THE WEEKEND

It is official - I think - we are in the hottest Summer in living memory, or words to that effect.  I heard it from the television, and we all know TV never lies....

Little Aussie came, and did the only sensible thing.

Lots of swims in one weekend.

He and his Dad are engaged in a mysterious project involving papier mache.
I can say nothing more....

Over in Canada, where it is about minus 30 and covered in snow,
the Little Bebe has taken up cake decoration as a hobby..
So much talent :)

And speaking of parties, Princesses of the world take note:

Princess Madeleine of Sweden donned her tiara and gown to give a tea party for twelve children who have serious illnesses.  She is patron of a charity which makes dreams come true.  Such a lovely idea.

And moving right on to that annual frock-fest, The Oscars.
Here are a few of my favourite gowns.
Our Cate Blanchett dressed like a princess in pretty blue.

That other Australian Oscar-frequenter, Naomi Watts, charmed me in her glam navy sequins.

More blue gorgeousness..

Pretty as a retro lemon princess..

Because it is orange...

I am reminding myself of how we used to play Miss Australia with Mum's old evening gowns...way back in the day.  

Did you used to play dress-ups too?

XXXX

ART AND GARDENS

Behold my $10 caftan, made of a piece from the Sydney fabric jaunt..

I wore it to an Arty Dinner - I think it enjoyed itself.

The $2 'jade' bangle from a Hong Kong market, and the cheap blue glass earrings found in a forgotten alleyway in Venice had a fine time too...

    

The long hot Summer continues...

 there is not much action in the Garden of Neglect.  

It needs water - lots of water..

Happily, we had several hours of heavy rain on Friday night.  

Yay!  It reversed some of the damage of the day before, when it hit 39 deg here and the front lawn turned brown in a few hours...

It is time to get serious and plan our trip to Ireland for our son's wedding,

with a little tourism on the side.

I've been thinking of my unfinished business in London:

Art and Gardens, 
Gardens and Art...

Always been a Bloomsbury fan, and loved my visits to Virginia Woolf's 'Monks House' and Vanessa's 'Charleston' - years ago..

Now I want to see Sissinghurst Castle garden.
Doing my research, currently on the kindle I am reading 'Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West'.  
I like to be prepared...

I bet Sissinghurst doesn't have any of these lying beside the hedges.

 Mr C found a 2 metre python on Friday...

If you can bear to work this out, the head is on the right resting on the coil beneath - see the little white flash of the side of the face.

My brave knight sprayed a little water on the snake, and as soon as things were quiet, the snake went away.

Off to a Sunday movie, we saw 'Trumbo.'

It was excellent... and shocking to think what went on in Hollywood back in the day.  As well as the drama of the narrative, I was transfixed by the paintings in the background of the interior scenes:  slightly 'rearranged' copies of famous Impressionist paintings, showing the wealth of the owners. 

Helen Mirren as Hedda Hopper - what amazing hats -

and what a piece of work that woman was...

Love Helen in this role.

Please send more rain.

Have a great week.

XXXXX

HEARTS AND HEAT

On Valentine's Day we were greeted by this loving pair of lorikeets, sitting sweetly and forming a heart shape, just for us.

Mr C excelled with a beautiful bunch of blooms.

I made him a heart-shaped sponge cake, but my camera ate the photo...

It looked rustic, something like this, with a few store-bought red sugar roses.

Thank you Mr. Google.

Another heat wave is sweeping over us and it is still 38C -

 as I type at 4.30 pm.

Trying to make the house look cool, 

as the air-con, it seems, cannot be repaired.

Maybe we'll try and ride out the heat. 

Some of us are saving to go to Ireland for a wedding...

Did you watch the BAFTAs?

Our Cate Blanchett looked fabulous in Alexander McQueen.

And I loved Julianne Moore's outfit.  So elegant.

DD says it is -30C at her place in Canada...

Here's the Not So Little Bebe enjoying the scene..

I may dream of snow tonight.

Keep cool, or warm, depending on your hemisphere.

XXXX

I FOUND THE EWOK

We found the little 1980s Ewok in the cupboard in our storeroom, last time Little Aussie was here.  He looks a bit stunned - as you would after all that time in a dark hole.

My brain feels much the same: I've had a bit of Blog Fog lately, but more on that later.

Took Aussie to GoMA.  

He is embracing Contemporary Art, especially this gigantic interactive installation:

Asim Waqif: 'All we leave behind are the memories' 2015.

Waqif's site-specific commission, composed of recycled remains of discarded Brisbane buildings, bridges, and wharves, refers to the well-known local demolition company, Deen Bros.  They were associated with the destruction of many historical buildings in Brisbane, including the much-loved and lamented Belle Vue Hotel and Cloudland ballroom.

There are touch points around the base of the piece, which activate the sounds of the wrecker's equipment - perfect for little boys.  

He had such fun dancing on the noisy sections.

Naturally we went to the Children's Art Centre where he made a monster..

and indulged in some colouring.

Refusing to turn the vegetables into 'something different', he insisted on using correct colours for his carrots and bananas.  

Wonder from where he got his pedantic traits?

Aussie is big on the Solar System; loved his new place-mat purchased on the recent Great Road Trip to Sydney... 

and, as usual, he did a spot of re-decorating around the house.

Someone asked to see the fabric stash from Sydney:

The georgette on the left is a border print, destined to become a flowing caftan....hopefully...

Voile, denim, linen, pink silk lining, mocha knit.  Plus a couple of stripe knits.

There is a plan in mind for each piece.

Most of these pieces were well under $10, and the 2.5 metres of white linen, the most expensive at $20.  I am endorsing outlet shopping now.  

The winds of change are sweeping into my life.

Dear old Dad has deteriorated markedly in the last couple of weeks.

It was a great shock on the return from our holiday.

The happy drive to the mountains for a coffee and sandwich, just after Christmas, has become but a happy memory now.  It is unlikely that we will be doing that again.

Last week we were able to take him out for a drive, but he mostly slept and did not speak.  We needed assistance to get him in and out of the car.

It might be days, weeks, or months, but the tide is running out...

My brain is tired, as I attempt to process everything that is happening...

almost daily reports of falls, ways of managing his care, and other details.

I find myself wondering how it will feel to be an orphan.

I am not young myself, and I am Dad's firstborn child.

He has always been there.

I thought of finding a song I associate with him:

'Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair' was his favourite song as a young man.

John McCormack sings, in 1934.

Enjoy.

XXXX