Bus Rolls

Last year I acquired a gorgeous and very long run of vintage bus roll.   More than 6 metres long in total, and lovely sharp white lettering against a black inked ground.  Unused I think, looked like New Old Stock quality.    Some of the wording had repeats and I like how these two are framed to show a bit of that, with a little variation at bottom and top.  I have been waiting until we had a place to display these before getting the first lot of it framed up.  Little Glory Picture Framing of Kapunda was recommended to me and has this week finished two lengths I took to them to frame.

Maggie poses in profile in front of the framed bus rolls (pic above), now in place on the wall that was waiting to display them.

These framed pieces are a bit more than 1 and a half metres long.  Instead of mounting on mat, they are framed with a lovely whitewashed timber frame, which is then set into a narrow almost-black timber frame.   As these are displayed indoors, no glass was used (to reduce glare and also to keep the framed pieces from being too heavy).  These treatments were excellent choices and Little Glory's work mounting and framing it all was outstanding.

Below you can see the bus rolls hanging up, just on an adjacent wall to the window wearing its new black and white buffalo check curtains (made up by yours truly).  Nice complements !  I am loving the look of the room with the crisp graphic text elements of the bus rolls on display.

I have saved some extra lengths of bus roll featuring different lines of text to have framed next year, for display in the (future) sunroom.

Blue Study

I sometimes sketch objects I see, for practice and also it is fun.  Occasionally one of the cats will sit still long enough to be sketched.  Winston was still for ten minutes, just  enough to sketch a lovely study of him in charcoal.  It is a fast sketch, so not super precise, maybe even a bit primitive ?  I worked to capture his soft shiny fur, the intelligent gaze he had while sitting for me, and his general character.  I have done several such studies of him (and some also of Pookie...none of Maggie, she does not seem to want to sit for a sketch).

I liked doing his whiskers  and fur in the charcoal and smearing it a bit gave it a softness that really looks like his coat.  I added some notes about how I might develop this composition.  In fact, I thought I might paint this up, but have not yet.  I thought of doing his fur in indigo.  He is a blue cat, after all.  And he revels in his blueness.  But in the end, charcoal seems to suit his impromptu portrait very well.  I liked this particular sketch and had it framed up, even with scribbles I had put on the page.   The title of this composition is "W".

A Big Watertank

It's finally just past mid winter and each day our days get 2 and a bit minutes longer, or something like that.  Occasionally we get a brilliant clear day when a walk takes me by vineyards recently pruned and everything is bright green after a lot of rain.  But other than those moments, it has often been chilly and we would like to hibernate indoors all the time.  But this year, it is not to be.  First, we decided to get things out of storage, to reduce some outgoings (fees for the ongoing storage).  Because we moved from a bigger house and also did not have time to get rid of everything before moving, there was a lot delivered.  The container was not quite full, but had enough in there that we quickly became a bit overrun.

A trip to a local vintage store that sells consigned items got a few things out of here, including a 1928 vintage kooka stove we haven't got room to keep.  We have learned has already sold, soon going to its new owner.  Then a few days later we had a pick up of a number of items we donated to charity, and it felt nice to see they were happy with the items we donated, feeling sure they would go to good use.   So some good decluttering flow moving....now we have a Garage Sale to do this Saturday and a number of weeks worth of eBay campaigns.   At that point, the decluttering will be more manageable, but we still do have to work out a few things.  Some longer term store items have gone into the rafter in-rooftop storage in Ian's shed.  But we needed more space.

We have been contemplating a garden shed for a while.  But had not actually started that or bought one.  It was clear we need a place to stow the mower, garden things, and some building supply items, plus the bikes.  But where to put it ?

Turns out one of our 4 humongous watertanks is empty.  So the idea is, put a garden shed in its place.  Of course, it is not the tank at either end, it is one of the middle ones.  Ian thinks it used to be down by the house.  So he removed it, and tied off the pipes from the others, as he will redo the pipeworks in a way he likes (and that is not running in front of the new shed).  The watertanks are Big, Really Really Big.  3 metres diameter big and Ian has calculated they each hold 13,000 litres of water.  Given the size, we got a 3 metre square shed kit to build in the empty space.

The unassembled shed kit

Shopping for a new Dining Table, in a Salvage Yard

So our project and adventure continues.  The concrete base for the shed is being poured/laid today.   We have been out looking at salvage timbers, which will be used for a new Dining Table Ian will make.  And we have been doing some gardening.  Planting some bare root roses and also some fruit trees.  A nectarine, two varieties of lemon, and a dwarf pink lady apple called Pinkabelle.  Along with the mulberry tree and hope the transplanted plum tree makes it, plus an orange in the front yard we hope for a miniature garden orchard.  Joining these are some table grapes, blackberry, and raspberry vines.  I am already cutting out recipes to make things with the fruit.  And dreaming of warmer days :)