St Ives ~ Artist J.C.Lawtey

St Ives, Cornwall - Artist ~ J.C.Lawtey

Well..yes...it seems my seriously untalented Mum has been at it once again..however this time I think she is actually proud of this one. And it's about time let me tell you lol as I have spent many...many...many years trying to boost her confidence about her work. My childhood bedroom was covered in drawings by her lovely hand and my shelves littered with her creations from the pottery school. OK there was also a Fonz and Bionic Woman poster or two..lol 

Last year ML and I were lucky enough to go to Cornwall on holiday and our apartment balcony overlooked the entire bay of St Ives and although the scene was never as dramatic as this one..it was beautiful. This is my Mums interpretation of the postcard that we sent her. I love extreme weather (unless it's flowing through my house!!) and so the sky and the waves really appealed to me. I think I enjoy Mum's version a lot more than the original postcard and I can say that without any bias as she knows me and my honesty gene well enough by now..lol. 

I am away to the hospital with ML and little Layla and then hopefully to have some fun afterwards so I hope you are all having a great Friday...

Thanks for stopping by and keep smiling folks..

~Red~ 

NB: This artwork is the hard work and creation of J.C.Lawtey and her alone. 

D.K's Steamed Broccoli with Brown Sauce and Glazed 5 Spiced Carrots

Rocket & Roses Holiday Play List:

Portishead ~ Glory Box
Martina McBride ~ Independence Day
Kid Rock ~ Cowboy
Louis Armstrong ~ La Vie En Rose
Buble ~ Mack The Knife
Maroon 5 ~ I Can't Lie
Melissa Etheridge ~ Imagine That
Janiva Magness ~ Find A Fool
Bizet: Les Pecheurs Des Perles - Au Fond Du Temple Saint
P!nk ~ Funhouse
Morley & Taylor ~ Sleeping With The Past
Tina Dico ~ Boys and Girls
Sam Cooke ~ Baby Won't Please Come Home
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band ~ Show Me The Way Back Home

I had a glorious day yesterday...I was greeted by the sound of the crashing waves and the bright sunshine as I woke. I love it here. Here being the county of Cornwall..the place name...well that's not really that special..but it is safe to say that ML has continued the tradition of taking me to places with a grim name. We are currently staying in Phillack...doesn't it sound like a noise you make when you are coughing up phlegm??? lol. But I can forgive it its name because it is so very beautiful and I feel the healing happening each time I venture out onto the balcony and if I'm honest, every time I hear or look at the waves.

We visited the Tate Gallery today and also the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden and I managed some more walking about. Woo! The Sculpture garden was very interesting and I will blog about that soon as I have many photos to share with you folks. The Tate was beautiful in design but sadly an exhibition that held little interest for me. However I did soak up the atmosphere and take in the creative talents that filled the galleries. We had a lovely lunch in the cafe there and was delighted to find their Carrot & Parsnip Soup with Granary Bread was all vegan and I also ordered a Rocket Salad on the side. It was all very tasty and I enjoyed my lunch but it was the tea I ordered that will stay with me. I ordered Mint Tea expecting the usual bagged variety and when I poured my first cup the smell that hit my senses was a delight. In the infuser centre was chopped fresh mint leaves...it was so good! Why don't I just make my own...because I never get it as good as this offering. Yum! We then pootled around Hayle for a little while until my batteries wore out..lol. Stopping off at Johnny's Wholefood Cafe and Shop...for a quick Blackcurrant Tea and vegan Gingerbread...slab! I swear I ordered a slice and almost an entire loaf turned up at my table. I brought it away with me...I was overwhelmed by it. lol.

So today's recipes from my selected holiday cookbook, Donna Klein's A Chinese Vegan Kitchen, are two side dishes. One being a broccoli dish, stop groaning I am a broccoli addict and you know it, which an old room mate of mine used to eat all the time but it wasn't vegan so I had to just watch. And the second dish was chosen because I love 5 Spice and glazed carrots are something I've never eaten before. They were also quick to make recipes as I knew I'd be wiped out from the days adventures so after a rest I got cracking.

Both recipes were easy to make as long as you can juggle stirring which I can lol. The Broccoli dish was pleasantly tasty...the broccoli flavour is always good in my opinion but I can see the desire to add this sauce. It's a has the tiniest kick but even someone who likes mild chilli would be ok with this heat. I used the basic amount of flakes this time but could see me upping it at some point for a change. It works well drizzled over the broccoli and does give it a lift. An every now and then sauce for me.

The carrots...well..again very simple to make. The 5 Spice filled the apartment with it's usual enticing effect and my mouth was watering the entire time. The finished dish was aromatic and succulent and each morsel of carrot practically melted on your tongue. Goodness me they were so good but I will be strong and make them as a special occasion dish only...too much glazing is not a good thing. lol. Again...you have to try these for yourself...

Please excuse the dark photo I had almost run out of natural light and had to play on the balcony with the strong wind fighting with me to get this shot..lol. Things I do for this blog...lol.

D.K's Steamed Broccoli with Brown Sauce and Glazed 5 Spiced Carrots

Steamed Broccoli with Brown Sauce  Serves 4
(Recipe from A Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)

1/2 tsp salt 
1 1/4 lb fresh broccoli florets
1 tsp toasted dark sesame oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large non stick skillet bring about 1/4" of water to a boil over a high heat. Add salt and broccoli florets, cover and reduce heat to a medium and steam until broccoli is crisp tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Add sesame oil and season with pepper, toss well to combine. Add brown sauce and toss to combine and serve at once. 

Or steam without the salt like I did mine, using a regular steamer etc. (R)

Basic Chinese Brown Sauce  Makes 1 cup  
(Recipe from A Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)
 
1 cup of reduced sodium veggie stock 
1 tbsp of reduced sodium soy sauce 
1 tbsp of cornstarch 
1 large clove of garlic finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 or to taste of crushed red chilli flakes
1 tbsp molasses or dark brown sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until thoroughly blended. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring often; cook stirring constantly, until thickened. Reduce heat to low, stir in the molasses, and season with salt and black pepper. Use as directed in recipe. 


Glazed 5 Spice Carrots  Serves 4 
(Recipe from A Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)
 
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 - 3/4 tsp 5 Spice powder
1lb fresh carrots (6-8 med), sliced diagonally into 1/2" thick slices
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp dark toasted sesame oil

In a large non stick skillet, heat the canola oil over a medium heat. Add the 5 Spice powder and stir for 15 seconds. Add the carrots, water, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to med-low, cover, and simmer until carrots are fork tender 5-8 minutes. Uncover, season with salt and pepper, and raised the heat to med-high. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has largely evaporated, 7-9 minutes, adding the sesame oil in the last minute or so of cooking. Serve hot...

So there you have it a twofer day...lol I hope you try them...go on treat yourself. lol. 

Here is a photo of the sea today with the sun shining down on us...glorious...

St Ives beach in the sunshine...the water was so blue..it was hypnotic.

The time spent walking around the sculpture garden was very pleasing..and peaceful despite an enthusiatic school trip joined us..lol.

Barbara Hepworth Sculpture

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Wednesday has been a peaceful one..mine will be spent enjoying the views from my balcony whilst resting. Well there maybe a little therapeutic cooking going on too...lol. 

~Red~ 

Many thanks to Donna Klein for a truly great cook book..respect.   

Art: Ai Weiwei

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Audiobook: Pride & Prejudice

Well it is safe to say I am feeling a little sore and bruised today..not to mention embarrassed. I took a massive little tumble down my stairs...and yep..from the top step too. So I'm not in good shape physically and ML has overruled any kitchen work today...so I am sat in my chair with my feet up and hoping that with some serious rest I will bounce back quickly. Feel like such a fool...what parts of my body that didn't hurt before...well they have now joined the pain party...*expletive therapy* This being the case I shall be bringing you the roasted veggie dish that I was going to make today...hopefully later in the week.

I mentioned that ML had just got back from work travels in Copenhagen. Part of the itinerary was to visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen. I was so envious..lol. A exhibit/sculpture left quite an impression on ML and so here are the photo and written piece that accompanies the exhibit. 

Tree ~ Artist Ai Weiwei

Artist Ai Weiwei

Tree

The large trees are constructed from fragments of dead camphor trees collected as a kind of ready made in Southern China and then joined together using a traditional Chinese method of construction.

Ai Weiwei is world famous as a political activist and a critic of the Chinese regime. The trees are rooted in the artists commitment to the political and cultural situation in China and to a specific Chinese context and cultural history. As artworks in a global visual culture and art history however they also reach out to a far wider space of meaning and imagination.

Is this a nostalgic attempt to rebuild a lost original coherence? Or a cynical monumentalization of extinct nature? Or a critical representation of how a quantity of individual parts are forced together and subjected to a system that attempts to look natural but is in face a huge controlled illusion?

In all their simplicity the trees are monumentally ambiguous statements and it is a very long way back to the innocent wild nature.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen

ML also became enchanted by the expression in this piece but could not find the name of the artist but asked for it to be included in this posting...

Artist unknown

An interesting piece...the longer I look at it the more I see..but ML says it is the emotion in her face and the gesture of her hand. 

OK folks that is about it for today..I need to go and lay back down with a cold compress..lol. Hopefully be back on board tomorrow...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Tuesday has been a good one...

~Red~  

A Great Friday Escape...

Rocket & Roses Car Play List

Gin Wigmore ~ Gravel & Wine Album

Yesterday ML had a meeting in York and I went along for the ride. It was so good to be out of the R&R HQ and getting some other much needed stimulation. A person can only stare at the same walls day in, day out for so long before you start *nervous twitch* to go a little nuts. It was an early start and the weather could be described as grey and dismal...with a side order of mist in places but I really couldn't have given a fig because I love a road trip. Sun, rain, sleet, wind or snow...I'm there and I'm invested in enjoying the ride. So whilst we pootled our way up to York I sat back and enjoyed the tunes playing and watched the scenery. I was very happy...

The drop off point for me was a coffee shop, breaking myself in easily to the day, and my heart sank a little at the queue waiting to be served and lack of tables. But the barristas energy was infectious and before I could think..."Oh my goodness..how long is this queue?" I was being greeted by a cheeky smile and my order was being taken..green tea and a slice of vegan banana bread please dude..lol So enthusiastic was this chap that when giving me my change he upended the coins and they fell all over the floor. Dang! He was mortified. But I seemed to be surrounded by splendid guys this morning because when I went to bend down and retrieve my coinage I found a guy on his hands and knees scooping them up for me. I stood there a little embarrassed and when he stood up he smiled and handed them to me. What a gent! I thanked him and headed off in search of a table and found one in the window. (Not my favourite place as I feel like a goldfish at those tables..lol) I settled in and plugged into my iPod and got out my current reading book and zenned out. A few moments later I was disturbed by a tap on my shoulder which quite frankly nearly gave me a coronary..lol. It was my gent again..asking if he could share the table. We actually ended up chatting whilst he drank his espresso (so jealous...I miss those right now lol) then he made his exit and I settled back into my refreshments, music and book. Still happy...

Life lesson...except I mainline green tea these days...lol

After an hour of getting lost in this moment of simple happiness I took a slow stroll around a couple of shops and found a few bargains. An olive green snood/scarf thingy...a red dish (hush I love pottery! lol)..and a new lemon zester as my old one collapsed last weekend.

ML's meeting finished and we decided to extend the road trip to take in a farm shop called Balloon Tree. ML had been driving past it for quite some time and always with the thought "Red would love this place..." and so today I finally got to visit. It was in full on pumpkin season and as well as growing and selling all their own veggies/fruits and squashes they have a fully stocked deli shop and cafe. Sadly the cafe didn't cater for either of our foodie needs but I wasn't that bothered because my head was still in the fresh produce section, plotting and planning the cooking of many of their offerings. And I walked around happily Ooohing and Awwwing over the beautiful specimens of veggies. I filled our basket full to overflowing to the point ML could barely lift it..lol. Ooops. Here is a glorious photo of my stash...and the subjects of future posts..

Look at these beauts...lush, vibrant and freshly harvested.

So I picked up a culinary orange pumpkin, a harvest pumpkin, an unspecified pumpkin for stuffing, fresh brussel sprouts, 2 cloves of elephant garlic, beetroots with lush greenage attached (rare!), large kale leaves, purple/red cabbage, giant sweetheart cabbage....happy, happy, happy. lol.

An extra gratuitous veggie shot..lol

As were leaving ML took some shots of the vibrant pumpkins and also the Pumpkin Path that leads down to the fields of pumpkins and veggies that you can Pick Your Own.

Pumpkin anyone?? lol

We are planning to bring the little ones there for Halloween next year so they can all pick there own little pumpkin for carving. Hopefully next year I will be well enough to join in. But I was happy to select mine from the little market instead.

Follow the orange squash road...follow, follow, follow, follow..follow the orange squash road! lol

We left the farm shop rather stunned at how cheap our stash had been (£11 for the lot..so cheap!!) and very hungry. It was decided to take a scenic route back to the city and hopefully find somewhere to stop off for lunch along the way.

Wolds Village ~ The entrance to an enchanting place...

It was a great drive and I admit I just got lost in it. We made our way through the villages and finally stopped off at a place called Wolds Village. It's a beautifully restored building that has a restaurant, cafe, art gallery, courtyard and shop. It was the kind of place that you imagine all tourists coming to England expect us to live in. It was something different and the attention to detail was superb if not a little dark..but very in keeping with it's style. It wasn't the most veggie friendly which was a shame but they did have a freshly cooked Onion and Leek Soup which I was happy to try. I can't bring myself to say what ML tucked into...but I am told it was delicious. *shudder* We enjoyed our lunch in relative privacy and then made our way to their Art Gallery. As far as galleries go it was small but stocked with vibrant and interesting paintings, sculptures and pottery...and I was in temporary art heaven. lol.

Love Your Bum ~ Penny De Cote (Wall Plaques)

These were one of the first things we saw and we both laughed and enjoyed them...and felt it only right that we shared them with you all. Cheeky!

Light Edging Through ~ Pat Thompson

Sadly the photos doesn't do this piece of work justice. I was captivated by the painting above..the colours and detail pulled me into this place and I could feel the atmosphere and the beginnings of warmth from the light. 

Purple Allium Head ~ Debbie March (Framed fused glass)

This piece glowed under the lights of the gallery. ML was really taken with it and I could see why. Every piece of light brought each strand of glass to vibrant life. It was almost hypnotic...
We reluctantly left the gallery and spent some time looking around the shop which again was something truly special. It was like a tardis and filled with strange and unusual things. You could almost get lost in there...and not mind at all. Wolds Village is most definitely a place I would recommend to anyone..

Next on the trip was a visit to the city and to our much loved health food store Grain. I picked up the bits and pieces I needed and also found some new GF lasagna sheets...and they were individual portion sized sheets! After a catch up with the lovely manager Scott we then decided it was time for another refreshment break...hey I am not up to full speed yet...not even close...breaks are necessary..

I decided to live dangerously this time...and as we queued up I decided to forego my usual green tea and opted for the hard stuff...I ordered a medium soya milk decaf cappuccino!! Woo! I know..no holding me back..lol And I didn't even get offended when the Barbie pink haired barrista had to check my order two and three times to make sure she'd read it correctly. lol. The last time I ordered this drink...it was a solid lump of soya milk froth and a cold sip of coffee at the bottom of the cup but the drink today...was sublime! I enjoyed every single creamy and tasty mouthful. We sat and talked and I just revelled in the day...I had had a great day..some would say it wasn't special but I would argue that it was extremely special...zen time out of the house...meeting new people...pootling around shops until my batteries ran out...time spent with ML...and to end the day a great cappuccino. To me...priceless.

Sadly that was the end of my adventures because I had an appointment at the Doctors...so we reluctantly made our way back to Helltown but first we stopped off at our library and picked up a reserved book...I love the library in fact it's one of the very few places I actually like here. Then it was the doctors time...

I sat in the waiting room plugged into my iPod and tried to go to my happy place...and almost made it before I was called in. And sat through the undressing and assessment of my leg and then the treatment and redressing and fixing Mondays appointment. So much expletive therapy was going on in my head it was a miracle the nurse didn't hear it. lol. She was a sweetie...honest. Ah well..such is my life. But I had had the best day before that point...

So thank you for ML for the escape and the time...although I am wiped out now...it was worth every single second and wouldn't have missed it for the world. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday is filled with love and happiness. Mine will be spent with ML, my sister and her little ones. It's getting close to my sisters wedding now and today is hairdresser practice day...so Auntie Red will be very busy. lol 

Namaste...

~Red~ 

Art: Hesther Van Doornum

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Thunder ~ A Million Faces 
Nerina Pallot ~ Human
Tina Dico ~ Break of Day
Steve Earle ~ Galway Girl
Artful Dodger ~ Please Don't Turn Me On
The Union ~ Cut The Line
Duffy ~ Stay With Me Baby
PCD ~ Hush, Hush
Sara Sant'Ambrogio ~ Perlude No 4 in B-flat minor
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band ~ Baby The Rain Must Fall
Doris Day ~ Love Me or Leave Me
The Kinks ~ Sunny Afternoon
George Michael ~ Outside
Alter Bridge ~ I Know It Hurts

Have you ever looked at a piece of art...someone's creation...and been so drawn in by it that when you do pull yourself away from it...you feel a physical and emotional snap? Like a stagger? And you know that if you look back at it, you will be pulled back in and not be able to fight it? You do? Phew..that's good because I thought it was just me. Oh..but you don't? Well then all I can say my friend is that you haven't experienced true art love. Keep trying...because when it happens you will never be the same. 

I found my love for art at a very young age as my mother is a very talented artist and back in the day it was mainly drawing but since her retirement she has found new talents in painting and pen & ink sketching. The woman is ridiculously talented..lol. But through her I found my art love and will forever be thankful for our completely covered in drawings shared bedroom/art room bedroom walls. lol. It became a passion for me and when I was a young teen I would escape across to the city and roam around the art galleries and find peace there. When my friends were looking forward to the new movie coming out..I was eagerly awaiting the new exhibitions. It was my secret happy place...and I protected it. It's just ironic that I can't even draw a stick figure...lol Ah well, I have other talents...

Right...recently I've had two new P&E moments as I call them and the first being a very charming artist Loui Jover who I am writing a future post about...and the second moment was a painting by Hesther Van Doornum. She is a Dutch artist who has an amazing body of work and has a unique style. I have been aware of her for a while and enjoyed the pieces I have been fortunate to view so far but yesterday I found a piece that just grabbed my mind and soul and held me captive...

Daring Spirit ~ Hesther Van Doornum

...yes...this is the piece. And every time I look into her face I am drawn into her gaze and feel completely helpless but to try and understand what she is trying to wordlessly say to me. The connection is made and I am lost in her...until I feel reality pulling at me and the connection is lost and I feel a deep sense of loss. An epic P&E moment...felt on every level possible. 

I enjoy many of Van Doornum's pieces and shall include two more for this posting but none have the same effect as the one above. The second one reminded me of a snapshot of a memory from long ago and it feels like Van Doornum has been inside my mind and pulled a thread and created this piece from there...

I remember you! lol

...when I look at this piece I can feel the back of the chair I was leaning against as this moment played out in front of me. It's quite surreal...lol. But another great piece in my opinion..

And lastly a piece I found just this evening and although it didn't have the impact the first piece did..I enjoyed it greatly...

You can see Van Doornum's unique style...

...maybe its the way she paints her characters and the use of her muted colours...and the emotion she manages to layer in..or maybe its the grey eyes in this one..lol. I can't put my finger on it, I just know that I enjoy and like her work very much and shall seek out past creations and wait with anticipation for future ones. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday is a splendid one...

~Red~ 

  

Art: Abocet and Great Tit by J.C.Lawtey

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Glenn Fry ~ Smuggler's Blues
Slash's Snakepit ~ Doin' Fine
The Eagles ~ I Can't Tell You Why
AC/DC ~ Shot Down In Flames
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band ~ Live On
Seasick Steve ~ St Louis Slim
KT Tunstall ~ Paper Aeroplane
JET ~ Rip It Up
Pearl Jam ~ Why Go
Kaiser Chiefs ~ What Did I Ever Give You?
The Eagles ~ Heartache Tonight
Foreigner ~ Urgent
The Union ~ Sawtooth Mountain Ride Pt 1
Thunder ~ I Hear You Knocking (Live Acoustic)

You know all those sleepless nights, temper tantrums and general devilment of being a small child stuff you put your parents through back in the day? You do? Right be warned they will indeed get you back one day. lol.

As you know my lovely Mum is a very talented artist and of late her work has been on one track...birds. So for her birdphobic (well anything with wings...hush! I can't help it! lol) first born daughter it's a little traumatic. And it seems that it will not be going away anytime soon as she turned up this week with two more of them. *insert screaming in my head here* lol.

Now in an act of justifiable self preservation I could say how awful they are and steer her on a new subject track. But as ever her results are beautiful...so I swallow my hebejeebe screams and nod out of respect at how talented she is. And besides I am no liar so I encourage her to keep going. So here are her two latest pieces...

Abocet ~ Artist J.C.Lawtey 2013

And yes...we did have a chuckle when taking the shot of the next one...haven't we all got that child inside us that snickers at silly names??? Oh! Just me and Mum then...lol Ah well...

Great Tit ~ Artist J.C.Lawtey 2013

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday is a great one....

~Red~

Art: Bohemian Lapwing ~ J.C.Lawtey

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Marilyn Manson ~ Tainted Love
Adele ~ Someone Like You
Sting ~ All This Time
P!nk ~ Sober
Sting ~ Desert Rose
Newton Faulkner ~ To The Light
The Black Keys ~ Gold On The Ceiling
Holly Williams ~ He's Making A Fool Out of You
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Life Without You
Clare Teal ~ Messin' With Fire
Brandi Carlile ~ Dying Day
The Kinks ~ Victoria
Sheryl Crow ~ Strong Enough
Usher ~ OMG

I know, two art posts together..but I had no other choice today. My dear Mum visited yesterday with her latest completed piece of art. And yes she still believes her work to be 'not good enough'! However for the first time I saw a spark of....pride?..in her eyes. She held it up for me to look at and although I'm not into the subject of the piece...even I had to say that I thought it was great. (If you knew me away from here..you would know I have a Bird/anything with wings phobia! So this was huge...) Anyway...here is the piece...

Bohemian Lapwing ~ Artist J.C.Lawtey

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Thursday is a great one...

~Red~

Wordless Wednesday: Sculpture Love..Artist Leigh Dyer

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Carole King ~ A Natural Woman
Count Basie ~ Nevertheless
Florence and the Machine ~ Breaking Down
Heart ~ What About Love
Jamie Cullum ~ All At Sea
Zac Brown Band ~ Free/Into The Mystic
Lenny Kravitz ~ Lonely Rainbows
Alicia Keys ~ No One
The Eagles ~ In The City
Soundgarden ~ Mood For Trouble
Pearl Jam ~ Who You Are
Kid Rock ~ You Never Met A M**********r Quite Like Me
Luke Morley ~ Quiet Life
Halestorm ~ Bad Romance

Artist: Leigh Dyer

I was captivated by this sculpture.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is going well?

~Red~

An Almost Perfect Saturday...

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Orianthi ~ Missing You
Missy Higgins ~ Forgive Me
Soundgarden ~ New Damage
Nickelback ~ Everything I Wanna Do
Garbage ~ It's All Over But The Crying
VAST ~ She Visits Me
Anna Nalick ~ Satellite
Beth Hart ~ Stay
Orianthi ~ Courage
The Eagles ~ Love Will Keep Us Alive
The Rolling Stones ~ Let's Spend The Night Together
Kenny Wayne Shepherd ~ Cryin' Shame
Katherine Crowe ~ Weakness In Me
Janiva Magness ~ Don't Do It

Yesterday I was a very lucky woman...I had one of those  almost perfect days. You know, the rare ones where nothing is really planned but you set off out into the world and somehow everything almost falls into place. Despite ill health being a real bitch pain I dragged myself through the whole day and enjoyed every second of it.

We started the day by putting together a picnic for myself, ML, my sister and her little ones. Then we all set out for the Country Park across the Bridge. The advertising had promised family activities and lots of fun. We enjoyed a great road trip there with N and M in the back of our car and myself and N torturing M with our Wooooo's as we turned corners..lol. However there was a little flaw in the plan...two huge car parks of the country park with one tiny Scooter park set up...and a couple of tennis nets set up next to it. And that was it...bummer. The kids were a little disappointed as were we. So we walked around and my sister was very happy to find a Ice Cream van selling Fat Free, Dairy Free and Gluten Free ices. And very soon we were walking up to the Scooter course..licking our way through our Ices. M and I chose Pineapple..whilst my sister and the girls had Strawberry. Delish!

 

M holding our Ices...N looking cheeky with hers and L looking
super cute with her ice almost as big as her! lol

When we made it to the Scooter course the ices were somewhat ditched and left melting in my sisters and my hands...lucky us. ML took N over to get togged up in the helmet and pads and she was very happy to find a purple scooter to take off on. Now our niece N is one heck of a Warrior Princess...and was straight in and onto the course but slightly older children intimidated her on the high ramps...but she did it and completed the course. M & L tried to walk the course and we gently discouraged to not do that. lol. Ooops.

Our brave niece Noo..shame shes
actually blinking..lol Ah well.

We had a quick stroll over to the Country Park to try and locate a play area for the little ones to let off some disappointed steam. M found an awesome 6 ft branch and was happy dragging it around with us. lol. We finally found some information and found a Phoenix Sculpture Trail which an acquaintance of ours had contributed to the sculptures. And the most beautiful Owl sculpture was sat next to this stone. (Sorry forgot to snap the Owl..)

One day...

Sadly I had to accept my limitations and to get to the lake and the play area...it was gonna take a trek I wasn't capable of doing at the moment. But I made a promise to myself that one day I will. So we decided to decamp to the Foreshore and its little beach and play area.

Tinkerbell Sunglasses..don't ya know, Auntie R? lol

The temperatures were climbing all morning so by the time we got back to our cars we were all fading a little. N asked for her sunglasses once buckled into her seat. And I 'had' to take a quick photo of them..."..because they are Tinkerbell sunglasses don't ya know..Auntie R?" lol. Well I do now.

View from the parked cars...always happy when this side of the bridge.
The town we live in is the other side.
 

The little ones call the Foreshore Stoney Beach and love walking along the pebbles and the girls collected a few magical stones for my collection. lol. M chose to adventure alone and actually took some time to make a mini mural for me...but sadly the photos didn't show it up well enough..but safe to say this Auntie suddenly found she had some 'grit in her eye' Ahem. Cute kid that one. Once we had ventured far enough down, we reached the wooded play area and the little ones ran off with happy smiles. I made my way to the one picnic table and collapsed onto it sat down at it and staked our claim lol. I enjoyed the constant calls of "Watch me Auntie R..." from all around and laughed as my poor sister was standing with her heart beating out of her chest as the littles took on all the climbing options...lol Evil sister aren't I? And ML was kept constantly busy with holding hands and helping.

Cheeky little monkey M at the top of the very large roped climbing frame.

M was very proud of himself as he could only get half way up this climbing frame the last time we were here. One happy kid..

Ummm climbing frame Frizbe...not sure that was
a good idea. lol

ML even got in the Climbing frame action but commented later..."Roped climbing things and me are not meant to be..." lol. Shame because I would've been at the top with M if I could.

Then we stopped for the picnic...and obviously the family all enjoyed their non vegan picnic...so this is what I had. Olive Pate and Baby Rocket and Leaves Wraps.

Step One: Schmear the pate over the wrap

Step Two: Liberally toss on some leaves

Step Three: Fold them up and stick em in a tub.

They were delicious and washed down with ice cold water. Once the picnic had been devoured and it was..lol. It was just so good to be sat in fresh air with a gentle breeze on us all and feeling the sun. Lovely. There was some more play time for the little ones and another stroll along the Foreshore. We sat admiring the view and enjoying the water as the little ones played and then we decided that it was getting way too hot and took a short ride to a Play Pub so we could all enjoy ice cold drinks and maybe some dessert. And what do you know I found somewhere that sells refillable espressos....dangerous!!! lol. The little ones enjoyed the indoor and outdoor play areas whilst we recovered inside. Buoyed up by my double espresso and copious amount of iced water...we once again gathered the rather hot and tired little ones and headed back out to the cars. Poor little loves dragged their tired little feet back to my sisters car and we hugged and set off for the next part of our day. But what a great start...but then spending time with my sister is never hard...I love it.

So part two of our Saturday. One of the parks in the city was hosting an Arts In The Park event. Now I have to go to these events...I love Art so I am always happy to wander around looking at the pieces on display. And there was Live music to be had...poetry to listen to..lots for families attending. And we were going with our good pal C..so we hotfooted across the city to meet her. We were also lucky to be joined later by our good pal and Guest Host Dev who was freshly back from the adventures in Norway.

Now the park was busy but not overcrowded and it was easy to enjoy the stroll around the Art Marquee and I found two pieces that needed to be hung on the walls of my next office. lol. I resisted temptation and we made our way around the stalls and activities and even bumped into a friend from the town who has started her own Yarn business and Spinning Classes. I enjoyed a catch up with her and was happy to hear her Degree was a 1st and that the business was slowly building up. Lovely woman. We also bumped into another friend who was there with her pottery..(how I never buy her entire stock is a shock to me being the Pottery junkie I am..lol) and then we finally decided to just set up a little area and enjoy the music on offer.

View from where we crashed..lol

There were two music stages which was to be honest was a little confusing as they were very close to each other..that would be my only criticism of the event...they had plenty of room to spread them further out. But we coped...all of us being Live music fans.

The small stage...on stage Jodie Mackenna..a very talented up and
coming local dude done good. His set was great and so captivating
you forgot these was another stage.

Jodie is the son of C's friend and her and A have seen him Live many times and I was very happy to have seen and heard him and hope to do so again...soon.

Our view of the main stage...which sounded great...and we enjoyed.
Ooh sneaky C got in this shot...lady with white polo shirt walking
towards us on the right. Take a bow lovely! lol

Dev had taken her lovely dog Ella back home by this point as she was getting very excited and wanted to play with all the other dogs. So after a fantastic time, relaxing and listening to the music..and I also checked out the poetry....we packed up and made our way back through the park to the Art Marquee and look what snuck its way into my hands to be packed up on Tuesday....ooops...lol

Woman with Guitar by Phil Watson 2013

I love this piece...the photo doesn't show the depth of colours and the beautiful detailing. I cannot wait to get it framed and hung..although I'll have to be patient (HA!) to see this happen. Ah well.

Once back at C's and enjoying some cold drinks...we sat and discussed our favourite subject..music. lol. And then it was time to eat and shortly after Dev joined us and we enjoyed a meal together...and Dev and I enjoyed the Edamame Bean Burgers she made for us both! Beautiful..they looked great and tasted even better.

Now if I said the rest of the evening was stress free I would be a liar. As I'm not...I'll confess I had pushed my body a little too far and was quite ill the rest of the night. But I didn't let that stop me in any way. Oh no!

A rough example of Devs adventures...

I mentioned earlier in the post that Dev was back from a great adventure...so how happy was I that she was brimming over with the happenings on this trip she had taken with the lovely B and Devs Mum. So the evening was very chilled with tales of Norway and the music supplied by C. The evening was one of those last minute but awesome nights with nothing to rush home for and every opportunity to just enjoy it. And we even got super cute gifts...check these out...

Troll bookmarks and a Polar Bear Cookie Cutter.
Thank you D & B. xxx

The evening drew to a natural close around 11 and although I was utterly exhausted, it was worth it. A day surrounded by the people who make my life happier by simply being in it. How could I regret it? ML got to relax and enjoy a snooze in the sun. Even if a little one kept bouncing his ball near us. lol. It's the key...isn't it? The connections..

So a huge thank you to all who participated and those who weren't with us this day...we'll catch ya on the next almost perfect day.

Thanks for stopping by and I truly hope your weekend has been full of almost perfect moments....

~Red~