Our Coastline

Our Perth Coastline is so beautiful, it changes every day, and offers endless inspiration.  I snapped off a few photo's on our recent day out to the beach and I can't wait to get my fingers in my pastel box and produce some more paintings!! 

 





For all those lucky enough to live in Perth, tomorrow is a Public Holiday so enjoy, whatever it is that you have planned for the long weekend!

Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen!

As the saying goes blue and green should never be seen but just look at this wonderful colour on this peacock, I think blue and green goes together wonderfully and with the current fashion of bold, bright colour blocking, I think anything goes!

With the spring carnival coming just around the corner, I think blue and green would be a wonderful combination!  I know there continues to be a debate about wearing a fascinator as opposed to a hat and that apparently the fascinator is out, but they are just so much more convenient.   They look pretty, don't cost as much as a hat and you don't block the TV while the race is being run!  I'm all for a good fascinator!  Blue, Green or any shade you desire, as long as it is adorned in feathers!

My Alzheimers Moment!

The mystery of the missing worcestershire sauce was resolved recently.


My husband uses this sauce every morning on his eggs and it is an annoyance of mine that he doesnt put it back on the correct shelf in the pantry.  Anyway it went missing for a couple of days and my husband asked me if I knew where it had gone to.  I denied all knowledge of said missing worcestershire sauce.


He asked our 15 year old son if he had taken it and his sarcastic response was "Yes ..... Like I took it because I had mistaken it for alcohol and drank it" ...... Hmmmmmmm!!!


Well two days later after my husband had cooked an amazing dinner of rissoles, mash, peas and gravy, he was washing up the pots, Yes ladies, I did not make a typo, he does cook and he does clean up after himself, how I managed that one I will never know but I am forever gratful!   He yelled out to me "Come Here!"  He was peering into the cupboard under the sink and when I looked inside, sitting behind the flyspray was the missing sauce bottle!!!!


It then all came flooding back to me, we are having a huge moth problem, little tiny moths that like to gather in our pantry and invade our packets. I recall grabbing hold of the sauce bottle to return it to its rightful place when I spied moths at the top of the pantry so I went to grab the flyspray and obviously swapped one can for another hee hee hee.


So I sometimes move things around and forget doing it but I am sure I am not alone, don't leave me hanging here peeps!!!  We can multi task regularly but occassionally the brain fuzz happens and you are left with an Alzheimer's moment!

Early Mornings are Actually Pretty Nice!

I woke up early for some strange unknown reason but I was wide awake and an hour before my alarm was due to bleet at me, no triple snooze for me today. 

My husband walks our dogs every morning at 5.45 so when he mumbled to me "are you coming for a walk" I sat up, opened one eye, judging if the day was worth my while or if I should lay back down and sleep some more.  I think he stumbled off without me and once I saw the rays of sunlight I yelled "I'm coming, wait for me!"

He is not known for his patience first thing in the morning, when he is ready to go, he is ready to go.  I stumbled out of bed looking for a pair of trackies but couldn't find anything through my hazy vision, I half contemplated walking in my pjs but couldn't actually bring myself to do it so I pulled on jeans and rushed out the door.  I grabbed my camera and faced the morning time Nazi who informed me he was now 4 minutes behind schedule!!!

The morning was truely sensational, the yellow golden light spreading across the paths and shining through the trees.  The shadows were so magnificant, hues of blue, yellow, pink and lilac.  I love the play of light and the facsinating shadows it creates. 

The dogs were smiling, I took a few photos of them running through the grasses, photos  of the coastline with the blue grey shadows and the pink sand against the white wash as the waves were breaking just gorgeous.  I also took close ups of the local eagle as he gazed out to sea.  Half way around the camera was getting a bit heavy and annoying but I was happy I had lugged it with me.

Once home I settled down with my morning cup of tea and grabbed my camera to view my pictures but alas when I went to view them it's a good idea to make sure your memory card is inserted first!!

Painting - Splashing wave

New painting - http://www.annsteer.com/

Chianti, Tuscany

This is Greve in Chianti, Tuscany.  It is where the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed.  A gorgeous quaint little town in the Tuscan hills.  We spent 7 days in Tuscany, and unbelievably it is only a 40 minute drive from the main city of Florence.
We took the scenic route as opposed to the main highway which took much longer as the roads were very windy and you could only drive about 50 km/hr.  There was an endless parade of motorbikes wizzing by you taking the bends at a ferocious pace.  It was well worth the drive the views were absolutely amazing and just how I had pictured Tuscany in my mind with the green hills stretching for miles dotted with red and dusty pink villas.  I was disappointed not to see the fields full of sunflowers, it was not the correct time of year but a good reason to have to go back!



Greve had the most wonderful fresh produce.  My husband was in heaven with the butchers gourmet meats and the small goods, he even got carried away and bought salami worth 34 euro until the butcher laughed at him and realised his mistake and took some off the pile, thankfully!
There was an amazing bakery that made fresh bread and the most amazing pies yummo!

The shops are so cute selling little bits and pieces to the tourists.  Be warned between 2 and 5 it is like a ghost town, all the shops shut down for their afternoon siesta.  I love that way of life daily nana naps, bliss.










The pottery was also fabulous, I bought some of the fiery red pieces with aqua blue highlights, they are so unique made by a local potter that lives in the Greve area.





Greve is a fantastic place to base yourself while you explore the entire Tuscany area.  A car is a must but be prepared to move over to the side of the road when about 30 mad cyclists all come speeding down the hill with cars in front tooting their horn and flashing their lights yelling at you to pull over and let the cyclists pass.  These hills are seriously steep there are so many cyclists old and young, some in groups, some alone, seemingly in the middle of nowhere heading for the next town.  God only knows how long it would take them to get there if you ask me they are crazy!!!!  I would much rather be having a long lunch eating pasta washed down with a good glass of red gazing back at the amazing views, but that's just me!

Statues of Florence

Florence was full of amazing statues, in the pictures above some of the statues were real and some were actors, who by the way made a significant amount of money from tourists.  Although full credit to them for being able to stand completely still for hours and hours, some not even blinking, the were interesting to watch and only moved when someone dropped a euro into their hat.

http://www.annsteer.com/

Florence, Italy

I had such high hopes for Florence, I was told by so many people I would fall in love with Florence but it was not love at first sight.  Very different to Rome, more graffiti, smelly streets, winding narrow roads.

We were only there for three days and I think it is a place that you reflect on later and realise that it is actually very pretty.  Florence is like Melbourne, a very arty city but it is hidden and you have to discover it bit by bit. The Duomo is very beautiful, an amazing piece of architecture.  Towards the hills near the Ponte Vecchio bridge is very pretty.  I think Florence is one of those cities that you need an introduction to, I think the best restaurants are probably down the dingy looking alley ways and there is magic if you know where to look. 

I mean really, the Uffizi Gallery is in Florence, my favourite painting of all time is in the Uffizi Gallery, Botticelli's Venus, such a beautiful painting, you are not allowed to take a picture but I stuck one anyway!

Street Drawings, Florence

In Florence, Italy these two men were painting up a storm in the middle of the street.  These paintings were done in chalk pastel  .  So beautifully done, what a shame they will eventually be washed away.  The guys baskets were full of euro's so I guess it is a good day's work!

This brass statue of a hog was outside the leather market, apparently if you rub its snout it ensures that you will one day return to Florence.  I read this in the guidebook after we had left.  What a shame I could see myself going back to Florence one day quite happily!

New Painting - Morning Breeze

Fresh off the easel, this painting "Morning Breeze" has just gone to a new home.