KISS, Holey Moley & Gilding the Lily

I have finally finished, but not bounf my KISS project for Dijanne Cevaal, I think it must be finished by today but I cant bind it here. The photo is not terribly good as I have problems doing them here.I am sad but the rather messy middle bit was a stencil of flowers which was hand stitched, and then running stitch around it.
I am not even sure if this followes Dijaane's guide lines.
The next two are papermock ups before translating them into stitch, this is for Holey Moley and is an interesting take on 'edge'.
Finally a small piece done for Gilding the Lily, painted tissue bonded to felt, then a piece of super foil etched with a pencil and bonded to that, with some foil around and then some flowers punched out of super foil and stitched on.
Fun to do.
We have had a better day today no rain and not much in the way of wind.
I have walked, sketched and as you see played with paper and thread.
Lots of fish eaten, a bit of wine (perhaps more than a bit!), walking and relaxing, quite a bit of chat.
We actually saw a good film on tv last night (not much choice of channels and a very old small tv!), it was the Gathering Storm with Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave, about Churchill just before the 2nd World War.
There are so few good things on free to air these days.

Around the bay

Yesterday it was so rough all the sea birds were in close and on all the little wooden jetties. There were a huge number of shags sitting here.
This morning the tide was way out and all the bright green sea weed was exposed.It looked really pretty and just a little bit strange.
I loved the last photo of the club rush right on the waters edge.
We had a lovely long lunch yesterday and to day are once more in holiday mode as it is still damp and cold. So I have been making background papers. I dont think I will get done a quarter of what I brought to do with me but I have managed to get some things under way and will finish them when I get home.
Still trying to finish my KISS project but it is taking ages to get all the running stitch done so it may not be finished in time.I am not sure I am happy with it anyway.

Wild and wet

A few photos from this morning.
Rocks and waves.
Waves.
Sand sculpted by the wind and waves.
A collection of seeds, rocks and shells picked up this morning.

TAST 13 and daily doings

Here is my TAST for this week, it is raised cup stitch and was a lovely stitch to do, I like anything with flowers! Effective, easy and fun,
Thanks Sharon for this one, see her pintangle blog for all sorts of stitchy stuff, it is on my side bar.
The sunset was on Thursday night, every night the sunset is different but I walked to the edge of the water and took this one with a pelican sailing along the golden water, he tickled my fancy.
The weather has changed, wet yesterday and much cooler and today there is a howling wind and short sharp showers.
Yesterday we went into Pt Lincoln to shop and went with some friends to the Delocoline winery for a lovely lunch. I took the interior shot from where we sat. On a lovely sunny day it would have been lovely, places to sit outside and although the service was a bit slow the food was good.
The last one is of the vines but the bare trees at the top of the photo were burnt in the bad fires that burnt homes and scrub around this area of Pt Lincoln this past summer.
Apparently they had problems with smoke damage to both vines and grapes.
Because the weather is so bad there is no fishing today and we will be going out to lunch at the Oyster beds to celebrate M's birthday. Her actual birthday is Monday but nothing nice is open that day here so as every one is home this was the decision, heavens Monday is sure to be a good fishing day!!
We dont really need to go out to lunch as we have so much food but this is a holiday after all.

Seen along the oyster walk

This is where we usually start from when we walk the oyster walk as this is directly opposite the shack, a lovely walk down towards the channel and the further reaches of Coffin Bay.
The next photo is the view down the channel to the islands and the begining of the bay as it opens out.
The whole area is huge, the fellows only go about half way and that takes them about 3/4 to an hour getting there in the boat.
Yesterday they got their bag limit of whiting and quite a lot of squid. We over ate on squid (calamari) last night.
the next photos are of the signs that have been put up along the walk, a great idea and I have a few more. If you click on them I think you can read about the things you may see.
We went to the big morning tea this morning, in aid of cancer research and the locals all turn out in force, so we are full of tea and cream cakes! Not good for the figure.
On the way there we met three large emu's wandering down the road but too much traffic and no time for a photo. These are regulars and quite used to people.
I havent walked yet today, a small one later on I think but my knee and hip are not talking nicely to each other so a bit more gentle exercise will be the go today.

More Coffin Bay photos

The first is a small arrangement I made of the bits and pieces that grabbed my imagination on my walk along the beach this morning, interesting rocks and shells and driftwood.
Then last nights sunset from the balcony, it is such a stunning view and every night it is different.
Where else would you find a fish cleaning table in the water as the tide was coming in, rocks, sea and a table, lovely.
Finally two oyster catchers who I caught on the rocks at the point, they looked a bit embarrassed when I took their photo.
I had seen evidence of their meals as I walked along the beach, dismembered sea urchins in a lot of places. They obviously love them.
I really love the oyster catchers with their bright red beaks.
This afternoon M and I collected another friend and went around to S and B's for lunch, a lovely fresh pizza and salad and wine sitting on their deck looking at sea and island and more sea, clouds and sand hills and not a soul in sight.
How lucky are we, and we are enjoying every moment of this glorious weather.

Coffin Bay boats

I love boats, although very often they dont love me and I get terribly sea sick.
Here in the calm waters around the township they are every where and you will probably get sick of my photos of them.
There are oyster boats, prawn trawlers, game fishing boats, power boats and yachts of all sizes and dinghies, as you can see, some half in the water and some pulled up in the bushes.
I took these photos on my 2 hour walk this morning, it drizzled a bit but I was also taking photos of the old shacks remaining and odds and ends that caught my attention as I walked in this magical place.
There were birds I should know, flowers, a red tailed spider, perhaps washed out of his hole in the rain.
A one footed pacific gull who looked a bit uncomfortable, the husks of cocoons of the huge gum moths that take, so they say, years before they hatch.
Masts mirrored in the water, I hope to find time to paint. I do wish I was more confident with my painting but I painted a small bunch of flowers when I got back, they are on my other blog.
Eating well, drinking well. catching up on my sewing. Good company and so far, a good holiday.

Sorbello Stitch TAST12 Walking the oyster walk, Coffin Bay

Here is my usual, pretty wonky stitch for week 12 of Sharonb's weekly stitch (see my side bar).
Actually I quite liked this stitch but got a bit muddled when I tried to make a pattern od the stitches.It was very easy to do.
A grey day this morning but M and I decided to walk and hope we didnt get rained on.
We didnt but just made it back in time before the heavens opened.
We walked along the oyster walk and I took photos, we condemned the style of huge holiday houses that were being built where once there were tiny shacks nestled into the scrub. I must take photos of those small ones that are left, surely the idea of a holiday house by the sea is one you can tramp sand into and relax, not spend your whle life cleaning it up.
There were dolphins playing but all I managed to get was sea water!
Yachts in the bay as well as motor cruisers, oyster boats and pelicans, flowers andsea water seeping into the samphire swamplands, tiny fish in there, one of their fish nurseries.
The last photo is from an 83 year old friends window where we sat and had morning tea and a biscuit.
Lovely, that view across Kellidee Bay with the high hills behind is quite magnificent and one could never tire of it.

Wet and windy day

This is my holey moley insertion stitch sampler, not quite finished, there is paper across the last one and it is waiting for the inserted cretan stitch.
I have never felt the need to do insertion stitch before but Dale always likes to stretch us.
Probably not done terribly well but fun to do on a day like this.
There was a lovely sunset last night, taken from the balcony.
You cant see it but this lovely she oak was blowing well in the wind, they sigh in even a light breeze but today was not a gentle breeze.
We had a walk between wind and rain , not very long but enough to blow the cobwebs away and I rather liked this little bonsai'd tree on the limestone ledge by the channel.
The fellows have come in to a warm fire, they must be frozen, it was cold here, but also wet and for all their trouble we will have a crab each, but not the tiny salmon trout and tommy ruff filet, but we have squid for dinner tonight.
I have been relaxing today, I am beginning to enjoy it.

To Coffin Bay

Some of these photos John took out of the window while I was driving from Whyalla down to Coffin Bay.
We go through some very dry almost desert country and the first photo is of the blue bush and scattered trees from the road.
This is large sheep station country with mines along the way.
As you can see from this rather artificial looking hill. It is Iron Baron and is one of the areas mined for iron ore which goes to the steel mills at Whyalla and I presume these days most likely to China.Most of our mineral wealth seems to go to China and then comes back to us in some manufactured form or other.
This was coming in to Pt Lincoln where grain is shipped over seas as well, although fishing and in particular tuna is another big earner for the area.
You can see the grain silos in the background and a ship waiting.
Then, we are here! the little beach we passed this morning while we went on an hour long walk.
A family in the shack behind it with a small child going 'to was off' as he told us.
A beautiful day, the fellows are fishing, we are taking it easy and sitting lapping up the sun as I believe the weather is going to change, it doesnt matter, we are on holiday.