The solution to my blogging ills.

Well,  I bought a bluetooth keyboard to work with my iPhone so I can travel light and blog my way round on my trip. Alas, Blogger is not iPhone friendly regardless of the 4 browsers I used with Apps and whatever foolishness I tried.

Here is my solution...

Ahhhh.... that's better!

Only 1.2Kg and mere 26cm x 18cm. The size of an exercise book. $500 ... I wasn't expecting to throw away, but at least my blog can continue.


I have just spent an entire Saturday morning setting up Kaspersky and Nord VPN on my new laptop. Hot Tip: If you get Nord, and I recommend you do, when ever it says "Enter your email address" they mean UserName. So write your Username down somewhere. Oh! And don't use uppercase or special characters in your password because Nord's online database will shut down and sit in a corner and cry.

Blog on! 

Developing a style

One can not show one’s face in the land of the Renaissance with a paint brush and paper without having sorted out what the hell one will do with them.

I had dreams of painting water coulour everywhere, but it’s not always a convenient method, so I decided to go the pencil drawing then over wash with watercolour. I have also decided to halve the number of paints I take to slim down the luggage. I also had a dream of travelling with only carry on, but that is unfeasible. God, I hate checking in luggage!

Here is my new paint tin.

Here are a few sketches (I’ve been practicing).

This is a portrait of Michaelangelo Buonarroti.

This is a portrait of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.

This is the Santa Croce where the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo are flamboyantly installed. (Plus cat tail!)

14 more sleeps!!!!

More on the bat-shit crazy way this blog is made on my iPhone:

It's not. It's impossible. I was about to start a rant on how I have assorted apps to help me edit my blog BUT!!!!! I just couldn't do it with my iPhone. I could create a post in BlogTouch, but couldn't add images or edit it once it was posted. Couldn't use Safari so I added Chrome... which wouldn't let me edit or add images either. Managed to find Puffin which allows me to scroll and add images... but editing the text is IMPOSSIBLE.

Argh! Maybe I should just buy a laptop?

Only 19 days to go before I’m off.

Well here I am in readiment for my big adventure. The Bluetooth keyboard came in the post last week and here I am checking out how it works with my phone. It does. Very well indeed!

Others things I’ve been doing in readiment include:

• Buying expensive clothing
• Booking a cat sitter because I couldn’t find a house sitter
• French lessons
• Practising walking in my boots
• Trying to get well so I don’t get sick on holiday
• Practising drawing technique so I don’t end up looking like a nong.

I am also reading this:

 It is a biography of Michaelangelo - 34 hours long audio book. I have 11 hours left and he's only just started the Sistine Chapel.

I would just like to say, at this point, that I have just spend the best part of an hour getting this image off my phone. Apparently my choice of phone (iPhone) is not supported by Google's Blogger.

I have created the following infographic to help you understand my situation.

OK.... perhaps I should buy a tiny laptop and be done with it?

Anyway... what was a talking about? Oh yes! Preparations!

Once I have finished the story of Michaelangelo, I'll read the new Leonardo Di Vinci biography by Walter Isaacson. Read the Michael White one years ago, but don't get much time to read paper these days. My two hours in the car each day mean I plow through audio books like a... big plow-ey thing... like...a plow, possibly.

When I get over there, I'll know the back stories and it makes it a more exciting experience. I'll see nearly all of Michelangelo's remaining work in Paris, Bruges, Florence and Rome. I'll see most of Leonardo's work, but I'll be missing out on Milan, which is a shame, I'll see if I can pop over if I have time.

It is important to be well prepared. Before I get my pencils and brushes out in Paris and Florence, I must practice! Here are two examples: The David's hand... look at the weird finger! and The Pieta. She's a bit wooden, but hopefully I'll get better.

 OK.

Had enough of this for today.
Better do some housework or something useful.

PART TWO: Resolving the iPhone Photo Issue:

Omg. I did it!

For people who have a Blogger account and an iPhone and want to use your iPhone to blog your life away.. it's taken the past 105 minutes to work it out...

BlogTouch Pro is a great app for editing your Blogger account, but it won't let you add images. So you need to use Safari to log into your blogger account to upload your images. BUT! Google hates Apple and since the Picasaweb purchase in 2016 they don't support mobile apple products to upload photos. SO... you get Google Photos (a free app from the App store) and it automatically uploads all your photos to Google for their "safe" keeping and monitoring of all aspects of your life because, well, they really are just that interested....then once you access blogger through Safari and you select "Add images from Phone" they will appear. and evidence is supplied above of my widdle girl.

Every journey begins with..... one.... new blog.

A number of unexpected windfalls in 2017 - a new higher paying job - tax return - and my new credit rating has allowed me to finally visit Paris and Florence! I have long yearned to visit  Musée du Louvre and the Uffizi Gallery in Florenze and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

I remember as a 10 year old, playing in the dirt wondering... "What is the dirt like in Paris?" Needless to say I went on to major in Soils and Geomorphology at Griffith University some years later... but that is not the point I'm trying to make.

Both my parents were artists - my father was actually quite good, my mother painted things like... a shearer shearing a sheep. An old farmhouse with a wagon wheel. Corney bollocks like that. My maternal grandmother was actually a very good painter. I still have one of her paintings. 

I love it - it reminds me of my happy childhood visits to Gran's... although they were often a bit surreal at times:

"If Granny doesn't take her tablets, she'll DIE"
I stare in shock
"and you don't even care."
Didn't know what to say... went into my room to read a book.

 But back to Paris and Florence.

In the nineties I spent my last $20 on an entry ticket to see "The Italians" at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra and when I saw my first Caravaggio, tears welled in my eyes. Over 300 years old and still vibrant and glowing with energy. Saw my first Leonardo Di Vinci - my childhood hero too.

I told my mother:

"I wish I could have met Leonardo di Vinci"

She replied:

"He wouldn't have liked you!"

Mum was not a romantic. Nor did did she like me much either.

Anyway - here's what's going to be featured in the "Lady Da Da goes La De Da" Blog between now and February.

I finish school on December 15th when I will go check out my VCE results and then fly to Singapore. After a few days lying by the pool, I'll head to Cairo against the advise of SmartTraveller. Gotta see the pyramids and go to Old Town and do the bazaars and museums.

THEN... to Paris for 8 nights. There I will spend Christmas eating. I have booked both the Dorchester for Christmas Eve and Le Train Bleu for Christmas Day. I will spend my entire time walking galleries and painting and drawing.  I made an artist wrap to carry my watercolours and brushes.

Before I leave France I will visit Clos Luce, the final home of Leonardo di Vinci. There is a museum of all his scientific endeavours.. I'm so excited. I hope he won't mind I'm there... since he probably wouldn't have liked me much.

For New Year, however, I will be in Bruges. Mainly due to the movie In Bruges. Which is hilarious if you have not seen it. It also appears to be a lovely place to go at that time of the year. Also an opportunity to continue practicing my terrible French. I have been studying since May this year with the delightful Alison at CAE in Flinders Lane.

My original plan was to visit Zermatt in Switzerland, but at peak time - hotels will be boasting criminal booking fees - so I'll be flying straight to Florence!

OMG! I can't wait! I have booked a 6 day painting course at Leonardo Di Vinci Art School. I'll be there for 14 days in Florence. Plenty to do and see just hanging out at the Uffizi and Museo Galileo.

Not my idea, but I will spend about a week in Rome. S'pose I better check out that ceiling plaster job Michelangelo did. Have a coffee... stuff. Buy shoes.

Then on to Sri Lanka!!
Because? BEACH!

Then home... back to school!
2018.

Hope you enjoy my blogged journey with me... I aim to be entertaining.