Gold Coast beach erosion

 We finally went to look at how the beaches were holding up this morning, a possibility of a walk in places, but so much debris and all beaches were closed for swimming, although there were a few mad surfers out there. There is a lot of erosion and getting down onto the sand is almost impossible unless you are young and agile, sad to say I am not at the moment.
Today is the first day without showers, so it is now hot and humid!
I had a long swim in the pool, trying to do some exercises and now ache, silly me but the pool was lovely.
Last night we had guests in for dinner, I cooked a lump of beef with a mustard crust, for the price of the meat it was a bit disappointing in its quality but slow cooking and the tast was fine with a 'jus' (dont you love that word, but it sounds better than watery gravy!) made from the pan juices and a bit extra went well with it. My cooking skills were vindicated, thank heaven.
I am always asked to pay for my board by cooking for guests at least once, which is asking a lot as these days I only cook simple things and usually for only two, but it does put me back on my toes to come up with something good..
I really like the rain, not so much the humidity. The garden looks lush and tropical, so may birds calling in the park over the back fence and today lots of different coloured butterflies. So far I havent managed to photograph one.
Tonight we are off to a house warming, bring your own everything as the young couple have just bought it but are off overseas for a month to see family before moving in, so candles and bring chairs! Sounds like fun.
The week is going fast.
Any way the sun is out and all is well with the world.

100th birthday

 My camera misbehaved a bit last night, but here is the cake, then the back of the birthday girl cutting her cake, I couldnt get close due to the crush of people, then some of the flowers she received and finally what it looks like down here, overcast, damp and misty. Today it has cooled down a bit, so not so sticky as the last few days.
we worked hard organising this party but now it is over we can relax.
It was a great but exhausting time.
Now to see what the rest of the week brings.

The garden is dry

 The cows got into the orchard and decimated a lot of the agapanthus and african daisies. It doesnt look too bad but this has not been watered for weeks and we have had no rain.
It is all crispy and a lot of leaves have fallen off the trees. I havent shown those things.
I am pinning myt faith on the belladonna lillies, once they flower we are supposed to have rain within a month. An early break to the season would be such a help then maybe we can survive for the next little while, both farm and garden and us.

Another cuff and walk

 I finished this cuff the other day, its not really as yellow as this.
We have been walking and I know i keep taking photos like this one but I just love the sea and the clouds and the last photo shows the froth along the beach we were walking
We head up to the Gold coast in Queensland on Sunday and yesterday was spent in Adelaide having hair done and teeth looked at (ok) and dropping off eggs and presents to friends and sisters so we were late home and feeling rather tired. I dont much like dentists so that is always rather fraught.
Today I am trying to fit our clothes for a week in one suitcase. I dont think we need a lot bathers and it will be hot and steamy so 3/4 pants (I dont wear shorts any more) and light tops not a lot just enough I think and then we also have the 100th birthday so some glad rags for that. I dont much like going up at this time of the year and it is so dry here I have to leave everything for the house sitter and she doesnt like watering things so I just hope the sprinkler system works this time, having fallen in a heap last time we were away.
Still it will be great to catch up with friends and walk beaches and swim in the pool, even if it is raining.
Off to see what else I have to do.

I am making cuffs again

 It is still horridly hot, I did wash the floors this morning and some vacuuming was done, so I felt a bit virtuous and since then I have been sewing lace onto cuffs.
This one is finished, although the colour is not quite right, and another is under way.
The base for this was an actual cuff from a cotton shirt, then layered up with lace and some buttons were added.
Click or double click to see it more clearly.
We are supposed to have a coolish change tomorrow, I do hope so.

At last a walk

We were up early this morning as it is hot and sticky and looks as if it will stay that way for a while. It wasnt terribly comfortable at 8.15 am so the day has just got worse.
I wasnt sure I was going to manage the walk but I did.
 I must not be such a wimp!
It was quite a low tide and the ripples in the sand had a lovely look about them.
I have been stitching some of my little jewelled pieces onto card as I need to gather together a few things for the Easter Show and really I havent been doing a lot.
So inside stuff, and I am stitching another lace cuff, also for the same show, I wasnt sure if they would be popular but my grand daughters seem to have liked them so perhaps others will as well.
I do wish it would rain, the garden looks awful and the dams are running low. The only bit that gives me pleasure are the pots by the back door. Sometimes I think perhaps I should just have that and no other.
Cant remember if I said but there is a huge tree down in the back garden, we need to get some one in to cut it up but John has cut away the branches that had bent my (new) little crab apple, luckily not broken.

4 day workshop with Roz Hawker

 It was a wonderful four days but I feel totally exhausted and all my muscles ache!
I have finally mastered a jewellers saw and although it doesnt look as if we did much we had to concentrate very hard and amazingly things came together.
We also sewed to make amulets with silk and learnt how to make a hole in metal and how to rivet using what we had as well as making links.
India Flint cooked the most amazing lunches and I am now back on a diet!
It was hot on the last day or two but the lovely converted mill, I think that it was that Jenni ownes and where we had our classes was a brilliant space for a small group.
I caught up with Lou who I had been in a workshop with at Forum years ago and met some other lovely people.
The photos, a couple of the river at Goolwa, Roz giving a talk and some of the things I managed to get done.
I was terribly tired and had a few problems keeping up but I was so pleased with the class and what I learnt from it. I drove over and back every day, thank goodness John fed animals and helped with dinner as I arrived home and collapsed in my chair, had I been drinking with a glass or two of wine but at least in that regard I was good.
Getting old is a b....!
Things I could once do without a thought now take days to get over, still I am off the cortisone and I hope from now on things will improve.
No walk this morning, instead a trip in to the market and a weeks shopping to be done and by the time I had finished that it was getting too hot.
We have had weeks of glorious not too hot weather and now it has become hot and humid, I hate it.

This that and the other

 I am trying to get together stuff for my 4 day workshop starting to morrow with Roz, I know I have far too much but I hve no idea exactly what we are doing so if I dont use it, well I dont and I am driving backwards and forwards so I hope I have some idea of what I will need or not need tomorrow.
today another quick collage in between wondering if I want this or that or whatever!
I finished another little jewelled piece last night and will probably start on another. I love fitting a tiny bit of this and that together.
We walked this morning and this is not what it looked like! Quite blustery and lots of white caps but I forgot my camera.
How could I? I never do so this is the same walk but last week, I thought the clouds were rather nice.
Looking towards Granite Island and Seal rock.
We saw a dead penguin this morning on the beach too.
Thank you to every one who has left a comment over the last few days, my knee is not brilliant and I am rubbing stuff on it and it seems to help my walking for a short time. I am determined to keep on walking but I am not sure what is happening under the skin!
I see I have made 70 followers on this blog, I think in a week or so I will have to think about a give away, but not this week I will be too busy.
Thank you to all who read my ramblings!

Gaby's 21st party

Not the best photos, my camera was playing up but the best I could find.
Celina, Mason Gaby and Tab about to do the cake and I think in the middle of speeches.
It was a lovely night with a lamb on the spit and lots of salad, a beautiful cake and Celina made a pavlova to die for.
Not a late night which was just as well as those of us who are rather older (!!) needed our rest.
I am so proud of Gaby, she has come through a lot and is doing very well.
Loved the 2nd photo of her and Celina having a laugh.

Walking over at Pt Elliot

 We havent walked over here for ages but as it wasnt too hot and I wanted to go over to Goolwa to check out where my class was we stopped and walked. Dozens of swallows were around and these were sitting on the fence.
Then a couple of shots of sky and sea and rocks and vegetation.
I love views like these.
I did a quick fun collage, you have probably guessed I am going through a gardening magazine and having fun.
I wish my shed was like this.
We are going out tonight to my grand daughters 21st, this is Gaby, Masons mother and what a great mother and grand daughter she is. This party she is organising herself, but at her mothers and step fathers place.
It should be fun.

Our 54th wedding anniversary

 Goodness we are getting old, and didnt we look so young then!
We have been out to lunch at what was Whalers Inn and now is Eat, a beautiful lunch, a lovely view and a fantastic day.
He has got a bit fatter and the hair is thinning but not bad for 75!
My best friend.
He is off to a meeting tonight so I will have a quiet dinner, not that I need much, we had a seafood platter between us, and I had scallops a bottle of fizz and J had a sea food salad and we did very naughtily have dessert, mine was an affogarto with frangelico, my favorite.
I think looking back that at 19 and 21 we had no idea what lay ahead, or that we would get to these many years together.
My daily little collage, all I can manage today.

Golden morning

 i wasnt going to blog today but these yellow crocosma were glowing With the early morning light through them this morning, I know some people think they are weeds but I love this one.
Max and I were out early this morning before it got too hot and one of the workmen was organising hay for the cows in the house paddock, and somehow Max got into the photo too with a smell that he found rather interesting.
I am still on my 10 minute collage in the morning, another from an old gardening book on a back grund of stamps on some watercolour paper.
I am never sure what I am going to do or what I will say on them but it does make me feel tthat at least I have done something arty today.

A bit of a messy day

I did this collage a few minutes ago, I love doing quick ones and this was using some backgrounds I had done ages ago using both home made stamps and some stencils. Just had to have that hen.
Then a photo of the pot garden by the back door, my tomato has so far given me 2 large ones and the small one has given us about 15 or so. Love it when things like that happen but I am having a few problems keeping the pea chicks out.
We had a long walk on the beach this morning, early before the sun got too hot, which it is now.
A lovely walk but my knee didnt like it much.
/so I have been fiddling around doing a bit of this and that and re reading A daughter of Time by Josephine Tey since the news broke about Richard111 bones being identified.
A much maligned man I am afraid. Politics and succession make nasty bedfellows.