A night on the town

What I wore last night, although the skirt was a little longer.

Last night was the Tango 9 and collected volumes launch. We hired a babysitter which made us very anxious but the lady was lovely and Amelie was asleep for most of the time so it wasn't so bad.

The 3 rooms of Dante's Upstairs were full of Melbourne's comic 'people' an unexpected mix of all ages, sexes (although a little male heavy) and looks. Bernard gave a very vivacious, compelling entertaining speech and then we left as it was just so hot and we were hungry.

So into the night we ventured with our 2 copies of the 346 pages of Tango 9 and had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants Wabi Sabi with Christine and John. It was a lovely night and we appreciated it all the more as we don't get to go out that often.

Out of action but out tonight

The dreaded flu caught up with me last week and I have been out of action for awhile. Luckily it has almost disappeared as tonight is the launch of Tango 9 in which I have 2 stories, one written by Ed and one by my friend Christine.

I am very excited to see them in print and to maybe meet other people who have contributed to the graphic novel (I'm not good at networking or meeting new people and as I can't drink because I am driving it will be doubly hard). Tonight is also the launch of the collected previous 8 issues of Tango by Allen and Unwin so it will be a big night.

11 stripey t-shirts

I bought another stripey t-shirt on the weekend, it was perfect: a lovely shade of blue and white with sleeves that come down to the elbow (I love this length sleeve, less chance of being sun burnt), they had another but in red and white ... might have to go back and get it at some point.

I got it from a lovely shop on my high street called Hummingbird 60, their clothes are so lovely and just the length, style, size I like; in shoes, skirts, dresses and well, everything.

I got home and decided to count how many stripey t-shirts I own....11!! I think this constitutes a collection!

What am I becoming?

The weather has changed again, it is now a cool 17 degrees and so I don't think my feet have caught up to the sudden change in weather. I looked down at my feet this morning and noticed I was wearing socks with my slip on sandals!!!!!

How did I end up with this frumpy combination? I am going to change now in case someone comes to the door and catches me in this fashion faux pas.

And the winners are...

I have decided to give 3 packs of stationery away, one for each year of Meet Me At Mike's.

And the winners are:

Button by Lou Lou

Violetmist

AmelieandAtticus

I will be in contact soon to get your details.

Thank you everyone for your kind comments and interest.

My place and yours: That's nyoice, that's different, that's unewesyewl!

This weeks Theme Queen is Toni from Little Suitcase 'That's nyoice, that's different, that's unewesyewl!'

Does your home have a quirky feature or several? Something you throw a strategically placed coat over if people are visiting or avoid telling the real estate agent about? You might be very proud of your house flaw...

Our house has 2 sheds in the back garden, when we viewed the house we didn't think to look in the sheds, we just thought 'Great! more storage space' but on the day we moved in we discovered that one of the shed's housed a fully functioning toilet. I guess they didn't think to remove the outside toilet from those days when you had to go into the back garden to visit the 'thunder box' and to save themselves the trouble they stuck a corrugated shed over it.

It may come in handy one day? To be honest, not really, it isn't that far to the inside toilet.

Thank you Little Suitcase for a great theme and Pip, it will be interesting to discover other people's quirky house traits.

Early tomatoes

Due to the early onset of summer we have 4 tomatoes! It is lovely to go out every morning and look for more little fruit, they grow so quickly in this weather. I hope they taste lovely and sweet - there is nothing better than picking tomatoes from the plant that have been warmed by the sun.

Oh and we have 3 strawberries!!

Toast? Yes please!

image of their fine wool tulip dress

I love Toast, when I was living in London I used to go to their store and just look through their clothes and pick out my favourite pieces and hope that at the end of the season they would come down in price so I could afford them. I did manage to buy one dress that I wore to my brothers wedding and I love it.

Last week I ordered their catalogue and was so delighted to receive them (yes they sent me their home wares catalogue as well) in the post this week. Their home wares are equally divine, I could look at their website and catalogues all day.

Oh, and I love toast as well, I practically live on peanut butter on toast, but only Kraft peanut butter will do.

Giveaway!

Meet Me At Mikes turns 3 this week and to celebrate people are giving away stuff!!!! Crazy I know!

So to say thank you to Pip for a great blog (I read it all the time but don't comment - a little too shy) that has inspired me, I am giving away a pack of print Gocco stationery I printed up a little while ago - set of 5 envelopes with matching paper.

If you would like to win these just leave a comment and I will chose an entry at random this Saturday at 9:00pm.

Thanks again Pip for your creativity, inspiration and dedication to all things crafty and fun.

Making things

This morning I could feel the heat of the day getting hotter and after getting sun burnt on the back of my neck yesterday, I thought I needed a light cotton scarf to put around my neck just to make sure the sun that might get through my hat wouldn't get through a second layer (a little too obsessive but precautious). So I remembered I had some material left over from my friends blanket and decided to use some bleach on it to make a rustic pattern - spots and stripes (my favourite patterns) I think it turned out pretty well, I went out today with it on and it didn't make me hot - hoorah for bleach and left over fabric.

I have also just finished our Christmas cards...40!!! This is a section of the image I printed from a lino cut I did on the weekend. Do you send cards in the first week of December? Or is that too early?

My place and yours: My Collection

This weeks theme was set by Fox's Lane, My Collection.

This was a hard theme as I don't really collect anything, I'm not a hoarder and I don't have a particular fetish for anything. I did however used to buy the occasional wooden ornament when on holiday.

The parrot is from Brazil, it is a wooden pestle for crushing lime for ciparina's (a deadly cocktail I soon discovered on our first outing in Sao Paulo),

The nut cracker I bought in Berlin, purely ornamental but his mouth does move up and down and looks a little sinister,

And the kokeshi dolls 2 of which I bought in Tokyo and the one of the right I was given by my brother in-law and wife when they returned from Japan (made by a well known kokeshi doll maker).

And a pair of clogs I bought from Holland but I can't get them to draw them as I would have to sneak past my daughter's room while she is asleep, and I really don't want to chance waking her after all of this hot weather we have had...she needs the sleep and so do I.

Thank you Pip for hosting this great forum.

My place and Yours:Through the front door

The Theme Queen this week is Femme de Montmartre and she has set the theme of 'Through the front door'.

Well I can't quite get past our 70's door and surround in orange, patterned glass. It was the first thing I noticed and set the tone for the entire house. I don't like it, in fact I hate it, if it was our house I would take it out and put a more secure feeling door and sell it to a salvage yard - someone would pay a lot of money for this kitch door.

Take a look at the other images on the same theme, it's a great way to take a look at some brilliant and interesting blogs My place and yours

Australian/British

On the weekend Ed became an Australian citizen!

He got a certificate, a flag and a native plant and now he can hold 2 passports like me. Truly a citizen of the world - we are very lucky.

We were also treated to a song by the Connies, they remind me of the Pearly Kings and Queens of London's East End, well, a little, but not as fancy.

Hot and droopy

I'm feeling hot and droopy in this weather, I don't think it has been under 30 degrees in 7 days and for 2 of those days it was 35 degrees. Preparing for another 35 degree day tomorrow...I'm over it and it isn't even Summer yet!!!

Tango - Graphic Novel

excerpts from Tango Issue 9

I don't think I mentioned since returning to this blog that I have 2 short comics being published in December. I did the illustrations, my husband wrote one (the one on the right) and a friend Christine wrote the other.

Tango is a recent discovery since moving to Melbourne and I just happened to get talking to the editor and VWALLA! I'm in the next issue because of his generosity.

The launch is in December so fingers crossed we can find a babysitter and go along for a drink and look at all the great comics people have submitted.

What?!!!!

How do I set up this scenario?......OK, I was at the gym yesterday morning, walking very fast up hill on the treadmill when this man walks into the gym and I think, OK this guy is just having a look around to see what it's like (not much to see as it is only a small YMCA gym in Carlton), when I see him step up onto a treadmill WEARING THONGS!!! (flip flops for those in the UK that are reading) I was so bemused and confused I just couldn't believe it? He then must have thought to himself 'this is just silly, I can't run on a treadmill in thongs!' so he took them off and decided to run on the treadmill with no shoes on!!!

I live in a city for crying out loud, a cosmopolitan city where people are supposed to be cultured and have a certain degree of class, am I a snob for thinking this and wondering where this Neanderthal emerged from?

Well after 10 minutes finally a member of staff told him health and safety regulations meant that he wasn't allowed to run on the treadmill with no shoes on. He then proceeded to the weights where he was stopped again and then finally left.