eve and the apple tree

The Ever Salubrious Pilbara

2012-02-14T10:51:00.006+11:00

Tomorrow I turn 33: a highly suitable age, I think. I absolutely refuse to work on my birthday - it just seems wrong. So back in December, I creatively wrangled the roster and scored both Rob and me a few days off together to celebrate. We've decided to drive to Point Samson tomorrow, a little seaside village here in the Pilbara, and plan to stay overnight in a little family run B&B overlooking the sparkling Indian Ocean assuming we can get a room. Word is that there is also good fish and chips there - something that is lacking in Port Hedland! Now that's worth driving 218 kilometres for!

I plan on taking my sketchbook and my watercolours, and spending the day sipping on G&T's and painting. See you on the other side lovelies xxx

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The Proposal

2012-01-30T21:19:00.009+11:00

So here we were, me just barely awake having finished night shift this morning,

him lazing around on the bed, already typing on his laptop.

ME: (Yawning, stretching, just waking up.)

HIM: "Morning".

ME: " Morning."

HIM: "What shall we do today?"

ME: "We need to go to Kmart to buy a new mop, this one is shite."

HIM: "Agreed. Shall we go in about an hour?"

ME: "Sounds good."

(Rob returns to typing on laptop)

ME: (Drowsily, rolling over to give him a cuddle)... "Mmm I love you. I want you to be my husby."

HIM: (Pause)... "OK!"

ME: "Sorry what?"

HIM: "Yes I'll be your husband!"

ME: "Um.. OK... sweet. Does this mean we are engaged then?"

HIM: "Yeah I guess so!"

ME: "Excellent!"

HIM: "Damn it, I had a grand master plan for this!"

HIM: (Then jumps up and gets down on one knee) "Eve Louise Walters, will you be my wifey?"

ME: "This was your grand master plan???"

CONCLUSION: Engaged.

RING: Not yet. To be continued.

MOP: Still shite.

Holidays come, holidays go

2012-01-18T11:16:00.006+11:00

Oh sigh... How quickly they came to an end. We've just had four weeks off work, soaking up the summer sun at our little house in the valley, visiting friends and family, domesticating it up in the kitchen, sipping on sneaky G&T's in our garden. Happy times.

Actually it was quite a busy little holiday, after flying out of the Pilbara on the 19th of December, we popped into Perth for a couple of days, catching up with my sister, cooked and early Christmas roast and sang carols while slightly tipsy. Then we headed to the island, where we did it all again for real. We loved spending time together in our kitchen, poring over cookbooks, trying out new recipes and experimenting with new ingredients. Our new favourite? Gravlax (cured salmon with salt, dill and ground pepper), thanks to Lotta Jansdotter's recipe in her latest book Handmade Living. Its quite amazing really, so simple to make and ten times better than smoked salmon. We had it on crackers along with some local cheeses and prosciutto on Christmas Day. Deluxe.

We repainted our kitchen and bathroom, organised an architect to come and draw up plans for our new conservatory and studio (ooh exciting!) and bought fencing materials and garden mulch. Rob walked aimlessly around our cottage, daydreaming about the new secret garden that we will put in here, and the French doors that will go in there. It was lovely to bond over our shared living. We lounged around on our new couch... a thing of chocolatey leather beauty, had nanna naps and caught up on missed TV.

We saw Rob's sister marry her beloved in January. We witnessed her tears of happiness as he sang her a song at the reception that he had spent month taking lessons for, and shared in their elation when they were officially announced as husband and wife.

And finally I snuck off to Melbourne for a few days of catching up with friends there and of course, shopping. Being remote for the last year has meant that although I've saved a fair bit of money, I've not acquired any new fabulous things. So to remedy this oversight, I shopped, and shopped and shopped. Lovely new threads of silk and cashmere and merino have since taken up residence in my wardrobe, where of course they will stay, because such things are not practical in the bush. But I take pleasure knowing that they are there, just waiting until I return again.

So tonight I am back to work in Port Hedland ED, knowing that those wispy snippets of holiday love will soon be a memory. This contract is for 13 weeks, a blink in the eyes of Time but at this point it feels like an eternity! I am sure however that it will zip past once I am back into it and before we know it we will be flying home to the island. We have autumn camping to look forward to as well as a holiday in Thailand (made tax deductible by including a cheeky little conference into the itinerary!)

Happy New Year to you all and may 2012 be everything you wished for.

The Pros and Cons of Working Agency

2011-12-08T08:20:00.016+11:00

It's always at this point in the contract, the last few weeks, when the countdown to holidays is on, that I start thinking about home. I think about my favourite pineapple and coconut smoothie that I get from my local juice shop, hanging out in my craft room, having a decent coffee at Fresh, walking through the Gorge, Christmas, seeing friends and family... all those things that I associate with being at home. I think that this is compounded by working in remote and rural places, having limited access to services and a car. But it is also a time when I start to reevaluate my choice of being an agency nurse and wonder for how much longer I will do it. When I think about this last year, of working for a nursing agency and surrendering to this gypsy lifestyle, there have been good aspects and not so good ones. I made a list of these when we were considering back in July whether or not to extend our leave for another 12 months or not.

PROS OF WORKING AGENCY

Not having to get involved in any local work politics. Its really good to swan in, create a little bit of havoc, work for a couple of months and swan out.
The opportunity to see more and more of this amazing country and spend time in places that I would not otherwise ever go.
The making of new friends in every state.
The money. It is far more lucrative working casually, and with not much to spend our money on while we are on contract, our mortgages are getting smashed! It's such a relief to be debt free other than our mortgages and be actually getting ahead.
More holidays and the flexibility to take them. We've had 12 weeks off this last year.
All those frequent flyer points.
The professional challenges. We have learnt skills that we would never develop working at home.
Getting to see first hand what indigenous communities are like and forming my own opinions rather than relying on media to do it for me.
The security of having work when our colleagues at home are currently fighting a battle with the state government who are closing beds, shutting down services and cancelling nurses contracts due to budget cuts. We are thinking of you all and are there in spirit!

CONS OF WORKING AGENCY

Living out of a suitcase in usually crappy accommodation. I really really really miss having my house and my stuff around!
Missing friends and families life changing events at home, such as weddings. I have missed three weddings this year. Although we have increased flexibility on taking holidays and can sometimes swing it, the cost of taking a flight out of these small communities for a weekend is often more than you would pay for a return ticket to Europe (I kid you not. For example, the one-way 1.5 hour flight from Cairns to Kowanyama that we took in February cost Queensland Health $1099 for each of us! We saw the invoice!)
The risk of leaving our house unattended. Luckily we have dear family and friends who keep an eye out, do random security patrols, collect our mail and mow the lawns. Thank you so much, we couldn't do it without you all.
The deskilling of some of our emergency skills. Whilst we have gained a lot of new skills, we have lost others, simply because we aren't doing it every day.

Its kind of an even list, but I still think the pros outweigh the cons. As mentioned, the Tasmanian government is in the process of killing our hospitals and health services and I am not sure if us nurses will win this war or not. So for now we will continue doing what we are doing. It may be that we keep doing this for longer than originally planned but we will see. 2012 is shaping up to be another interesting year.

To all of you who have read my blog this year, have a safe and merry Christmas and I wish you all the best for the New Year.

Relaxing in Broome

2011-11-14T10:51:00.003+11:00

The Sun Cinema

Sipping on iced coffees watching the world go by

The stunning Cable Beach (photo by Rob)

Recently we had a chance to escape out of Port Hedland and zoom six hours up the road to Broome. I'd never been there before, although Rob lived there for a year or so somewhere in his twenties. The beaches are beautiful, but unfortunately plagued by sea lice (yes we got stung) and stingers at certain times of the year. Its such a shame that there are all these amazing beaches here in Australia which cannot be utilised due to stingers, crocodiles and other nasties. Although, some might say that we are invading natures space rather than the other way around!

But aside from the sea lice incident, we had a lovely time eating out, relaxing by the pool, and watching Red Dog at the Sun Cinema, the world's oldest picture garden! It was great seeing Red Dog up here. We are working in the Pilbara, exactly where the movie is set, so it seemed all the more relevant! And the setting was wonderful. Outdoor cinema, old style deck chairs, freshly made popcorn. Perfect. I would recommend a visit if you are ever in Broome.

Unfortunately our time there was too short, we travelled 6 hours each way just to spend 36 hours in Broome, but it was a nice change from the red dust and mining rigs of Port Hedland. Our contract finishes here on December 18th and we plan to be home in Tasmania around the 21st. See you all then for some Christmas cheer!

The Challenges Facing Indigenous Communities

2011-10-27T14:25:00.009+11:00

The many abandoned cars in Lajamanu (bought with mining money).

Since we started working in rural and remote communities, I've been asked many times about the challenges of working in indigenous health. Whether what they see on television and in the media is true, how I cope with living so remotely etcetera etcetera. Often, the media portrays the vast majority of Aboriginal population as uneducated alcoholics who are prone to domestic violence and are beyond help. The Howard government's intervention was aimed at 'closing the gap' between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians life expectancy and its method was to throw money and resources at it, something that some (usually white) Australians feel is grossly unfair.

When I went remote, I wasn't sure what to expect, nor what my feelings on it would be. Now that I've been doing this for over a year, I've drawn some of my own conclusions, based on my own observations. I've worked in both small towns and very remote and very traditional Aboriginal communities and while the figures vary from community to community there have been some common themes running through both settings.

Firstly, the stereotype of the alcohol and domestic abuse in Aboriginal communities runs rife in many people's minds. Certainly, the media perpetuates this with its reports. And yes, stereotypes exist for a reason. Alcohol and domestic abuse do exist. They also have a concept of 'payback', which allows violent retaliation against a member of the population if they have wronged another. In days past, this was a form of justice. It was approved through a court-like proceeding by a community elder and once performed, was considered finished. For example, the punishment for murder was a spear in the thigh. It was performed by the elder, with family members for both parties present and then it was over. The problem now, is that payback is often used as an excuse for drunken violence and results in an escalation of violence, rather than cultural justice.

However, its important to remember that alcohol and domestic abuse also exist in the Caucasian population. When I work at home, a mostly white population, I see drunk people who have been in fights or assaulted their partners every night of the week. To say that this is an Aboriginal issue alone is just inaccurate and defamatory.

Secondly, the housing issue. This part is mostly true. There is an overcrowding issue in remote communities. As many as twenty people might be living in one house. On my visits to houses in Lajamanu, I would typically see maybe 3-5 filthy mattresses on the floor in one room. There would be unwashed linen, camp dogs, litter everywhere and the houses would be full of dog and human faeces, vermin etc. They were revolting. Completely third world. And subsequently a breeding ground for disease.

When I looked at Aboriginal men and women of around my age (32), I found that many of them had multiple children, some being cared for by the state, were battling problems with alcohol and/or abuse, were dependent on welfare and plenty were illiterate. Now this can also be found in low socio-economic areas in Caucasian populations, but in very remote communities I worked it was sadly the norm. Health issues such as STD's, diabetes and diabetes related complications, obesity, renal failure and chronic skin, dental and eye issues were the primary complaints.

Their parents and grandparents on the other hand, were predominantly better educated, perhaps as a result of the stolen generation, which I realise is controversial. Whatever we think about the stolen generation, and the atrocities that occurred because of it, most of the community members I spoke to who had been affected by it conceded that they appreciated the education and skills they had acquired, despite the method being less than appropriate. Nearly all Aboriginal community members I looked after above the age of sixty were literate, had skills such as midwifery, carpentry, mechanics, cooking and hunting. They were tough old sticks. Their knowledge however, for whatever reason has mostly been lost on their sons and daughters.

So how can we fix it? There is no easy answer, and I don't expect to see it in my lifetime. The solution will take generations. Education, rather than simply money is the key I think. Aboriginal communities don't need money per se. Many of them are extremely wealthy. Millions of dollars is paid to communities every year by mining companies in the form of royalties. But what doesn't happen is wise spending of it (much like most governments!). Instead it gets divvied up amongst the individual families, who spend it on new cars, food, alcohol and mobile phones rather than pooling their money and spending it on infrastructure. And there is no concept of care for possessions or ownership. If the car breaks down, or gets a flat tyre, often they are just abandoned where they are, rather than fixed. It doesn't matter, they will just buy a new one next time royalties are paid. And if another person asks for it, it will simply be given away.

What needs to happen, I think, is two fold. Firstly, we need to focus on getting all children into school. Truancy is a huge problem. The Lajamanu rate of kids going to school regularly was only around 40-50%, other communities maybe up to 70%. Children need to be literate and they need to learn the basics of managing money and their households, respecting one another, the importance of disease prevention, gain skills that will help their communities and their job prospects. And there needs to be repercussions for the parents if their children are not attending.

Welfare across all of Australia needs to be weaned (and not just in Aboriginal communities), and if it is given, needs to be in the form of a BasicsCard. (BasicsCard, by the way is a card that Centrelink pays a proportion of the payment into and can only be used for utilities such as power and water payments, as well as food and clothing at certain shops and education and health costs. Unfortunately it is a bit of racist deal, it only applies to the Aboriginal population. I think everyone receiving welfare should have to have it. By singling out indigenous welfare recipients, it just further divides us.)

Secondly, change has to happen from within. Those educated children then need to mentor others in their community, and their own children in time. Too much happens from the white population. The majority of people running these communities are white. Thereby their culture becomes more lost every year. Its rare to see indigenous working professionals which is sad. Here in Port Hedland however, I have just met my first Aboriginal doctor, which is wonderful. She tells me that she feels a sense of responsibility to encourage other young indigenous Australians to achieve and strive for change. People like her need to celebrated. But ultimately, people will only change if they want to. We can throw money and our opinions at them, but unless the community and the individuals within it, want a better life and realise the incentives for change, they never will.

Eventually, we need to give control and responsibility back to the community and appropriate elders in it. The populations need to take responsibility for their own actions and prosperity, care for one another and provide support to those who need it in a culturally sensitive manner. Some communities I've been in, have already started. But Australia has a long road ahead of it to close the gap. But it won't happen without full support and commitment from both sides.

Clickety click click click

2011-10-16T02:29:00.007+11:00

Photo of Port Hedland hermit crabs copyrighted to Maizy Daizy, 2011. Thank you!

Walking home from the supermarket tonight at dusk, we came across what I initially thought was a leaf blowing in the wind. On closer examination, I discovered it was a hermit crab clicking its way across the footpath down towards the sandy beach. Not wanting to step on it, Rob picked the poor thing up and placed it gently on the dunes and we continued on our way. But not even ten metres later, we came across another, and then another. Dozens of the crabs, just the one in Maizy Daizy's photo above, were making their way towards the beach from what appeared to be otherwise residential houses... The clicking of their claws on the cement sounding like a minuscule percussive orchestra.

We have been in Port Hedland for over a month now, and we have walked that same route to the supermarket numerous times to date, but we have never seen this before. What brings them out today? Is it a part of their mating season behaviour, just like the crabs on Christmas Island? The full moon? And where were they coming from? Who knows? But whatever it was, it made our walk much more interesting!

The Land of the High-Vis Shirt

2011-09-29T16:14:00.008+10:00

We've been in Port Hedland for a couple of weeks now. Long enough to have a look around (as much as we can on foot anyway). Like many rural towns, there is not much to do here without a car. Lucky for us, we brought our books, laptops, cameras and sketchbooks to keep us occupied on days off!

Its really a town of miners, engineers and tradies, all employed by BHP and Rio Tinto here in the Pilbara. I haven't yet met anyone who was born and bred in Port Hedland, apart from maybe the local indigenous community. Yellow and orange high-vis shirts are everywhere, in the pubs, the supermarket, the bank, everywhere. Nearly every car on the road is a mining vehicle, also emblazoned with fluorescent reflective stripes down the sides, thereby matching their drivers. I get the impression, that all anyone does here is fly in, work, eat, sleep and drink for fourteen days straight and then fly out.

There is big money here though. Everyone is on mega wages, even unskilled workers are earning over $100K in the mines. Consequently, everything is more expensive: the petrol, the groceries, the pub meals, the housing. The housing especially is diabolical! People are renting out their average 3 bedroom houses to the mines for nearly $3000 a week. And to buy a place here is ridiculous: you are looking at around a million bucks for an average sized home. I don't know how anyone could afford to live here permanently unless you A: bought a place before the mining boom or B: are prepared to live in a caravan!

It should be noted that Port Hedland is not an attractive town. As mentioned in our last post, its dry and dusty, the horizon is littered with mining rigs, trains and ships waiting to transport the iron ore and the red dirt is everywhere. The Indian Ocean beckons you with its turquoise water, but it is a cruel invitation because it is not safe to swim there. Unless you want an encounter with stonefish and box jellyfish. And I suspect you don't. It's interesting to think what would have happened to Port Hedland if the Pilbara region hadn't become a mining hub. Would it have become a sleepy little retirement town? Or would it have just died out and become one of those ghost towns that no-one stops at unless they are in need of petrol on their way up to Broome?

This morning, we decided to catch the bus into the 'CBD', which is essentially not much more than a street of ATM's, a newsagency and the post office. But there is a newish cafe there, housed inside one of BHP's old train carriages. And the food was good! So with relief we tucked into a brunch of eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and spinach and washed it all down with espresso. And for a little while, we could pretend we were somewhere a little more inspiring!

Port Hedland

2011-09-14T20:13:00.005+10:00

We've landed in Port Hedland, WA. Its a funny design, this town. Port Hedland was the original town, near the sea, hence the name. Our quarters, as well as the hotels and a couple of restaurants are located here. But 15km away they have South Hedland, where the hospital is located and there also other run of the mill chain stores like K-Mart and McDonalds. A big gap separates the two. A driver picks us up for our shifts and drops us home at the end.

Its a stark environment, hot, dry, dusty and flat as far as the eye can see. In fact, the only hill they have is the bridge that goes from South Hedland to Port Hedland! The temperatures here can get to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer time. Right now, its in the low thirties. Like most places this far north, the red dirt is everywhere, the tumbleweed thrives, and the landscape is dotted with mining equipment. Here they mine salt and iron ore. And most of the population is fly in-fly out mining workers and their families, as well as the local indigenous community.

Today, on my way to work, I saw the most enormous piles of salt from the mines. They look remarkably like snow covered mountains, and in the early morning light (and when squinting one's eyes) you can nearly trick yourself into thinking you are in the Swiss Alps. But by 9am, the scorching sun is high in the sky, and the illusion dissolves, and you remember that this is indeed Australia. The sunburnt country they sing about in those weird Aussie folk songs.

Une Question

2011-08-23T14:44:00.004+10:00

For a while now, I've been studying French. I've always loved the sound of the language, its romantic connotations. I never studied it at school, but I decided to start learning it a few years back at the local adult education. I have no real need to learn French, but it is something that I would love to say I could do. So I did 2 hours a week for 20 weeks, and learnt the very basics. And since then I've been going it alone. I am one of those people who is a sucker for language learning products. I have flashcards, CD's, books, podcasts, you name it, I have it.

Now you would think that after 3 years of, well intermittent, learning, with all these wonderful tools at my disposal, I would have progressed. And to an extent, I have. At best though, I would say that I am of an elementary level. Not full beginner, but not much further. My main problem, I think, is that I have no native speaker to practice with. You know someone to correct my grammar and pronunciation. And secondly, my study has not been daily.

I read about Steve Kaufmann the other day. This guy speaks ten languages fluently and he reckons he does it through daily immersion, and in a similar method in which we all learnt our first language. For example, I grew up in an English speaking home, so I became fluent in English because I constantly heard it spoken around me. He applies the same principles when he is learning another language. He watches foreign news and movies, he reads foreign papers and books, listens to foreign songs.

So what I would like to know is: is the only way you can really learn a language is to fully immerse yourself in it? As in, does one need to actually go and live in a French speaking country to become fluent? Or can you, if you are dedicated like this Steve Kaufmann obviously is, become fluent with all your resources around? Or does it depend on how you learn and your aptness for languages?

Queenstown

2011-08-07T12:46:00.005+10:00

Its been nearly 2 months since my last update, sorry about that! We've been zipping all over the place. Since coming home from our last post in Mareeba, we've been across to Penang, Malaysia for a holiday, home again and then up to the Gold Coast, for some work related education and then back again to Tasmania where we have been contracted to work on the wild west coast town of Queenstown for 6 weeks. From snow to tropics, our acclimatisation skills have been tested over the last few weeks.

Other Tasmanians will already know that it is not the best time of year to be posted in Queenstown. The winter here is brutal. If it is not snowing, there is ice an inch thick over the car in the mornings or it is raining. Queenstown is a small town of approximately 5000, settled in a valley at the base of Mount Owen, is gray and dark most days and is surrounded by these eerie bald mountains, known as the 'moonscape': a result of environmental damage caused by past smelting practices. It has a long history in mining and railways, with most of the residents in someway connected to either industry. I know I'm not selling it, but having said all that, it does seem to have a kind of austere beauty about it. In a Twin Peaks kind of way.

Anyway, there is only 2 weeks left here... yes its almost over before I've even blogged about it. Next stop? Port Hedland, WA.

My Studio

2011-06-14T12:20:00.007+10:00

I'm a sucker for spying on people's studios! I love to see where they work, create, think and escape the outside world. Having just bought Olga Bennett's book 'Environments' in order to further fuel my obsession, I thought it appropriate to post some photos of the place I spend the majority of my time when I am home. This is my studio for the time being at least. Plans are in the pipeline to build a free standing studio in the backyard...but more on that later.

I was inspired by the miserable weather outside which has been further compounded by a shitload of Chilean volcanic ash that is apparently hanging over NZ and Tasmania and wreaking havoc with air travel therein, to rearrange the space and throw out some things that either A) have been become so daggy that even the op-shop is unlikely to sell them or B) are damaged beyond reusable repair (think old tubes of gouache that have dried to a cement like consistency).

I suppose some may argue this is simply another procrastination method to avoid unpacking and sorting out our house, but I think I might be able to live with that. Now, onto more important matters... What shall I make? Ah... holidays... bliss... Off to Malaysia next week (assuming of course we can fly off the island!).

Tablelands Adventures Continued

2011-06-06T11:20:00.005+10:00

Another day out and about!

Our contract here in Mareeba is almost finished and we decided for our last hurrah we would tourist it up and catch the Cairns to Kuranda Skyrail and return by train through the rainforest. Our dear friend Hwuei was also in town and she came along for the ride. Its really quite a lovely day out, and I think worth the money. The infrastructure alone is pretty incredible and I can understand why they won so many tourism awards. The weather was beautiful, the company and food was great.

We finished off our day with dinner on the Cairns Esplanade which is also quite spectacular in the fading evening light with its free lagoon pool and parkland by the seaside.

Home at the end of the week to frost and single digit temperatures (or so we hear)! Best be finding my down jacket quick sticks!

See you all soon for pinot, open fires and hip widening comfort food!

Tablelands Adventures - Kuranda to Millaa Millaa

2011-05-22T18:22:00.005+10:00

A few images from around the lovely Tablelands in far north Queensland. Its kind of like a tropical Tasmania. Lots of lush green farmland, waterfalls and rainforests. Rob and I took our cameras and had a day out together stopping in at roadside farms, buying limes and avocados ($2 a bag people!) and exploring the local area. Lovely.

Mareeba Mareeba

2011-05-21T21:30:00.010+10:00

A few photos of Mareeba - the place of our current contract. It's quite a pretty town really. The gardens and parks are tidy, the houses are neat as pins. You can tell that they take pride in their home. We've enjoyed the change in pace, the services and a break from primary health care!

This building below is our nurses quarters, an old dilapidated lady, that is in much need of a makeover. But she does have beautiful bones, original floors and charming vintage features, but she has been left to decay. Rob and I have the Taj Mahal of the quarters really, we are in the old matron's flat which at least has its own bathroom and kitchen space, whereas everyone else has a single room with shared facilities. So we probably should be grateful!

I especially love this fire danger sign. I have to wonder though, if the fire warning was really rated at catastrophic, do they really think that there would there be anyone left in Mareeba to read it?

No. 35 Hold My Hand

2011-05-16T14:57:00.005+10:00

Next offering from the list - I think its got potential for a Valentines Day Card. It could say something along the lines of 'I'd activate my rocket boots for you'.

Cheesy??? Maybe, but I think possibly you might get a date if you sent this. Well, I'd say yes.

Mini Break in the Far North!

2011-05-10T19:19:00.004+10:00

Rob and I have arrived in Mareeba - a small town in the far north Queensland tablelands. By comparison to our previous posts, its positively metropolitan! Its only 45 minutes from Cairns, an hour to Port Douglas and has pretty much all the services and shops one needs. We are working at the local hospital, in the emergency department. Its more of a GP clinic, with emergency facilities, but anything of note goes to Cairns, and here the doctors are pretty much seeing everyone, so we are just cruising along. Its more of a working holiday. The work is easy, not at all stressful and there is no on-call. So hence, we are utilising our days off. Over the weekend we hired a car and headed to Port Douglas for a little mini break. It was all cocktails, swim up bar, delicious food and walks along the beach. Some little photo tempters for all of you (especially our fellow Tasmanians, who are probably freezing their butts off right now!)

No 48: Childhood

2011-04-13T08:58:00.006+10:00

Childhood, for me at least consisted of games, books, imagination, cubby houses, animals and the seaside. My father was the park ranger of Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania and so growing up was done in and amongst glorious landscapes, where I had the whole national park as my playground. I suppose because we were a little isolated, much of my time was spent playing with my sisters, but a whole lot of it was spent reading books. I remember being so excited to discover the school library, and realising that I was allowed to borrow all these books, take them home for a week or two and then get more! It was heaven to my six year old mind. Monsters and fairies, witches and wizards - they were all my companions. And so now, when I think of childhood, I remember the amazing time I had, how privileged I was to be blessed with an imagination and how lucky I was to have had parents who encouraged it!

I'm thinking these one-eyed monsters might be resurrected at some point as a kids range of cards or wrapping paper. Or perhaps I might, one day, create a small children's book to give a new bubba? Maybe these could be the characters... Oh the possibilities.

No. 58: A Kick to the Head

2011-04-03T17:35:00.006+10:00

So naturally, a ninja. But if truth be told, its because I haven't yet mastered noses or mouths!

The List

2011-04-03T13:58:00.004+10:00

Just because it can be difficult to find on the link (requires the odd bit of scrolling etc)... Here's the official list of 100 things I am attempting to draw or sew or photograph or whatever, as a part of my self imposed artistic challenge...

1. Introduction
2. Nurture
3. Light
4. Dark
5. Seeking Solace
6. Break Away
7. Heaven
8. Innocence
9. Drive
10. Breathe Again
11. Memory
12. Insanity
13. Misfortune
14. Smile
15. Silence
16. Questioning
17. Blood
18. Rainbow
19. Gray
20. Fortitude
21. Vacation
22. Mother Nature
23. Cat
24. No Time
25. Trouble Lurking
26. Tears
27. Foreign
28. Sorrow
29. Happiness
30. Under the Rain
31. Flowers
32. Night
33. Expectations
34. Stars
35. Hold My Hand
36. Precious Treasure
37. Eyes
38. Abandoned
39. Dreams
40. Rated
41. Teamwork
42. Standing Still
43. Dying
44. Two Roads
45. Illusion
46. Family
47. Creation
48. Childhood
49. Stripes
50. Breaking the Rules
51. Sport
52. Deep in Thought
53. Keeping a Secret
54. Tower
55. Waiting
56. Danger Ahead
57. Sacrifice
58. Kick in the Head
59. No Way Out
60. Rejection
61. Fairy Tale
62. Magic
63. Do Not Disturb
64. Multitasking
65. Horror
66. Traps
67. Playing the Melody
68. Hero
69. Annoyance
70. 67%
71. Obsession
72. Mischief Managed
73. I Can’t
74. Are You Challenging Me?
75. Mirror
76. Broken Pieces
77. Test
78. Drink
79. Starvation
80. Words
81. Pen and Paper
82. Can You Hear Me?
83. Heal
84. Out Cold
85. Spiral
86. Seeing Red
87. Food
88. Pain
89. Through the Fire
90. Triangle
91. Drowning
92. All That I Have
93. Give Up
94. Last Hope
95. Advertisement
96. In the Storm
97. Safety First
98. Puzzle
99. Solitude
100. Relaxation

No. 25 Trouble Lurking

2011-04-02T09:14:00.001+11:00

We are almost done here in Kowanyama... We fly out on April 15 to Cairns - my my we are looking forward to that glass of wine! Its strictly dry here, unlike Lajamanu where we were able to get an alcohol license. And the penalties are up to a $75,000 fine for smuggling it in! The work has been quite cruisey though, we haven't got burnt out so thats refreshing. Plan is to have a week off before doing another 7-8 week contract. This time we are considering doing a little ED somewhere just for a change from primary health care.

In the meantime, I have been continuing along my artistic challenge. Today's effort: Trouble Lurking. There are a huge amount of crows around the town. I kind of like them. Apparently, they are incredibly intelligent too. They recognise faces, can identify patterns and problem solve. So Rob's thought is that you don't want to mess with one. And it would be far easier to subvert them with meat and cheese! He's been popping little tidbits out for the locals and I must admit watching them swoop in to collect the morsels has been quite entertaining.

They do have a reputation for being a gothic metaphor for death, darkness and the like and now I think about it, lurking. So nice.

Day 2: no 87... Food

2011-03-29T16:47:00.000+11:00

Oh the challenge of still life.

I used to hate drawing apples and pears and bowls of fruit in high school art classes. Nothing bored me more than thinking about perspective and shading. But No 87 on the list said food, and these are the first things that came to mind. In retrospect, I could have drawn some more interesting looking food, but these were bought at the local Kowanyama shop this morning, and hence they came to hand. And anyway, I kind of enjoyed it...

I'm reading a book at the moment called 'Your Artist's Brain' by Carl Purcell. Mr Purcell has helped big time. Instead of drawing what I think an object should look like (because intellectually I have learnt that exhibit A looks a certain way), I am learning to draw what I see. So I am paying attention to highlights and shadows, angles and curves and looking for finer detail, something I've never done before. Its quite exhilarating!

I'd put these drawings in the 'Not Too Shit' category, (as my friend Winnie Ho would say). Not bad for my early return to drawing!

Creative Challenge - Day 1

2011-03-28T23:51:00.000+11:00

Today the mail plane flew in from Cairns, carrying with it my new watercolour brush (No. 2 Winsor and Newton Series 7, thanks for asking). I ordered it online about a week ago, and have been waiting impatiently for it to arrive. I came to remote Kowanyama with a few art materials, including watercolour pencils, but I forgot to pack any brushes. Hence my lovely watercolour pencils were destined to remain plain old colour pencils until today.

So with this trusty little brush now firmly in my grasp, I decided I best start this challenge. And now that I am blogging about it, I suppose I'm accountable. No pressure!

First item on my list: number 31 - Flowers. I know, an easy one, but one has to start somewhere... these lilies are outside my front door of our little donga. I found the lilies to be most interesting after they had shed their vibrant petals and all that was left were the heads. Kind of like rosehips. So here it is: Kowanyama Lilies - mixed media: ink and watercolour pencil. Drawing is not my strength, but with any luck I will get better...

I think these shapes may be destined to become a screen printed wrapping paper or stationery later on too!

Creative Challenge Anyone?

2011-03-25T09:59:00.000+11:00

This week, whilst getting my inspiration fix online, I came across the concept of a 100 day creative challenge. Essentially, the challenge comprised of making 100 illustrations over 100 days based on the supplied list of 100 themes. Its aim, I believe, is to push your creative boundaries and give you some framework for daily creative action. This particular one was obviously aimed at those into drawing, but I think it would adapt quite easily to other mediums, craft included.

So now I am considering undertaking it, but I know I cannot commit to one art form. I'm too flighty for that! I will have enough on my plate doing something creative every day. So I thought, I might attack the very same list, but use whatever art form or craft medium I am into that day. So somedays I might draw or paint (and people, this is not my strength, so maybe I should do more of that to improve!), other days I might take a photo. When I'm home in the studio I might print or sew something. As long as I use the same themes to inspire the project.

And you know what? I am not going to beat myself up if I miss a day here and there. There is no point setting yourself up for failure. I will be realistic. Work commitments, travel and day to day living will sometimes have to take priority. This list could very well take me a year instead of just over 3 months. But I am going to try. Having a creative balance in my life is paramount to my happiness. Maybe I'll put a few success pieces up on the blog for you to see. Anyone who wants to join in is welcome, the more the merrier!

The only question remaining... which theme should I start with?

I'm singing in the rain/ I'm singing in the rain/ What a glorious feeling/ I'm happy again!

2011-03-10T22:15:00.000+11:00

Its the wet season here, but apparently, this is mega wet! Instead of the usual fifteen minute afternoon monsoonal showers, Kowanyama has experienced torrential downpours for days on end. Our boss was forced to buy us all gumboots just so we could get to work in the morning!

My good friend Gemma suggested a rendition of the old favourite tune after lamenting the amount of puddles here, and really... are there any better words to describe it? Or any better way to deal with it? So here I am, ankle deep in water, rehearsing for Broadway.

All I'm missing is an umbrella for theatrical effect!

Sunday Afternoon Ride

2011-03-06T21:06:00.001+11:00

We took advantage of the break in the weather to hop on the clinic bikes and see a bit more of the area. The birds are amazing, flocks of them, everywhere!

What a lovely way to end off the weekend.

Getting the message out, Kowanyama Style

2011-03-05T11:30:00.000+11:00

Hello Cape York

2011-03-03T22:20:00.001+11:00

Time has flown by! We finished our contract in Laj on January 31 and flew home for almost 4 weeks where we had lovely times wining and dining, camping on the beach, and catching up with our amazing friends and family.

But the dollars were starting to dwindle, so we thought we better put down the pinot and brie and haul arse to our new home for the next 7 weeks: Kowanyama. For all you peeps out there who find Google maps all too much, its on west Cape York, around the same latitude as Cooktown.

After Laj, we had no expectations about what we would find here. Lajamanu was pretty challenging, a baptism of fire! Lovely community members individually, but the community as a whole did not function very effectively. The town, clinic and houses were run down, services were limited, the clinic was understaffed and under equipped, the town has lots of litter, camp dogs etc.

Well people, it could not be more different here. Kowanyama is super tidy by comparison, people here take pride in their appearance and homes, flowers are grown and tended in the front yards, lawns are mowed. Outrageous! It almost looks like a caravan park! The clinic is new and flash, it has its own X-Ray room which a couple of the senior nurses operate, the support staff are there every day, ON TIME!!! and we have 4 Aboriginal Health Worker trainees who are enthusiastic and wanting to learn from us all. There are proper commercial planes that fly in and out, a well stocked shop, post office, takeaways. English is fluently spoken here and the people treat us with respect and friendliness.

We haven't been put on call as yet, but that starts next week. But it seems that only a couple of calls after hours are the norm, which is amazing when 8 was about the average in Laj. The only problem with such a high functioning community is that we won't be raking in the overtime dollars nearly as much! Oh how demanding we are!

We will post some photos of the community soon, maybe over the weekend we will be able to get out and grab some picturess xxx

Last week in Laj

2011-01-23T02:00:00.001+11:00

Well its almost over. Hard to believe, but true. As of Monday, we only have 7 days left in Lajamanu. Its been a rollercoaster, sometimes hugely frustrating and tiring, but sometimes really interesting and rewarding. I can't say I'm sad to leave, but we've met some fantastic people here, both clinical and non clinical staff, interesting clients and community members and of course there will always be Chopper, who I've become quite fond of.

And speaking of her, she's undergone a bit of a transformation lately. Since we've been here we've put her on a strict exercise and diet regime, and jeez she's starting to look good. She's gone from being an overweight lady with arthritis and heart failure who couldn't really walk more than a half a kilometre without keeling over to showing off a more slimline physique and now manages a 5km walk without breaking a sweat. She even biathlons it up and fits in a quick swim in the creek on the way just to show off! Her previous carer had her on diuretics, anti-inflammatories and a whole host of other medications, but really... I think she was just fat!

Work has become much more bearable lately. The Christmas/New Year period was simply horrendous... 4 nurses running a 24 hour service with absolutely no support, but now as people are starting to filter back after their holidays, the clinic has begun running as it should again. Aside from working like trojans, we've spent the last month eating (quite well actually - it is amazing what you can order from Woolies!), taking long walks with Chopper around this like amazing landscape where we regularly see herds of brumbies and flocks of black cockatoos, and just this week I've had a moment or two to start thinking about designing again. The promise of civilisation, haircuts, dinners and alcohol has also made me excited, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

So people, we will be home for 3-4 weeks from about February 2nd. Plan beyond that is a little up in the air, but we have joined a nursing agency and I guess we will see where they plonk us!

If anyone would like to share a glass of vino with us while we are home, you will be more than welcome!

Working Christmas/New Year

2010-12-28T15:41:00.001+11:00

We are down to a skeleton staff of four nurses. We have no doctors, cleaners, receptionists or aboriginal liaison officers and between us we are trying to run a 24 hour service.

Yesterday, Rob and I were on call (our 2 remaining colleagues were on a much needed day off, having worked Christmas and Boxing Day) and in our 24 hours we: flew a girl out with a possible ectopic, sedated a 8 year old child and reduced his displaced Colles fracture (again, thank goodness for a book) and also flew him out, sutured up a head, managed an aggressive and intoxicated man, administered rabies prophylaxis to a lady who was unfortunately bitten 14 times by a bat, and also saw 31 other patients with various other complaints. And the clinic is actually closed except for emergencies.

It is not boding well for New Years Eve.

Volleyball, BBQ's, Dog Sitting... Christmas time in Laj

2010-12-22T00:35:00.001+11:00

This year, Christmas is going to be a little different. Firstly, there's no decorations in our house or a Christmas tree, which makes it feel a bit un-Christmassy. But there is a mail plane that comes in once a week, laden down with presents and packages which reminds me of those daggy Australian Christmas cards where Santa is wearing thongs and driving a ute (having left his summer-phobic reindeer north of the equator).

Surprisingly, the people here actually do Christmas to an extent. Houses have been decorated with lights, the local shop has got a mini-toy section where parents can put stuff on layby, and this morning I saw one of the local cars had tinsel around its rear view mirror. (There wasn't any intact windows in the car nor did it have any workable tyres, but apparently thats not so important).

We are not sure how Christmas is going to go down here, work wise. The clinic is closed from Christmas Day through to the 28th inclusive and then again from the 1st to the 3rd of January other than for emergencies, but we are losing our doctor to a holiday in Samoa and two other nurses have finished their contracts leaving us with only 4 nurses to manage. Even the Lajamanu pilots are heading off. So it could be either a walk in the park or absolutely atrocious. The population is quite transient, so a lot will go away, visit families in other communities or just go bush so we may have less patients than normal or we may have people from other communities stopping by, and a skeleton staff to look after them. Yet to be determined.

In other news we have befriended the local pilots, a bunch of 20 something bachelors, who fly our clients in and out of Katherine for appointments, as well as Katherine West clinical staff. They all live in this bachelor pad donga, complete with a inflatable wading pool on the verandah and a volleyball net in the backyard. Evenings now consist of BBQ's, light beers (we are in Laj after all) volleyball (Lajamanu rules apply - one bounce is fine), and word is that a chess club might be on the horizon. I tell you, our social events calendar is getting pretty full.

Not to mention that from tonight we are also dog sitting.

Our GP has left her Whippet/German Shepherd cross with us while she's away. Chopper (our clinic dog) is quite miffed that Ellie has moved in on her turf. Ellie presents as a slightly anxious dog, lovely temperament but that could be because she is on HRT. Our GP advised us that a weekly dose of her 'happy pill' will keep us all content!

I'm just hoping that her and Chopper won't get into any scraps. Chopper is, as previously mentioned a camp dog, so hence she's like Jenny from the block, and would probably use phrases like "oh no you didn't!" before launching into a full on cat (or dog?) fight . Ellie is a bit like a elite school student who would much prefer to play lacrosse and learn French and debate her way out of an argument.

So it could be interesting, hopefully they won't get into any scraps. Luckily our GP has given us a 'Not for Resuscitation' order on her dog, which means if Chopper and Ellie do get into a bitch fight, and Ellie loses, we don't have commence CPR. That's a relief. Nothing worse than trying to intubate a dog.

So that's about all from us, thank you for all the lovely cards, messages and packages that have arrived... We miss you all and are chuffed that you are thinking of us

Lots of love xxx

ZAP! Shazam!

2010-12-08T18:34:00.001+11:00

Month 2 in the desert!

We are truly in the swing of things now. Its been a big learning curve but now we are feeling much more settled. We've been given portfolios (as they are called)... Rob is in charge of men's health and I am taking over the antenatal care while our resident midwife is on holidays. So basically that means that we are chasing down people, I'm getting the ladies in for their pregnancy assessments, ultrasounds, antenatal checks, booking them in to Katherine to have their babies. Rob is focussing this week on men's sexual health, following up on positive results for STI's, screening and education. Health in indigenous communities is quite separate gender wise. Any problems with 'down there' are usually only discussed with a health worker of the same gender. Hence when Rob finds a positive result amongst one of the local boys, he needs a female nurse to hunt down the partner so they can both be treated. So we've been tag teaming. We've been feeling like safe sex superheroes! We usually give our patients a huge mouthful of antibiotics: Zithromax (Azithromycin), Amoxycillin and Probenecid, (snappily known as a ZAP Pack!,) as a single dose that will treat the run of the mill infections and then screen them for the rest and treat as necessary. We've been loving it, its quite fulfilling health promotion. All we need is a cape and to maybe start wearing our undies on the outside!

Clarence Point Market

2010-12-04T21:30:00.001+11:00

According to my sources, it was a lovely day... our stall looked great, if anything the three of us had too much stuff so next time we might have to get 2 tables. Christmas markets are great, there's a sense of festivity in the air, we rationalise all our purchases by reassuring ourselves and others that they are stocking fillers (even if we really intend to keep them for ourselves!) and generally people are merry and bright.

Us ladies did pretty well, admittedly there was a lot of competition, the calibre was there, but the day was nothing short of a success. Most of our stuff sold, and the stock that was left over we'll be selling at the Exeter Twilight Market later this month. And Mum's women's collective 'Point of Women' raised more funds for ongoing projects in the West Tamar.

Here's a couple of photos, apologies for the resolution, it was taken on an iPhone, but you get the idea!

Thank Goodness for Books!

2010-11-19T23:14:00.001+11:00

We've been here over a week, and oh the things we've learnt!

Number 1? Suturing. We thought it would look a bit lame if we had to get out the procedure book at the time of needed suturing, so a little practice might be in order. Not that our clients would probably notice, they are pretty used to bemused nurses flicking through books to decide on treatments and diagnosis. But we figured that our hands would be pretty full if and when we needed to whack in a stitch or two, so the solution? Chicken! Our poor little chicken breasts mysteriously ended up with a few lacerations that a little bit of Prolene (stitching thread for all you non-medical types) sorted out quick-sticks!

Our week has been full on, we are doing things here that we've never done before! I applied my very first backslab on a fractured wrist, muddled through a few antenatal checks, helped evacuate a sick patient to Darwin. Its amazing the stuff we have to do. Here the airstrip is about 100 metres from the clinic. When we airlift someone out at night, its not just about sorting out their clinical stability. We've also got to make sure the airstrip lights are on, and ensure someone drives up and down the runway to make sure its clear of random dogs and children! Only in the Territory!

The dogs here are "cheeky' as the locals say. What that really means is that they are feral, will run at you and bite. No cars in Lajamanu have any mudflaps left because as you drive up and down the streets, packs of them run at the cars and chew them off. And because no-one desexes them or cares for them, litters of puppies are born every week. The one exception is a camp dog called Chopper, owing to the fact that the top of one of her ears is missing, probably as a result of a scrap in her younger days. She's become the clinic dog, has a gorgeous temperament, and protects us from the other camp dogs. She's ancient, is terrified of thunder storms, has heart failure and arthritis and can't walk much further than 500 metres before she gets puffed out and you have to carry her home, but its amazing how much energy she can muster if another dog steps on her turf or goes for one of us. So one of our colleagues has her on anti-inflammatories and a bit of Lasix and she's still kicking on. People have predicted her demise many times, but still she lives! She's a bloody legend and an institution here in 'Laj' as its known. It'll be a sad day when she finally goes to canine heaven.

And speaking of heaven, we went and had a look at the local cemetery the other day. Lajamanu town itself is a mess, there's rubbish everywhere, the houses are unclean and full of pests, the feral dogs run amok, there's burnt out cars and bikes, but yet the cemetery is spotless. Every grave is impeccably maintained, plastic flowers and wreaths adorn each one and there is not a piece of litter to be seen. The respect for the dead is paramount, and the ancestors are revered in this traditional community.

Let's hope Chopper gets the same respect on the day she passes on.

Google Earth Us At Lajamanu

2010-11-13T15:06:00.001+11:00

Well my mister and I have arrived in the Red Centre... We were flown in a tiny 4 seater mail plane, crammed in like sardines in and amongst the mail and parcels. The poor little plane was so laden down its tail was below the dashboard and the pilot had to strain to see out his front window. It was also bumpy and poor Rob vomited copious amounts for the entire trip. Not pleasant. Still we are here. An amusing comment made by a local man made us laugh though. On hearing the story of the power chuck, he said 'Oh what a waste of your lunch. Did your wife cook you another one?'

We're working for at least the next three months in a bush town called Lajamanu, a primarily Aboriginal settlement, at the health centre here. The clinic aims to improve health outcomes of the Lajamanu community through primary health care programs and also runs an emergency service linked with Katherine and Darwin hospitals. Its busy too, here we are emergency nurses, paramedics, midwives, child health nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, air traffic controllers, receptionists, cleaners and everything in between. As Remote Area Nurses we can prescribe medicines according to certain protocols, suture and plaster and do a whole stack of stuff we can't do in Tasmania. So naturally we are quietly freaking out. But give us a couple of weeks and I'm sure we will feel more settled.

Its remote... we're 600km southwest of Katherine, on the edge of the Tanami Desert and there isn't much here. There's a local store/mini supermarket that is where we are getting our food from, but it is super expensive. A sweet potato costs $7! But to their credit, they don't stock much junk food, couldn't find chocolate or chips there, its mostly healthy options. So that's a good thing... We won't be eating any crap. Word around the campfire is that we can set up an account with Woolies in Katherine and they will do a weekly freight delivery here so that may be an option, but then we need to weigh up the cost of the freight. Our accommodation is provided, simple but adequate, an old brick unit, full of asbestos (but then so is the clinic!) and is furnished, and we aren't paying for anything so no complaints there. There is red dirt everywhere and it gets over everything. The temperature at the moment is around 35-45 degrees, and the wet season is coming. Last night a huge storm knocked over a tree which landed on the unit next door, but luckily no-one was staying there. We're not quite sure who will be able to get that fixed as the council is based in Alice Springs. Not exactly around the corner. And we're also hoping that the remaining trees stay upright!

So we have the weekend off, but we'll be on the on-call roster soon enough. And I think the on-call person works pretty much every night so it will be busy. Stay tuned for our next report!

Treasures for Sale

2010-11-04T14:44:00.002+11:00

Wrapping paper and kusudama origami ornaments - perfect for Christmas...

On sale for one day only at the Clarence Point Market...

Sunday the 28th November 2010, Clarence Point Hall in Clarence Point.

To market, to market... And new design!

2010-11-01T12:55:00.001+11:00

Now I know that you all know of and probably attend Niche - the fantastic makers market on roughly quarterly here in Launceston. But at the end of this month, there's another little market on that you may not have heard of...

Its the gorgeous and quaint Clarence Point Market, held in the little hall, by the river at Clarence Point. Its the old kind of market, you know the one filled with fruit and veggies, homemade honey and jams, high end bric a brac and handmade goodness. The next one is on November 28 and there will be some 'eve and the apple tree' treasures being sold. I'll unfortunately already be working in the Northern Territory desert by then, but if you swing by you'll find my mama and my aunt selling my wrapping paper, origami Christmas ornaments and a few other little things along with their treasures on our cute stall! Mum has a cute little label simply called Joanie, while my Auntie Fuzzie (as she is known) sells under 'Dear Little Doggie Design'.

So people, pack a picnic, visit a vineyard or two and take the motor car out for a Sunday drive and check out what those creative peeps are doing in the West Tamar!

And for those of you who have been asking, here is the first official print run of 'Rainy Day in the Park', a cute child-like wrapping paper, or simply for those young at heart. Enjoy xxx

New Jellyfish Wrapping Paper

2010-10-06T19:25:00.000+11:00

New design people... here's a picture of the first print run (custom job) for a lovely lass at work. Rob calls it 'Crazy Squid' but really its jellyfish. I'm thinking its looking sweet as. I also think it might just be turned into fabric...

There's also a work in progress happening... its a rainy in the park... think rain clouds, sausage dogs and apple trees. I've done a basic run, but there's a few elements I want to change now.... Its a bit too regimented, needs a good old randomise to mix it up. Watch this space xxx

New Skies to See

2010-09-13T16:18:00.001+10:00

It's happened.

After 4 lovely years of nesting on the island, my feet have developed a noticeable itch. It started off with just a toe, but now they are definitely itchy. Its mainly work driven I think. I love working with a great bunch of people in the emergency department here in Launceston, but I am also feeling the need for a little change, get some new skills, see some different scenery. But there's also certainly the attraction of remaining free, loosening the ties to any one place, and coming and going as we please. So we're off. Me and my mister have accepted positions in the Northern Territory, working at a small health clinic on the edge of the Tanami Desert. Its largely an indigenous population of around 1000, there's the obligatory red dirt everywhere and its hot. There will be limited resources, and we will probably fly people out more often than not for treatment in Katherine or Darwin.

Aside from the work related challenges, the bit I'm most excited about is the potential for inspiration! Think of all the gorgeous landscapes, flora and fauna and colours I'll see. Oh it'll be photographic and design heaven. So while I'm up there, hanging out in my provided accommodation, I'll be thinking, drawing, photographing and designing. And when we come home in 12 months time, it will be production city. Stay tuned people.

Oh holidays... how I miss thee...

2010-08-24T01:02:00.000+10:00

So I've got back from a little sojourn in Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore with my mister... Oh it was lovely, the food, the people, the amazing scenery. We had nearly six weeks zipping all over the countryside by train, plane and tuk tuk, eating more noodle soup than is probably considered proper in civilised society, taking a huge amount of photos and just appreciating the increase in temperature. What an escape from the frosty mornings here on the island! Here's just a little taster of what we saw...

First Print Runs

2010-06-07T00:59:00.000+10:00

Some completed wrapping paper for anyone who might be mildly interested. Its been selling like hot cakes amongst the ladies at work! Bless their little cotton socks, they've been keeping me busy.

wrapping paper

2010-05-22T14:32:00.001+10:00

OK, so the last few months, i've been continuing on my little quest for creative happiness. At the moment I'm back on the printmaking train. I've finally bit the bullet, and stopped trying to get a cracked version of Illustrator, and spent the money. My word, its a brilliant program once you get past how non-user friendly it is! I'm sure I've only worked out about 1% of its capabilities but I'm already impressed. Designing becomes so much more professional. Thanks to my mate Kieran (a creative genius in her own right) I've become well acquainted with Live Trace. It just tidies up my sketches and makes them print ready so already I'm in love.

Current project: wrapping paper. Have acquired a mere 350 metres of brown paper from eBay and now need to do something with (besides using it as a door stop to my studio). Here's a little taster of my latest design. Its a proof so please excuse the pencil lines, obviously they won't be there in the final product!

Visiting the parentals

2010-01-25T14:56:00.001+11:00

Mum and Dad finally have their dream house. They packed up, moved from Launceston to a river-side retreat on the West Arm where they've built their castle. Its lovely. Only 55 minutes from town, but it might as well be worlds away.

Mum even got excited and got out her little row boat for some evening meandering with her mates on the water. Check 'em out, they're all a tad tipsy, but bless 'em... they know how to have fun. Now that's retirement.

Photographic Journeys

2010-01-22T18:03:00.001+11:00

Lately, I've been into the photography. As previously mentioned, I finally succumbed to the digital age and bought myself a Canon SLR which I just love. Rob and I have also lashed out and bought us a couple of tripods so now I have even more creative possibilities. It just means we have to carry them but hey, sometimes you have to make small sacrifices.

Here's just a little of what I've seen this week. A few little landscape shots of my neighbourhood. All these images are taken within 20 minutes of my house... what a nice backyard I have!

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-30T20:54:00.000+11:00

Hi peeps, clearly you've all worked out that I can only commit to a monthly update, and I've decided that you all must be cool with that, given that there has been no comments to make me think otherwise.

All well in the valley. Christmas has come and gone and my family amazingly all had it off to spend together. It was the usual shenanigans... Tanqueray, board games, prawns and scallops. Laura even got all fancy and made a croqembouche (think custard filled profiteroles stacked up in a cone and drizzled with toffee) but in a not so fantastic moment managed to burn my leg with the hot toffee when she got all enthusiastic and spilled it.

Just so you know, in case you find yourself in this situation, my mother is not the best at most board games, particularly those involving drawing, acting or humming so if you can get out of being her partner, it'd be for the best. However, when we played Cranium (which involves all the aforementioned categories) I wasn't quick enough and she ended up on my team. Lets just say her attempt at humming quality hits such as the Neighbours theme song could only be described as dismal, but the creme de la creme came when she tried to charades the act of base jumping. A praying mantis high on amphetamines might give you the picture. Please note though that if the game involves words such as Scrabble or card games like Canasta, she kicks arse so do not get complacent.

So Christmas for us was merriness all round, we pissed ourselves laughing and ate way too much food which is what it is meant to be about isn't it? Hope you all are having a brilliant festive season xxx

OK finally, some renovation photos...

2009-11-29T22:01:00.000+11:00

So update - where has this girl been of late???

The last couple of months have been busy busy (as usual I am burning the candle at both ends)... Renos are finally done - yay! - so I've been swanning around in my new pad and enjoying the luxuries that came with it, ie a non-leaking roof, clawfoot bath, no more starlings making noise and mess in my ceiling. Brilliant. Here's a little taster of the finished kitchen and bathroom...

I've finally started to process all those photos from my trip to Japan, and thanks to Isis and her stellar bookbinding sesh she ran at Brown Owls a couple of months back, I've been inspired to make the album from scratch. So I've been using some of the gorgeous fabric I bought in Tokyo and Kyoto for the covers and bought some delicious acid free drawing paper for the pages. I love looking at photos from old holidays... Japan was so inspiring and its been wonderful just having my memory jogged again of how great it was.

Speaking of photos, I've bought myself a new camera...finally came around to the digital age and bought a fabulous Canon DSLR. Oh its great, I had an SLR back in the days of film and loved it. I found the process of capturing images manually, you know with the shutter speed and aperture, just so cool. I loved that I had that control. So I think I waited a bit longer than most to get a DSLR, I coped with a little point and shoot for a while until I was a bit more convinced that the DSLR's had sorted out any teething problems that they may have had and lets face it, they are not cheap. But I've got no complaints, the images are turning out great. Best thing is, Rob is right into the photography thing and now I get the benefit of nicking his lenses without the huge outlay. Wicked. We've even crossed over and splurged on our first shared purchase. Yep, its a tripod. We've come so far.

Check out the stellar sunset I captured tonight from just outside my house. We're so lucky to live here...

Work Work Work (but its worth it!)

2009-09-22T15:55:00.000+10:00

Yeah I know what you're all thinking.... this is one inconsistent blog... i know its been a while but I've been busy you know? Photographic evidence is provided for the sceptics.

This last month, its been crazy busy... the cottage is coming along quite nicely. Aside from some last electrical work, the bathroom is in, its operational and I've been conducting all my business from the claw foot bath, that when full comes up to my neck. Yeah I know that some of you out there are on water restrictions, but here in Tasmania we've been in flood so I think that our catchments must be sweet. Dad and I have been installing the Meccano set of a kitchen that arrived last week, and might I say its looking tickety-boo. Its hard to remember what it was like now, its come such a long way from the little purple cave that I first had to the light and bright open plan kitchen. So much more functional.

Rob (pictured) has been stripping windows, I've been painting miles and miles of plasterboard including the craft room ceiling and Dad has found me some extra drawers and a cupboard for storage so its all super-organised, I can actually see the floor! And I can find stuff! So in and around the renovations I've been making stuff for our upcoming market Armadillo in December along with craft star and craft minx (watch this space)...

The other toy I've been playing with is the gorgeous 1958 Italian sewing machine that Rob picked up for me at the op shop, so I have a machine to use at his house. Bless him. Anyway, it just needed a little oil, a screw or two loosened and a bit of clean and it runs like a dream. In many ways its better than my new Janome. Whisper quiet, and sews a beautiful straight stitch alongside about another 100 or so with the cams.

I'll post some photos of the new kitchen/bathroom once the tradies finally pack up all their shit. It doesn't look very Vogue Living if there's always an extension cord or a circular saw in the frame...

yeah the drought's over (at least in Hagley)

2009-08-24T00:23:00.000+10:00

Yeah its still raining... and yeah my once ok backyard is now a mud pie makers dream come true following all the renovations. You know I can deal with that, I've got gumboots. However when you combine rain with excavation for plumbing you have somewhat of a problem. Coming home to my cottage wound up in somewhat of a disaster today. Mags (my faithful sedan) tried to transverse the driveway today only to find herself up to the bonnet in mud, wheels spinning and crying out in distress.

Unfortunately for me this debacle came less than an hour after Joanie (my mum for those who don't know her), warned me about the risk of getting bogged, and me rolling my eyes as I usually do when Joanie gets her diatribe on. So dear readers I had something of predicament. Joanie starts twitching as she usually does when she gets to be all smug, but is trying not to say "I told you so", (when really she's clenching her teeth just holding those fateful words back). Meanwhile, I'm thinking "Fuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccckkkkkk, it'll be Christmas before I hear the end of this".

We tried digging her out, jacking her up all to no avail. I was about to call the RACT, when it hit me. Surely, the benefit of living in the country is that your next door neighbour will invariably own a tractor. And bless his cotton socks, Bill the farmer chained old Mags to his formidable machine and dragged her back out into the land of the living spraying mud in all directions including all over Joanie. Which I reckon is a small price for her to pay for all that smugness.

Sweat Shop Madness

2009-08-19T19:31:00.001+10:00

Yeah yeah, I'm an inconsistent blogger... Its a trait... I get all excited and involved and then comes weeks of nothing, crosses over to many facets of my world: the gym, the house cleaning, making stuff, but I like to think its an endearing quality.

So, after being talked into it by Mrs Smith and her wily cushiony ways, I've decided to do Niche. Only half a stall... we'll share it... but now I've got to get the sweat shop up and running, make some stuff and pay myself 30 cents an hour for my efforts. Its difficult trying to decide what to do though... I don't have a signature thing... Gemma has her dresses, Mrs Smith has jumped on the cushion train... Me? I have always been a bit of a confused crafter. I get bored easily, I struggle to make the same thing over and over, so who knows what it'll be. Its a different craft every week! A bit of this, bit of that... Homewares probably, I don't do kids stuff well, and there's others who do. This week I've made some oven mitts from recycled linen tea towels, and made some Christmas decorations from kusudama. I think the stall will be a bit of a mish-mash of handmade love, inconsistent but hopefully pretty (and saleable). I'll be relying on G for her consistency. So come see us at the next market... Last weekend in November at the art school in Inveresk.

In other news, I'm just about ready to move back to the cottage. The bathroom's pretty much complete other than the electrics and a bit of painting. I'm still waiting on kitchen benches and cabinetry, but that's ok... I can live there without that. The house is an absolute shamozzle though... there's stuff everywhere, plaster dust, random screws and nails that seem to find my way into my feet at unsuspecting moments, and my oven is still in my bedroom waiting for my Dad to reconnect it. I've got old windows to strip back, ceilings to paint and furniture to sand, but I'm loving it. Its super special to own a house that I've put my mark on, and that I'm proud of.

Hope all is well in your worlds, thanks for reading. I can't believe I have followers now... How humbling.

Pleat and Plaster

2009-07-20T14:19:00.001+10:00

The cottage is coming along quite nicely. There's a new floor, the pipes for all the new plumbing is in and the plasterer is in the midst of doing his thing with Gyprock. It's amazing what the plaster does. I don't about you, but I'm shithouse at looking at plans and visualising the end result. Now that there's new walls in I have a much better idea. So far I've been doing well with the budget. I'm currently ten grand under budget which I've been told is unheard of. But I've got an honest builder. The roof came in five grand under what his original quote was and I didn't end needing to replace the septic tank which would have been another five grand. So that means I get new cabinets for the kitchen. Wicked. You can never have enough bench space. I'll whack up some photos soon as I can.

On the craft front, its back on. Given that I'm still at the town house i've been crafting minimalist style. I've got my sewing machine and a box of fabric. This alone is a challenge. I love having equipment. Same applies to kitchenware and books but I digress. Gemma, Mrs Smith and I snuck in a sneaky sewing sesh the other day and my my did we create! Mrs Smith, our Amish friend joined the 21st century and embraced the use of a sewing machine. She'd been making her stellar cot quilts from beginning to end with a needle and thread!!! Now while I'm all for the handmade kosher style, I admit I love the convenience of sewing seams a bit quicker than that. So we staged an intervention and Mrs Smith churned out two cushions in under two hours. Oh I think she's converted. We're thinking of having a stall at Niche in November so the challenge is on. Its sewing a go-go.

Cottage Renovations #2

2009-06-22T10:07:00.001+10:00

The reno's continue...

The old girl has a new roof and there is disarray amongst the starling community who have finally realised that they have been evicted. Its been entertaining however watching them come to this realisation. More than one have attempted to fly into one of their many old entrances only to discover it well and truly boarded up and subsequently have to churn out an interesting in-flight manoeuvre to avoid collision.

This weekend we gutted the bathroom and kitchen, chainsaw and sledge hammer style. Very therapeutic. Turns out (though not surprisingly) that the old rotting floorboards were sitting pretty much directly onto dirt, no concrete, no support at all. Guess that explains why there was a downward slope in one of the corners. We also discovered that it had been the home and pantry of several generations of rats, until they consumed the two kilos of Ratsak that I judiciously threw around everywhere. Hence we also discovered the source of the stench that had led to plague numbers of blow flies even in the middle of June. Needless to say I dry retched more than once. The other items found amongst the demolition derby included: fifteen empty long neck beer bottles, an almost complete but rusty and bent cutlery set, old ink bottles and fragments of old tiles.

On the upside I got to choose new fittings. I've had a resurfaced clawfoot bath sitting in the shed ready to go in for two years, so I broke out the credit card and went to town on reproduction style taps, ordered a new glass shower unit, toilet and gorgeous gorgeous pedastal basin (that almost cost as much as the shower, but what the hell, you've got to have a treat). Choosing the tiles was harder. I thought it would be a breeze, I knew I wanted 40cm square grey floor tiles, how hard could it be? Well when the tile place has about 50 kinds that match that description it all got trickier. I ended up having to leave in anxiety.

So since I now have no operational bathroom or kitchen, I've temporarily moved out and shacked up with my man in Invermay. That alone could be interesting, we've never lived together before. Still I should try to behave, it'd be a pain in the arse if we broke up now. I'd have to find another place to live, God damn it.

Cottage Renovations 101

2009-05-28T21:46:00.000+10:00

So this week the craft is on the back burner. Well, the kinda craft that floats my boat anyway. This week I've downed tools, screen printing stylie, and picked up the cordless drill, industrial vacuum cleaner and crow bar and have been get down and dirty with the tradies. Oh yes, the old girl is having a bit of a makeover... New roof, new bathroom, new kitchen... Hell, she's even getting a new dunny.

You know, when you first buy an old house, there's a sort of romance about it... you know, you have these delusions of grandeur about how much fun its going to be, you use phrases like 'a labour of love', that sort of thing. Let me tell you about my first two days of renovations:

1) Within 30 minutes of ripping the first lot of iron off, we discovered: several dead birds, a dead possum, five huntsman spiders, an old gumboot that was probably home to the said huntsman family, a kitty litter tray, telephone wires that seem to go nowhere, enough hay and birds nests to make about five bales, and three inches of dust. Thats only in 2 rooms, there's another 5 to go.

2) We need to wear respiratory masks, you know the kind with the two filters near the mouth that seem to be the fashion of guerillas and terrorists worldwide. Apparently bird shit and hay in monstrous proportions is the new asbestos.

3) After cleaning out that first room, there was enough old shingles, various carcasses, hay and nests to make one killer of a bonfire. Its the warmest I've been since owning this house.

4) I've discovered the benefits of work trousers. There's the neoprene knees that make kneeling on the those rafters just a bit easier, there's pockets for all my tools (not that I own that many, but I borrowed so I still looked cool), and they make my arse look pretty good.

5) I've started to use terms like 'cladding', 'phillips head' and 'fits like a bum in a bucket' with alarming ease. Tradie lingo is catching.

6) I've become reaquainted with LA FM, and the quality hits they keep churning out. Madonna, Kylie, Oasis what have you. They're all there, and being played.

and 7) I was seriously tempted to pack an esky and thermos for my lunch, but then I thought that was just a bit ridiculous considering I still have an operational kitchen.

Stay tuned for bathroom adventures starting next week!

Holidays Are Officially Wicked

2009-05-22T22:43:00.000+10:00

So ladies (and if there are any boys out there who have the slightest interest in my blog, then kudos),

I am on holidays... yeah for six weeks even and its great. I've been zipping all over the countryside, had a week in Melbs catching up with the crew, doing a little shopping, checking out the handmade revolution there, and then had another week in Perth visiting my little sister and her man. Saw lots of inspiring things: landscapes, flora and fauna, went snorkelling and swimming on Rottnest Island... Boab trees are so photogenic! I am keen as beans to screenprint their sexy sexy shapes.

Then came back this week, had a moment of weakness and joined the gym. What was I thinking? I am so unfit, but what the hell... I either embrace my hoochy mama arse or I hop on the treadmill along with the other gym bunnies. But on a more exciting note, the coven craft collective (and offspring) got together for yet another fabulous day of craft experimentation. We have successfully burnt and screen printed our first original design on beautiful linen, here at the Hagley studios (well my house, but it sounds more profesh if you call it a studio). You'll have to thank Ms Gemma for the arty photography...

Niche Market

2009-05-03T19:15:00.000+10:00

Quick little post... pottered around Niche market this weekend... Brilliant... Oh my god its impossible to name favourites, the quality is well up there, but for me there were some standouts... Loz and Dinny - Gemma, those dresses are looking better and better woman, redbamboo - delectable, almost good enough to eat soaps and candles, my jasmine soy candle already a'burning, and Maya from hideyo - modular kusudama origami that was simply incredible... oh and mrs smith... you are officially an artist I'd say!

Oh sweet Jesus it was inspiring. Its amazing seeing creative people doing their thing and being passionate about it. I've got a pretty cushy nursing job, pretty secure you know, unlikely to be ever unemployed, but I really admire those artists and designers who go 'you know what? i'm going to have a crack at it'... I secretly want to be like them! Viva la handmade!

Lino A Go Go

2009-05-01T12:26:00.000+10:00

Oh cheers Gemma, for rekindling my love for lino cuts... Ever since we carved it up at coven night (soon to be Brown Owls, but more on that later), I've been caressing my lino cutting tools with a little too much enthusiasm to be considered appropriate. But whatever, the wrapping paper is starting to come to life. Keeping it simple for the mo, just the old favourite, brown paper with a white print. But these experiments are looking quite effective really. I like the simplicity.

In other news, the commercial giants Vista Print delivered to me a little box of cards complete with my lovely logo designed by the ever talented Kieran Bradley, graphic designer extraordinaire... its come out a shade more violet than I would have liked, damn monitor colours, but still they look delightful and will add a shade of profesh to my handmade stuff.

So now, I'm going to beaver away at some stuff, and wander around Niche Market this weekend... Be inspired by other lovely handmakers... Wicked, this craft posse is top shit...

eve and the apple tree... she's back!

2009-04-24T10:54:00.000+10:00

Ok so should get this blogging gig happening. Not being much of a techno-junkie, you'll have to bear with me. So this month has been the start of the creativity here in Tasmania. Its taken a while, my little label "eve and the apple tree" enjoyed a little success in Melbs, and for some reason its taken me a while to get my 'craft on' again on the island.

Being in a craft posse has helped... Just by being around other creative types like the fabulous Gemma and Georgia has got my finished and right side of the brain kicking into gear and start churning out some crafty goodness... Last month we kicked off with some lino cut prints... oh the stellar shit that was coming out those craft goddesses hands... Gemma made some shit hot jam jar labels, Marree made the a kick-ass Babushka doll and Georgia, my my... she came through with the goods on a flying bird series, that we hope will feature at Niche Market next month... Right, Mrs Smith?

I'm in the process of rustling up some little handmade treasures for my new Etsy shop... some Gocco printed cards, maybe a little wrapping paper with lino cut prints will feature... Anyway will let you know when that's all up and running too...