Back to it

Our holiday to the Great Ocean Road is beginning to be a bit of a haze now, but it was so much fun.
  (Bay of Islands)
 Since we have got home and got back into it we have had nothing but misfortune with technology  grrr1!!@##@  Firstly our main computer bit the dust (had to buy a new one), then Telstra decided to cut the phone service in our area for 22 hours with no warning (no internet).  After this it just kept happening.  We thought our router was broken  when we lost the internet the very next day.  No… our server was off the air for 24 hours.  Then…..there is more…. our electricity supply was cut for a whole day.  Still we have not been able to get hold of a technician to retrieve our files and set us up properly on the new computer.  Will try again after Easter.  Just gonna chill out now.
What can a girl do when the electricity gets cut.  Answer – not much.  She did manage to paint and play around with some up coming journal pages. 
On a brighter note, here are some pictures of the magnificent coast line of the Great Ocean Road.  Our trip was magical and my 5 star sister announced after about 10 days that she ‘loved camping’!!  Very funny, but good in that we can now organize another trip with my sister and b-i-l for the future.

London Bridge                                               The Arch

Mutton Bird Island                                          The 12 Apostles

The Grotto
As soon as the power came back on Wednesday afternoon,  I got to and sewed up this little Easter bag I had cut out.  It is for Lilian and we will give it to her Sunday morning with some little goodies inside.  This will be a one off as it was very fiddly diddly.  A very cute pattern by ‘Melly and me” designs and the pattern is just the size of a postcard which has all the details and pattern pieces inside.

Does anyone else suffer with ‘stumbling at the finishing line’ syndrome?  It seems that when I am on the last leg of a project and just want to get it done before any more distractions come my way, all manner of things go wrong!!!  Finally I got the fiddly part of the top of this bag done, but don’t look close – Don’t, I said!!

Our garden has managed to survive in our absence due to the massive amount of rain Toowoomba had.
One of the loveliest flowers we have in the garden at this time of year is this deep red dahlia.  It never disappoints.

Down in the back yard (where I rarely go these days) my husband discovered this tree flowering.  We don’t know what it is but it is so pretty and unusual.

I am not a zoo person, so when I see our native animals in the wild I get very excited.  We were lucky enough to see heaps of koalas in the Otway NP (Victoria).  One might say they are far from extinct in this particular area.
We didn’t see them til early in the morning and they were all asleep.  Even so, doesn’t this sleeping koala look the cutest??  He has his little arms crossed  awwww.


Black Kangaroo, Griffiths Island near Port Fairy  Vic. She may have a joey in the pouch, but the trees got in the way when I photographed her.  Hard to photograph wild animals!!! 
Lastly a couple of camping scenes for your entertainment.

Sister blowing up bed and in her fashionable fly hat (the flies were extremely bad in the dry heat!!)

Brother in Law trying to stay dry in Mt Gambier SA

Too short for this camp. 

Bad smell at this camp.
Gotta love the great outdoors.
Til next time, happy stitching – I hope to be doing much of it in the coming weeks. (if I can get away from my latest distraction ‘you tube’.)

Joys in Life

It has been so darned hot this past week it has been difficult to think about picking up sewing.  Soon I will have air conditioning in the sewing room so that will help in summer. My sewing room is on the western side of the house so is very very hot in summer. 
Some of the joys of summer though are extra day light  and blooms in the garden.
Our agapanthus are still putting on a nice display and they are such a glorious colour.

Here are some other things still blooming regardless of the heat wave.

Hubby has started up a vegie garden again now that he has a bit more time on his hands.  We have beetroot growing and that will be a joy to eat.  We enjoy it just grated raw onto a salad, but also love it pickled.

We also have lettuce, zucchini, cucumber and tomatoes growing.
The biggest joy in our life at the moment is our little grandie, Lilian. 
Lilian loves to paint and draw.  Here is a bird she drew and I think it is fantastic for a little girl who has just turned 4.

Isn’t it wonderful?  It has a beak and eyes and wings and even a crest.  Perhaps she is going to be artistic and crafty – I would love that!
Here she is in her fave dress at the moment, her ‘ballerina dress’.  She has always had a cheesecloth wrap with her at bedtime and when she needs it for comfort.
She calls it ‘sooky’.  Sooky goes everywhere!

Sorry about some of my close up shots.  Still getting used to the macro etc. on the new camera.
Until next time (when I hope to have something stitchy to show you), enjoy the joys in your life.

Hitting the Road again -

We are hitting the road and heading outback again.  This time we are going far, far west to look at Lake Eyre while it has water in it.  Referred to as our great inland sea you can read more about Lake Eyre – HERE.
It is sure to be an amazing sight.  We are doing a small flight over the lake to view it from the air and see where all the rivers flow into it.  I am very excited !!!!  Of course half the fun of it will be the journey to and from.  There will be a bit of bush camping to be done too.  This time I am okay with it. 

This shows you how far we are travelling, but we are not going this way – we are going more direct west.  I just couldn’t get google maps to change for me.  We are travelling the Strzelecki track from Innamincka.  The track is through desert country and quite isolated, so one has to inform the police or locals at Innamincka before embarking, and contact them once you have arrived at your destination. It is going to be quite an adventure.               

At home, the blooms are slowly starting to appear.  Our star jasmine is resisting flowering – must be due to the coolish weather we have had this spring.  Usually it is in full glorious bloom by now.
However here is what is around the garden.

Bouganvillea – colour chosen by my hubby – good choice.

Our mandarine tree has been loaded with fruit this year – very sweet

Yellow rose in full bloom.

Grevilleas have loved the rain and the cooler weather.  Colours are deep and beautiful.

This ugly cactus has the most beautiful flower.  Hope it is flowering when we get home.
There may be a little internet connection here and there on the trip, but for the most part we will be technology free.
Back soon…………………..

Amongst the Flowers

Shirley and I went to see some of the displays and gardens during the Carnival of Flowers here in Toowoomba yesterday

We visited one of the lovely parks here called Laurel Bank Park and the following photos are taken on my not so good little camera.  These flowers are real !!!  We could not believe the colour and the splendour of the gardens.  They have planted the flowers in some of the gardens to look like cartoon characters.  Soooo  well done.

We also went to a wonderful display of teapots.  I loved all the character and novelty ones.

We also visited the local Spinners & Weavers display.  They had lovely work for sale like felted and knitted berets and hats, flower pins, scarves, felted tote bags etc.etc.  Shirley bought a beret and I was searching for a flower pin just the right colour without success. 
Tomorrow we are off to see some embroidery, a textile art exhibition and Queens Park.
Whew there is so much to fit in.