decoupaged dachie – lockdown 2 day 156

Posted on April 18, 2021 by zefiart

Getting around to sharing a dog sculpture I made a few months ago. I have more to share, some from before I got sick and others I finished since I’ve been back home.

This is a little dachie I finished with paper given to me by a friend.

As usual, he was started with toilet paper rolls, cardboard, wire, alfoil and tons of masking tape.

I build on the frame using a paper mache pulp mix and air dry clay for the details like the face and feet.

Looking at him again I’m thinking I need to do more with paper. Its different to the fabric ones. Effective and fun.

So, other than sharing another dog sculpture, what’s been going on?

Well, I made a spinach pie today (spanakopita) and its already finished cause I shared it with mom and the rest of the family. Must make another. Yum.

I also tried making the semolina pudding I love with Stevia instead of sugar. Everyone always says its sweeter than sugar so I put in less and its basically totally unsweetened. I may as well include a recipe for anyone who wants to try it.

Semolina pudding

This is a basic 1-2-3-4 recipe. The full recipe will make a bunt cake shape so its too much for me so I make half the amount.

1 cup sunflower oil
2 cups semolina (coarse)
3 cups sugar
4 cups water
Crushed almonds (optional but I love them)
Cinammon stick and cinammon powder for on top

Put the water, sugar and cinammon stick in a pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the suger.

Brown the semolina in the oil. It will seem like it takes forever to begin to brown and then will look like its going to burn suddenly. Just use your judgement.

Remove pot from heat and add the water carefully. It will bubble and spit. You’ve been warned. Stir constantly. Once all the water is added, add the nuts and put back on the heat. Its ready when it begins to pull away from the sides and separates when you pull the wooden spoon through it.

At this stage you can put it in a mould and let it cool and set. Or just plop it in a bowl and dish it up by the spoonful like I do. Sprinkle cinammon on top when serving.

Notes:

I always use less sugar. If the recipe calls for 3 cups, I usually use 2. Making half the recipe I use 1 cup of sugar instead of 1.5. I’m trying to cut sugar out of my diet but I have a sweet tooth so I need SOME sugar.

If you’ re a visual person, you can find a recipe on Youtube to follow.

Enjoy.

how could i forget – lockdown 2 day 155

Posted on April 17, 2021 by zefiart

I was talking to a friend about favourite movies and TV series yesterday and realised I forgot a very important film in my post about my favourite movies!!!

I’m not sure how I could forget this one. Its a Japanese film that I loved so much when I saw it that I bought both the DVD and the soundtrack. I’ve updated my post now so its there now!!!

Trust me on this. Even if you don’t like reading subtitles, this is one film worth seeing. Its funny and human and emotional and just beautiful.

I toyed with the idea of doing a post on my favourite TV series, but that would be ridiculous. So many… or is it? hm… Maybe about the older ones… Nah. Too many both older and newer…

Time to start watching another TV series now. I just finished watching The Serpent and am now on the Handmaid’s Tale.

So much to watch, so little time!

lainee update – lockdown 2 day 154

Posted on April 16, 2021 by zefiart

Lainee wearing her home made ‘don’t lick’ collar.

No surgery. Yet. The vet thinks its too risky to operate on Lainee until we at least do an ultrasound to see the state of her heart. She recommends I take Lainee to Athens to a vet hospital there and do that and possibly the surgery there too if I choose.

I figure the fact that the vet is so reluctant to operate means its too risky.

I’m not really sure what to do. She can’t live with a fat foam collar on her neck forever, and wrapping or bandaging a growth on her stomach is impossible. Yet I can’t let her lick at the growth constantly and make it bleed.

What we decided to do for now is to send samples for a biopsy and start her on homeopathic pills the vet made up. She says the pills will most likely help with the itchiness or whatever it is that makes Lainee want to lick at it all the time. I’m not sure, but its worth a try.

Meanwhile I’m still waiting to hear back from the doctor in Athens regarding my stent removal. I have to go to Athens for that anyway… If need be I can take Lainee with me when I go and get her looked at at the same time.

So, I wait.

It seems to be all I do lately.

Wait.

sneak peek – lockdown 2 day 153

Posted on April 14, 2021 by zefiart

As you know, I’ve been finding it hard to get on with my art. I work on it in spits and spurts. Mostly I get inspired to do something when I can’t – like when I’m out or when I’m lying in bed in the middle of the night cursing the mosquito that keeps dive bombing me and won’t let me sleep.

But I started something new yesterday and thought I’d share a sneak peek. Its not a dog this time, its a donkey!

He’s a bit bigger than the dogs but not by a lot. And right now he still needs a lot of work. But at least I started!

Unlike so many other things I have sitting here waiting for me to work on them. They stare me in the face every day, but obviously can’t guilt me into working on them. Maybe one day. I really need to get my mojo back.

Meanwhile poor Lainee…

I made her a soft collar to stop her from licking. Its just a piece of foam I cut and wrapped some polar fleece around instead of getting her a cone of shame. Hate those things. She looks so sad and uncomfortable. She’s such a good little dog. She just accepts it, like she accepts everything.

But she can eat and drink and, most importantly, she can no longer reach to lick the growth on her stomach. She stinks though, from the licking and the weeping, so tonight she gets a bath before she heads in for surgery tomorrow morning. It will be a while before she can have a bath after that.

Please keep her in your thoughts. She’s my best friend.

colours of spring – lockdown 2 day 152

Posted on April 13, 2021 by zefiart

I’m late on my posts again. It happens. So this is more a sharing of photos than a blog post just to catch up. News and more stuff coming up, but for now enjoy some of the colours of spring on Paros.

banana popsicles – lockdown 2 day 151

Posted on April 13, 2021 by zefiart

Ever wonder what you could use those little plastic sticks they give you when you buy a takeaway coffee? They only usually give these ones when the coffee is travelling in a car (as in delivery) to stop the coffee from spilling out the hole in the cap.

I got one of these a couple of times and thought surely there must be something I can re-use them for rather than just tossing them out.

Well, it came to me the other day. Banana popsicles.

Given I’m trying to live a healthier life and given up sweets I make these as treats. Its not the same, but at least it gives me something to dampen down the desperate voice of my sweet tooth when it screams “I need ice cream!”

And frozen banana is surprisingly good.

Its easy. This is all you need to do: get some (preferably) very ripe bananas you no longer want to eat as they are. Peel them, cut them in half if you want, and put them in a baggie in the freezer. Done.

I’m using the plastic sticks as holders cause its very hard to stick a fork into a frozen banana and its not so much fun holding the melting banana in your hand.

You know what they say: necessity is the mother of invention. And no one is as inventive as me when I need something sweet.

stir crazy – lockdown 2 day 150

Posted on April 11, 2021 by zefiart

You’d never guess it, but that’s my dining table behind me. Buried under all that STUFF.

Dining table, kitchen table, work table, studio table, very rarely eating table.

Here is a close up of the latest dog sculpture in progress.

For some reason I’m finding it really hard to concentrate and really work on my dogs lately. I can psyche myself up to work on them but I can only do it for a short time before I run out of steam. No idea why.

Maybe its time to move onto something else? Take a break from sculpture?

I mean the mending got me into a sewing mood. Maybe its time to tackle some items of clothing that just aren’t ‘right’…?

I don’t know.

Anyway, I’m not the only one going stir crazy. The entire greek population is. They’re going out in huge numbers and crowding beach-side walkways and parks on every sunny day. They’re going to parties and gathering in enclosed places despite the country being in lockdown with full restrictions and curfew in force. Why?

Cause it feels like the government is mocking us.

They restrict movement from one council or municipality to another, put a 2klm distance from home restriction on walks, exercise and shopping, yet they allow tourists into the country with no restrictions.

I mean, how is that fair?

Greeks have been paying the price of COVID19 safety most of a full year. Businesses are suffering, people have lost jobs… yet despite daily COVID19 cases being in the 3000 range, we are opening for the tourist season officially on May 15. Right after greek Easter, which greeks will not be allowed to celebrate with the usual church services, the Easter Friday procession of Christ or the Saturday night celebration of the ascension of Christ.

Not even with family Easter Sunday lunch where the entire family/neighbourhood gets together for the traditional lamb on a spit.

Do you see the hypocrisy in all this?

No wonder people protest and break the rules. They’re sick of being treated like idiots.

visible mending – lockdown 2 day 149

Posted on April 10, 2021 by zefiart

Yesterday when I put Lainee’s little blue jumper on I realised it had 3 holes in it. I have no idea where they came from but they were definitely there… And getting bigger. So something had to be done about it.

So this afternoon while watching Bold Type on Netflix (light hearted, fun, easy to watch while I work) I began mending with embroidery thread I had on hand. Lucky I had just enough in each colour to create a border around the holes to keep the jumper from totally unravelling.

Oh and for those who noticed, I did create 4 rings when I said there were 3 holes. That’s because I decided to make another hole so I can put Lainee’s harness on underneath the jacket and still clip on her lead through the hole.

Ok, so I’m not the neatest… I see mending by others on Pinterest and drool and want to emulate but mine always ends up looking like it was done by an sightless mole without opposing thumbs.

Still, Lainee isn’t complaining. She’s an easy girl to please.

Poor little darling is in the wars right now. You may remember she has a huge mammary tumour which I wanted removed a while ago but she’s got a heart murmur we’ve been treating meanwhile to make it safer to put her under… Well, she began licking the tumour while I was away in hospital and yesterday she made it bleed. Hence she’s swaddled in bandages and vet wrap around her middle now. I have her booked in for surgery to remove the tumour next Thursday… sigh.

At least she’s been a happy little girl, she loves the wind and goes bezerk when I take her out in it, and she’s playful every morning. So although its bothering her she’s been well in herself. That’s something.

Shared at:

time flies – lockdown 2 day 148

Posted on April 9, 2021 by zefiart

I’m always busy but never seem to get everything done. Of course part of that is that I have a lot of lazy time – which I excuse as resting/taking care of me time. But in reality its square eyes TV watching time which I could very well use to create but I don’t.

Wow. That paragraph was smooth!

I’ve caught up with friends and their dogs a couple of times. That was fun.

I’ve been to the bank 3 times. Not so much fun.

Seriously. How many visits to a bank does it take to change a recurring payment from my aunt’s account to the nursing home?

Three apparently.

So far. Let’s see if today’s fix has taken…

Sheesh. I might have to go back to old style banking (the mattress).

Anyway… I mentioned a little cabinet I bought locally to fit in the tiny alcove/hallway between the living room and bathroom. I had planned to make a custom sized cabinet for there to hold my towels, but this is the right size and its so much easier to fix an existing cabinet than make one from scratch (when you want to make it from pallet wood and need to collect and break down pallets and don’t have a proper space to work yada yada).

This little guy had glass on one side and the front. I removed the glass on the second side and plan to put flywire there to let the towels breathe. In keeping with the traditional old piece I’ll put a cut lace curtain inside the glass front to hide the towels.

Here it is in the alcove… just enough space for my easel beside it. Perfect.

And guess what?

I’ve done exactly nothing to it since I got it (well, other than removing one glass panel). Its been way too windy to work outside – which is where I have to sand it. I can paint it in the living room. It IS my studio after all.

I still need to buy the flywire and trim to finish it off. So I have a fair amount of work to on it before its usable. Guess I better start at some point…

I also have the other cabinet I bought online which needs 4 new doors and 2 new drawers as well sanding and painting.

I have my work cut out for me.

Stay tune for updates… when I get to them.

a few more of my favourite things – lockdown 2 day 147

Posted on April 6, 2021 by zefiart

Today I’m sharing some of my favourite movies. This is a tough one cause there are so many favourites!!! I love movies but there are some that have a special place in my heart. Where do I start? Where do end? So many films.

But here are some I always remember, some I own, some I only watched once and never forgot, but all favourites.

Let’s start with some Australian films. Disclaimer: I love Australian movies. And English ones. And American ones. And French. And Swedish… you get the picture.

The Year My Voice Broke. This reminds me of growing up in a small town in Australia. The first years of my life I lived first in Tocumwall and then in Griffith, NSW. There’s just something about small towns and the open spaces around them that just gets to me.

Another one that gets to me is The Dish. The Aussie humour, the sheep, the countryside. If you haven’t seen it watch it.

Another film I love. I think its the irony of it, a blind man who takes photos – cause he needs proof that what people tell him is around him is true.

The Big Blue – a fantastic film about relationships – between two men and the sea, between a man and a woman, between a man and a dolphin, about competition and love… A beautiful film.

Chasing Amy. A spin off of Clerks where I first met Silent Bob and his foul-mouthed sidekick. A movie which speaks truths about expectations in relationships and lying to ourselves and others by omission.

Flowers for Algernon. To be honest, this should have been in books since I read it before I ever saw it. Either way, its a heartbreaking story about a man who had nothing, gained everything, then lost it all again. Below is a pic from the original movie.

Harold and Maude. Classic. Again, the irony of it was what got to me first, but its all about living life to the fullest. Its more than a romance between a young man and a much older woman. Its about living without regrets.

The first Swedish film I ever saw: My Life As A Dog. A young boy learning to understand the world.

Torch Song Trilogy. About being gay in the 70s, about a relationship between a man and his mother and his relationships with himself and other men. A great film and play.

A friend took me to see this film back in 2008 and I loved it absolutely. Its a Japanese film about a man who gets a job preparing the dead for burial in the ceremonial way. Its a beautiful film with emotion and humour and a haunting soundtrack. I bought both the DVD and the soundtrack.

And no list would be complete without The Party. Peter Sellers at his crazy best, the drunk waiter, birdie num nums and a whole lot of bubbles.

As I said, there are probably too many movies I love for one or other reason to list here. These are just the ones that came to my mind as I write this post. New films, like Avatar – a world we wish existed, in harmony with nature.