Wednesday May 6, 2009 (diary)

Well, there you have it. We started our pastel painting class last night. There were about 10 of us, including three guys. Four beginners, the rest ongoing from previous terms. Jasmine R., our teacher, has a preference for drawing animals which she does very well in incredible detail.
This lesson she shows us the various pastel techniques and in due course will give us some projects, but otherwise we can do very much our own thing, which is good as I am not that keen on animals, much prefer landscapes, trees, the odd flower.

One's style is of course very much defined by one's personality. That is certainly the case with me. As a typical introvert I never really "see" things, I as it were "feel" them, "sense" them. Combine this with my very impatient, restless nature and you have the ideal emotional condition of an impressionist, if only I could draw !!
On paper my hand feels like a man on skates who never has stood on ice before. I love making bold decisive strokes on paper, the aggressive feel and action of it, but I have little control, if any, where they may lead to. So it really is "pot luck", ten misses, then perhaps one lucky shot. Well, so be it.

The atmosphere in the class is relaxed and very good. One of the ladies has brought her own bottle of bubbly which she drinks throughout the evening. This way her painting looks much better by the end of the night she insists. If everything else fails I perhaps may too go that way, we will see.
Everybody is very supportive of one another, checks out everyone elses work and makes positive comments. The teacher too walks around giving a nudge here, a push there. Apart from the actual painting itself, which I find a bit daunting, I think I might rather enjoy this class.

Thursday May 7, 2009 (diary)

In the middle of the night Rick and Rene arrive from the UK and I meet them when I wake up in the morning. They will be living in their caravan next door to my cabin. They felt sorry to leave their relatives behind, but are happy to be back in Darwin. I hear them happily humming and whistling as they get themselves organised.

It is overcast these last few days, with the occasional glimpse of the sun, but nice weather all the same. I am working hard at reformatting my bridge course, it is progressing well. For lunch I drive to the Stokes Hill Wharf for my fix of grilled prawns, then onto Nightcliff for a few laps in the pool. Mary is not there of course, she is a real sun worshipper. In the evening it is bridge with Mairead Kelly at Palmerston. We are starting to play quite well together now and both are enjoying it.

Friday - Sunday May 8 - 10, 2009 (diary)

Days go by quickly in my usual routine. It is still somewhat overcast, with short periods of sunshine but it remains dry. Friday lunch seafood laksa in Palmerston in the evening bridge with Freda at the Darwin Bridge Club. I have three glasses of red wine from a cask and have a headache the next morning and feeling not too flash. So no more cask wine for me.

Saturday sushi lunch in Casuarina, than a swim in the Nightcliff pool. It is very quiet and I have a lane to myself for doing my laps.

Sunday morning on Insiders much speculation about the forthcoming Federal Budget, to be announced this Tuesday. I am reflecting on Mothers Day (my thoughts covering more than the rather obvious) and feel I can do this best overlooking the water, so off for lunch (grilled prawns as usual) to Stokes Hill Wharf. I bump into some old friends there, Ian and Di Donaldson. They both used to be very active volunteers at the Darwin Sailing Club, but after many years of their service retired from that. I followed them a few years later.

I watch Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Barcelona. Barcelona's away from home goal earns them a spot in the final against Manchester United later this month.