Hyperventilating Take 2

You may remember way back in October when I was hyperventilating... I'm allowed to reveal the source of this excitement now!

On 11 October Kristina Sigler, the copy editor from Vogue Knitting, e-mailled me saying she'd stumbled across my Knitting Art work and loved it, and asking if they could include a little piece about my Knitting Art shop and a painting in their January 2008 issue (which has just been released to subscribers, and will hit the newsagents in a week or so). Honestly, I cried ... and then said YES PLEASE!

Since then I have sent in scans of a few of my paintings (so their designers could choose one), answered a questionnaire about my work, and edited the piece that Kristina wrote. I've also been very good and not mentioned it in public until now (as the editor requested).

Now I'm anxious about whether it's actually IN there or not... in theory, all has gone ahead as planned. But if someone has a copy, can you look for me? It should be in the section called "World Knits" (renamed from "Brit Knits" in my honour, as I'm Aussie not British :) I'm a subscriber now, so I'm not sure when my copy will arrive.

I hope to get back to painting very soon, once my brother's funeral is over (Friday 4 Jan; the inquest showed that he died of a heart attack, as expected). Stay tuned! There will be new paintings!

And Kristina - your e-mail was a massive highlight in what has been a pretty crappy year on many counts. Thank you again.

Xmas and all that

Aaah Lulu, she can't help herself when there are twinkly shiny things around! She is trying, in her own trying way, to wish you all a very merry Christmas (and just be glad she's not at your house trying to steal the presents!)


The only Christmas baking I've done so far - Kuka's Mini Christmas Puddings - loved by all! I can see these ones becoming a regular Christmas treat.

Thank you everyone for your well-wishes, prayers, kind and loving words and thoughts - I'm truly touched. And thank you all for being there for me all through this difficult year, on so many levels ... here's to a better 2008, hey?

Farewell

My little brother Tim died at 2.30 this afternoon. He lost consciousness, they called an ambulance, but he died before reaching hospital (across the road). He was 27.

I spent 2 hours with him (and Mum) yesterday, and he was fairly good then, not in too much pain and quite on the ball. I'm glad I went, even though it was hard. I was able to give him a foot massage, and say I forgave him for some (minor) things which had been magnified, distorted and preying on his mind for years, and told him I loved him.

The final indignity is that since he was in state care in a psychiatric care facility, his death is being treated as a "death in custody", and there is going to be an inquest and autopsy. I'm finding this utterly devastating. I don't understand why they can't just leave him alone. His death was expected, there were no suspicious circumstances. The police were at the hospital soon after he died, and my parents were interviewed, and all the staff who cared for him and his doctors are being interviewed...

I suppose the autopsy is to determine the exact cause of death. I guess it's standard procedure in these circumstances, but I still wish we didn't have to go through this. We don't know when his body will be released to us, so we can't plan his funeral. Probably early January. He will be buried at the Cobargo Cemetery (on the south coast), which is very close to Mum and our brother Dave (they both live within walking distance of the cemetery).

The photo is of him soon after arriving from Korea in 1985 (he was adopted when he was 5), with Mum.

Sweet dreams little brother.