Home from Queensland

I am very tired and still trying to get things sorted. I did manage to get a few photos up and organised. As usual I had forgotten that they go up in reverse order. So the first ones are on a friends property in the Brisbane Valley, looking fantastic and very lovely. Then the lop eared beasts they call cattle up there in Queensland, these were most entertained at this group of people having lunch.
Then the Brisbane River where we crossed in the 4 wheel drives, very small at this stage.
Finally the Surfers Paradise big buildings seen as we walked the beach, no swimming as the cyclonic affects were still being felt and the seas were huge,this was the second day of the trip and finally John walking ahead on our first day when it was still very wild on the beach and I nearly got washed away when a slightly larger wave got me. After that I was very careful with the camera so you really cant see what the waves looked like.
Wonderful 2 weeks, lots more installments to come but we didnt stop this time and now I am home I am looking after one grand child and feeding Tabby's ponies and I think my back is broken!!

Playing with Lutradur

I had a sample piece that Dale had sent in a pack, not much so I had a play with it after painting it first and then spraying with mists.
So first I stamped it, then I used some scraps and using my heat tool bonded the scraps on and also using the heat tool cut out a scallop on the botton. Not one to have left overs I used those scraps to see if they would adhear as awell. Then I put painted vliesofix on it, then stencilled and used a punch to cut out some small hearts, then using misty fuse I popped on all sorts of scraps to see what they would do. I have made up some small labels telling me what I did and I will put those on and make a small book.
Not shown are one piece that I foiled and one I am sewing scraps onto.
I have packed the cases and watered the pots and am in the last phases of getting organised to go away.
Of course goodness knows what the flight tomorrow will be like and when trying to do the online booking for our seats, the system had a hissy fit and we were seated miles away from each other and then we couldnt change it whatever we tried. We finally had to contact the airline who tell us we should be ok and to explain when we get to the counter. But will this work?
We are taking the small notebook with us but contact may be minimal so you may not hear from me until the middle of the month.

A small quilt and this mornings photos

I saw a gorgeous idea in the latest Quilting arts in which the author had used stitch to embellish, and quite highly embellish small quilts and as I want something to take away with me I made this today. It is a bit rough but I will see what I can transform it into.
We were up early this morning, in to the market where I bought some goats meat to try, then a walk around the road along the base of the Bluff. We havent been there for ages and I didnt think we would see a seal but a very busy one appeared, too fast for me to take a photo.
It was damp and very overcast with a big swell so of course a photo, the cottage is the original Rumbelow cottage that was moved many years ago to be part of the original Whalers Haven and the center piece of a small museum. I am not sure what it is used for now.
It is a shame it is still not the small settlers cottage museum it was.
Sarah rang me this morning to tell me that we had won the Champion ridden stallion at the National Welsh Show in Victoria, and won the Section A stallion class and won the National Welsh leading rein with the mare so they have been doing well.
I wish I was there. Here I am getting very tired doing the feeds!

Last nights function

Some one else paid for us to go to this, I had no intention of driving nearly 2 hours to see the former Prime Minister at a tribute to the former Foreign affairs Minister as I have already been to a couple of these before, Alexander Downer was our local Federal MP and I like and respect him but any way for a glass of champagne and four bits of finger food I am not sure it was worth it. Although the speeches were very funny.
I did shake John Howard's hand and reminded him that I had sat next to him many years ago at a thing at Victor when Alexander was briefly the Opposition Leader, I didnt expect him to remember it although it always left me with a lasting impression of a nice man.
When John was Mayor I met all sorts of people.
So I took some photos, it was freezing cold and was supposed to be a garden party and the women to wear cocktail dresses, those that did got wet and froze. A lovely restored house and garden nearly at the top Of Mt Lofty. I loved the cast iron work on the top of the conservatory, and somehow got Johns face, sorry about that and I believe the Opposition Leader as well.
The other one was of the rather Jane Austin interior, not my style but I suppose people who restore these houses think that is what they should do, of course originally it wouldnt have looked like this at all.
At this stage I was squashed against a door as it really started to rain outside and every one made a rush for the inside.
We have had 17 mm of rain which is lovely but incredibly you kick the soil and under the top centimeter or so it is dry
I am having to feed a zillion ponies as the family have gone to Victoria to try their luck at the National Welsh Show. I will be glad when they get home as tossing hay around is playing merry hell with my back.
I am also in panic mode as we head for Queensland on Tuesday and I have so much to do before I leave, but at least I did manage to vaguely get the house looking neat and clean so one thing off the list.
I also see what looks like a cyclone off the Queensland coast, could make life interesting, wet and humid I would think.

no photos but a poem

In this months Adelaide Review Shirley Stott Despoja bemoaned the fact that it was hard to find a suitable poem for her granddaughters naming day but she finally found this one which I think is so apt

FOR A FAVORITE GRANDDAUGHTER
by Dorothy Parker

Never love a simple lad,
Guard against a wise,
Shun a timid youth and sad,
Hide from haunted eyes.

Never hold your heart in pain
For an evil-doer;
Never flip it down the lane
To a gifted wooer.

Never love a loving son,
Nor a sheep astray,
Gather up your skirts and run
From a tender way.

Never give away a tear,
Never toss a pine;
Should you heed my words, my dear,
You're no blood of mine!

I hope you like it. I did.

Painted and crumpled brownpaper

I do this every so often but I need to cover some small note books and this will be a start.
And what did I do today, apart from that? I saw a specialist who looked at my knees, wriggled my knees until they hurt and told me there was nothing he could do they were just old arthritic knees and I had abused them quite successfully in my life but nothing he could or would operate on and in fact even looking at them with an arthroscope (sp?) would do more damage than good and to keep on managing the best I could. eg, more pain killers!! More or less told me that these were nearly 70 year old knees and that is why lots of people from down here go to Queensland in the winter.
So I came home chasened and crumpled brown paper!
John has had his stitches out and the path report says they have got it all so that is good news.

Our dam

We went for a walk this morning along the beach in Victor and came back to find that cyclists that no one seemed to know much about had created havoc near our favorite coffee stop.
Then a photo of one of the stallions with his mare and a foal by him. Rather a nice foal.
Shows how dry it is.
Finally some photos of the dam we have just cleaned out and made a bit bigger. the water in the bottom has been pumped in from another dam, so far that is all we have in it and this is the dam we use for the dairy.
It will be good if when it does rain we get a nice gentle one so that the soil which is so powdery dry has a chance to absorb it as against it all running off.
I am making more fabric hearts,this time in a different stronger color, as well as finishing off a heap of stuff for the exhibition so nothing to show yet.
It seems to be so hard to find any time to settle and do stuff, the house needs cleaning and the hoses get constantly moved.