Visitors Galore and Silversmithing No More

We have had a busy but great time with My Mum and Aunty Marg here for 2 weeks followed by my sister. Colleen and her hubby Jim for another 2 weeks. We did all the tourists spots with both so had 2 trips tp glorious Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine Gorge etc etc. Here is Col and Jim in front of a rather large Cathedral Termite mound.Jim is around 6ft tall so you get an idea of the mounds real height!!!

Col and Jim at Ubirr in Kakadu with the flood plains behind them

We stayed and watched the sun set. It was quite over-caste but we watched...and waited...

 aaahhhh another glorious sunset over the Northern Territory of Oz

 While Col and Jim did the Katherine Gorge cruise Grant and I went on a walk above the escarpment and found this curious rock monster by the path. I think someone had too much time on their hands LOL.

Along with visitors leaving I did my last Silversmithing class this week gone. I had made two diffrent sterling silver wire twists. I made one into a bracelet as I actualy didn't own any bracelets.

and the other piece was smaller so once I had rolled it I made a set of hoop ear-rings out of it.

I'm already missing my visitors as we do not see people we know for years at times. Col and Jim had never been to the NT and loved it so hope they come back and see us again soon. Well the house has just been cleaned, 6 loads of washing done and all the guest linen etc put away. HHHmmm maybe tomorrow I can get into that art room and sort thru some of the half finished projects on my desk!!
hugs
Annette In Oz

Friendship Necklace

Last night I made a friendship necklace from one of the caste textured resin pieces I had previously done. I used the clear small one at top left.

I would have completed it last pm had I not made a big boo boo...one I'll share now in case others make the same error. I used Dimensional Magic to bond the Collections image to the resin in the oval....all went well and after it dried I put more Dimensional Magic at the back of the image. I then attached an etched brass piece to the back of the image. I put that aside to dry only to find my image had gone from sepia tones to bluish and yellow blobs...OMG.....
I unassembled the necklace to find the Dimensional Magic had reacted with the brass causing it to oxidize...groan. I had to scrub the image off the back of the resin, reattach another Collections image using more resin this time and leave it overnight to harden. Finally this morning I could reattach the etched brass back to finish this one. I love the textured resin front.

Hope whoever gets this likes it.
My Mum and Aunty had been here for 2 weeks and have gone home now...I miss them both already and loved their visit. We went to Kakadu, Litchfield and so on...I never get sick of going to the sites around here. Sunsets in NT are so gorgeous at this time of the year. Here is two from a harbour cruise 10 mins apart and another two from Mindil beach looking out to the harbour 10 mins apart. Enjoy.

hugs
Annette In Oz

Wet Season Photos

Its official we have and are having the wettest Wet Season on record. So far over 2000mls of rain  have fallen. Up here in the Nrth of Oz we have only 2 seasons....the Wet and the Dry. The Wet is our rainy season and with it there is a flourish of plants and animals everywhere. Here are some photos we have taken over the current Wet.

A rare sighting of a black wallaroo at Kakadu before the flooding cut the highway and became impassable to cars.

Berry Creek. Grant couldn't get to work for 2 days. The Wildlife Park he works at is on the other side of the creek.

Giraween Rd. My road to work. Fortunately ....hhhmm or not LOL I could get to work by driving the long way round on another road.

Croc trap in the creek on Giraween Rd. Locals usually swim in here in the Wet...not this year I hope, though we see stupid fishermen thigh deep in water next to the trap everyday!!!

Florence Falls

Tolmer Falls

Wangi Falls

Green ants piled up on a leaf trying to escape the water in my driveway.

Leichaardts grasshopper at Kakadu. We only see these for a few weeks of the year.

Litoria Microbelis frog in full song. Man the frogs have been loud this year.

and lastly a tawny frog mouth on the fence that joins our block to next doors.

Shame I couldn't suck up some of that water and send it where it could do some good. Will be a bumper fishing season to come. Our bedroom is painted and tomorrow we will go back there and then I'll have to spare room at last wahoo.
hugs
Annette In Oz

For The Bird Lovers and Prays For Queensland

I've made another bubble necklace with a bird theme this time. I'm getting braver with drilling and my dangle is one of Jen Crossley gorgeous caste pewter branches that I have patina coloured and drilled a tiny hole thru each end.

This is the other side. It's very hard to take photos off due to the round bubble glass reflecting so sorry these are not the best images.

The Wet season here has been very wet indeed. About ten days ago we took Ryan to Kakadu. The Arnhem Highway to there was open then with just a small amount of water over the road in a few spots. Last week when Grant went out there to release some goannas from The Territory Wildlife Park he works at, the Arnhem Highway was flooded for long stretches. Grant took this photo from the 4wheel drive he was travelling in. So much water everywhere!!!.

I suspect more water is on the way as a gigantic and scary category 5 (the severest ratting), Cyclone Yasi heads to North Queensland. It's expected to cross onto the land at 10pm tonight and be as sever or worse then Cyclone Tracy that wiped Darwin off the map in 1974. This one is HUGE with a 35km wide eye and is approx 500km + wide. I'm scared for the folks over there indeed. It's awful that Queensland people have had so much to cope with this year already with the devastating floods already. Info can be seen here where there will be hourly updates.

I'll be a bit quieter over the next month or so as my second daughter Melissa will leave for Uni in Adelaide (South Australia) on the 12th February and while I struggle with feeling I shall miss her terribly, I'm also happy to finally have a room of my own to create in. We will paint the whole house and I'll be moving my crafts stuff from the kitchen to her room. I wont have access to my materials for a bit....It's been a 20 yr wait so a month more is no biggy LOL.

Please all my friends in north QLD take care!!! I'm not religious but we are all thinking of you at this time.

hugs

Annette In Oz

Jury Duty...the end at last!!!

Jury Duty truly is a necessary evil but my 7 weeks of it have at last come to end.I spent yesterday cleaning the house,today I have worked on the last modules I have been trying to fit in for a self directed learning thing pre lectures in 2 weeks time.Now I am back to my usual life cycle and art is calling me loud and clear.It's been hard to fit time in for Grant and the kids let alone art these last 2 months but tomorrow I shall play!!!.A few weeks ago we did a trip out to Fogg Dam...it's only 20 mins from here and was a failed rice growing exercise that has a dam wall over the flood plains.Now it is a gorgeous animal and bird retreat.There are a few walks thru the forest areas pre dam wall and we hadn't done them since the kids were small.I had forgot how lush and pretty it was on the walk.
You used to be able to walk across the dam wall but now you can only drive over as there is a trap shy saltie in there.We drove over and then spied this little Tata lizard overseeing the birds below LOL.

Here we are on the walking track thru the forest.It was so cool, green and lush...oh yeh and full of Woman eating mozzies!!!...they couldn't get thru Grant's hairy legs.

These are some bush food berries.

Spoonbills and a lovely Jabiru...one of our largest water birds.

A closer look at the Jabiru and the wonderful colours on his head.

Some more Spoonbill's

I was intrigued by what looks like a flower encased in this leaf on the walking track.

There were fungi all over the place and this one could have acted as a fairy bath.

A few evening later we went for a walk to the lagoon behind us and on the way back spied a young, golden banded tree snake


Here's looking at you...

He was quick to climb the nearest tree and get away.

The Dry season has rolled in at last and the days are long and warm,humidity has dropped and the nights are cooler.Perfect days for creating I say!!

hugs

Annette In Oz

The Frog and The Snake...snake wins

Grant was down at the lagoon behind us while I was at work the other night and took these shots of a hungry slatey grey snake stalking and then catching and eating a Dahl's frog.Here is Mr Slatey Grey.

slithering thru the water looking for a frog

stalking a frog upper left on the creek wall

frog he did catch

only the legs left hanging out

Grant takes some amazing photos of the animals and plants up here....must have a snoop in his album and see what else he has in there.

hugs

Annette In Oz