"Kangaroo Paw"

Michael has just completed his first original sculpture in almost a decade. Professionally and emotionally, this has been a huge step for him. Part of the dream that he put on hold for so long. A passion that he couldn't have buried, even if he'd tried. And I am so proud to have been part of this episode with him.

The result is "Kangaroo Paw". Like all Michael's sculptures, it has a simplicity of form and weaves a story from the past.  This art piece recalls the metal horse harness fittings, which came in a multitude of styles and sizes. Until well after the turn of the twentieth century, the horse or horse and buggy or horse and wagon were popular modes of transportation in the Wheatbelt.

Marjorie, a delightful single lady living out on the Dale, had found the pieces and fallen in love with them. She provided the raw materials and the inspiration.  "Kangaroo Paw'' was a long time in the making. Renovations and trips to hospital kept getting in the way. Then the fungal lesions on Michael's foot made standing painful. Eventually, with the right treatment, the affected areas on his foot began receding and he was ready for creativity.

Michael constructed "Kangaroo Paw" simultaneously with the new batch of redback spiders. This turned out to be a most satisfactory system. If he lost focus with one of them, he'd work on the other. Initially, he suffered a crisis of confidence, doubting his ability.Then he was concerned he would not remember the production steps. He spent one particularly disturbed night tossing and turning, fretting that "Kangaroo Paw" wouldn't be as he'd envisaged.

Last Thursday, we brought the sculpture into the East End Gallery. Our visitors' enthusiasm and admiration for it began as soon as we set it up on display. And the biggest thrill came this weekend with one of our guests drawing in her breath and saying "It's a kangaroo paw, isn't it?".

It surely is.

the metal sculptor and his art piece named...

"Kangaroo Paw".

Be the First to Own a Spider...if you dare! :-)

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it. For the first time since 1998, @ the East End Gallery, located in beautiful Heavenly Beverley, there will be spiders....!

Now before you run screaming from this post, please remember these spiders are completely inert, very agreeable, rather lovely in their gleaming black coats, sport a fetching reflective red flash and are useful to boot.

Magda and her sisters are individually hand made by Michael. A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, Michael used to make spiders in five sizes for "Metal Moments", his initial commercial push as an artist. His spontaneity was suppressed and his good lady wife at the time wanted him to get a proper job. Hence "Metal Moments" and his spiders ceased to be.

Until now. The metal tables were set up, the jigs were resurrected, the metal components were found and the spiders were constructed. Individually, piece by piece. Each one  an original. No mass production here. The excitement was building.

Michael picked up his spiders from the powder coaters today. The dining table has become a work station whilst he watches the footy. The rare earth magnets are being placed on their undersides. Later, the final red flashes will be carefully placed on their bottoms, completing their metamorphosis from mill balls, mild steel rods and ball bearings to redback fridge magnets.

And not just any fridge magnet. They are strong. Magda will hold six hundred grammes of bills to your fridge - about a pound in the old language. This could be good or bad; depends on whether you want to lose your bills under the fridge or not.

Magda and her sisters will be available - exclusively - from the East End Gallery. We are also aware that there are a number of visitors who have been waiting for the spiders to be launched.

THE TIME HAS COME....

We have twenty-four redbacks waiting to go to new homes :-)

New Signage at the Gallery!

Today was a pretty go slow day to start. After yesterday, our get up and go had got up and left. Eventually, Michael stirred himself and went to the Gallery to begin the arduous task of removing all our old painted sign and replacing that with our groovy new decals.

He rang me to ask if I'd come to help. I was surprised as I had received my cortisone injection yesterday and I wasn't supposed to use my arm for forty-eight hours. I felt I'd be about as useful as tits on a bull....

What he needed was minimal physical assistance and lots of guiding of the decals on the window. Which was quite amusing that he would ask me. I am right handed and left eye dominant. Which means I can't line anything up to save my life!

To add further excitement, we had two visitors into the Gallery. Shera (I hope I've spelt her name correctly) wanted to buy a birthday present for her host where she was staying. She bought an exquisite piece of slumped glass made by one of our local artists, Michelle.

And Linda, who we later discovered had been to school with cousin Zoe, wandered in for a good old chat. We had a great time and she promised to return. We reluctantly had to bid her farewell as the afternoon was moving along and the light was fading.

Between us, with a final flourish of Windex, we finished the task at hand. Now we have a real WOW factor on our Gallery windows. Come up and see the new sign soon. I'm planning on opening an extra day this week - Thursday - to gauge interest. And, of course, we're open Friday to Sunday 11 am - 5 pm.

An (Almost) Pleasant Trip to the Big Smoke.

We lurched out of bed at the ungodly hour of eight o'clock, courtesy of the alarm clock. Feeling like a cat had dragged me through a fence backwards, I hoped a shower would help. Then I remembered we were on emergency gas rations, with only the BBQ bottle left. I had the last shower and prayed  that the hot water would last until the end.

Whilst at the mercy of the uncertain contents of the remaining gas bottle, Michael shot down to the hardware to order two new bottles. I was out of the shower before he returned, such was my fear of impending frigidity. Over the previous few nights, the temperature had plummetted to traditional winter minimums and cold showers were definitely not part of our agenda.

I dressed and we left. I hadn't been able to eat anything as our first stop would be for the cortisone injection into my shoulder. We arrived at radiology, we waited and I went in without Michael. I figured it was time for a bit of courage.

And so, I lay on the trolley waiting for the doctor to come in and start the procedure. I needn't have been quite so nervous. Some kind person had obviously written GIANT WUSS across my record, as the very charming doctor sailed in, smiled at me and patted my hand.I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. After the customary disinfection, a scratch and almost no sting - better than my injections at the dentist - the process was over. I could only give copious thanks as I left the room. Then I was starving.

Breakfast at Dome was followed by signed dropping documents at the Bank - the final instalment, we hoped in sorting out our business accounts. We drove onto the powder coater to leave Michael's newly constructed twenty-four spiders to receive their handsome black coats. He'd found the magnets and his red stickers at home earlier in the morning and now had all the elements to finish his first batch of redbacks in nearly twenty years.

Back to Midland to pick up some emergency medicinal supplies of decent red wine. A quick drop into the Bank to sort out Final Issues. Last stops were the plumbing supplies warehouse (to source a valve for a hot water system at the shops) and the Sign Supermarket to inquire about our window decals. To our delight and surprise, Tom and Grant had finished our initial order. We swiftly ordered two more signs and a sandwich board, hoping they'd be just as quick, so we could get the additional signs up on the East End Gallery windows by the coming weekend.

With a couple of hours of daylight left, we decided to drop in Michael's Mum and Dad. As we drove in, Judy and Sandra (Michael's sister) has just arrived as well. A very pleasant afternoon tea followed, along with more (unsuccessful) deciphering of Windows 8, before we pulled the pin and headed for the hills.

There was still one more surprise in store. Way out of the Wandoo forest, in the middle of farmland, a lone juvenile kangaroo was stopped in the middle of the road. We came to a halt and waited. The kangaroo looked at us dumbly and began to hop away, still down the middle of the road. We attempted to overtake the young roo on a few occasions, only for it to speed up and hold its course. Michael was concerned that it would expire from overexertion. So we slowed again. This time it hopped to the left side of the road, only to move back to the other side of the road after we'd passed. I remarked that unless it changed its tactics, this kangaroo would not be long for this world.

We arrived home after a successful day. We had witnessed some appalling driver and pedestrian behaviour in the city, some of which horrified us and some of which reduced us to helpless laughter. We were thankful to return in one piece and relatively sane to the House that Rocks.

From this...

to this. Ahhhhh...

Why do Disasters always occur in Threes?

This is an interesting concept to ponder as I sit in the East End Gallery this afternoon. Another blast of rain has come and gone, with the odd rumble of thunder, and the temperature has definitely dropped in the wake of this front. I doubt that even Diane Rigby will be in shorts today.

The fire is roaring and I have the column heater on behind me to keep my back warm. This may sound like a bit of overkill, except I left my cardigan at home this morning as I hurtled out the door to open the Gallery. For the first time in days, I actually need an additional layer of clothing. And I left my cardie hanging on the back of my chair....

The second disaster is associated with the spasmodic nature of the rain. Madame Ruby, the Beagle from hell, used a break in the weather to nick off again. And I'd already called her inside once and rewarded her with copious, over the top praise and a cat biscuit. She was pretty unimpressed with only one biccie. I can only deduce that is the reason for her latest bout of escapology. She is a complete witch.

The last disaster has involved gas bottles and hot water - or the lack of it. Half way through my shower, I was horrified to feel the temperature of the water dropping. I finished washing my face as frigid was reached. Michael went to check the gas bottles. One bottle appears to have been leaking into the other. Bollocks. Fortunately, Michael has been able to hook up our BBQ bottle, which, fingers crossed, will provide us with cooking  facilities and hot water for our showers until the hardware opens tomorrow! Wish us luck.

There you have it. Another set of three disasters. Fortunately, none are life-threatening. And hey, we can always pretend we're camping and have bucket baths in front of the fire. And what luxury. Our fire at home is at least indoors.

Michael, we've run out of hot water!!!!!

The cunning canine in full flight.

How my feet feel this afternoon.

Our Indiegogo Campaign

Welcome to the East End Gallery, Beverley

 Hi! How are you? Let me tell you a bit about ourselves and our dream. We are Kate and Michael Sofoulis, a fifty-something couple who live in Heavenly Beverley, the best-kept secret in the Avon Valley, one hundred and thirty kilometres  east of Perth.

We came here by choice four and a half years ago after Michael was forced to retire from the mining industry due to ill health. In that time, we have renovated a dinky little doer upper house and, three years ago, we bought the Forbes Building, a derelict, 390 square metre 100-year-old building on the main street. Our intention is to create an artists' precinct.

We need your help to finish this project. Michael is a metal artist. He is also chief renovator. With a loan of $100,000 we have poured our hearts and souls into the building. We have run out of money. Michael has complex health issues and receives a Disability Support Pension.We are not eligible for another loan as I was injured at work and I am unable to return to my profession. We are ineligible for other funding as we are the independent owners of the East End Gallery. 

So far, we have fully renovated three shops, Michael's studio and part of the back two roomed accommodation unit.  The "residence" still needs a kitchen and new floorboards, due to existing holes in the floor.

The Gallery itself has been open since December 2014. We have to complete the final forty-five square metres to extend the Gallery to its full potential. In addition, the building is moving as it is drying out after decades of neglect. We have repaired all the old cracks; now we have new cracks to revisit.

We also hope to install kitchenettes and bathrooms into the first two shops (each is fifty-seven square metres). We hope, in time, to build mezzanine floors in each of the shops to provide extra living space. That way, we can offer two separate units in Beverley town centre for artists to live and work in and display their pieces. The East End Artists' Precinct would then be a reality.

We realise that we have champagne tastes on a lemonade budget. Yet, we feel that we understand the building and her challenges. We are used to being frugal and very imaginative. Our immediate goal is to finish the Gallery so we have one hundred and fifty square metres of  space for Wheatbelt artists.

The Forbes Building was on the point of collapse when we bought her. We couldn't let a building of this age, with her history and character, die. Please be part of this project to finish our building, support Wheatbelt artists and fulfil the dream of our Artists' Precinct.

Any donation would be greatly appreciated. We will never give up.

Many Thanks,

Kate and Michael.

PS please tell your friends about us and pop in for a look!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/east-end-gallery-supporting-wheatbelt-artists#/story

In the Beginning there was...

Shop 1...

Shop 2...

Shop 3...

and Shop 4.

First to be tackled was Shop 1 (September 2012)...

then Shop 2 (early 2013)

Shop 3 (August 2014)

Front of Shop 4 (March 2015)

Michael's studio and workshop (September to December 2014)

and another view of the workshop (November 2014)

Shop 1

Shop 2

Shop 3

The East End Gallery opens in Shop 3 (19 December 2014)

the workshop (19 December 2014)

Extension of the Gallery into first half of Shop 4 (opened 2 April 2015)

View of the almost completed East End Gallery (April 2015)

To Boldly Go...

Boy, have I done some bold going over the last week. There has been physical going - to the Big Smoke this week for an action-packed Wednesday. First stop was Victoria Street in Midland to perform the ultrasound on my stupid shoulder. Apparently I have severe bursitis in the joint and they kept asking me what I'd done... How the hell would I know? We live in the country. We are the Beverley Hillbillies. I lift washing, firewood, groceries, potting mix and occasionally, recalcitrant Beagles.

So, I'm booked for yet another cortisone injection on Monday. Whoopee...

Next stop was the Bank. I had some concerns about our new business account that was linked to our EFTPOS terminal. The young, smart and efficient Amber worked through my issues. Only took ninety minutes. The wrong account had been opened, the business package hadn't been set up and she hooked me up to internet banking. We decided to leave the original account open as the terminal was linked to that account and we'd had enough strife with that device. So now we have three business accounts instead of one.

A quick trip across town to pick up the tenancy agreement for Alex's proposed housemate. Dropped the form off in Alex's letter box and onto Pet Meat Suppliers for the raw Barfy Burgers and a bulk pack of pigs' ears. All our animals eat exceptionally well @ the House that Rocks.

The race was on to get out of town before the traffic turned to chaos. I still had to stop to get quotes for the East End Gallery signage. Michael had sourced three potential businesses for me to check out. Given the time of day, I discarded one that was smack in the middle of the ongoing disaster area that was situated in the midst of the Lloyd Street roadworks. Two others were more easily reached. The first (and only) one I ended up at was Sign Supermarket. run by Tom and Grant, with one, reversed cap, young offsider. They were witty, on the ball and the quote was reasonably priced. And they were quick to understand our requirements and more or less designed the decal there and then.

It was four o'clock by this time and I was tired. After a conversation with Michael, we were happy to give the boys at Sign Supermarket the job. A last stop for groceries and drugs in Mundaring and I was on my way home. This was not an easy drive. My concentration was wandering and I had to keep bringing my attention back. I was so relieved to see the lights of home. Michael helped me unload the car and then, gallantly, heated up our dinner. Actually, it was self-preservation on his part. I would have been quite happy to have a couple of glasses of vino and climb into bed.

The mental part of boldly going mostly occurred on the computer. Those who know me well understand that I am suspicious and wary of any new technology. Even though I have owned and operated computers since 1997, I still regard them as an alien species out of annoy, frustrate and confuse me. They are a necessary evil that I actually quite like when they work. Or when their instructions are simple to follow.

Which happens rarely. New encounters online are usually accompanied by much gnashing of teeth, frequent expletives and large amounts of time being lost as I struggle with the matter at hand. This week, after reading about two cat loving architects signing up on Indiegogo to raise money to create a cat lovers' cafe, I decided to give it a whirl. I started the process myself to sign up and fundraise so we can finish the bloody  building.

Complication followed complication. In order to set up an Indiegogo account, I needed a Pay Pal account. So, I started that process through our website's e-mail. That was when I discovered something was rotten in the land of cyberspace and I couldn't access the East End Gallery's e-mails. After frantic messages to Chris, our website designer and admin, we located the e-mails and I completed the process of setting up a PayPal account and then an Indiegogo account. I still haven't quite worked out how to link PayPal to our web page so we can sell our artwork, but that can wait. And this morning, our e-mail account through the Gallery page was finally sorted out in a twenty-minute phone call from Chris who walked us through that obscure world of settings and machines that go PING in the deep recesses of my laptop's mind...

Today, I have been mentally hammered into submission. My brain hurts. This whole episode has taken six days of my life. I only hope I completed the tasks to the satisfaction of the online world. Because computers tend not to be overly helpful if you have buggered it up. Without explanation, they just stop functioning.

I can feel a vino coming on. The Gallery has been very quiet and I need to go home. So, on that note, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to love you and leave you. Till next time.

This week, this had led...

to this...

and both of them combined...

have lead to this!

Somebody stop the world. I want to get off.

Spider-Man is Back!

Once upon a time, Michael had a business named "Metal Moments". His dream was to make a series of unique creatures from mill balls and mild steel. Four different sizes of redback spiders, ladybirds and caterpillars were to be his bread and butter. He also hoped to produce other decorative metal work, as well as developing his individual style as a metal sculptor.

He'd earned his stripes as an innovative craftsman when he worked in a previous business in his twenties. He and his business partner drifted apart, after six and a half years, due to a difference of opinion of the direction "K & S Steel Fabrication" could take. Michael eventually left that partnership.

After the demise of  his first independent venture, he worked as a sub-contractor for ten years in the mining industry. Then, in his early forties, he went to work at the Orbital Engine Company. He loved the place; the work was interesting and dynamic and he was professionally engaged by the challenges in this environment.

After only two years, Orbital underwent a restructure and Michael, along with other employees, was made redundant. Leaving this company was bittersweet, as the job loss came with a payout that allowed Michael to buy a second-hand car, attend a small business course and set up "Metal Moments" in Midland.

Suddenly he was his own boss. He made hundreds of spiders which sold successfully in retail outlets all over Perth. He appeared in a segment at the end of the 6 o'clock news as Spider-Man. Although he was frustrated by his loss of freedom to pursue other artistic work, such as sculpture, he might have been able to diversify if he'd received support from his wife at home.

She wanted more in life. Having become involved in personal spirituality, she wished for the security of a regular salary. She and Michael were both intensely unhappy. In the end, Michael was terrified of his second marriage ending and losing contact with his children. So, "Metal Moments" ceased to be and Michael returned to the employment roundabout.

Fast forward another seventeen years. That's how long it has been since Michael last made his spiders. He has learned a lot and wants his creative life to be more balanced. Plus, we still have the renovation of the building to finish, the East End Gallery to promote and nurture and the fulfilment of our personal goals. And we know that now and again, we have to return to the solitude and peace of the Goldfields to recharge our batteries.

Michael was slightly uneasy when he began this first batch of twenty-four spiders - our Mini Magdas. He was concerned he'd have forgotten how to build them. He set up his jigs in the workshop and prepared himself to remember.

He need not have worried. Like getting back on his bike, after a few wobbly moments, he was confident and assured and methodical. He took his time producing them in his usual perfectionist manner. And they are now ready to be powder coated in their beautiful red and black outfits, in order to launch forward into the world.

And wisely, he is preparing for his next endeavour, which is to complete his two unfinished sculptures - "Unhinged" and "Kangaroo Paw" - to add to the Gallery. These will be his first new pieces in nearly ten years. And I, for one, can hardly wait to see them.

After a long break, Spider-Man has returned, with both new and varied artwork and his trademark groovy little redback fridge magnets.

Congratulations, it's a spider!

The Mind of the Beagle.

The Beagle is an extraordinary being. We are at a total loss to explain her. How can one dog appear to be so vacuous and yet so cunning? To be completely devoid of any brains, but with the diligence and perseverance of a jackhammer.

The electric collar and fence are expensive failures. Over almost a week, Michael secured the circuit wire to the fence or buried it underground. With a flourish of false confidence, we secured the collar around Ruby's neck. We were sure these devices would keep her safe, inside the fence and out of mischief. How wrong we were.

The collar works. If Ruby moves into the range of the electric fence, she is given a significant bang for her buck. We know this as Michael has tested its efficacy and found the collar's zap to be more than satisfactory. What we didn't count on was the Beagle's sheer force of will and her incredible tolerance of discomfort, even pain.

We have watched Ruby approach the fence. We have heard the collar's high pitched squeal become more insistent as she gets closer. And then, given an opportunity to wiggle under the fence, she does so, whilst completely ignoring the zapping the collar is emitting. For she is being aided and abetted by an unlikely ally,

We have filled in her holes along our fence line as they appear. Michael brings home broken bricks from the Forbes building for this purpose. We have a hunch that if we can slow down her speed of escaping, the collar might deliver one electric shock that actually penetrates the Beagle's skull. And makes her think twice.

We are also being thwarted by a phantom brick thrower. We believe we know who it is but we can't prove it. All we know is that the brick filled holes along the fence line are being undermined. And somebody is hurling broken bricks well into our backyard from this line.This action usually occurs when we are absent and we are concerned the phantom brick thrower is actually attempting to strike our dogs. The bricks are always found well into our garden, at least ten metres in from our fence. And all this person is doing by these actions is aiding and abetting Ruby in her escapology. And if she continues to get out of our backyard, we are very concerned that Ruby could meet with some misadventure.

If the meantime, we contain Ruby as best we can. We have started tying her up again. We are employing the dog barricade across the dog door as needs be. This, of course, penalises the two other Stooges who don't leave the property.

And Ruby herself doesn't understand the gravity of her actions. Neither is she contrite. At all. Her countenance is always of outraged innocence when we dare to point out that she has been a naughty dog. She chooses not to accept or understand that her behaviour has been less than exemplary.

She has the capacity to try the patience of a saint. And Michael and I are only human. Sigh.

Ruby has always regarded food with reverence...

and an Elizabethan collar didn't slow down her escapology...

and she is convinced of her own innocence...

whilst she continues to worship any culinary treat.

Friday On My Mind.

Friday means the first day of each weekend back in the East End Gallery. This is my day to forget about housework (because there is no point), open up the Gallery doors, do a spot of dusting, welcome guests, enjoy the temptation of hot chocolate (99% fat free of course) and set up my laptop in preparation for catching up on this blog, Facebook and any e-mails that need a response.

I love sitting in my chair at the desk surveying the street. I wander outside from time to time, to catch up with friends or simply to have a chat with a passerby. I get a thrill with every visitor who comes in the door. And they respond. Because we are so passionate about the building, its history, its ongoing restoration, our artists and their works, everyone who enters the Gallery feels that they have the chance to experience the building's past, present and future.

Today, "Bicycle Express" has been returned to its rightful place, after travelling to and from the Leonora Art Prize. Michael's sculpture has had an adventure, its right of passage."Bicycle Express" is the story of bicycles in the Western Australian Goldfields, when intrepid riders followed the camel tracks to deliver mail, telegrams and the like. Less than a year after its establishment, Agnew, one hundred and thirty-two kilometres north of Leonora, had its own bicycle service. The bicycle ruled supreme, between the camel and the motor car, as a reliable form of transport across the vast expanses of the Goldfields.

And I'm here, surrounded by the seventy-four or so other artworks. Meanwhile, Michael has set up a mini workshop for manufacturing his spiders. He hopes to have twenty or so ready soon. And the process is fascinating as to how he hand makes each of them. He would also like to complete his two unfinished sculptures and get them displayed in the Gallery. That would just make all the hard yards of the restoration of the building even more special.

We are contemplating creative ways of how to finish the building with no money. Through information from my friend and steam punk enthusiast, Gina, from Chittering Acres Studio, I have set up a HelpX account. We hope to attract two fit young people, with brains, to assist us on the building project, in return for food and accommodation. And a chance to see the Wheatbelt and the Goldfields.

So, with another Friday on my mind, I'm in the East End Gallery on a glorious winter (?!) afternoon. Kettle's on and I'm listening to the magic of Carlos Santana. Come and join me for a dance and a hot chocolate - which won't add to your hips!

The mini worshop....

where these...

and these...

will become more of  these!

And welcome home to "Bicycle Express".

Update of My Living Room's Spring Clean. Hang on, It's Only June....

Good morning, world. Apart from a pointedly worded letter I still have to pen to the Federal Treasurer, I am in fine form. That will be tonight's project. I can hardly wait. This turkey quoted that the housing crisis affordability would be solved if everyone just, wait...wait...wait,,,pulled their fingers out and secured a job that pays good money! I think I'll send my response by both e-mail and snail mail. That way, somebody in that idiot's office will have to acknowledge my correspondence.

Yesterday, I finished the re-vamp of my living room. And the study. I worked out how to shorten my standard lamp into a table lamp. That really stretched the little grey cells. The couches have been reversed. There were tumbleweeds, bird seed - courtesy of the pirate parrot - cashews and other nuts - courtesy of Michael - and a lonesome orphan vino bottle cap under the couches. We didn't know the top was even missing as we never have leftover wine.

My living room looked like it was engaging in a game of Twister for quite a few hours. I managed to clean both sides of the glass top of the coffee table without dropping it. I think breaking a piece of glass that size would have incurred about 77 000 years bad luck.

I sorted cookery books, some of which haven't seen the light of day for many moons. In a stroke of genius, I gave the ones to be discarded a temporary home in our footstool. Michel nearly broke his toe trying to move the footstool in the evening. I must have forgotten to tell him it was now the weight of a fairly hefty baby elephant.

I pondered (briefly) rationalising the DVD collection. That was too difficult a task. As well, we might just want to watch "The Blues Brothers" again on a whim in about fifteen years. However, I did decide it was time for our five remaining VCR tapes to go, particularly since one of them was stuck inside the VCR unit. Like a recalcitrant toddler, the unit had grabbed hold of the tape, munched it beyond recognition and was refusing to surrender it. The unit with the dear departed tape went out to the bin. The remainder of the tapes I will see if I can give away!

And yes, I even moved the TV unit out and in again. Briefly and with some trepidation. The reason it's so heavy is not entirely due to the 500 DVDs in residence. It also houses my original dinner set from my first marriage, some other good china put away for its safety and our ancient television, which is about as far removed from a flat screen as you can get. The TV boasts it's a Flatron, whatever that is, which actually translates into a flattish screen with an enormous box behind it. We even had another one of these monstrosities, but that television died a crackling, smoking death some years ago.

Anyway, whilst making sure my head with its attached ears were nowhere near the space between the unit and the wall, I successfully heaved it back into position. Very pleased with the end result. Even though this morning, the floorboards look like I haven't vacuumed in months...

No reports and no injuries. Stay tuned for the next exciting installment.

Why am I spring cleaning in winter?! I'm never early from anything.

I'm Blaming Colleen!

It takes real skill to hurt myself whilst I'm doing some housework. Fortunately, or, unfortunately, I appear to have the required disaster genes to injure myself in new and innovative ways. Like today. I don't know many other people who would manage to get their heads sandwiched between a television cabinet and a wall. Ladies and gentlemen, let me explain. It's all Colleen's fault!

Yesterday I popped into Colleen's house on my way home from the East End Gallery. Now, Colleen has become a bloody good friend and I enjoy the company of her and her family. And  I usually have leftover cake and Colleen has a few mouths that need feeding. She is always delighted to receive any offerings that she can add to lunchboxes and keep her urchins from gnawing her legs off.

So, there I was, enjoying a cup of tea in Colleen's kitchen and she mentioned that she and mutual friend Marissa had both decided it was time to "unf#@k" their houses. This means de-cluttering, sorting, cleaning and tidying. Now, I thought the House that Rocks was fairly "unf#@ked", but I started having twinges of doubt.

Worse than that, the scales had started complaining bitterly if I stood on them. "One at a time, please" were the exact words that I could have sworn the scales announced last time I weighed myself. Having lost twelve kilos up to April last year, I have put eight kilos back on...I was time to take myself in hand and start walking again.

This morning I went on a forty-minute walk after the fog had lifted. If spite of some irritating behaviour by the three Stooges, we managed to return home intact. Although my legs were a tad wibbly wobbly, I felt enthused and full of energy.

I attacked the dogs' bunk beds first. This was truly disgusting.Their bedding was black and hairy and full of unmentionable objects Ruby so enjoys bringing in the house. The white laminex walls and floors of the beds were not white. At all. Think "Harry the Dirty Dog", only worse.

I scrubbed the bunks. This took some time. Then, God only knows why, I had a germ of an idea that was going round and round in my head. I resolved to spring clean and "unf#@f" the living room. I needed less clutter and more order in our little open plan living, dining and kitchen areas. So I moved furniture. I emptied shelves, sorted and rationalised my cookbooks - I have a pile ready to give to the Poor Children - so come and get them if you are after a freebie.

I washed walls and skirting boards. I disturbed spiders, whom I swiftly dispatched to heaven. I vacuumed behind couches, the TV unit and the tile fire. I dusted and wiped down dusty surfaces. I ever rotated the dining table and surprise, surprise, the whole space seemed roomier.

After I'd dealt with repeated vacuuming behind the TV unit, it was time to move it back into position. As this piece of furniture is on casters and I'd taken it backwards and forward all afternoon, I was quite comfortable in returning it to its original place.

This is when it all went pear-shaped.Whilst manoeuvring the right end into position, somehow I had my head between the unit and the wall. The casters inexplicably allowed the unit to lurch back toward the wall. With my head still between it and the wall.

My left ear came off second best. I have severely bruised it. Needless to say, my ear is not happy. I have had to resort to medicinal liquid pain relief tonight to ease my suffering.

In spite of my suffering, I was able to finish the "unf#@king" the living room. The issue is that I also wanted to clean the top of the fridge. This is not happening today. Tomorrow, if my ear has recovered, I shall tackle the top of the fridge. Wish me luck.

And I am blaming Colleen for my misadventure...my ear is waiting for an apology...!

This is the story of my life!

Ball Polishing and Pick Buffing

Next month, we will have owned the Forbes Building for three years. I believe that our building is definitely female. She is stubborn, capricious, unreliable and unpredictable. She has put difficult obstacles in our way as we wrestled to restore her to her former glory.

The roof leaked like a sieve, the brickwork was exceedingly fretful, the plaster was crumbling, the mortar within some of the pillars was non-existent, the electricity was a joke, there was bugger all plumbing and the ancient septic tank gave up the ghost.

We have had to contract  the electricity, decorative brickwork and some of the plumbing out to suitably qualified contractors. Dave the Brave has been our primary electrician and has been with us since the beginning. Dave is so tidy and conscientious, he removed the remains of a mummified cat from the roof space without any comment. He has fearlessly climbed into places I wouldn't dream of entering.

We have spread the love around with a number of plumbers. They have all played their part in bringing water into the building and connecting us to deep sewerage. You know who you are...

Our handyman and carpenter, Guy - international man of mystery, muso, teacher and all round great bloke - has also been with us from the start. Dan our master brickie has created beautiful walls out of one-hundred-year-old bricks, which are an absolute pain to handle.

We've had plenty of assistance from trade assistance Gary. As we can't afford to pay much, Gary has been the only person who we have been able to employ for any length of time. But, Michael is the glue that has held the building's renovation together. Without him, nothing happens. So when he's been ill or injured, he has continued working. Twice, this lunacy has put into hospital with pneumonia. The other was an argument that Michael's hands had with a very long, very heavy steel member. The metal beam won that bout.

Since Easter, Michael's motivation has got up and left. He is pretty tired and fed up with the non-stop renovating and repairs. And now that our building is drying out, we are filling new cracks as the building contracts. And we still have forty-five square metres of the original work to finish.

He has made an executive decision. He has been longing to achieve more as an artist. So, he has made a space in his workshop that is not devoted to renovating materials. he has set up his spider production again - for the first time since 1998. He hopes to make about twenty to get the ball rolling. So to speak.

Yesterday, I watched the transformation of a dusty, rusty little mill bill into a gleaming spider abdomen. With an electric wire buffer. And today, he polished up two of the pick heads we'd found at Eulaminna. We found the name of the maker and his address in Ballarat, Victoria on one of the picks and it had ended up on the other side of the country in another goldfield and copper mine.

So, Michael has a cheerful spring in his step again. He has also discovered that making his metal spiders is a bit like riding a bike. Or polishing balls!

Mini Magda posing with the before and after of the polishing process..

and from another angle...

meanwhile, one pick...

two picks on display in the Gallery...

with the spider production nerve centre set up in his Studio.