Sunday 14th October

It's been a few days since I have written in my blog sometimes life just gets a bit crazy.

This photo is my first piece made with BRT clay. I love using this clay as you don't have to worry about air bubbles and can pretty much do anything you like with it.

Yesterday my sister, who is pregnant, hence the photo, came over with her lovely children for a beautiful lunch in the sun and we got to hang out and catch up, which I loved.

I managed to throw the vacuum around the house and cook a beautiful meal before our friends Tony and Nick came over for dinner, I love cooking! We had a great night chatted, ate, drank and even played Cluedo, Tony was our champ for the night.

I got a lovely surprise when Shaughan came home he bought a laptop and I just love it! I have been wanting to try out Vista since it came out so this morning I have been having a play and I really like it. I'm not sure if Shaughan agrees with me and I think XP will be replacing it? The speech recognition is a pretty flash tool and I can't wait to check everything else out. Outlook looks pretty cool and having a wide screen rocks! I can't wait to get fruity loops on here and hook it up to the TV and start writing music again. What out Andrew Lloyd Webber.

About 3am this morning the guys who have rented the old Pit space started singing and getting really noisy so we didn't get much sleep last night. But we got up and had a cuppa tea and watched the wild weather that had set in. The weather has been crazy it's like living in Auckland with the sun, rain, wind and hail all in one day. The other day when there was lightening I found out that it had smashed all the windows in a house on Durie Hill, the power of nature.

The elections are over and Michael is our Mayor for another 3 years which is great news! It is exciting to see what will happen in that time. I have to say that the town seems more alive now even though there are more shops empty in the main road. I do hope they try and come up with a solution for Wanganui businesses as it worries me. There are way to many big businesses that are killing the small Wanganui business trade. http://www.wanganui.org/

I have been painting to get a bunch of paintings for a Christmas exhibition at the community art centre to help raise some funds for the centre. They are yummy quotes with some of my favourite symbols and yummy colours, maybe if I have time I will do something with encaustic wax? I have over 30 paintings already started and my mission is to have them all finished.

I think Christmas day may be our turn to have it up here? Lets hope this ones a cracker! I can't believe this year has gone so quickly.

Today is our anniversary of being together for 3 years and it feels like we have always been together! I love being with Shaughan it just feels right. The best thing about it is our love grows stronger everyday instead of starting out full on and fading away it is the other way around. It's also Nelson's Birthday today. A big happy birthday to you! (Shaughan's Dad)

He had been a blessing to me all of his family are lovely and I feel so lucky to have been accepted into the family with loving arms. My cousin Sianshine said it was cool to see that my waiting for the right one happen.

I have my cake and am eating it too.

I'm still clearing out the gallery and slowly getting everything up here and it's looking really cool. I'm not sure were to put the framing equipment and how I'm going to get it all up here? And if I should set my darkroom up in the spare room? I just can't decide. I am getting a dude coming to look at selling all the rest of the gear for me. I can't believe over the years how much stuff I packed into the gallery it has taken weeks of sorting out and I'm finally making a dent. It won't be long until I can find someone to lease it out and bring some new energy into the building. I hope it is still something to do with being creative as it's a perfect spot! My direction has just gone a different way. It was great having the experience and I got to met so many great people which I don't think I would have if I didn't open the gallery. I do enjoy waking up and deciding what I'm going to do today and travelling around the country. It's funny to think only 3 years ago I was painting on my friends tables praying that I had a massive studio.

My message for the day was: Tell us about your cares, upsets and fears. Don't worry there are no repercussions for honesty, especially since we are already aware of everything you are going through.