Morning mix

finally we walked this morning, a bit windy but very pleasant to get back on the beach again. I had collected a few shells and these were put in one of the two baskets by the back door. The lemon tree is suddenly being quite prolific and I had to take a photo, I still marvel that I have a lemon tree here that actually produces lemons, we are deemed too cold and frosty to normally have a fruiting lemon but somehow I got this one on the right base stock and it is wonderful. It has got much cooler suddenly and overcast this afternoon. I have finished my yoyo necklace and am working on another as well as doing more pages in my gook. Trouble is they take such a long time to organise, waiting for paint to dry. Perhaps I should have two on the go. I am slowly getting back to normal after all this gadding about. Oh and tonight we have fish, I must take a photo but John came home with a nice feed of what we call nanagi, they look a bit like a small red snapper.

Still winter but feels like Spring

I walked around the garden this morning and there were blue skies, its warm and we are still officially in winter. It has been a bit of a worry actually as we have had frosts and very little rain through August, but things are growing well and looking lovely. I just hope it rains through September or we will really be in a mess. John saw a fox this morning coming up the drive, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I let out the hens, they are not all here in the photo but my lovely young roosters look quite magnificent. The Cob stallion was looking over the gate at the bottom of the orchard and as you can see there are blossoms on some of the trees. Double click to see a larger version. A lovely day to be alive.

Back from Melbourne.

We had an interesting going trip, two long drives and are home, the washing is being done, some shopping done and the cat is home, and I ache. I had to lovely days doing Ro Bruhns classes at art is you, nothing finished of course, only two of us in the first one which was her yo yo necklace class, beads, buttons and metal work. The other lass was Sally from Queensland and she and I and 3 others also did an altered book class, lots of fun making stamps from sticky backed foam and splashing paint around. I am looking forward to playing more with this when I have time.We also managed to see the absolutely magnificent Italian masterpieces from the Prado in Spain so glad we managed to get to the art gallery early and had almost no crowds. I bought the book, such wonderful faces. Off to hang out the next load of washing.

An early touch of spring

I dont think there is much left of this poor flowering plum, nearly killed by the wisteria and the clematis but a branch is bravely flowering and I had to take a photo before we leave. Melbourne tomorrow for a week. house sitter organised, cat in the cattery, packing almost done. All sounds great but I am having a bout of aches which doesnt help. Not sure how much blogging I will get done while we are away but it will be lovely to see the family again and to do my classes at the Melbourne Art Event. As usual it will be a mad rush but hope to see the Italian masters at the Art gallery too. Have a great few days.

Last stitch, I have done 12 months

I have decided to stop stitching daily for a while. I may start again in the New Year but I have done 12 months and I feel that I need a small break, with spring just around the corner there will be much more to do outside. As you can see I cooked lunch for 10 people on Monday, we walked in the botanic Gardens on tuesday and then went out for dinner that night and had some unsettling news about a grand daughter, On Wednesday we had a huge day, flew home, had hair cuts and heard good news about our grand daughter. Thursday I shopped and washed. Friday I didnt do much I think everything had caught up with me. Saturday we went to look at paintings and had a walk and on Sunday we walked, the almond trees have been out and all look quite spectacular, it rained and that was the end of my 12 months. I will miss it but at times I felt I needed a break to be a bit fresher about the qhole thing. I still need to sew on the last few dates and put the last couple of bits onto my roll, then perhaps I will show some finished photos.

Goolwa to beach walking

I am being very slow getting things done, trying to get everything together to go away so quickly has been rather fraught. Any way we are home and yesterday we went over to Goolwa to look at a couple of art exhibitions for SALA (SA living artists)and this year the two we saw were particularly good, sometimes they are a little ho hum. This morning we went in for a rather difficult walk along the beach, everything has been re arranged and there were great lumps of seaweed but it was so nice to get back and see it all. A pretty gloomy slightly damp day and cold. After Queensland we are both feeling the cold.

Last night in Queensland

We are now home, after a long and quite traumatic day with worries over a grand child clouding the day as well. All is fine there but it all left us feeling totally exhausted. we went out for dinner on our last night and the moon was coming up over the high rises and clouds when we sat at our table. You may have to double click to see the one of the high rises. I spent yesterday washing and getting stuff away, all the usual things after a couple of weeks away. today I hope to clean out a cupboard that ants had got into, trouble is it is in a high cupboard and I need some help and John is too busy trying to sort out all the bills etc that have accumulated while we were away. really just to say we are home and my blogs may be a bit short on and then we are heading for Melbourne I hope next Wednesday to do 2 classes with Ro Bruhn which I am looking forward to.

A bit of stitch and Gold Coast birds.

I ha en done a small amount of stitching but yesterday was full on. We had 10 in for lunch, which has I cooked and then exhaustion set in. Today is our last day and after making sure J had enough food to last her for a week after we leave, we hope by then she can drive, John and I walked in the Botanical Gardens again as there is a strong wind blowing and I think we would have been sand Blasted! I love the photos of the coots and the duck in the water, the swirls were really I threshing. I took the photo of the big water hens as reference for later sketches. What really intrigued us were a group of mothers all jogging and skipping and generally exercising with pushers in various parts of the park, the photo across the lake was of them. Double click to enlarge. We will be home very late tomorrow as we have hair cuts and then a long trip home so no bog. P if you are reading this no contact until THURSDAY!

A week in stitch.

A week of friends on the Gold Coast, walking, lunches, a ride on the new tram, walks on the beach, more friends and the wonderful trip down to the Margaret Olley exhibition. It has been a great week.The photo from the balcony, I was trying to get a high rise but I don't think it came out terribly well.Today I cooked a must Rd crusted lump of beef and cauliflower cheese and made a salad for 10. Exhausting.

Trip to the Margaret Olley exhibition.

g Today we had a wonderful trip down to the NSW town of Murwillumbah to see the magnificent Margaret Olley exhibition at the new Tweed Art Gallery. We met some dear old friends there for lunch. We were there early and I went through the exhibitions twice, It was fascinating seeing the re production of her studio and the rooms in her house. The setting is magnificent and our lunch was lovely. There were other exhibitions on at the time, two of which were also fascinating. All in all a wonderful day. I love the area and Mt Warning was looking magnificent, the interior photo is of one part of the studio.

A walk around the block in southern Queensland.

This afternoons walk was across the park where we set all the neighborhood dogs barking and saw this rainbow lorikeet at the entrance to a hollow in a paper bark then on around the road take great photos of houses and plants, just hope I don't get arrested for taking photos of houses and gardens. So lovely to see plants I can't grow at home. I am rather worried about what damage has been caused in my garden from the frosts we have had. Lunch again with 101 year old Phyllie, she was really on the ball today which was ,lovely to see.

Coffee at the beach

Yesterday we took the new Gold Coast tram from one end to the other, a fun experience. one that didn't need a lot of walking and we saw bits of the area that was new to us. Unfortunately I didn't take photos on the first trip when we had a tram with clear windows and on the return trip there was mesh on the windows so no point in taking photos. After that we went and had a coffee at one of the surf clubs on the beach, lovely clouds in the sky. We also had a quick look in one of my favorite galleries on the coast, always interesting stuff but no walls left to put stuff on, and no money to buy. To day we took J to the physio and tonight's it is out to drinks with friends, such a shame I am not drinking.

My week in stitch and the beach.

I am a little behind with this, things have suddenly got rather busy here, with another guest arriving and J suddenly feeling tired as I had expected, she tries to do too much. We did manage a walk on the beach although it was not as easy as it could have been though as the sand was soft and not easy walking. We did also manage a lovely lunch though. My week in stitch, seems so long ago now, involved a visit to my orthopedic surgeon, one year on, a day organizing to go away, and feeling as if I was going around in circles. Then the trip up, and from then on a round of seeing old friends, walking, shopping and up until now generally relaxing.

From my bedroom Window.

This fellow was on the tree next door. The weather here is fantastic, linen pants and a t shirt. It is due to change but we are enjoying it while we can. Out to lunch with Phyllie, at 101 she is amazing. Jill is doing really well but John driving her is proving to be a bit frustrating for both of them. John and I walked this morning to get a paper, along a busy highway, not great but a walk. Working out how to get this tablet working. Off to do a bit of knitting the rest are having a zizz.