What a week! #576

Daily painting #576 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

It is the start of Winter, although the days are still hot and muggy with no cooler weather at all! We have been blessed with the most breathtaking sunrises lately (best time of the year for beautiful morning skies) and last night as I sat watching my son's evening hockey match, a great ball of orange in a new moon was rising in a grand, stately manner over the evening sky. It dipped between the slight slivers of cloud, changing patterns and shapes until it revealed itself in a huge golden ball reflecting silver light over the ocean. In short....it was beautiful! Yes I know...I was supposed to be watching hockey but if you know me by now, you will know I can't miss out on a bit of sentiment! Speaking of sentiment, this week has been a big week for me. I have resumed teaching and have driven my car for the first time in 7 weeks! (I nearly kissed the dashboard I was so happy!) I am still on crutches and have been exhausted and sore by the end of the day, but I am so grateful to be up and about and I know I will get stronger each day now. I cannot help but be grateful for the most awesome people in the world....my family. They have kept me going through the last almost 8 weeks and quite frankly they rock my world! I love you guys!

My husband Andrew.....my rock, my best friend....yes and all those other wonderful things!

My son Ross...those dimples melt this Mommy's heart!

My daughter Amy....my little mini-me!

Mamma bear.....I love my Mum beyond measure and can't imagine life without her! Love you Mom x

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Lemon drizzle cake (what's left of it!) #575

Daily painting #575 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Perhaps my little painting doesn't do the cake enough justice....this little easy-peasy cake is delicious and doesn't last very long in our house (can you tell?). I managed to salvage just the last end slice to paint but I had some greedy critters hovering around my studio waiting for the opportunity to share the last piece! The bitterness of the lemon cuts through the sweetness of the cake and even my son who doesn't really enjoy cake loves this one! It is made with so few ingredients....self-raising flour, castor sugar, coconut, lemon rind and milk and takes all of about 5 minutes to get from cupboard ingredients into the oven. My kind of baking! 

It's grandpa's 70th birthday this weekend so I am enlisting the help of my daughter, Amy, to bake a delicious (chocolate overloaded) birthday surprise cake for Grandpa Mannie. He is Portuguese and usually likes some kind of fruit cake or Madeira cake but I think this chocolate fudge cake will be delicious! Can you tell that I am desperate to get back into my kitchen....... 

Lots of love from one frustrated Mamma!  

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Handful of Bird's Eye Chillies #574

Daily painting #574 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel 

Ironically writing is the creative outlet I feel the least confident with. That being said, I share my thoughts (through writing) on almost a daily basis! But I have to say that if I didn't write a painting blog, I would probably be writing some kind of amateur foodie blog! Painting and cooking being 2 of my most creative outlets. If I am not in my studio, I am happiest in my kitchen. My kitchen is the hub of our household! If I am not spending my money on art books, I am spending it on cookery books. I read them from cover to cover like others would read a novel and yet I rarely use a recipe to cook unless of course I am baking. I love to experiment with flavors, textures and colours and of course being such a visual person, I like the food to look as good on the platter as it tastes!
So yesterday a couple of my art students were painting on my veranda leading off of my kitchen (I can't get down to my teaching studio yet) and the topic of conversation turned to food rather than painting! I am so frustrated at the moment with not being able to get around the kitchen to cook because of the cumbersome crutches! I love to share tried and tested things from the kitchen that make my life easier ....and food more yummy! So painting was temporarily forgotten while I shared some of my favorites like pickled onions, marinated olives (with an amazing dressing for your salads) and a Portuguese Peri-peri marinade/sauce which uses little Bird's eye chillies which many of us have in our garden. This is the chili plant's common name. The little seeds are so tiny that they are about the size of a little birds eye. They are also bright green and red and therefor easily catch the attention of the birds. The birds love to eat them and they drop the seeds all over the garden so the chances are that if you have one Bird's eye chilli plant you will probably have them sprouting up all over your garden. We would pull them out thinking they were weeds until we realized that a little chili plant was growing! There are not many chillies left as it is nearing winter but I managed to find a handful. So today I painted a little handful of Bird's eye chillies from my garden....soon to be Peri-peri sauce....when I can get back into my kitchen!!

Last weekend for the FREE POSTAGE IN MAY OFFER!!!

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Double pincushion #573

Daily painting #573 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Bright orange red pincushion....they remind me of little balls of fire!

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Midnight milk #572

Daily painting #572 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

I have never been one to struggle to fall asleep at night. A few pages of my book and I am so tired that within minutes I am asleep! But regardless of how late I went to sleep, I am an early riser! Just before sun up I am awake with the first tweet of the birds or the first change of light in the sky. It's like my body has this internal clock that sets the alarm for first light. This is a wonderful thing when you have learnt to appreciate this still, quiet time of day as being a restful, soulful time before the rush of a busy day. It also helps when your bedroom faces the east coast and you are blessed with glorious sunrises. But it is not so pleasant when you haven't had a good nights sleep and that first light seems to come around far quicker than you would like it to!
Since I broke my ankle I have had a hard time sleeping. I just can't seem to get comfortable with that cumbersome boot on my leg and when I lay down everything seems to ache and I just can't lie still. So my nights are spent feeling like I am drifting in and out of a state of light sleep. I have tried all the remedies (old wives tales) like warm milk, counting sheep, visualizing happy thoughts.....but I have come to realize they are all indeed a farce! Sometimes it's just easier to sit up and read my book or if I could get to my studio with greater ease, I would probably paint the night away! In only a months time we are off to the bush on holiday, quite possibly my favourite place in the world. Hopefully in this quiet, restful place my sleep patterns will be restored.....and my sanity!

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King protea #571

Daily painting #571 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Two tall kings are standing on my entrance hall table. They stand proud and tall in contrast to their soft gentle colours. Beautiful South African King proteas.
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Ana's rose #570

Daily painting #570 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

A special friend popped in to visit the other day. It was so lovely to see her as we haven't had time for a 'catch up' in ages! She brought along with her a meal which I know my husband was so grateful for as it saved him the trouble of trying to sort out something for dinner (something he is getting quite good at I might add!). Popped into her basket was a beautiful little mini rose she had picked from her garden and of course I had to paint it! It is the sweetest little fragile rose in a delicate soft pink. Ana you are such a special friend....thoughtful in so many ways! Thank you my friend!

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