More sogginess for WOYWW

I had every intention of posting last week

but those rotten gremlins had other ideas.

I had a plumber in to replace the old taps

in the upstairs bathrooms

(you can guess where this is going already can't you)

and the gremlins thought it would be funny 

to make one of the taps leak.

Not just a little leak mind you but a leak of epic proportions!

When the plumber turned on the water it flowed full bore

under the vanity, down through the hole where the pipes go &

down into the floor cavity (as well as into the hallway upstairs

and yes it is carpet).

 Then right out of the closest hole downstairs, which just 

happens to be the chandelier in our dining room.

We had a magnificent waterfall pouring down,

 straight onto my daughter's business computer!!!

You could hear her scream for miles.

We grabbed a bucket and tipped the keyboard 

upside down to drain and would you believe it has

 all dried out and is working perfectly

as is the light, after an electrician played with it.

So thankfully, disaster averted, apart from 

the hours of mopping up.

To my desk....

 I had my secretary/foot model with me today.

He has sore feet (it's a long story) so I've got him with me

to keep an eye on him as well as use his tootsies

 for the painting.  He's also in my bad books cos I went out

 the other day and came home to a pile of black stuff 

all over the carpet.  Turns out he found my

thongs (flip flops to some) under the coffee table and

 chewed them up!

He thinks he's a dog!

I'm painting in the little room at the moment, so that I can 

have a big photo on the computer and keep it nice and clear

for painting the eye and feet.

I've started adding the eyes to my girls' portrait.

 

This is probably the last photo I'll post cos I don't 

like putting kids onto the web, but you can get the gist of it.

However, this is definitely the one

 and only portrait I'll ever do.

It's really doing my head in....the pressure to get it right

and the whinging from the peanut gallery that is

my girls'. 

I'm nearing the end of good photos of lorikeets now,

so if anyone has some fabulous ones and they

 don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear from you. 

I still love doing these bright crazy birds, 

just need good photos of them on Aussie native flowers

 and you all know how bad my photographic skills are!

That's me for this week, it's school pickup time (oh joy), 

 why not go to

 Julia's Stamping Ground

and see all the other desks from around the world.

Gremlins and scary painting for WOYWW

I thought I had missed a couple of weeks

with my blog and wow it's been over 

a month since I last annoyed you all.

Can't have that now can we.

(Warning, lots of catching up to do so WOYWWer's

are welcome to look at desk and run..while you can)

Actually it's me who's been annoyed.

Annoyed by the mess gremlins.

These are the tidier shots, you should see what's on

the floor in the corner.

Now I know what you're thinking...  she's just made the mess

all by herself.  Well I protest.... okay, so maybe some

of it is me but most is those pesky

messy gremlins.

Just look at the ground sheet all wavied up and

trippy overy squishy crumpled.  

There's no way I could have done all that.

I just walk carefully (cough, cough) around from table

to table.  Those gremlins come in at night when I'm not 

around and play twister - I'm sure of it.

And they go into my other room 

and throw paper around onto the floor. 

Those pesky beasts even got into my washing machine

the other day and it wouldn't stop filling.

Of course that happened while I was taking Little Miss

to school, so the floors and anything within a fifty mile radius

had a really thorough clean.

Not content to mess up my washing machine they then

attacked my kettle, which has started leaking water

all over the base plate.

I tell you, they are trying to get me.

I'll either drown while doing the washing,

get electrocuted while making a cuppa or

trip over and clunk my head while walking in my art room.

If anyone knows how to make those devils leave

I'd like to hear from you.

I've finished a few paintings since I last posted,

there was the commission piece 

(which is the reason for my absence from the blogosphere)

The dull green is actually a lovely turquoise in real life, just can't get the camera to see it.

 Then I finished my bird painting

and I'm a bit further with my other bird painting

Lots of squidly didlyness there but still a long way to go.

You can see my hanging bird in the second picture up the top.

He's looking really scary cos his face is in it's underwear.

I've just started mapping it out and he's rather naked

and scary looking.

Speaking of scary, I'm currently doing the 

most scary thing ever.

A portrait of my girls ( cue Phycho shower scene violin music).

Now don't panic, I'm not going to plaster them all over the

 screen and turn you off in droves, you know the Oh no,

 not another mother putting up the kids photos, sort of thing.

I'm a bit funny about them being up for the world to

 look at so I don't put any photos of them up or paintings.

Not that I'm blowing my own horn and saying that

 it is a great likeness or anything...mainly cos it isn't

 and boy is it hard  to draw them.

I've waffled on a bit already so I'll tell you all about

the pain that is my portrait painting next week.

Of course that's assuming I haven't lost my temper

and put my foot through it.

Now you've heard my long winded tale,

why not hop over to

Julia's Stamping Ground

and see what the others have been up to 

on their desks.

I need a cuppa....just hope I don't get a free perm doing it!