What I did today.

Thursdays are my full day off work and I try to use them as effectively as I can to get work done for Your Organ Grinder.  These days I sit at my desk and watch my tiny little tv.  Today my viewing was "Cheese Slices,"  the tv series about cheese, and Escape From New York, the movie with Kurt Russel as Snake Plisskin and, of course, my regular viewing, Prisoner, the 80's aussie drama set in a womens prison.

During my work time I started adding anatomy to a HUGE bear I am working on for someone, sketched an archaeoptryx and worked on some hearts.

How do you spend your making days?

Feeding the Geese

My Partner and I have started taking chicken seed down to the pond near his place.  We have been feeding it to the geese who very quickly realised what the shaking container means.

Almost instantly a couple of them ate from our hands. The other ducks and birds in the area also come over for some seed, including my favourites, the wood ducks.

During the horrible weather last weekend, one of the geese was injured and has since disappeared.  Before that a duck (pet looking duck) was also hanging out in their group.  He has also disappeared.  So just the 3 geese now.

They are very funny when they hiss, bob their heads, and waggle their tails.  Anyone know what these displays are all about?

Chicken with a bad sinus?

 I've had a little trouble with my Chook, Lenny, recently.  Lenny came down with a very watery and mucousy eye. I took him to the vet the day after finding his watery eye and the vet diagnosed a respiratory infection.  A week later Lenny's eye had cleared up but around the eye had become puffy.  My vet did some research on the problem and came to the conclusion Len had a sinus infection and potentially an impacted sinus.  Len stayed on his antibiotics and despite my worries he was going to need surgery (or potentially to be euthanised), his vet gave him a fairly promising outlook today and thinks that things should return to normal but to be vigilant of the eye area and that this kind of problem will certainly recur. 

Happy days for Lenny I think!

Lenny and the ladies (Lola, in the front, and Snotty)

Me sitting with Lenny when he had to have his antibiotics.  He is having a little bit of a sleep.  

Creating an Ear Drum

My current project is making an Eardrum.  I first made an eardrum a few years ago as a custom order.  The process of creating the eardrum for that order was long and I was asked to re-make a lot of things as they weren't perfect.  As the first time was such a task I was never very keen to make another one, even though it has always been on the list.

This year I am tackling a lot of new projects and new ways of designing pieces so thought it was time to give the ear drum a second go.

The process is going well, though slowly, and much more relaxed than the original piece. I like all of the little parts to it, it is like building something.

Etching Brass

My partner and I were having a talk about possibilities of things to make from the drawings I had been doing.  My partner is an electronics maker and has experience with making circuit boards.  Making them involves a bit of etching with chemicals of the copper on the boards.  He suggest we make an one of my drawings into an etched brass "thingy."

First Step above:  Take the image and size it as well as give it thicker, solid lines and touch it up in general.

Second Step:  Put the drawing on some Brass, this is done with a laser printed and some transfer paper (for this kind of thing).

Third Step:  Apply some Green stuff that is an extra barrier on top of the scan.  This photo (above) is the back of the piece which is solid.

Fourth Step:  Make some Etching stuff up and then stand there for almost 2 hrs etching it.  Partner is currently working on a spray etcher to get the process down to 10-15 minuters for up to 50 pieces...

Ohhhh, its almost there!

And done! This photo shows the hand put inside its outer shape.

Voila! Brilliantly Awesome Hand!  Yeh-hes!  Polished up with Ajax!

I Like Packet Cake!

Yep! I do really like Packet Cake Mix. Now don't string me up too quickly. I am the first to admit that a lot of packet cake mix does taste a little bit like poison mixed with acid, flour and sugar. I usually just buy the 79c (of is it 69c) HomeBrand cake mix in the vanilla or buttercake. They are great to use as a base when you are doing something where it isn't just a cake. I used a Buttercake mix to make an apple crumb cake. I cooked my own apples and made my own crumb mix and even made custard (it was packet custard though, heck from scratch stovetop custard is poop!) Or Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes. I made the curd from scratch (and tbh Lemon Butter tastes nicer) and whipped cream and cut out all those cakes.

I only have so much free time, and I like to make more fiddly recipes, so cake from scratch isnt worth the time when a packet mix is an okay stand in.



Two weeks ago Mum picked up two new Packet Mixes from Woolworths, Duncan Hines Brand. This Brand is American, with instructions in both English and Spanish.

She made the Chocolate ones (a crap load of cupcakes!) first. My gosh, these are the best chocolate cakes I have had! The most wonderful thing is how light they are. They were just stunningly light and airy and yet moist and delicious. Mum didn't put on icing and I wouldn't recommend it, icing would ruin them. If you like something with your cake just a dollop of fresh cream.

Today she did the vanilla, as pictured. This cake isnt as nice as the chocolate one but it is still amazingly light and airy yet moist.

In particularly like that the recipe calls for three eggs. From baking with Silkie Eggs I learned that adding extra yolk (silkie eggs are half the weight of regular chook eggs, but the yolk is almost as big, so in baking you'd use two eggs which would give you double yolk) gives a very moist cake.

Anyone else out there like a good Packet Cake Mix? And what are your favourite brands and types?

In Memory of Pinchy

Pinchy, my pigeon, died not too long ago.

We had Pinch for 7 years. Pinchy was found by my mum on the footpath when she was heading to school to pick up my sister. We dont know what happened to Pinchy to be lying there but it was suspected he may have been attacked by a hawk. Pinch never recovered the full abilities of his legs and wings and was disabled for the 7 years we had him.

Pinchy and I used to have afternoon naps on the couch. He really loved those naps and would get grumpy when I would wake him up to put him away. He sat beside me on the couch while I watched Prisoner and did my needlefelting and the dog would sometimes bring him her toys to show off.

As with most birds and most animals, Pinchy was more bonded with me than anyone else. Pinchy was a pretty good friend to have. Even if he did encourage me to nap for hours on the couch.