Winters end!

Flowers for The Deakin Caravan Park. They are my best regular customer for flowers. A fresh bunch or two for the ladies toilets every week is most appreciated by the tourists. Pink tones suit the decor best so this pink daisy is ideal as is the purple verbeena and I can't help myself but use rocket flowers as an easy grow white fill flower. I struggle with gypsophila which is the most common white fill but rocket grows itself in my vege garden.
I don't like to wish my life away, it goes fast enough as it is but I can't wait for spring!

Election soon?

                                                 I should be happy with the news and
                                                     might be if I wasn't so annoyed.
                                                 A Ballarat politician has launched a
                                          "Why aren't we using Australian made stuff"
                                                      Why indeed??????????????

                  www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/senator-john-madigan...

                                                               Good for him
                                  and this news item describes him as a blacksmith so he
                             understands the difficulties of making a living from his craft!

                                      Call me cynical but was it made in Australia or
                                      was the parlimentry decal stuck on in Australia.
                          Will this attitude continue once the election is all done and dusted?
                          Suddenly they are talking Australian made cars for politicians, next
                        there may be an improved interest in Australian grown food, gas, paper?
                        It's a fad with a parlimentry prize are, we so desperate to fall for it?
                                   I have been busy this week with my "Pipe dreams"
                        sculpture for the Wentworth show. I will be heading over today
                                                      to photograph it on site.
                                           There was sprinkle of rain overnight
                               but the forecast for the rest of the weekend is good.
                       Check out what has been happening in the world of clay with
                                          http://mudcolony.blogspot.com.au/

Awesome Echidna

I had to show you this

David's Echidna

From this

to this

I have a commission to complete

500 Jacaranda flowers for a sculptural tree

at Jacaranda Villiage, an old folks home in Redcliffs.

  I have delivered 240 glazed so far

fiddly work indeed.

They have to be dipped in underglaze, fired then waxed

and dipped in glaze.

A steady hand is needed when loading the kiln.

The domino effect is easily started, frustrating!

I have also been working on some mugs for a local Rotary club

                                         And I found this on the shelf I had forgotten I made it.



It's a bisque fire this weekend so it will be ready for glazing next week.

These little treasures will also be ready for glazing next week too.

The club is working towards an exhibition and we have an oil lamp theme

surprise surpise

This won't be the only turtle.

I will link this to Mud colony,

check out what is happening in other pottery studios this week

by clicking on this link

                                           http://mudcolony.blogspot.com.au/

  



Spring is coming!

I abandoned all work related study to concentrate on the paddock.

Spring is nearly on us.

I want to be ready with new flower rows.

I have Zinnias in mind, they are summer flowers but

I want to get in early.

The row on the right is 70 metres long!

Now full of organic matter and de cooched?

Rain was predicted for today but came early overnight.

I am glad I got some horse poo and peas straw

into some of the the rows before the rain.

I am going to plant peas directly into these trenches and green manure them.

Dig the growing plants into the soil for fertilizer.

In the distance you might notice a freshly ploughed paddock,

preparation for some lucerne for stock feed.

Soil is heavy clay and needs heaps of organic matter.

I might even mulch between the rows like I have done in the garden.

Thanks to my new worker Caitlin,

I have refreshed some of my paths in the garden.

Raking the forrest for the fallen gum leaves is very rewarding.

I am hoping it encourages the huge bush worms.

Hard to fit it all in!

Between teaching and study it is hard to find time for smelling the roses

let alone pulling the weeds.

Thankfully it is winter and watering is not so critical

But this is Mildura and there does need to be

a tap turned on at least once a week.

I picked 13 daffodils for last weeks market.

I will deffinately photograph them before picking next week.

Rannuculi that have escaped the rabbits

are itching to explode in blooms.

Stocks should be enormous by now but still pretty.

I have a fresh circle which will house my gladdioli.

Turned the soil this morning and the ground was loaded with worms!

I think this will be the new home for the gladdies
and their many off spring from last season.
Dame Edna eat your heart out!
Broccoli flowers, just as good as the exotics!

Something not quite right with the blog template
so too frustrating to continue today.