More atc's for AtcOz 'Little Blue' cub was made for Carol's Chalks swap,'Baby Unicorn Bubbles' & 'Unicorn Ribbons' for Julie's Unicorns swap.
http://unicornsjulie-juliesgarden.blogspot.com/

'Squirrel Red One' is just coz i love squirrels..I think he's saying 'Whoops- lost me nut!'

Rixta's White swap

I recently joined a yahoo group, AtcOz.
I made these for Rixta's white swap, 2 lambs.
This was a challenging one for me- it's very dusty
out here in outback Oz, & I couldn't find any white
embellishments. At one stage I even took scissors
to the old dragon's (whoops I mean my darling grandma's)
lace curtains. I'm still in trouble for that- & I didn't end up
using the lace anyways!
Rixta does some great art, including
memory boxes for those who have lost a babe.
http://members.westnet.com.au/rixta.francis/

I just wanted to share a poem that means a lot to me. Its so good I wish I'd wrote it myself.
(I found this at Storybin. Click the link below to visit.)

The Bridge Builder
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you a bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
-->
Added: February 26, 2000
Author: Will Allen Dromgoole
StoryBin.com has 302 stories, poems, metaphors, lists, parables, writings.
We have 68 Perspective Builders entries in the database.

CABIN FEVER

This is a photo of my dad & me. It was taken in 1976 and I'm about 3 yrs old.

Dad, thanks for coming to see me last month. I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you off the plane or go out to dinner or anywhere but it was good having you around.

The highlight of his visit? He took me for a walk. Around the block. Yeah, doesn't sound like much right? But it was for me. So. Combed my hair, pulled on my sneakers, and off I tottered thru the front gate.

I was in the outside world for the first time in over a year. It felt good. Taking in the scenery and fresh country air, past 3 houses, round the corner, past 2 more houses... I had to rest. I sat on the curb, trying to catch my breath. I was so excited, talking wildly about whatever popped into my head. My dad was looking at me like he thought I was mad. I didn't care. I was happy. When I able to, we strolled on. My eyes were scanning the ground for any li'l treasures (like old coins, rocks, jewellery etc. I've always been a bit of a bower-bird)... I loved looking at everything we passed - an old tumbledown wooden shed, the house so hidden behind trees and vines I almost forgot it was there, the shop with the peeling paint and lopsided verandah, the uneven concrete, a toddler waving from his mum's porch, me waving back... all the little everyday things that I missed so much. Past another 5 houses, then stopping for another breather. Secretly I was wondering if I really could walk the whole way... while hoping wildly that I would. A few more steps, have to sit down again. My legs were shaking like jelly. And as I sat on the curb gasping and sputtering, something ocurred to me. It didn't matter if I couldn't make it- what mattered was the trying. I burst out laughing. I was out of the house, God was with me, and I was ok. And it was in the trying I gained back something that I didn't even know I was longing for- my self respect. And I didn't find any treasures on that walk. Or did I?

PS I did walk right round the block. Next time I might not make it, but I know I'll have the integrity to try. And it might even be fun.

I'm trying pastels...I really like looking at paintings done in pastel, so thought I'd buy some & try. I bought oil pastels-a children's box of 12.
(Is this what is meant by painting in pastel?)
Not good. I'm so used to fine detail, & the pics'd start off ok then go to shambles. If all else fails- read the instructions, right?
SoI googled & found this free little tutorial at www.teachartathome.com
of falling pastel leaves. And I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.
I mean, it's not much compared to their painting, but I like it. It's ACEO size, just 2.5" by 3.5". I dig miniatures.
I've ordered me a pastel book but i think it's lost in the mail.

Note- I CAN'T SEE VIDEOS or HEAR SOUND (so any art tutorials on YouTube etc are off limits to me) because I'm on the net via a tiny handheld mobile phone (I never use it for talking!) which is great coz I can do my emails, surf the blogosphere,& even pixel paint ALL WHILE RECLINING in my chair (I get dizzy & my back is crooked so I can't sit up at the computer very long)

Friends are God's way of apologising for relatives...

Ok, so I have a tendency to get a bit carried away... but it was a trying week.
So. No more wildflowers. No more shady trees. Garden has been pruned, poisoned, chopped down. Now it fits in with the idea of a garden as a commodity, groomed & clipped & ready for the highest bidder. Never mind the love & time we'd spent with our plants. Never mind we're still alive. Never mind it's our home. So I'm feeling pretty sad & angry. Where will the birds and animals play? Is it wrong to like trees bigger than ourselves? Is it wrong to like a shady, overgrown but well-tended & well-loved garden?

Grrrr.... I hope your chooks turn into emus & kick your dunny down!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I must try to smile, for it is a new day, and somewhere...
...there's a new wildflower drinking in the dew and reaching its arms to the dawning sun. I want to be like that new little bud & drink in the day. I think God is like that dawning morning sun, we only need to outstretch our arms and He will embrace us. His warmth and love will rain down to wash away our tears.

Wildflower ramblings...

This is my neighbours kitty checking out a little patch of wildflowers in my front yard.
Who wants a neat lawn? Not me! I'd rather cultivate a wild beauty instead.

I was watching 'East Of Everything' & I've been thinking about (the character)Lizzy. I reckon Lizzy's like one of those stickler plants or a bindi, the way she clings onto whoevers nearest. People tend to find her annoying, but if she's lucky they'll realize that even bindis have flowers in the summertime.
And these wildflowers are sweet. They change the very air with their fresh fragrance & unique beauty. They're carpeting the fields with colour, they're popping up between the trees, they're struggling out of cracks in the concrete, & redecorating abandoned city lots. These cheeky flowers provide unexpected hope & joy to those lonely, poor lost souls as they pass by, walking their road of troubles. I know they do for me. And these sweet wildflowers are waving in the breeze, dancing, delighting in being alive, if only for one more day.
Who are they? They are God's wildflowers. But they might be me and you. We are His children. And we are as precious to him as the wildflowers we call weeds.