one door closes...another opens

I have been in an emotional crisis since my last post which was long ago. My old dog died and I have a new puppy. But it's taken a lot of hard work and tears to get to this point, where I can sit down and write without drowning the keyboard with tears.

A couple of weeks after that post, and a month after my 50th birthday, on August 5, my dear dog, Frankie, died. It wasn't a shock, he was 17 1/2 years old. It was sudden however, he was simply eating his breakfast and went to stand up, then collapsed and died instantly. I was in the same room making a coffee, it must have been a heart attack or aneurysm. Thank heavens it was painless and instant for him. I am devastated, always will be. He was a huge part of my life. I joined an online support group (lightningstrike pet loss), which is fantastic.

I'm not at all religious or spiritual, but I know my dear Frankie is with me in spirit now and forever. He's guiding and protecting me all the time, I just know it, and I know it especially since he left his dear old body here on earth. There you go, call me spooky.

Anyway, I knew straight away that I would love to have another dog in my life. Not as a replacement, but as an addition. I thought I would need a long break after being Frankie's carer 24/7, which meant round the clock vet nursing, medications, carrying him up and down the endless stairs in our house (45 stairs, count 'em, I've never needed to go to a gym LOL).

But no, I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm sure that I would bond instantly with a funnel-web spider if it needed looking after.

No one could ever replace Frankie. Nor would I want them too. And I know that Frankie wants me to share the love of animals, especially dogs, that I am blessed with.

So we got another West Highland White Terrier! I love the breed, and Hamish is quite different in personality - very self-assured and fearless, and very obedient (whereas dear Frankie was nervy and never obedient! LOL). Hamish is chilled, very laid-back, which suits me fine at this stage of my life. I think pets come into your life at just the right moment for whatever it is we need to learn from them.

Frankie taught me everything I know about love. I was just married (he was born while we were on honeymoon), and Frankie was 2 when my daughter was born. He protected me through thick and thin, through a nervous breakdown and hospitalisation, through therapy and recovery, and managing my everyday life living with severe depression. For some reason I tend to attract people who take advantage of my kindness, and Frankie helped me to be more selective about who I spend my time with.

During my time with Frankie, I learned how to: run a house, be a partner, be a mum, say NO (well I'm still practising that one), handle kids, and above all how to love my daughter and husband. Add to that learning to handle horses, dogs, possums, cats, reptiles, birds (yes, even birds, and I used to have a major phobia of birds), and the wonderful confidence I've gained from spending time with animals of all species, even spiders and snakes.

Who knows what I will learn from little Hamish. Already he's teaching me to be more laid-back and confident. And he's only nine weeks old LOL.

So, here we go again, another chapter in life's big adventure. I am carving a headstone for Frankie's grave, have to find some nice stone for that. And Hamish is keeping me busy, he is an absolute sweetheart.

He "chose" us, if that makes any sense. As soon as he met us, he just decided that he was part of the family and that was that!

new works on redbubble and flickr

ranunculus
Originally uploaded by debproductions

I've been uploading lots of my paintings onto the above sites - this one included!
I'm debproductions on both redbubble and flickr!

painting again

After a very long break, I shifted all the laundry out of the rumpus room and started painting in oils again. Many of the paint tubes have dried up and are messy, but I spent three solid days painting and cleaning up. Which is a start.
I'm concentrating on brushstrokes, trying to recreate the style of a portrait I did a couple of years ago. Kind of impressionistic, getting out of my realist rut and moving towards something looser I hope.
When I get my photo software working, I will post my progress.
I also plan to do a weekly class to boost my skills. I haven't been to art class since we bought the horse!

my work was on the Etsy front page!

Etsy Front Page 7/1/09 badcatjewelry
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

What a lovely early birthday prezzie - melanie posted on my facebook page that my work was featured on Etsy's front page yesterday!

mine is the bookmark pictured middle column, second from the bottom.

melanie is also a fan of my dotty bookmark... thx mel u r a treasure!

Blue and White

My 70's kitchen has royal blue benchtops and white cupboards, so things have gone a bit blue and white in there over the years. It's such a fresh, timeless combo that I never get sick of.

Pictured above are some ceramic pieces I painted years ago. And the newest addition to the family, an old plywood tissue box which was looking very sad until I gessoed it and added my own blue and white patterns.

Blanket for Bushfires

Imagine if everything you owned was reduced to ash. Summer is almost over, and there are some cold months ahead, particularly for the survivors of the Victorian bushfires, who have nothing but the clothes they were wearing when they fled.

So a mate of mine on Ravelry, Dawn, announced she'd organise to collect knitted and crochet squares, to sew into blankets, to be distributed to those in need. There is a blog if you want to find out more.

The address to send finished squares (30 cm x 30 cm or 12" x 12") to is Blankets of Friendship, PO Box 488 Traralgon, Vic 3844

I started out thinking I'll just do a few squares, then it was fun, so I did a few more, then I thought, well, I can do a few more and make a whole blanket!
So here it is, about to be posted to the lovely ladies in Traralgon distributing the "Blankets of Friendship".

Etsy bushfire shop

There's a great way to donate to the Red Cross Bushfire fund, and also enjoy some fabulous shopping at the same time. A dear friend, feliciafairy, at Etsy's Dust Team has set up a special Etsy shop, where 100% of proceeds go directly to the official Red Cross appeal. Red Cross has also promised that 100% of the appeal will go directly to the victims, so you know ALL your money will go straight where it is needed.

Here's the link:

http://OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com

It's made almost $3000 in just a few days, and it's only just started. There are heaps of gorgeous items donated by Etsy sellers from Australia, and all over the world. They are also kindly donating postage, so that means free international postage anywhere in the world.

bright little treasures

Over the summer break, I've been making little medallions and joining them together, mixing up colours as I go. I sewed them up when I got home and photographed them today.

Hope you enjoy the bright colours! Some of these will be made into scarves, hair clasps and bags, and will be available in my etsy shop, so pop in and check to see what's new.

Ouch!

When we first moved into our house about 12 years ago, there were many tall gum trees (eucalypts) on the property. Since then, we've lost, um, let me see, one, two, three, four, ooooh about eight, plus a 60 metre liquidambar.
The latest branch/es, about 30m, fell off the tree at the front of the house, just before we left for our summer holiday. The power lines came down, and we had to replace a few tiles on the garage roof.