Of Pen, Paint and Paper

Have been fitting painting in around making jewelery the last few months. Due to lack of table space at Ourgunyah most artistic endeavours take place at the local Gallery and at our art workshops.

The last workshop was on drawing a bird in pencil and graphite. Have drawn birds all my life , but Bill's techniques on reproducing an accurate representation of the photo of the Red Kite were a revelation.

Grids and measurements. Now why didn't I think of that! 

The result.

The other piece I have been working on for about 4 weeks is a pen and watercolour study of an entry door on an old bluestone building.

As if all this creativity wasn't enough every Thursday I travel to Childers for some clay therapy. Forgotten how much fun making pottery was. My little owl should be fired and waiting for me.

Naturally all this creativity comes at a cost - no washing, no cooking and no cleaning!

Ourgunyah Gallery

The long timber case has stood against the shed wall for over 12 months. The fragile contents of liquid light cocooned in soft wrappings.
Lately, as I have walked past it, I could swear I heard the soft flutter of wings.
Jim must have heard them too because last week he announced that it was high time the contents were given an appropriate place to be displayed which is the top of a rise on a bend in the drive.
Holes, bracing and concrete poured and this is what greets you on the bend.

At first the panel blends into the bush like smoke.

Closer and forms and patterns emerge

The form take the shapes of spirits of the night.

(Click the photo for a close up)

Each bat has been modelled in clay, a flexable master mold made followed by a high temperature kiln mold.
The thermal sand bed in the kiln is textured, then the molds go on the bed followed by the sheet of glass. Firing cycle is 5 hours with about 15 hours cool down.
Hanging out to get the kiln set up here as there are lots of places crying out for a panel of liquid light.
So the Ourgunyah Gallery is open for viewing. Champers and nibblies on opening night!

Underwater Ceiling

Summer has flexed her muscles the last few days, just to remind us that she is all-powerful and will not be denied. Memories of last year returned vividly, in particular how hot 'Ourgunyah' got during the day, usually 5-6 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. Phew!
So we now have an 'underwater' ceiling.

We lined the ceiling with reflective foil insulation. The internal temperature today was .4 degrees warmer than outside. Much better than 5-6 degrees.

I also put the shade cloth back up along the back wall to reduce the glare.

The next issue to be addressed is to increase ventilation. Will replace 2 of the glass panels with some prop-out timber panels, (with must-have flyscreens to keep the creepy-critters out)

Should be muchbetterer

Practical or Pretentious

As we will probably be spending another year in 'Ourgunyah' some more improvements are called for.
We have lovely chocolate soil here, courtesy of an ancient volcano. The lava has been eroded and laid down as alluvial mudstone deposits. The soil is really rich - just add water and you can grow fence posts BUT. . .
The deposit is really really fine and makes dust, more a fine powder and it gets everywhere.The cars stir it up, the wind blows it around and the Kelpie Express suck it behind them in a Mach2 vortex as they tear in an out.
Now that our creek has almost stopped flowing, banks of river sand are exposed each side of the causeway.
Jim collected a couple of trailer loads and spread them on the ground around 'Ourgunyah'
This seems to have reduced the windblown dust greatly. But living at ground level, when it rains, the dust becomes mud.

So on the weekend we built (from stuff other people would throw out)this.

A timber deck! It is lovely to sit on a level surface, with a table that doesn't wobble.
Then we made a .....

Fenced area for the dogs, which means we can leave them safe and sound when we go out.

So, who's up for a 'deck warming' party?

One Whole Year

Twelve months ago to the day, the sun came up and shone in exactly the same place, just as it has this morning.
That long-ago morning was filled with left over stress, tension and wondering what the future held and if we had made the correct decision. The daunting task of making something comfortable to live in and what the outcome of the legal problem would be.


What a difference a year has made.
This morning was relaxed, calm and moved with the rhythm our life has developed during the passage of time. 
A cup of tea/coffee, walk the dogs, admire the blue of the mountains from the ridge road, or, walk the steep road to the creek and stand in awe in the deep mystery of our own patch of rainforest. The delight of watching a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in the wattles, following the drag marks in the dust made by the tails of last night's wallabies. A leisurely breakfast and watering the vegies.

Do I miss my 'old life'? Sure. I miss having my family close, I miss the support and friendship of a wonderful, dedicated band of wildlife rehabilitators, I miss shopping and a the aroma and taste of a good cappuchino when ever I want.

The legal situation has been resolved - cost us a lot of money, so the house we planned to build has been through the razor gang department buy have managed to keep the character. 
We are now waiting for our son to finalise his finances so the sale of our old house can be completed.
Then our life rhythm will change again. 

Daft about Doves

We call these the 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' birds, Bar-Shouldered Doves.

They come out of the bush in single file, rather like Walt Disney's cartoon broom sticks. (All we need is the sound track.) And like the broom sticks, they just keep coming, sometimes up to 30 birds, and scour the ground around the aviaries for dropped seed.
They are very shy and melt back into the bush at the slightest movement.
The males take the opportunity to court the ladies with lots of tail fanning and calling.
Listen HERE

Chuffed about Choughs

Every day we are provided with free entertainment by 2 groups of White-Winged Choughs. Whata HOOT! 
With their long curved and very mobile tails, they're kinda like those dipping birds that sit on the edge of a drinking glass.
The adults have red eyes and they live in groups of around 10. Our groups are 'Legs Eleven' and 'The Dirty Dozen'. Their feeding pattern is to march along in line all abreast turning over the leaf litter. They build mud nests and cooperate in laying, incubation and raising the chicks.
Choughs (pronounced 'chuff') are very gregarious with lots of playing with each other and inanimate objects and call constantly right outside our door!
Listen to their calls HERE