{"id":1660,"date":"2016-09-06T12:41:42","date_gmt":"2016-09-06T04:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2016-09-06T12:41:42","modified_gmt":"2016-09-06T04:41:42","slug":"thank-heaven-for-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"thank heaven for spring"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WEEK THIRTY-FIVE (august 29-september 4)<\/p>\n<p>I haven&#8217;t been that chirpy of late, laid low with the winter blues essentially, as we have just finished the coldest\/wettest spell since my move to Perth close to thirty years ago.<br \/>\nI have missed the usual wet nights and sunny winter days that I have loved after growing up with grey winters in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>I have been in a bit of a fug about my artwork too&#8230;it mostly sits awaiting supports that are my bloke&#8217;s work-in-progress. He is busy. I don&#8217;t want to push him but I desperately want to finish some more work&#8230;Instead I <em>waste?<\/em> time waiting by rearranging and rethinking and tweaking those in the line.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1667\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4.jpg\" alt=\"still tweaking - aqua now has purple added\" width=\"2448\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4.jpg 2448w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-4-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2448px) 100vw, 2448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I am tempted to move onto other tasks &#8211; I have plenty lined up &#8211; but I am standing firm on my desire to cross these off, learn while I do them, build up a collection of them to hang on my wall, (or someone else&#8217;s), then move on.<br \/>\nInstead I am allowing myself the the psychological benefit of finishing up less important tasks and clearing lists.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1669\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6.jpg\" alt=\"still tweaking - red tailed black cockatoo\" width=\"2448\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6.jpg 2448w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-6-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2448px) 100vw, 2448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When most people hanker for a weekend away conversely I want now hanker for weekend at home:)<br \/>\nI haven&#8217;t slept in at home on a Saturday night for many, many weeks and the way things are looking it may be many more before I do.<br \/>\nI <strong>love<\/strong> being away but the downside is that every &#8216;chore&#8217; that would usually be puddled through on a weekend at home has to be shoved into the my <em>continually growing smaller<\/em> &#8216;working&#8217; week.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1668\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5.jpg\" alt=\"still tweaking - sulphur crested cockatoo\" width=\"2254\" height=\"2254\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5.jpg 2254w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-5-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2254px) 100vw, 2254px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Winter blues combined with a busy but unproductive life have left me feeling out of sorts&#8230;.BUT&#8230;.as soon as I identified and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">fessed up<\/span> to the problem, the blues and the frowns flitted away, and the good colours\/ the good humour returned.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1665\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2.jpg\" alt=\"now there are three\" width=\"2256\" height=\"2256\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2.jpg 2256w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-2-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2256px) 100vw, 2256px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I did finish one framed piece. The blue one in the line-up above.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1664\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1.jpg\" alt=\"murobond stitch samples\" width=\"2448\" height=\"3264\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1.jpg 2448w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-1-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2448px) 100vw, 2448px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nI finished stitching the murobond grids. A small pleasure acheived in &#8216;waiting&#8217; time.<\/p>\n<p>I finished sampling the paint chips to take to Mongolia and, with a brilliant suggestion from my daughter, I am taking a MIX of watercolour and &#8216;normal&#8217; pencils.<br \/>\nThey are now &#8216;packed&#8217; and I am very happy. Can&#8217;t wait to start.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1666\" src=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3.jpg\" alt=\"still tweaking - pencils &amp; watercolour pencil trials\" width=\"2448\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3.jpg 2448w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/week-35-3-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2448px) 100vw, 2448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To add to the increasingly better-feeling week, the latest edition of <a href=\"http:\/\/artwearpublications.com.au\/magazines\/single-issues\/textile-fibre-forum-magazine\/back-issue-textile-fibre-forum-magazine-132.html\">Textile Fibre Forum <\/a>arrived with an article about twentyONE+ inside.<br \/>\nI know it word for word &#8211; I wrote it &#8211; but as always with our little twentyONE+ team there were editing rounds to make sure we were all happy with it.<br \/>\nLooks lovely.<\/p>\n<p>I had my first visit to the pool for ages which helped my state of mind and my winterized bod. I have been living with excuses of colds\/ blocked ear\/cold mornings\/bad sleep.<br \/>\nSo good for the soul to get lost-in-thought whilst exercising.<\/p>\n<p>I also had my first exhibition visit in weeks.<br \/>\n<em>All is right with the world<\/em> when I can escape into my own creativity or when I am viewing others creativity.<br \/>\nI am a critical observer and an inquisitive and analytic learner when I view.<br \/>\nSo on Thursday I hopped on the train to Perth to listen to WAFTA&#8217;s Artist in Residence talks and then flew around the corner to see Feltwest&#8217;s exhibition Macro Micro.<br \/>\nBoth were worthy visits, with some lovely work viewed and interesting artists listened to.<br \/>\nThere were works and talks that didn&#8217;t appeal BUT to I can stand away from criticism here\u00a0 to give everyone their due&#8230;&#8230; The members of both groups are on a learning\/creativity journey <em>but each are at different stages<\/em> and with different expected\/desired outcomes. Good to see allsorts to ground me.<\/p>\n<p>The week flew as always&#8230;.<br \/>\nOff to the little house <em>after croissants at home on Saturday morn<\/em>. Funny how a tweak of the routine can be such a tonic and almond croissants at home was a simple treat for us.<br \/>\nBy cuppa time, George, Elly and their parents were with us down south for lots of exploring, giggles and important conversations.<\/p>\n<p>There were treats of going to visit the kangaroos, the train, the new ice-cream shop, the co-op, the playground whilst we kept an eye and ear on the mountain bike event that finished on the oval opposite. In a few years the kiddos will want to be on that bouncy blow up slide&#8230;.<br \/>\nA start was made on a cubby, on a tree stump, made with a dog house!<br \/>\nThere was a (mini) bonfire that needed to have twigs brought to it <em>all<\/em> day.<br \/>\nDelicious in every regard.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"border-radius: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px\/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c  no-repeat scroll 3px 50% \/ 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 0.85; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; top: 1874px; left: 20px;\">Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WEEK THIRTY-FIVE (august 29-september 4) I haven&#8217;t been that chirpy of late, laid low with the winter blues essentially, as we have just finished the coldest\/wettest spell since my move to Perth close to thirty years ago. I have missed the usual wet nights and sunny winter days that I have loved after growing up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","spay_email":""},"categories":[4,5,23,18],"tags":[35],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1672,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions\/1672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/janmullen.com.au\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}