We all feel up and down at times. It’s part of life. As I am slightly melancholic I can be up and down several times a day. I can begin the morning close to tears and end the day feeling like a kid in a toy shop. I have mellowed with time and I have discovered ways I can manage my down times. I am lucky to have a wonderful hubby who rarely feels down, I have three fabulous children and I have a stash of chocolate in my pantry! Yesterday, when I was a little down, Dom suggested we drive out to Bowral to have a look at the Tulip Festival that they have there every year. I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I’d like to go and I guess he thought it might cheer me. Bowral is about an hours drive south-west of Sydney and every year around this time they plant out one of the parks there with thousands of tulips and annuals. My new pleasure comes from painting flowers so it was a good opportunity for me to take some photographs.

Bowral is a beautiful, old town in the Southern Highlands filled with antique stores, boutiques, and gorgeous little cafes. I am a country girl and I feel so at home in places like that. It’s green, it’s gorgeous, it’s quiet and you can hear the birds calling. I saw a magpie with a baby blue tongued lizard in its beak in someone’s front yard. I resisted the urge to run in and rescue the lizard because I know Maggie has to eat.

When we had had our fill of the tulips we wandered down to The Red Tree Café and had some lunch. One of Dom’s work mates told him to try the Red Tree Café if ever he was in Bowral. I’m so glad we did.

We chatted about painting and he said he really wanted me to spend some time each week writing this blog. He said talk about yourself and let your readers get to know you, the person behind the paintings. I questioned who would be interested but I agreed and said I’d give it a go. So there you are. I am a country girl, prone to depression, who loves animals. I live to paint and I eat way too much chocolate…..oh and I have a fabulous hubby.