The Life of Riley

OLIVE’S SIXTY THIRD POST
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Dear Readers. I was wondering why none of you had commented on this post. A resourceful reader has found my email and alerted me to the fact that comments are turned off.

I have no idea why this has happened and am trying to find out because it’s not what we want.

These things have a mind of their own, don’t they? In the meantime, you can leave a comment on the previous post.

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Olive

You’ve been for a walk?

Mike

Yeah, we like to walk round the rocks to Pearl beach and have lunch there.

Katya

It was so windy, Olive. I took this photo of Mike.

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Mike

Then, I took her back!

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Olive

I’m waiting till me legs are stronger.

Mike

Will you come?

Olive

Not along the beach.

Mike

But you’ll come for a walk when you’re feeling good? Your ankles are still a bit swollen, I see.

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Olive

Oh them! ………….How’s your little girl goin?

Mike

Oh, Er, Ah …… (we both laugh ruefully. It’s been hard with our darling, Ellen, recently, she being 15)

Katya, you tell Ollie. (Then followed a long conversation about how to handle teenagers, and one in particular, which it’s not fair to report here.)

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Mike

Suffice it to say, Olive’s advice boils down to “Show her who’s boss” Easier said than done.

As they talk, I’m looking at the walls of Ollie’s room and noticing that there’s only one small painting above her chair.

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I’m interested because I’ve just started a new blog on art. I’m interested in how paintings on walls can actually benefit people, especially if there are kids in the family.

It’s a theory which I’ve been chewing on for years.

If you are curious, go to the link on the blogroll, up on the side

Famiy Art Stories, my theory’s called

Mike

Ollie, is that your picture?

Olive

Na, it belongs to this place. Why?

Mike

Would you mind if we put up some more paintings, some of katya’s and mine?

Olive

Oh, I couldn’t accept any gifts.

Mike

No, just a loan. It’s an experiment.

Olive

Well, that would be alright, then. Do what you like, Mike.

Mike

Another thing, I’m waiting to hear from Epuron, the Wind farm people. You remember they’re going to build a wind farm near Broken Hill?

I went to see the Manager, Martin Poole, told him you were interested, and suggested they involve you in some way.

He gave me a model of a wind turbine to give to you but I foolishly left it on the train. Here’s Martin with the model.

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Mike

I’m hoping they’ll give you a job.

Olive

A job??

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Mike

Yeah, it’s time you got back in the workforce, Ollie. There’s far too much sitting around in this room I find.

But seriously, I’m hoping they might make you a patron. Remember those certificates we had made up last year?

Gracious Olive Riley bestows her patronage on…. such and such.

You could give Epuron one of those.

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Olive

. Well, as long as I don’t have to move.

Mike

You’ve been a working woman all your life. So why stop now?

And just as reminder, I’ve got these two clips here of you talking about how you used to get work.

In the first clip, you’re looking for hotel work and in the second, you’re telling us how you candled eggs.

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We left Ollie and, by coincidence, as we turned onto Ocean Beach Road, we saw someone selling paintings in front of his house. 50$ for Mother’s day, said the ad on the power pole.

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Mike

His name is Aub Croker. (pronounced Orb) Aub is short for Aubrey he explained.

Aub’s 86 years old and this is what he does much of the day, paint pictures, not because he needs the money but because he likes it.

How’s business? Aub. says ruefully that a thousand cars can pass and not one stop. So, he’s very pleased we did.

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Mike

We bought a picture for Ollie, and Aub. was even more pleased This is the one we chose.

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Mike

Aub says he’ll have all these pictures sold by Easter, for even if a thousand cars don’t stop, one or two do.

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Mike

We hesitated over this one. I preferred it, but Katya had the last word.

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. Would you have stopped if you’d seen Aub’s work from the car?

If you’ve had a look at the Family art Stories blog, you’ll have a clue as to why we stopped, and why I ask that question.

It was not because we find his work that special, there are 1000’s of little beach scenes around, but because we sensed a good story.

What kind of person puts his art out in front of his house and sells off the lawn? That, had us interested.

I suspect that you too might find yourself more intrigued now than you were before on first glimpse. Am I right?

It’s not hard to guess why. Let’s say,you’re a fan of Ollie’s and the fact that she’ll own one of Aub’s paintings (she doesn’t know it yet) surely makes Aub’s work a bit more special in your eyes. No?

It might even make you think that if you had one too, that would be a nice connection with her.

Not that I’m trying to push you to buy one. No way!

I just want to show how the story aspect adds interest and value to art, any art.

That’s the idea I explore on my new blog, Family Art Stories. Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m sure we’ll see Aub again. Maybe I’ll take Ollie around for a visit.

Maybe I’ll take the video camera too, and and bring him home alive for the blog, with voice and accent.

I do know already that Aub originally came from England.

The picture we bought is supposedly an image from Wales, England, from a place he knows first hand he says, but copied from postcard, we’re told.

If he still has the postcard, I’ll get a photo of that too next time.

Meanwhile, I’ve been experimenting artistically, finding that I can turn Ollie into a painting too with just a bit of mouse work.

How does she look, in your opinion, with some watercolor effect added?
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And now we leave you with some souvenirs of that walk we took.

Here’s Katya going round the rocky headland between Umina and Pearl Beach. As I said, it’s one of our favorite tramps. ……………….

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Mike

And here’s the sight that meets us around the corner. The lovely Pearl Beach Cafe, at which we always have lunch, is now just 15 mins. away.

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Mike

Don’t forget that donation button, dear Readers. It’s red and it’s up on the right.

Doing this blog costs quite a lot. Just the petrol, running backwards and forwards to Ollie, not to mention buying rare sidewalk art, costs a pretty penny.

By the way, I was expecting more reaction to the Henry Mayhew story about The Watercress Girl on the last blog. Did you miss it? I think Henry’s an amazing find.

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