Hello all from sunny and very hot Western Australia...It's been a while since I updated my blog post...my excuse...I installed Windows 7 and I'm very pleased with it but getting it the way I wanted it took a little doing...I'm up and running now with all of the whizz bangs that go with this package which is so much better than Vista which was pleasing it's self instead of listening to me...time to go...next I want a new laptop with more RAM I think...those who are more computer literate than I am please put me right if I have it wrong...I have planted a seed in the Hubby's head where I shall leave it to form some roots then fertilise and water it to urge it to grow and hopefully by my birthday in April a fully fledged plant in the form of a new laptop will have grown and been packed in a lovely box to be presented to me on my birthday which is on Easter Monday...and pigs might fly. It's very hot here in Perth W/A we had 43 degrees today and tomorrows forecast is for 41...so thank goodness for air conditioning which at least kept us sane...Daughter spent today turning herself into a prune in her friends swimming pool along with a few other friends...now it's at this point where I have to admit some pride both in my Daughter and myself...all of my nagging about staying out of the sun and also using the highest block-out has at last paid off...not a piece of red skin to be seen and I'm reliably informed by said Daughter that all who turned themselves into prunes also looked after their skin. As to painting well after painting a few Christmas Cards I'm clean painted out and have only just started taking an interest again...I am now thinking about the painting I have promised Daughter for her newly renovated house and have decided on an Agapanthus from a photo I took in class for which I will use acrylics...the canvas is primed and the old chestnut arose in my head...BACKGROUND...that is until I bought a wonderful book yesterday "Acrylic Painting Step-by-Step by Wendy Jelbert, Carole Massey and David Hyde...now although I have heaps of books on all subjects including acrylics this is the only one I have seen where all of the tips and techniques are included a real bonus...I have now decided on the background and I'm going to try to use the cling film for texture for the appearance of leaves...I don't want to use too much green a colour I dread so I'm going with a little green, aqua and which I hope should look good when it's mixed with the cling film...hopefully...the Agapanthus is vivid red, white striped with an almost acidy green centre...I have this image in my head I just hope it dosn't stay there and I manage to translate it to the canvas. I have been on the receiving end of a course on iron injections every two weeks which have done me the power of good...I think they will be an ongoing thing for the mean while but well worth the inconvenience of a visit to the doctor they have given me energy I thought I had but now realise I didn't...one bonus of having had a spinal fusion and ligaments sort of sewn up in my back is that I can't feel a thing both cheeks are numb...for the first injection I think the doctor thought I had fainted and kept asking me if I was OK...a bit of bruising but what is that between friends because iron injections and myself have now become the closest of friends. As usual it's late here in sunny Perth so I'm off to hit the sack where there is no doubt I shall melt and hope I can put the puddle back into a recognisable Patsy tomorrow