A Wee Christmas Message

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Christmas, it is such a wonderful time of year to spend with your family and friends, a time to give gifts, drink and be merry.  It is also a time to force your children and other peoples children into wearing ridiculous Christmas horns and your poor animals don't really have a choice in the matter.  They say never work with children or animals but in this case they both work together  wonderfully!!

Merry Xmas from Zac (aka Piggy) he may no longer be with us but is always there in spirit

Merry Xmas from Abbey (aka fat Maria) she is always vocal and lets everyone know she is the Diva of the house!

Merry Xmas from Chelsea Chops who will kill me for putting this on here ha ha sorry Chelsea



Merry Xmas from Chloe who had no choice in the matter



And to prove that I also put myself through the same punishment - Merry Xmas from me!

This is my African Xmas tree - I just adore this!

Last nights sunset

The sky is giving us a real treat for Christmas, who needs Christmas lights with a sky like this, incredible.

This picture is last night's sunset, it almost doesn't look real.

New Artwork

Sorry for my blogging tardiness, I have been enjoying the Christmas spirt and rushing around madly like everyone else.

I have had time to do a couple of new pictures and they are below for your enjoyment.  They are all for sale, great Xmas gift.  Check out my website for a full viewing www.annsteer.com

Picture 1



Close up of pic 1 above



Close up of pic 1 above

Picture 2 - this one is larger 670mm x 500mm (unframed size)

Close up of pic 2

Close up of pic 2

Tuesday's Sunset

I had to share Tuesday's sunset it was just too lovely to keep to myself!

Angry Birds

For those of you that have an iphone I am sure you will know the game Angry Birds.  I know I have harped on before how much I love my iphone but my husband has now succumbed to the iphone 4.  It is bit like an addiction if you don't have one you poo poo it but once you have the iphone in your hands and you realise all the things it can do and before you know it you have a mini addiction.

I found out by accident that my husband's addiction is Angry Birds.  I was talking to him whilst he was using his phone and he looked at my as if I was greatly interrupting him, I apologised as I thought he was sending an email but after I asked "what are you doing" he said playing Angry Birds.  I almost turned into an angry bird myself, I puffed up my feathers and berated him for ignoring me.

Then my son discovered that husband was playing Angry Birds and that they were both on the same level.  My son was using my phone and they started a rivalry of who could pass the level first.  My husband has sat on his iphone everynight this week for at least 45 minutes trying to pass the same level.  My son of course has passed the next 20 levels since they started their competition and keeps offering to pass it for my husband but he refuses to give up.

After about the 46th minute he throws down his phone in disgust, mumbles some expletives and stumbles off to bed?????  I think he is turning into an Angry Bird. 

Note to husband give up on Angry Birds!!!!

The 14 Year Old Boy

The frustration of a 14 year old boy!  Not their frustration the parents frustration!  The grunts, the groans, the eye rolling, the shoulder shrugging, the "alright" with a sound t on the end, the disgusting hair, the same clothes, the disinterest in anything suggested by a parent.

I cannot wait until my son who by the way was such a cool and fussy dresser when he was younger stops wearing sports shorts, if I never see a sports short again I will be a happy woman.  They get washed, only when I drag them off his bedroom floor and he sneaks outside and pulls them off the line and puts them back on, unfortunately they have been designed to dry in a milli second.  I even caught him with the clothes dryer on with 2 socks inside, what the hell I said, you have millions of other socks but to which he replied "what the hell mum, they are my favourite socks" and got the big sigh when I turned the dryer off and hung them on the line!

I feel like the neighbourhood taxi, dropping off, picking up, dropping other kids off, going back to get my son's bag that he conveniently forgot.  Then you actually have a little turn in the car with his friends suggesting that they are starting to "take the piss and you are over running them here there and everywhere" they all look a bit mortified and start with the "sorry" and they make you feel like a bitch of a mother and guilty for losing the plot.  Then you get home, they eat your fridge bare, drink your drinks and stink up your bedrooms and you wonder why you felt guilty even for a moment.  You occassionally get a rare glimpse of the man they are about to become when they realise you have been pushed too far and they start following you around to the point when you stop and say "what is it that you want" and they say "nothing, just thanks mum, I do appreciate you and I love you" followed by a big hug and you just melt and realise that they are still the little boy you always loved.

Then they wake up the next morning, back to feral mode....and you proceed to leave them notes reminding them to "clean up their room, adjust the attitude and appreciate life" and you realise you are really fighting a loosing battle but I have been told time and time again that it does get better.  So all I can say is roll on 15!

I don't have pleasure of having a girl but I remember from my own dirty looks and eye rolling that I gave my parents, I assume that girls are just as bad?  At least girls wash their hair!!!

Sunsets

It never fails to amaze me the amount of truly spectactular sunsets we get in Western Australia.  We are truly blessed being able to see the sun set over the ocean each night.  Luckily we live coastal and get to see this each night, mostly we take it for granted but sometimes the sky puts on such a display the hues start to change the colour of your lounge room, making you get up off your chair and look to the sky for the incredible display.  Here is a peak at this week's sunset for those of you that missed it.

Artwork - Evening Sand Dunes

Another piece of artwork that I just finished yesterday afternoon, inspiration is from a photo that I had taken at Quinns Beach around 6.00 in the evening, just as the sun was going down.

New painting

Here is my latest offering of my son Jesse, fishing in Exmouth but I just realised I forgot to put his fishing rod in, will have to add it in as it looks like he is actually thinking something deep whilst gazing out into the sea....

Burn Baby Burn

On a lovely overcast morning, I headed off for a walk, I decided to walk to my friends house which took me approximately 30 minutes.  It was 10am and although it was warm it was very overcast and the sun was not shining brightly.  I arrived at my friends and she announced that we were taking her dogs for a walk/run down the beach.  Off we went, and frolicked down the beach for another 30 minutes.  It was such a gorgeous morning, if you are ever depressed take two golden retrievers down the beach with a ball and you cannot help but laugh as they bound over and over again into the sea full of love, life and energy.  It is a sure fire way to perk up anyone's day.  Just watch out for your toes for when a 40 kilo dog lands on your foot, you can be sure it will hurt like hell and bruise your toe nail!

We headed back to my friends house, she made me a delicious healthy lunch and after begging exhaustion she kindly dropped me back home to save my legs.

Around 3pm in the afternoon, I noticed a red patch on my neck, weird I thought just getting burnt in that one spot.  I had however put sun cream on my face, it is a ritual that I stick to religiously.  By 4pm my chest, back and shoulders were bright red, I was so badly burnt, I couldn't believe it, I was so mad at myself for allowing this to happen but it was so unexpected when it wasn't even particularly hot.

Here is the lovely snapshot to prove it, this is what I sent through to my very very brown girlfriend that manages to lie in the sun at 37 degrees for most of the day attempting to get more tanned.  I wonder if you only go a certain colour and then that's it, you couldn't possibly get any browner.  Considering that she has come back from Bali and managed to retain most of her tan, unlike me, my tan washed off within a week, she is well ahead of anyone in the tanning department.

Please ignore my double chin, it was taken with my iphone and believe me I had to delete three of the photos just hideous!

After I sms'd my dear friend this photo, she replied that she was "totally pissing herself laughing at me, and to rub some aloe vera on it and to cover up chalky" She however had no burn marks whatsoever!

So people , it just goes to prove it doesn't matter what the temperature is just sun block up!!!

More Artwork - Sunsets and beaches

I have been informed by my pastel teacher Miss Cindy that I have the pastel bug, she may be right, I am so inspired at the moment so I will continue to paint whilst the need is red hot.



This one is for my god daughter Chelsea

 Keep tuned for more!

New Artwork

My pastel course has been a great success, I am itching to do more and more work.  As promised new artwork is below.

Knees and Facsinators

The Melbourne Cup - Its full of fun, frivolity, fabulous facsinators, fashion, food and faux pars.

Fashion on the field is an event itself, it is so fascinating whether you are sitting in a restaurant fashion spotting or actually at the races, there is a never ending parade of fillies.

Which brings me to my next point - at what age is the mid length thigh dress no longer appropriate?  At a certain age its time to hide the knees.  We spend so much time, money and effort creaming up our faces, necks and eyes, why were we not told that the first things to go are the elbows and knees!  I wish I was told 20 years ago to concentrate some of that expensive cream on the knees and elbows, i probably would have laughed at 20 and ignored the advice but at least I would have been warned. 

Facinators were en mass yesterday - I donned a black alice band facinator with feathers and ribbons and received a thumbs up from a lady whilst driving to work. The hat was back with a vengance this year and the fascinator was stated to be OUT this year but it was very popular and less than half the price of a decent hat.

It seems that Cup day is a day for the ladies to dress up, one of the only days in Perth that it is OK to go all out and nothing is over the top.  I have been to a few Cup lunches over the year's and I am still amazed that whilst they always have a fashion show at all the events I have been to, these young girls/models constantly seem to overtly play up to the old pervy men, that wip their cameras out of their pockets and have the girls sitting on their knees taking photo's.  Why these young girls would want their photo taken with these leaches is beyond me.  I am all for gorgeous girls strutting their stuff like "models" but each year the "models" act like they should be hanging off a pole.  I can guarantee that no woman would actually buy one item of clothing that those girls modelled as I am sure all the women in that restaraunt were rolling their eyes at the girls.  I just don't get it and I probably never will!!!

Anyway it is a horse race that stops the nation, whether you win or lose it is a very fun filled day and it doesn't matter if you back the favourite or the roughie, it is always so unpredictible and it makes for a very entertaining day.  Here's looking forward to next year!

Searching for Inspiration

I have started a pastel course, thank you Cindy, you are a wonderful teacher, I am learning lots of new techniques and skills.  I promise to put some finished work up soon. 

I needed some inspiration so we headed out to Yanchep on Sunday morning to take photos of the breaking waves and sand dunes.  My next pastel attempt is going to be rocks so they were photographed in earnest too.  It was a lovely day, beautiful weather, slightly windy but still warm, the beach was utterly deserted. 

The only problem was the flies, they were rampant, I managed to eat three as it was so difficult for me to keep my mouth closed, I am a talker after all!  Totally hideous, after three spit outs, I vowed to keep my mouth closed for the rest of the time ..... not an easy thing to do.  I have never seen so many flies at the beach, I guess it is the time of year when all the baby flies hatch??  they seem to be the totally irritating little flies that never give up, I had to take my hat off in the end and use it as a weapon.  As we were leaving the beach some tourists arrived taking photos they had their tshirts on their heads and were waving their hands around everywhere, now if us Aussies think the flies are bad, then they will be suffering big time!!!

Cynthia Crossfire's Meltdown

My car had a meltdown last week.  Unfortunately for me Cynthia Crossfire decided to have her meltdown on the mitchell freeway during peak hour traffic.  After hearing a muffled noise I suddenly thought "is that my car making that noise"  after I turned down my boom box, indeed it was my car making a very strange noise that definately warranted pulling over.  I sat there for 5 minutes after trying to call my husband to ask him for car advice hmmmm why did I do that? ? a woman in crisis I think was my reasoning.  Of course he had no idea so I was left to my own devices.  I decided to give Cynthia the benefit of the doubt and headed back into mainstream traffic, only to be once again hit with a very loud muffly kind of noise, definately time for real help. 

I called the Chrysler help line, yes I know the correct terminology "roadside assistance" and they very kindly sent a tow truck.  After about 10 games of solitaire, totally bored and slightly dizzy from the cars rushing past shaking my car, my day could only get better and perhaps I could end up with a muscle clad tow truck driver but alas as per the norm it was a hairy butt crack.  The worst part about the day was trying to get into the truck which was at least a meter hike up whilst wearing a pencil skirt but that turned out to be the least of my problems.  I had pulled over in the emergency lane and the truck was so close to the outside freeway lane that I had to time the passing cars and stand pressing myself into the truck's side door as the cars were whizzing by at 120km per hour.  I then had to yank the door open, try to get my bag inside as I pulled myself into the truck's cab petrified of the door being hit by a passing car.  Yikes so scary!

Anyways, after a couple of days in the mechanics Cynthia was given a clean bill of health and I am non the wiser of the cause of the problem.  Hopefully she will continue to behave and time her meltdowns better.

When is the man bag OK

When is the man bag OK? 

I bought my husband a man bag last christmas, he cringed at the thought but I was so sick of seeing him hold a disgusting canvas bag, handed out at some conference that he went to that I purchased a satchel type Ben Sherman man bag.  He said he was unsure about it but he did take it to work and yes he was ridiculed for carrying a man bag, hence to say he usually leaves it in his car. 

I think it is all depends on how you carry the said man bag, if you have it perched on your shoulder then yes it is reminiscent of a ladies handbag but if you carry it crossed over your shoulder it does look much more manly.  My husband kind of carries it in his hand screwed up slightly as if to make it smaller looking and less noticible.

I say men carry your man bags proudly and more importantly manly.  Maybe its just me but I also love a man with a scarf but that is better left for another blog .......

The Neck Spasm from Hell

how does this happen?  I am cruising along having a lovely Saturday morning, up at 6.20, yes crazy I know don't know why just happened to wake up, typical, cant get up during the week and Bing! wide awake on Saturday at 6.20.  Went to yoga at 9.30, feeling very energized, home at 11.30, had a shower and whilst I had lifted my arms up to wash my hair, it struck, a neck spasm.  In that split second my neck was immobile, I couldn't move to my head to the left and hardly any movement to the right, and as the incredible pain radiated down my shoulders I knew this wasn't going to be good.

I rushed to physio, thankfully he agreed to see me as he was just finishing up his last patient for the day, it was so acute that he couldn't really do much so I was sent home with instructions of taking anti inflammatories, panadol, heat and wait for it, a soft collar that I am to wear all weekend ...... .  This neck brace, apart from being so very uncomfortable, leaving me looking like a giraffe, it is so totally unflattoring, with your excess chin folds squeezing over the top, hence to say I have only worn it when I am at home, there is no way the video shop is ready for my hideous portrayal of Magda Subankzi's skit in Fast Forward, the one where they were swingers, she wore a collar and had gross greasy hair and her husband was Victor, the very unattractive man.  I know that I look nothing like that as my hair is at least clean but when I put the collar on, I just get that picture in my head, not pretty!

Anyway, back to the physio on Monday so hopefully he will fix me up, I must say I wasn't impressed when he asked how I did my neck, this was followed by how old are you now, and after I replied, he just said mmmhmmmm.  I thought they said life begins at 40!

I love my iphone

I must say I love my iphone.  When I first got it my husband would chastise me for spending too much time fiddling about with my phone, he said I was obsessed with it.  The iphone secretly sucks you in unawares and before you know it you have been converted.

My husband was converted after the third day, the first day he was afraid to touch it and ended up locking himself out of his phone, the second day it was a bit daunting with all this new technology, by the third day he was hooked and started raving about certain apps, did you know it can do this and did you know it can do that.  I secretly had a giggle and knew he was a gonna.

We can now travel with our iphone and use the google maps that allows you to look up any place in the world and zoom in to show street names.  There will be no more trapsing along trying to read a map while the wind moulds it back against your face.  If you get lost in the wilderness you can use the trusty iphone compass to guide your way out.  You can check your daily share prices, you can find out the weather in any country you desire, you can take a photo, you can log into your facebook account, you can stick your headphones in it and listen to your ipod and don't even get me started on the amazing apps.

I have the Jamie Oliver 20 minute meals, who doesn't love playing Angry Birds and Jungle Crash.  I am madly hooked on Solitaire City at the moment and yes a little bit obsessed even.

Its your computer away from home, I can check my emails, do my internet banking, google anything I like.  I love my iphone and I can't imagine going back to a generic phone.  Just don't forget to charge it up each and every night otherwise your day will end in tears as your battery life is flatlined very quickly, then OMG shock horror what will you do without your phone.................................................................................................eeek

The Love Hate Relationship

When the cat came along as a new addition to the family, it took Angus the Staffi a few days to accept a new-comer but once Felix had settled in, it has become a love hate relationship.



Here is the Love




Here is the Hate




and here is the cat using Angus as a pillow



and here is the cat proving he is boss as he gets the spot nearest to the heater!



Happy 16th Chelsea

I cannot believe that my god daughter is turning 16!  Wow the years have flown by.

This gorgeous girl is a mixture of both of her parents.  She is spirited, tough, on one hand she is a very strong person who is not led by others on the other hand she is a big softie and will let things get to her quite easily.
She is her own person, she knows right from wrong, she will fight and look after someone that has been pushed around or is just feeling down and needs a friend.  She is emotional, she is extraordinarily beautiful, inside and out, she loves her mummy and adores her daddy, her friends and family mean to the world to her.  Her Hennies and Boo Boo too.  She dresses up a storm in hot sexy numbers with high heels and parties the night away, and is also just as comfortable in her boy trackie daks or pj's, having a night in with her mummy watching x factor and eating chocolate. Here's a few pics of the girl I know and love like my own daughter.  I wish I had some of her fat rolly polly baby photo's but alas these were all I could find.

HAPPY 16TH CHELSEA XXXXX