Is anyone out there ...?

This isn't working the way I imagined it would. For a start I have the devil's own job to access my own account!!! Some days I just can't get on! Keep getting told I am not entitled to access it and yet I wrote it! As well, I am wondering if anyone but me reads it ... maybe the two issues are related? So, I am going to try opening it up to the net and see what happens. If suddenly I get awful things happening to my computer or overloaded with junk mail, then I will change it. It may make it easier for other folks to read it. I mean, if I am having trouble ...?

So, what has happened this week? The picture of the beach published here in my first week won the people's choice award at the exhibition. A real surprise, especially to me. Compared to other paintings in the show, mine was so low key, it barely made a statement at all (I thought). It just shows you though. I wanted to capture the lonely, beachy feel. Tim and I were the only people there that day and the feeling of the sea and sky and sand all blending one into the other was what I was aiming for. I thought I had achieved it, but I didn't think it made for a memorable painting at all. Hey, local scenes sell I guess. I sold the other 3 seascapes, but not this one. Suffice it to say, I was thrilled.


Drew, Barbie and Ben are in NZ at the moment with my family in Marlborough. They come to me next Tuesday. I am very excited. It will be wonderful to have them here.

This is an old picture this week because I haven't had a spare moment to paint. I have decided to put it into The Source just for a change along with my old one of op-shopping in Coro (see below).

I have spent a lot of time in the garden though and the dwarf beans I planted are already 8 inches high!! The purple climbers didn't show again so I guess maybe I got a dud packet. I planted lots of sprouting broccoli and have to remember now to keep dusting them to try and limit the white butterfly damage. That's the only problem with planting them now. At least we have rain - lots and lots of it. Gorgeous though the humidity is nearly killing us all and has started the mildew on the zucchini. I should spray them with milk, but they are nearly finished anyway, so I may just pull them out next week.

This picture is of clematis that I had climbing over a dead ponga trunk last year. Kate gave me a number of seeds and they all took, but this was the best. This year they came up again and 2 flowered earlier in the


spring, but then the hot weather hit them. This one has decided to get cranking again. Hopefully I will have another good show for while mum and dad come are here. They are due in a few weeks.

At the garden circle on wednesday I was lucky enough to buy a number of oxalis bulbs from the sales table (a good handful for .20c each!!!) I am going to put them all in pots and look forward to seeing them flower. One of them is the candycane which Mary-Pat had at the Waitati Gardens when I worked there. It is gorgeous.

Well, not a lot happening this week so i will go to bed. before I do I will try and open up access and reinvite you all.

Hope you are all having a good week. Love Annette