N E W   T H I N G S

we have a new deck  - finished at last !  it is so great!  the house is transformed and so is our after work knock off light beer ... it is so hot here now and the house is like an oven so the veranda is our life saver for a bit of breeze and cool air ...

 this new deck is good

 but  E V E N  B E T T E R  is our new car!!!!!  

 

which deserves 5 exclamation marks !!!!!

we got a grant to get a new car and it finally arrived this morning  - for those lucky enough to experience our old troopy you will be impressed by the cleanliness of this and for those who missed out of that near death experience will be impressed to hear that this car has air-con, a radio, doors that O P E N, a handbrake that works! an inside light, petrol gauges that  light up when you actually out of petrol not just randomly, windows that ROLL DOWN without causing severe muscle strain, a glove box compartment lid, a F L O O R that isn't rotted away! high beams! i could go on ...  

lastly we got a brand new washing machine which doesn't really warrant a photo but NEW nevertheless and we have a lot of washing, its unbelievable

Last night we were privileged enough to attend a special free performance by the Bangarra Dance Theatre!  The dance company has been in Yirrkala all week doing workshops with the school and other dancey things - they are a group of very nice people who have been in the arts centre every spare moment buying my prints -- yay -- 

They transformed the basketball court into a stage and performed Mathinna - the story of an aboriginal girl in tasmania - very sad of course. The dancing was so good, so good. I loved it.

We took the boys down at sunset and let them run around and around with the millions of other kids hoping that the exercise would wear them out enough to keep them still for the show - it worked for sailor who was almost asleep at the end but iggy was not so eager to relax and after he was returned soaking wet from falling in a hole we took turns trying to keep him out of trouble ...

aside from that usual iggy-ness,  the show was fantastic -  moving -  and also a little scary at parts ( for sailor especially the portrayal of the shooting and hunting down of the aborigines. He was overheard saying to himself 'its only pretend, its only pretend" )

and for us living so remotely, we feel at times that we miss out on things that happen in bigger places but having said that - it is amazing what things we do get to see up here and who does come to visit ...

portrait of kade and his sister watjumi 

S E V E N   S I S T E R S

we have had a crazybusy week ... first we had Basil arrive on Monday morning to begin a printing project "The 7 Sisters "  The seven Yunupingu sisters Gulumbu, Nyapanyapa, Barrupu, Ranydjupi,  Dorothy, Dhopia and Djakngu all pulled together in our courtyard to create their own large artwork telling the story of the 7 Sisters -  a constellation in the sky which tells the Yolngu of the rains, fire and the harvest at this time of year ... so clever and aptly and seven times seven ...

5 out of 7

ruby examining the HUGE zinc plates - one for each sister at one metre by half a metre...To start they told the story of the seven sisters in the sky - which was filmed by Mulka -  and each sister set off and  painted their own star

Barrupu

Nyapanyapa

Ranydjupi 

Dhopia

 Djakngu

Dorothy

 Gulumbu

7 stars

the week was a juggling act - trying to etch the plates and keep the sisters happy - not only that but we had the Buku AGM on Tuesday too - which was a great thing - and then on Wednesday 40 people from ANKAAA arrived for a two day regional meeting - camping in tents behind the arts centre at night and using the auditorium for talks during the day - this added an extra dimension for the print project as we moved acid, tar, paint and huge plates of zinc in between our visitors and the courtyard and the caterers ...  there were a few disasters in there and definitely much distraction but we did get catered breakfast lunch and dinner as well as a constant supply of tea and coffee and biscuits so that helped as we muttered under our breath ...

 

  

gettin busy

 

  

 

 

details

 

 

  

clean - up

 bas in the acid

 first proof

 

 

 

some goodness and some goodness me! came out of the week's work - we have seven large plates from the seven sisters and one collaborative plate - some of which we had time to ink up and have a look at and some of which we have yet to play with - so many choices and decisions made along the way which was exhausting as well as an overwhelming sensation and frustration that the print room really has reached saturation point in terms of space and is no longer a functioning space  - but in anycase - friday arrived and basil went back to darwin and now it is sunday and i think i might be ready for work tomorrow .... 

we went camping over the weekend - at the best spot .. scout camp .. only a 45 minute drive away and beside some lovely swimming holes which passed the croc test  (send in the dog, then kade and if neither of them are eaten it is declared safe)  We erected a big yellow tarp over the table already there and got sun shade and surprisingly rain shelter when a big thunder storm blew in on sunday.  Jane and Rob came too on saturday afternoon and we ate cake for jane's birthday and roasted chicken and beetroot on the fire for dinner. . .

yellow tarp

testing the waters

and we're in...

holding hands

camp kitchen

dishes

cake

campsite

fire

sunday was more swimming and swinging from the rope int o the water as iggy tried to swim - unsuccessfully - swallowing water whilst smiling ... sailor looked for fish with his new snorkel and we stood under the tarp as a long loud thunder storm rolled in which actually brought rain and relieved the heat ... 

morning

lizard

hiding from us and the rain drops

collecting water

just swinging in the rain

then home for the mighty all blacks beating the wallabies ...!

ahh   t'was good...!