Our four weeks officially out of the East End Gallery has just flown past. Not that we are actually that far away from the Gallery - in fact, we both have spent rather a lot of time hard at work in our fantastic spaces.
Michael has well and truly returned to his "Zone". He has finished "Hooked", which is now on display in the main Gallery. His latest project, "Unhinged" has been over a year bouncing around inside his uber-artistic brain, the only physical demonstration being a drawing from December 2022. Michael rarely sketches his ideas - he prefers to lay his materials directly on his large table in his Workshop/Studio and start from there. "Unhinged" has continued to evolve whilst he has been working, and is breathtakingly magnificent. The heroes of this piece are as ever, the history behind the components. Most of the hinges were made individually by blacksmiths, which has meant glorious variations in length, width and thickness. Michael's most expressive description for the hinges is that they are "awkward"!
As for me, the incredibly resourceful and vaguely terrifying Jan Cross, of Gone Potty fame, has been instrumental in revolutionising the layout of the Giftshop. I feel rather like Pip from "Great Expectations", who was brought up by hand. To say "no" to Missus Cross would be both unthinkable and unwise in the extreme. As a result, the Giftshop now has the open and welcoming atmosphere I have been seeking for nine years. Six tables cluttering up the space have disappeared and instead, a central line of see-through cubes beautifully displaying all our wonderful art have taken up residence. Jan has also repaired the red club chairs that Stella so thoughtfully mauled and fitted them with very chic black covers. Two are already back in the Gallery, a third is in progress and the fourth, which Chop has used as a scratching post, just needs the cover to convert it into a stylish seat.
The East End Gallery/Giftshop is "GO" from tomorrow! I only have minor tasks left to achieve at home. The annual chucking of documents years out of date is primed to begin and hopefully clear the filing cabinet. The guest courtyard just needs a sweep. Our front courtyard has had the pots and brick paving cleaned, re-organised and de-anted. Our main courtyard's makeover was a meg-project that took an entire day and we are thrilled with the result. Like our Gallery, our main outdoor relaxing area has improved its functionality and enhanced the available shade with the use of two umbrellas.
Another bonus of our break has been precious times with family and friends. My boys, Callum and Alex, my daughter-in-law Bron and our divine grandchildren Imogen and Violet are the absolute lights of my life, along with my beloved Michael. Cal and Bron are snatching a date on Wednesday, before the school year begins and Callum returns to his role as performing arts specialist at Ballajura Primary School. Bronwyn herself is due to finish her maternity leave at the start of Term 2 and the juggling acts of home and work will be re-established. Immy is off to Kindy, her first taste of school, rapidly approaching next week.
Our Autistic Superstar Alex continues to live with good humour, energy and enthusiasm. He is back at work - a Cafe Attendant at Paraquad, which he loves. Pascal, his Support Worker to the Stars, is revealing more of himself to us. He and Alex came up to Beverley on Saturday and we gleaned some of his past in Mauritius and coming to Australia fifteen years ago. I am ashamed to say that I hadn't asked about his past in any detail before. He certainly has stories to tell and I look forward to continuing our discussions next time we see him,
Alex has some issues with his kneecaps at the moment which I need to investigate and understand. Alex would not cope with restrictions on his mobility and he has already revealed that he is having difficulties with some of his gym work. I will be contacting his GP for clarification and what he believes in the diagnosis. I intensely dislike playing catch-up. *sigh*
An honourable mention must go to Zoe, Michael's cousin, who was the only member of his family to spend time with us over the festive season. Zoe is quirky, highly intelligent and incredibly easy to host. She brought her Jack Russell/Greyhound (!) Eddie with her, who also proved to be any exceedingly amiable house guest.
Our constant family - Stella, Lexi, Chop and Red - continue to delight us and occasionally exasperate us. Lexi has fully recovered from being attacked the other day. We have been visiting the oval in the evenings. catching up with some of the regulars, now that the temperatures have cooled. Kate with Tilly and Roxy, Indy and Izzy with Muppet and Luna, Bee and Neil with Ruby, Helen with Violet, Lorna with Ada, Janet with Robbie. All (except Tilly, who is an elder stateslady) charge around each other with glee and without fear, sometimes ending in unintended crashes or near-misses. returning home in cheerful exhausted and sleep the night away (without any destruction in Lexi's case!).
And finally, one of the two "great issues" has been resolved. The ANZ bank, God bless their cotton socks, has finally agreed to compensation for three months of extreme and utterly unnecessary stress caused by all manner of staff, both within Australia and off-shore. The payment has come and immediately gone - on bills, the car service and a restock of the fridge following our 26 hour power outage.
I am delighted to have illustrated an important point - the lowly customer can take on the banks and win, but only through perseverance and dogged stubbornness. As I suspect that reporting ANZ to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) might have been the icing on the cake. My only regret is that I waited so long...
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