an email from Hugh.

A depressing start to Summer. Apols 4 abrevs. Its that or nothing! (PJ = Project/ion/or)

The St Andrews Man in Moon Show went downdowndown. It threatened to rain all arvo as we set up but we had to go for it as I’d recvd the $ and spent it all/ready! Around 6 it started to rain and never stopped till very late! We had stuff outside under raincovers
but cooden of course run it. Rain covers weren’t enuf! Steve & Richard flew the balloon 3 times. 1st time unlucky. 2nd time tethers broke due to extra weight of rain. 3rd time success but rain spoiled & it looked like gi Teardrop rather than Moon! And Proj onto it imposs due to rain!
My Fr Rob Hall got my 2nd Blue Laser happnin but in end we only took one feelin we wouldn’t get to use any! (right) Steve had serviced my 3 HD Turntables and polished my 5 Mirror Balls. The power supp for my hi powa Scan PJ was under cover I thought but it was only under the verandah! Filling with water! But its prob only $200ish.
Another NEW Pj was in the Van but also got wet! And lotsa stuff got wettish.
Steve lost all his Keys TWICE!
Steve (unfamil with the area) came down from Tilba Tilba to help me with the show and return to TT with a load of my old Slide PJs. He followed me to St A’s in his car coz I coodn q fit it all in my red van. On our return he zoomed ahead (inst of follo) got lost, got a Melways but left road and hit a Tree 2 Ks short of my place! Broke his Leg, totalled the Car (and my 5 Mirra Balls and my DVD Recorder with all my one-off
effects, a sep DVD player, the blue Laser Powa/Supply, a discharge Spot, and the just christened Moon Balloon Bag!) anyway the Police attended the Scene (I didn’t hear till 4 hrs later)
but could not even tell me where the car was! I had to do a Towing Co ringaround!

The Tow ers aren’t overly friendly and will not even allow me to retrieve anything!
since the Car’s uninsured! Havnt seen it yet. Waited an hour in Heid today but they never showed up! (thought just mebe the HDD data could be saved from the DVD Rec tho I doubt it. But I’m told mebe! But I want the Moon Bag & Laser P/S etc & even Mirror Ball debris!

Pain beckons……..

Tues. revisit Accident scene and ppl there have found Laser P/S and a Turntable! Something! Looks as if we WILL be able to retrieve stuff from the Car for what it’s worth! Very little I fear. Mebe the Moon Bag?

On Sat.15th Nov. I was having Tea and a Tooth broke! What was left was razor-sharp and threatened to cut my tongue on every swallow & chew! So no food till Mon when I went looking for a Dent. Coodn find one who’d see me so ended up having to go to Dental Hosp! Worst needle of my life from Coloured Dentist (not that that bothered me tho he was a bit agro) and kept saying ‘Open wider!’ and worst dentistry except for Dental Hosp of 1957 when I was having Panic attacks with mouth full of drills and hands! Anyway, recover slowly over few days tho tongue remains half dead! By Wed 26 e/thing suddenly gets v painful including swallowing, chewing and being in general! Neuralgia in jaw, cheekbone, and headache in top of head, deep. Movement of tongue in mouth, swallowing and opening to admit Tablet all become unbearable! After few days I feel permanently Nauseous. And very scared!
Every so often I bite my cheek which seems to have grown enormously on the inside,
and the Knee-jerk (Cheek-jerk?) reaction is to open the mouth fast, which of course is the most painful thing I can do, producing extreme pain spasms right down one side of my head, not to mention the inner cheek!
My Teeth are coated with thick plaque I cannot address! I begin taking 2 Codrals but try to keep it minimal fearing it might take some time. Google Jaw pain & find some very scary stuff on post Dental maladies! Doc puts me on Anti-biotics. Says ‘5 days!’
Sounds like Eternity! Have to do me BIG Show on 28th! Anyway to cut a long story short, DO the Show with much help, and on the 5th Day I felt I could bear to avoid Pain killers, and on 6th Day there was suddenly a noticeable improvement! I could almost get a Grape in my mouth and could chew!
JOY JOY JOY!!! Yet STILL, my jaw feels as if the Anaesthetic hasn’t quite worn off!
But 95% of the Pain has gone! (Thought it was over but not yet!)


The other thing that saddens me is that Debs Mum, who is a very lively, fit & healthy 90yo, ended her Life 2 days ago! She is still in a Coma, (Tues pm) prob coz the cocktail wasn’t designed for one with such a strong constitution! She’s been talking bout it for a long time (depressed due to all her friends being gone) but I was hoping (and thinking) she wouldn’t do it! I thought we were Dining together tonight! My oldest & newest friend! (She passes away Wednesday.) hadn’t spoken to her for a week and was looking forward to the Chinese meal she & Deb owed me. (now that I can almost EAT again).
Life aint fair!
Thurs. Deb is seeking a baby Elephant and Cart to carry Sylvias painted Coffin!
Get equipment remains from Car. One Mirror Ball hardly damaged! Well still usable!
See Pic of Steve (broken Leg) & Car! Chiz hu

Just to say some people have ALL the luck.

weather balloons R us

I know I am a bit slow but I finally have some photos of the Hugh Mcspeddon weather balloon cover.......
First the balloon, made from latex was put inside the cotton stretch cover and slowly inflated with a vacuum on reverse. It slowly started to rise and the apparition grew and grew in the barn at Montsalvat.

I had to keep checking that the fabric was not caught on the floor and we kept watching as it grew.

Matcham just sat there so mind blown by the event he kept saying "whats it for "and "oh my WE could make a building scaffold out of this"

I was so happy to see it grow .We did have to stop blowing before it got to full size as we thought it would hit the rough timber of the posts in the barn.I tended up about twelve feet diam.With the perfect shape of the sphere in the cotton interlock fabric.

christmas is here

The shopping is done and the tree has a few presents under. The turkey is in the freezer and the roast pork is ready to go.The best thing I have found to do is wait till you have an idea for a gift and then head to the right spot
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES GO TO JUST BROUSE.
Yuck just ttooooooomany sad christmas shoppers out there.Brunswick street has been good and I found a really lovely girl in her shop called "claude the bird". Plenty of hand made gifts for the most deserving amongst my family and friends.

A few more pictures

These cushions are from my screenprinted chicken fabric. this pincushion has black and white Japanese print
with red goldfish on cotton and pink ribbon and a pearl button.

This one has black and pink silk a small piece of orange and pink trim

and a pink silk covered button

Japanese crane fabric and the same red goldfish.

with piping and black and pink silk.

wow for the cushions

Here are some cushions that I am putting in the exhibition at Montsalvat.
Amy and I are part of an exhibition of the residents and tenants of Montsalvat.
I have been sewing and sewing for weeks in all my spare time.
I have made some small pincushions as well.

These ones are courtesy of inspiration from the lovely sister Joey

Lots of pearl buttons from the Camberwell market.

Thai silk in squares to sew the buttons in.

SO here we are Amy and I are in an exhibition at Montsalvat.I dont know if you can read it but it is a joint exhibition of residents and tenants of Montsalvat. There is an arts officer who has been great and she has got this off the ground.I have made four cushions so far .No photos yet!!! and I am making a couple of pin cushions as well. We will wait to try with the placement and display as we get closer to the day. "Bump in" is Tues 9th. and the opening is Thurs.So excited you never know there could be a sale or two. Does anyone have an idea about price,Because I am not sure.I have some beautiful silk and pearl buttons and shot silk and lovely feathers for stuffing....

there was an old house

These photos are really in the wrong place ....... the story starts about five or six pictures down!!!!!
All of the photos are a bit haywire:
this one is inside the house as the lining has been taken off and the weather boards as well. A new window will be in this end wall as well.There is pressed tin on the ceiling and that will take a bit of hunting to find more to replace some that is damaged.
This is the view to the east of the house looking out across the paddocks to the old railway line and beyond that the hills of Healesville.
This is the only image of the mural I can find not the best, but maybe you can get an idea

This is the house before any work was done.

The house has been re stumped and the rabbit holes and wombat holes have been filled in under the floor.The plan is to also extend the verandah out further by about three feet.What a lovely place to sit on a warm summer evening.

There was once an old house way out in Yarraglen, It once belonged to the Boyd family(in about 1910). It now belongs to a rich lady who wants to use it as a holiday house.

The house was lived in for a while by Arthur Boyd's grandparents.

Adam is helping to do renovations to the building,probably till Christmas.

On one wall there is a mural which we have found out was painted by Minnie Boyd,Arthur's grandmother. The story goes that she was a bit of a crazy religious lady and kept painting sunsets and seasonal pictures on all the walls ,with bible quotes and as this was not too well accepted by the husband he would paint over them.

There is one wall ,high above the picture rail that has one remaining mural. It is very hard to photograph. I have tried and I am still waiting for a good photo to emerge

I have been out to the house and I had fun exploring in the out buildings.The property also backs onto the high reaches of the Yarra river . The property was bought for one million dollars there is eighty acres of land and maybe you never know the new owner might need a tenant or a manager !!!!!

This amazing tree sits just outside the front door. It has been valued at $30,000.00 as it is an amazing example of a weeping elm (and we all know about their life prospects).It has an amazing shape, almost Japanese.A bit like a giant version of a bonsai.
There are the loveliest outbuildings to explore. I had fun thinking of the people that had lived and worked there.

Apparently the people sold because there was just too much money and labour involved in maintaining the property....Good luck to the new owners.

The house was built in the early 1900's so not quite a period house but still well worth the visit.