JULY SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT. (2018)

Linking this last Friday of July with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me, to show my selection of photos for her word list.  I've had fun with both finding in the archives & more recent ones, including a last minute photo yesterday, which is very fuzzy, but will have to do.  So here we go.

1.  DOOR.

A side door with beautiful ironwork at Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales.  Somewhere we head to each time, we visit the UK.  So this one is from my archives, probably 2014.

2.  11AM.

This is my fuzzy one, but hopefully you can read the little blackboard heart.  Taken about 2pm yesterday, at the Craft & Quilt Show in Melbourne, where I had a day out savouring many works of art.  If I was just a tad taller, it may have been better, but I did find it and, with a little bit of laughing by the stallholder as to why I needed it.  Luckily she is someone I know as she used to have a quilt shop in the next suburb to where we live, but it closed many years ago and is now an on-line business.  SAD!!.

3.  TEXTURE.

Just look at this old cart made from timber.  It definitely has TEXTURE!!!!!!  I took this photo earlier this year on a day out to Gulf Station, which is a National Trust property in the Yarra Valley region & is only open odd occasions.  I should do a post about it, as I did take many photos.

4.  SHADOW/S.

Another from the archives.  Taken at Temple Newsam in Leeds, this is part of the walled garden & although looking for another photo, I spotted this and realised the shadow line went diagonally from corner to corner.  There were a few other contenders.

5.  VIEW.

I narrowed this one down to a more recent photo, from the quick trip we had to Sydney.  This view is from the lookout area on Cambewarra Mountain, on the south coast of NSW, in the Shoalhaven region.  For many years we lived in Cambewarra Village at the bottom of this mountain, where hubby and I both worked out of Nowra.  Alas, this where I was made redundant from the bank, where I'd worked for many years and we've moved on several times.  It is an area I still dearly love, and yes that is the sea in the distance, and the little lump on the left is Mt. Coolangatta with the Shoalhaven River flowing out to sea in the centre.

6.  My Own Choice.
OH DEAR!!!!  I've two for this one.  Sorry.............................
Both doggy photos, to join with others who do the "dog bit" for their own choice.

Dash, on the left and Patch to the right.

On Sunday, just gone, it was a reasonable day, although, extremely fresh and we made our way to the coast for my monthly sea-air fix.  We walked along Cape Patterson beach, made our way up to the grassy knoll at the top to take in the view before we started along the beach again, back to the car.
As we sat, a motorbike descended the track to the beach & what did I espy in his back pannier, but these two cuties.  I asked politely if I could take photos & told yes I may.  The very nice man gave me an account of how he collects for The Children's Hospital by taking them out on odd occasions to raise this money.  I didn't have any money on me, due to just walking along the beach & he said it was OK, as they'd just needed a "wee" stop. BTW..  Patch licked me death.  They even have their own Facebook page.

Millie.

I'm sure everyone will know the artist who painted this.................
A beautiful portrait of a friend's dog, who sadly passed away suddenly, very recently.  This little lady was our unofficial mascot for the car club we belong to and is missed very much by her owner, as well as many of the members. I commissioned it from Kate.   We should be presenting this to her next Wednesday night at a committee meeting & I'm sure she'll do as I did, and cry as she unwraps it.
OK, that is all from me for now.
It's been a busy year so far and I know I've been slack on the blogging front, but the Scavenger Hunt keeps me on my toes, so as the weather warms and we venture towards Spring, I may keep more up to date.  I'll do the linky thing & keep an eye out for the other Hunter's post.
Take care all.
Susan.

OUT AND ABOUT.

ARTHUR'S SEAT. (Mornington Peninsular).

On a lovely day in May, we set off down to the Mornington Peninsular for a drive & the possibility of a walk.  As we drove through the hills, we decided to stop & wander around Arthur's Seat. 
I'll show what we saw mainly in pictures, as most of my viewers live overseas, so here we go.

One of the gondolas on the Arthur's Seat Eagle, which, I believe is quite an experience, something                                                                        I've not done yet.

And, this must be the reason for calling it the Eagle.  I spotted this Wedgetail Eagle soaring overhead on the path to Seawinds Gardens.

 A plaque to commemorate one of our early maritime explorers.

The view over Port Phillip Bay from one of many advantage points.

 Seawinds Gardens, (above & below), which were once privately owned and sold to the Victorian State Government in 1975 for all to enjoy.

We wandered around and espied some interesting things.

Stone walling which contains some wonderful sculptures by William Ricketts, that were commissioned by the last owner of the property.

One of several along the wall in niches.

Can you see the kangaroo among the long grass?  They were hard to spot on this particular day, but there were quite a few quietly resting.

A short stroll, then led us to this.......................and we saw these ______________

                                                 Motor scooters and many motorbikes.

                                                    Old, veteran and vintage motor cars.

                                                    Children's cars, that were amazing.
                                               Something my boys would have loved.

And model cars as well.  The one in the centre is an FC Holden, which is what I learnt to drive in, when I was seventeen.  Ah, those were the days!!!!!!!!!!
                                               Vintage homewares were also given space.

I loved this old pianola with it's rolls sitting on top.  I also spied the old squeeze box on the left.

 This amazing old folding stroller brought back many memories for me.  My mother had one the same for myself and two younger brothers and as we didn't have a car till I was around 9 or 10, it saw many miles for the three of us as toddlers.

This one may interest my friend Jayne, as I know she's one for not liking chemical sprays.😊

Lastly, one of my crafty shots.  I do love getting in odd angles & people probably wonder what I'm doing.
OK, that was one of the days out that I've been going to post for some time.  I do hope to catch up a couple more we've done earlier this year soon.
Thanks to anyone who cares to read this.  Take care all.
Susan.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

First of all, I'd like to send a big "THANK YOU" to all, for the  lovely comments on my last post of the Photo Scavenger Hunt.  I had no internet connection at the caravan park on our weekend away in Bordertown and have been ever so busy catching up with washing & mundane stuff.  It's also been Car Club committee meeting week, with the newsletter to be distributed too and the weather has been atrocious as well.  Next week we are off to DD's for a spot of child minding 😏, as in DD herself, who has had an operation on her foot and can't drive for six weeks.  OK, her hubby is going back to work & what with school holidays at the moment, it should be a lovely catch up time with her & our grandies, who are growing up way to fast.

Now to the other 'thank you' to Judy from News from Jude blog, who hosted a Mystery Case Weekend Retreat.   I attended at the last moment to catch up with my friend Joy who lives between Dubai & Ballarat, due to her hubby's work.  I did take a few photos, but they were few and far between.  The ladies all pick a case after a bit of lottery-type fun, sometimes loving what they pick & sometimes doing a quick swap.  After all that they started madly sewing on the Friday night.  As I was trying to get to grips with something I was doing, I took it along instead of starting something that may end up as a UFO.  Last time I went, I'll admit to finishing the quilt & giving it as a gift.😌
The following photos are some of what were finished as tops or in progress by the ladies.

And the last photo of the lovely group of ladies showing off their quilts together, along with Judy, our hostess & her trusty offisder Pat.
I was plodding away on this, just to show I wasn't idle.

Playing with my blocks on Judy's floor.

On our way to and from Bordertown, we did have a "few" photo stops.

Pink Lake.

Green Lake with the Grampians in the background.

Similar to above, 

There were a few pelicans on the water.

This beautiful old building has intrigued us each time we pass & Pat informed me that it was the old Post Office in the little hamlet of Lillimur.  Another one of my strange foibles, is photographing abandoned buildings.
After having a lovely time with the wonderful ladies, I felt quite flat when we got back, thinking about the talented lot I'd spent time with.  There was our hostess, who is an extraordinary long-arm quilter as well as a pattern designer & retreat organiser, Pat who helps with the nuts & bolts parts of the pattern process too.  Then there are the retreaters who again, consisted of another talented long-arm quilter & many other quilt designers, along with chatter about uni days, careers, living in foreign countries, entering State Quilt shows, winning ribbons, promoting their blogs and all manner of other titbits that I can't even join in with.  I left school at 15 & although I worked, I definitely didn't have a career, but I am who I am, & enjoy finding out about how & what makes other people who they are.  Talk about a fish out of water, but I enjoy the company & puttering away like the slow tortoise I am, with my hands & mind busy.

AFTER THE HOLIDAY.
This weekend the weather has been very, very miserable, but I've made  the most of it by staying indoors doing this.................

Making a mess in the kitchen.  Notice the rainspots on the window.

Which finished up as some choc/mint pinwheels, though they aren't very round, and a slice, to take over to DDs.
And this.......................

A little sewing on those blocks from last weekend.  My design wall isn't big enough and there is one block hanging off each side, so once it's put together, I'll show a better photo.

Not been the best week for photography, but I did snap this one below, after I'd heard the Corellas milling overhead and captured them on these roofs across the way.  They do "fly overs" nearly everyday & it is noisy & quite spectacular.

Click to view larger.

That's about my lot for now and again I may be absent till next weekend, due to our commitments, but I'll try and catch up over the next month with some of our lovely outings before the weather turned into winter.
OOOH!!!  I do have something else to share...........................................................................................
I don't want anyone to think I'm, uh...................................boasting, especially after feeling so flat (above), but I've a quilt in this magazine......

Yes, me!!!!!!!!!  This is a digital magazine run by three lovely Australian ladies, and although nobody knows, I actually have a few goals to hit before I reach 70, and one was to have a pattern published in a magazine.  I finally took the plunge late last year and  it happened.  I'm still pinching myself. 
OK, that is my lot this time and once I get myself organised, I will do some posts of our out and abouts.  Take care all and lots of huggles from down under.
Susan.