Last day of summer

Today is the last day of summer, so obviously it will now be too cold and wet to go to the beach...

I think we might brave it for a few more weeks (months..) but anyway, here is a little ode to our favourite beach, in photo form.

The curve of the bay

Snorkels!

The pontoon

Umm, more snorkels...

Floating 

My favourite fellow swimmers

Driftwood

Whipped up a birthday present for Mark- this way to the beach!

(Tom salvaged the wood from the beach last winter- I knew it would come in useful for something)

Breaking into cars and other things

I'm blogging on my iPad which is not fun... Anyone else have the same trouble??

The reason for this is that the hard drive on our laptop died this week.... Hopefully they can save some of our files, but luckily (and unusually) I had backed up all our photos just last week. Think I must have had a premoniton! Go and back up your photos now- you never know.....

To finish off a less than perfect week, last night Mark managed to lock the dog and the car keys... in the car.

Who knew that you could google ' how to break into a Ford Falcon' and 23 minutes later you would have achieved just that? Slightly worrying...

Molly survived her ordeal fine, if it had happened earlier in the day when it was about 37 degrees outside, we would have had to break a window to save her!

I've become a bit hooked on mixed media painting demos on Youtube - they're really great if you can't get to sleep! So on Thursday I recycled an old canvas and did a little painting of my own.

                           

                           

                           

                           

As usual I like the details better than the whole!

Around here..

I feel like I've been really busy... but in reality I've been doing a lot of this...

My mother-in-law came to stay and taught me how to make a dress. 

Ok, she made me a dress...

The boys have been doing a bit of this...

And a bit of that...

And I did manage to make myself a new website - here if you fancy a look :)

Lovely things to see and do (in Perth)

I think Perth used to have a reputation as a bit of a cultural wasteland - seeing as it inhabits its own time zone and is proud of its status as the world's most remote city..

But far from it - Perth is full of wonderful and exciting things - and its all right on our doorstep!

Starting even closer to home, at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre - I popped in at the weekend to see an exhibition by local sculptor Stephen Draper.

Lovely shadows and movement -

Then on Sunday we got the train into Perth and had a wander around the Cultural Centre - the boys like to visit the stuffed animals in the museum - their favourites are the bison and the anteater...
It always reminds me of the South Bank and there is loads to see and do at the moment because Perth Fringe Festival is underway.

A friend had recommended the 'Picture a Story' exhibition at the State Library of WA and I was so excited to find an original illustration from my very favourite book - John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat.

Yesterday I went up to REmida with a colleague to gather materials for a new project - REmida is a 'creative re-use centre' - they collect and re-distribute commercial and industrial waste for use by individuals, schools and organisations. 
We got a little overexcited and came back with a car full of stuff and brains full of ideas.

I loved their sculpture garden with the CBD in the background -

And these totem poles!

And this dog!

The squash court / stock room!

Number 12

I got a bit carried away painting our house number on the electric meter cover by the front door...