Premature Felicitations....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Just a little note to wish you all...

 Where ever... How ever and Who ever you might be celebrating with...

I know I'm a little Premature...

 But that's the story of my life...

Bottoms Up Darlings...

Christmas In OZ...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

It's Christmas Down under on my drive out to lunch with family the Empress and I spotted these two suspicious characters in a paddock and just had to stop and take a couple of snaps to share with you...

Even the local farmers are getting in on the act this year...

I hope you all have a great day

I've been "Gut's Up" on the couch all afternoon with a very full belly...

Merry Christmas Darlings...

The Partridge Hath Multiplied Somewhat....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Only three more sleeps till Christmas and I've finally gotten around to finishing off the decorations...

So here we have some more photo's for your viewing pleasure...

Merry Christmas

Is that a Partridge I see in your little Pear-tree?

Hello Dhaaarlings...

It's that time of year again...

No... It's a shimmery Peacock...

and 

A fancy festive Dove...

Just a couple of new trinkets for this years tree to get you into a pre Christmas mood Darlings...

The Little Mermaid's Over and Poor Old Princess is Sunk....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Princess can finally come up for air...

The Little Mermaid made a great splash and went off swimmingly...

People were Absolutely blown away by the costumes and sets for this production...

You know that I'm not one to boast darlings.... as it is so unbecoming for a Princess...  but I will on this occasion...

I had some astoundingly marvellous feedback from several people who had seen the Broadway production and they thought that our costumes and sets out shone that production by miles.

For a small school production in a regional City I think that is very big praise don't you?  

The team are all very chuffed and proud of our achievements and the kids performances.

Sadly due to the hectic pace of the last few months I only have scanned images from the program as I personally haven't had the time to take snap shots with my own camera... Not even to record the process and development of making some of the more complex costumes.

The program shots really don't do the costumes justice compared to seeing them under full lighting with sets and props...

I trust you will understand and forgive me Darlings...

Fortunately, I have a camera happy friend who usually takes literally thousands of snaps during the performance... 

So... When I do get my hands on his photos... and I will...

 You will see them here first!

But for now here are some more images...

 Sebastian "Under the sea" Surrounded by only some of the Sea Creatures with an incomplete Walrus and Lobster...

 Kiss the Girl... with some of the lagoon creatures...

Flounder and Ariel.... Ursula, Flotsam and Jetsam, an Angler Fish with teeth that light up..(and nearly did my head in trying to create by the way) and Moving Sea Weed...

 Five of the six Mermaid Sisters... The yellow one is missing...

"Scuttle" and his crew... 

Swashbuckling sailors...

So there you have it Darlings...

Just a little taste of what I've been busy with... 

Like I said these shots don't really do the costumes or the sets justice... 

Some of the costumes are incomplete and still had final embellishments to add. Many of the costumes and props like the Jelly fish and Sea Creatures still had to be fitted with battery packs and strings of hundreds of LED lights

Many of the costumes... particularly Flounder, Flotsam and Jetsam and many of the amazing array of animals and sea creatures were made from scratch without a pattern and evolved simply from my head to a rough sketch of my envisioned concept and then into reality... 

I've spent hundreds of hours hand stitching costumes.... ("Flounder" for example... couldn't be sown on a machine) leaving my fingers calloused and bleeding... and then there was the constant lack of sleep from being up till all hours doing the final fittings, adjustments and finishing touches... and in order to get the costumes ready for the program shots I had to pull a couple of "all nighters" and still didn't get some of them finished in time...

There was a great team of mums that helped out with many of the costumes and for that I am very grateful...

Sadly...I should be feeling over the moon with my effort and achievements but in reality I am exhausted and as a result am taking a break from costuming for 6 to 12 months or so... 

I have found that two huge productions a year for the past 4 years has taken its toll on me along with just doing life and all that entails...

 I just need a break and a little time-out for myself to re-think and re-energise. 

Volunteering my time, energy, and creativity has been a wonderful experience for me.  I have been truly blessed to see the growth in self confidence, interpersonal and life skills in the kids that I work with. 

I have stayed true to my creed... that is...

 "Every kid deserves to look spectacular on stage"

And from all the feedback I think I've at least done that...

But now it is time for me...

Till next we speak Darlings... Bottoms Up!

A Little Something from the Garden...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Just a few pictures to show off some of the latest blooms from my garden...

It's a "Blue Moon" (Climbing Rose) rising over the Lamp Post...

A lovely pale mauve "Flag" Iris

It is the first I've seen a Flag Iris with 4+ blooms out all at once...

My favourite old "Black Boy" Climbing Rose. 

The Iris bed re-planted earlier in the year has grown and some of the plants have even started to bloom... something I hadn't expected them to do this year...

Many of them are the same colours but I can't remember which ones are which so they will be a continuous supply of delight and surprise as they come to bloom... I'm hoping that I haven't lost the "Chocolate Brown" and "Bright Yellow" ones in the move...

I don't recall if  mentioned to you that I had planned to start a  "Native Walk"

Well at the moment it is more like a Native "Stand and Look"

But at least the concept is starting to take shape. The huge "stringy bark" Gum tree down the back of the yard drops an enormous amount of leaf litter and long tracts of bark creating a lot of waste that now coats a small fortune to take to the local tip.  

Gravillia 1

So now, the litter from the tree, is broken up into small pieces and strewn over the existing ground to mulch down... Then planted out with a Native Gravillia or two... An existing wattle and some Calistemons...

Gravillia 2

The pink Callistamon was planted by a niece when she was about 4 yo
She is now 12 yo

There is more to show from the garden.... But you will have to wait for another instalment darlings...
 As for now, I need to get on with putting the finishing 
Bibs and Bobs on a Flounder and constructing a Flotsam and Jetsam if you don't mind... And then I can get on with building a sea Turtle, Some Sea Gulls... Including a "Scuttle"! A Sea Horse, Famingo and finally King Triton's Mersuit to go with the jelly fish and an array of fish already completed....

And yes.... there will be photos

Bottoms Up Darlings...

It's the Post You Have All Been Waiting For...

Yes!... It's Me!

Hello Dhaaarlings...

finally I am able to bring some photos from the recent stage production of 

"The Music Man"

So without further ado...

The train stops at "River City"

Some of the
Townsfolk of River City...

Ensemble A 

Stubborn Iowans

Mrs Eulele McKecknie Shinn... Columbia

the Wigwam of Hiawatha...

Teenage Girls Zaneeta Shinn in pale blue

76 trombones... Ensemble B

76 trombones

Harold meets the Pick'a little Talk a little ladies

The pick a little ladies finally approve Marian's Membership after reading Chaucer, Rabile and of course Balzac

The barber shop quartet

that's better they look the part now....

River City Boys Band Saves the day!

La de Dah de Dah de Dah.. Lah de Dah... La de Dah

So there you have it darlings... Just a small selection from the 1100+ photos taken at the show.
Is it any wonder I'm feeling knackered!
I thing I'll go have that well earned drink now...

Bottoms Up Darlings....