time I visited Sydney, the going home part was the best part. No matter how I travelled, train, aeroplane or car each mile/kilometre closer to Melbourne increased my sense of homecoming. I enjoyed visiting the touristy things of Sydney. I went to Paddy's market and The Rocks, I went on the ferry to Manley and back and up the Centrepoint tower, I took the light rail around the city, went down to the Quay, across Hyde park and out to a concert, Bondi beach and over the Harbour Bridge, the old aquarium and shopping in Oxford street. I went to a nightclub and used a pick up line to gain a dance partner, I pretended the nightclub crowd were my guests and hugged them all. They thought I was pissed or stoned and I was neither but I made them smile and they hugged me back. I went to a wedding at King's Cross, the bride arrived in her leathers and stripped them off to reveal the crushed wedding dress she wore underneath. I won jewelery in a competition, wore sparkling bug eyes on springs on my headband, crystals on my face and hands, glitter in my clothes and danced until I dropped. Sydney was loud and brash and busy and exhausting. I wrote tales about my time there and made people smile. I won a heart and let him go. I lost my heart and smile at the memories. I was glad to go home.

This little piece is inspired by Pixar's animation "Finding Nemo". Every child who ever saw that movie memorised the address on the facemask right along with Dory. My favourite non existent Sydney address is P.Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney, NSW.
I am still practicing with copic markers and was quite happy with my rendition of Dory, not so much with Marvin but I do only have two shades of orange.
I love playing with all the new materials this year although I am still timid about digital. I have a tablet to try some time soon, probably when I return the copics to their rightful owners.

Anything else exciting to share? Politics sucks! It is important to be well informed but lately Australian politics makes me squirm with shame and embarrassment. Statistically the current government should not be in power. Less than 32% of the voting public voted for them at the last election, meaning 68% voted against them. The opposition actually had a higher primary vote. People were voting strongly against both the leading parties in protest at what we all saw as incompetence. Unfortunately our voting system allowed for second and third choices on people's ballot sheets to sway the final result to the arrogant smug egomaniacal narrow visioned money hungry gutless fools who took the baton. I don't understand how they could possibly be in power with less than 32% of the primary vote? If it were not for vegemite and eucalyptus I would consider shifting somewhere my vote would be respected.

I have three days to write 44, 000 words. I was not able to sit and write for quite a bit of this month so I doubt I will make my camp nanowrimo goal unless I can write 15k a day. It is doable. hmmm maybe I should get a good night sleep.

I achieved my 12 x 12 picture book draft for the month and did my revision so I have my badges for both.

I completed all the anthology pieces I was committed to doing and sent them all away and just have some art work to complete for one and I am done with anthologies for good. I might just do the art work on my pretty new desk tomorrow. I bid you all a fond goodnight. Dream sweet and I shall send you a new missive in a week. HUGS