Green Beetle.

The beetle has had some metallic paint added as well as some stitching on it and the background. As it's a carved stamp the legs are somewhat asymmetrical, but I'm fine with that, it's hand carved after all.

Works in Progress.

                                 Gelatine plate, paints, rollers, gloves, leaves and carved stamps.

Leaves glued to cardboard and varnished didn't work as well as leaves placed directly onto the plate.

Back to the Beetles.

 It's time to return to the Beetle project again. One work is finished and framed and I had intended to make 2 or even 3 pieces in similar colour schemes. However, after making a print of my carved beetle stamp, adding gelatine plate printed leaves and other imagery, I'm not sure whether I might go with an orange colour scheme rather than the planned blue one.

This beetle would need stitching and probably more colour to make a contrast to the background, but I have seen live beetles with iridescent blue-green colouring, so it might turn out O.K.
The brown one is very drab, but the surrounding foliage is perhaps more interesting than the blue version.  Decisions, decisions!

More from Beleura Garden.

 This rather cross looking goblin sits on a pole outside the childrens' playhouse at Beleura gardens.

                    In the same area is a collection of leafy objects, mushrooms perhaps?

This weird thing is a collection of pots for tulip bulbs which was apparently brought out from Holland at some stage. Unfortunately nothing will grow properly in the pots as they don't have drainage holes so that anything that needs watering just gets water logged and anything else just dies in our climate. I couldn't get very close to it, but I gather that these are Mesembryanthemum plants trailing out of the pots.

Funny Fruit!

 I wonder if they deliberately left this fruit poking through the wire mesh. They certainly aren't going to be able to remove it in one piece!

I believe this is called a Buddha's Hand fruit, obviously a type of citrus. It looks as if it is suffering from some sort of virus, but apparently this is how it is supposed to look. I don't imagine it has any edible fruit in the fingers.

Lots of Metal Features.

 The garden that I mentioned yesterday, Beleura, has an extensive system of wells and water collection areas. This lovely metal cover for an old well made sure that children could not fall in!

 This well seems to have a modern concrete and brick dome over the opening, and I'm not sure about the metal feature on top.  Old or new?

                                       Lots of iron chairs and tables dotted about the garden.

This wonderful copper dome with it's twining leaves and vines around it originally had a statue of Ceres as a feature in the middle.  However vandalism forced the authorities to move the statue inside, along with a pair of Italian stone dogs which all now stand in the wonderful timbered entrance hallway to the house.

A Quiet Corner of the Lake.

I spent the day At Beleura House and Garden on the Mornington Peninsular today. http://www.beleura.org.au/  It was  lovely Autumn weather and I ended up taking over 60 photos! This is one that I particularly like, reflections, Autumn colour and tranquillity. More of the house and garden tomorrow...............and for some days to follow I think.

Autumn Colour.

                          A large Persimmon to the left and Berberis showing Autumn colours.

                                                         Japanese Red Maple in colour.

                                                        I think this is Virginia Creeper.

                                     And a miniature variety of Cotoneaster to finish up with.

Lots of Lovely Rain.

We had lots of lovely rain over the weekend, filling our little weir and flowing down the other side. We had to dig out a lot of silt build up from behind the wall and it was just tossed over the top, hence the pile of soil on the rocks below. We need a bit more heavy rain to wash it all down stream.

Pelican.

This splendid metal pelican stands on a high pole over looking the lake at Nagambie and unfortunately I forgot to make a note of the artist.  It's a splendid bird particularly as it's beginning to rust and roughen up. I just love it!

A Tale of 2 Bridges.

 Here is an old abandoned and unusable timber bridge somewhere in the bush between Nagambie and Violet Town. I would love to know more about it and it's history.

    In contrast is the much used wrought iron, bluestone and timber Redesdale Mia Mia Bridge.

 

The Redesdale Bridge is a wrought iron and timber structure with bluestone abutments which was installed over the Campaspe River in January 1868, although the bridge actually bears the date 1867. In 1859, the "Herald of the Morning", a ship carrying a cargo including 350 tons of ironwork for the Hawthorn bridge, caught fire and was scuttled a quarter of a mile off the jetty at Sandridge. A Melbourne salvaging firm raised the ironwork from the bottom of the bay, but after details of an arranged sale to the government caused a scandal in Parliament, the material was sold privately to the Melbourne foundry Langlands & Co. Two hundred tons of it was sold to the goldfields shires of McIvor and Metcalfe for only £1000. The bridge was designed by engineer TB Muntz and built by a contractor named Doran, and was completed late and considerably over budget at £6274. The bridge spans 45.7m across the river and has two roadways which are carried between three metal lattice girders in a through truss configuration. The design for the Hawthorn bridge had the deck supported over the trusses, and to stiffen the through truss configuration three sets of distinctive paired arches connect the trusses above the roadways. The roadway decking is constructed of longitudinally placed timbers on timber cross girders which rest on the lower chords of the trusses.

Making a basket.

 A pile of fabric strips, a dog lead and a ball of thick acrylic yarn makes a useful basket, oh and a few hours of sewing.

                            Wrapping the yarn in strips to make a start, a bit fiddly I found.

 Ooooops, I've spread out the rows a bit much too soon, not worth unpicking though I don't think.

 Looks more like a hat for a huge head rather than a basket. I'd better get the tension of these rows under control!

        Then I forgot to take any photos along the way.  Too keen to keep adding the rows.

 Add a binding to the top and line the basket.   The lining wasn't easy to measure up, but with a paper template I got it right first time!            

An as new dog lead from the Op shop with holes drilled into the ends for sewing makes a couple of good handles. A slightly odd shaped basket, but I can imagine it will be very useful.  Who knows I might even make another now that I know I must watch the tension at the beginning very carefully!

It's Been a Busy Week!