About Me

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Brisbane, Australia
I came to Brisbane in January 2009 to be near my family. From teaching art to secondary school students I moved in to working with people with special needs, and now am making little friends for children - surprise, surprise! I have always loved creating things with my hands - pictures, clothes, jewellery, gardens, food, and now toys. We have recently sold our house in Victoria so are now seriously relocating = furniture sorting and disposing, deciding what's imperative to bring and what's not, then doing it. You don't need much and it's a relief to simplify, once again. As my mother says, "There aren't any pockets in a shroud." Cheers Penny May 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

critters

I am filling in time until I go to the airport this afternoon and wing my way south for a week or so. Haven't seen Charles since Feb 19, so am really looking forward to getting to Melbourne. We have a frantic social calender for the week, including a night at a lovely place at Apollo Bay, 2 nights at Gillian's and various lunch and dinner dates. As well, the Swanny Cinema is reopening this coming weekend (Easter) and we are working on Saturday night. Then we are driving back to Brisbane with as much as we can pack into our new (2nd hand) car, another Corolla, hatchback this time, to be here on April 10. Our friend Jill, from Vermont, arrives on the 13th, then it is Charles' birthday on the 25th. Lots of fun ahead.
Here are some of the critters I have met up here. Hope you like them.




Wednesday, March 24, 2010

the newest super hero



Rocket Boy has arrived in great triumph. He even visited kindy this week, but was forced to change into street attire due to the threat of either heat exhaustion or drowning from the accumulated moisture under his flying cap. He has suggested that his family all get suitable flying outfits and we can leap into the sky and away together.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

angelina ballerina

Only parents of young children will have heard of Angelina Ballerine, but in this house she is the star of the moment. The op shop has again provided the material for an Angelina dress, so here is Remi dressed, he tells me, as a boy Angelina. Last night he and his friend Lucia (dressed as a girl Angelina) put on a show for us. Here is the prima ballerina.

claudia's 60th celebration

Last Saturday night we celebrated Claudia's 60th with a C party...what a great night. There were some wonderful costumes, including a pair of cupcakes; Capt Cook; Cheerleaders (who performed a chant for Caludia); cars; a credit card; and much more. Claudia went as Cleopatrea; I as Carmen Miranda; Helen as Claudia and Remi as Carabos, a mouse character from a ballet he is enamoured with at the moment, Angelina Ballerina;and Bec went as Christ, but when she put on the beard she turned into Charles! We had a very late night or , rather, an early morning, which has taken me some days to recover from. Mum saw out the night as well!




Thursday, March 11, 2010

words of wisdom


You may have read an article a few months ago in The Age A2 by Cate Kennedy about the things children say and how we musn't correct them, but leave them experiment with their own language. Remi provided us with a beautiful example of this yesterday. He had said that he wanted to have a sleep after lunch. so lay down and Bec read to him, until, some time later, he quietly told her, in a serious little voice, 'Bec, the sleepiness has gone and now the wakeiness is here in my body. I can't help it.'
The other one was a week ago, when he announced that he was feeling 'fartish'. Perfect, don't you think!
It is Claudia's 60th party on Saturday, and this is what Remi is wearing. I am going as Carmern Miranda, and he is so impressed, he's going as Carmen. We bought some necklaces today in the op shop.
I have been making fabric brooches for the market. Here are 2 examples. It is great fun .