SEPTEMBER SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT 2018

Ah, another month gone and it's link up time again with Kate.

This month's list had just a wee bit more thinking to be done, but I got there in the end so let us see what inspired me.

1.  BRIGHTLY COLOURED.

Oh dear, another pink tractor, but this time scattered brightly with crazy flowers.  I took this photo many years ago (2008, I think) & I was actually browsing holiday snaps when I noticed it and thought aha!  It was taken at Ruston's Rose Garden in Renmark, South Australia.
2.  UPSIDE DOWN.

Not quite upside down, but definitely not showing the right direction.  This was taken last weekend after we'd spied it on our Coffee/Cake run with the car club.  K & I both said at the same time, "Upside down", but couldn't stop then, so had an afternoon outing on the weekend.  The same day also netted my own choice photo too.  Lucky break.
3.  INK.

The photo was taken  this afternoon, after being really stumped for the word ink.  I'd been hoping to get to an antique complex and find a lovely old inkwell or bottle to photograph, but that didn't eventuate.
Fortunately, I walk past this lovely tray many times everyday, then spotted a book in one of my bookcases that came from a cleanup at my parents place.  Now of course, "pen & ink", which is the method my DD used to do this tray for me, when she had more time for craft before children.  I love it and always had it displayed in my studio, but these days it is on the treadle machine in the hall on the way to my sewing room, not a studio😢.
4.  BAG.

OK, I do have permission to use this great photo of Miss A, our lovely grand daughter who is our
eldest grandchild.  I cannot believe that she is nearly 22.  Where have all those years gone?  I'd been busy snapping some family photos, when she turned around and I got this one with her "bag" in hand.
Just a bit of fun.
5.  PATTERN.

Taken at Cape Patterson Beach back in July.  I'm not sure exactly what it is, though it reminds me of some sort of fossil imprint.  I find it rather fascinating, making a 'pattern' on the rocks.
6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

As I pointed out above, this was taken last Sunday afternoon as we came home.  Stopped to take in some views, when I noticed the cows on the way to milking on a dairy farm.  I needed my zoom lens, but I'm so pleased with this photo.  You may need to click on it to see properly.

I do enjoy these photo hunts, the thinking, keeping your eyes open to see what's around & trawling through the archives.  I also love to see what everyone else comes up with.
Thanks Kate.  Take care all & huggles.
Susan.

HOLIDAY PART 2.

Picking up again from my previous holiday post, we made our way further north & stopped in Goondiwindi for lunch.  This is quite an interesting town, which I will show mainly in photos. It is in Queensland & sits on the northern side of the river that is the border between the 2 states (NSW & Qld).

                                                The beautiful hotel in the main street.

 

A very large sign with mileages (actually kilometres) to various towns in Australia.  There was a third side, that I just couldn't manage to take from anywhere.  You can see that we were already 1325kms from Melbourne.

A monument to one of Australia's famous race horses, named Gunsynd.

The bridge over the Macintyre River which is part of the border.

                                A little about the Macintyre River which gives more information.

One of the more recent flood markers.  

A lovely mural on a large concrete water tank beside the river, depicting 2 Brolgas, which are native birds.  As a child, at Christmas time, we would sing Australian Christmas Carols, one of which was Carol of the Birds. which begins - "Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing".  I love this song with words by John Wheeler & music by William G. James.

Lunch eaten & our little jaunt around town done, we went on our way & what did we see up ahead, but a bushfire.  Not sure whether it was maybe a controlled burn, as it so dry in the north & the fire season had started very early this year.  

Enough from me today for this post.  Another will come next week about the journey from Toowoomba to Forest Glen where we spent 9 lovely days with our family.

Friday sees a post on the Photo Scavenger Hunt, so till then,

take care & huggles,  Susan.

BLOGGERS' QUILT FESTIVAL 2018

https://www.amyscreativeside.com/2018/09/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2018-edition/

Well, I just decided to pop a quilt into this festival, so it will be a short post.  The linky bit is above.
Last year I was trying to use from my stash only and made 3 quilts named for our granddaughters & although 2 were finished completely by the end of the year, the one below was finally quilted & bound this year.  I did post a photo before the binding was done, but not completely finished.

AIMEE LEE.

This is called Aimee Lee and was designed by me on my Quilt Wizard program, using my stash and then quilted on my long arm machine, with a pattern by Apricot Moon called Ribbons'n'Bows.
I enjoyed finding somewhere to take these photos.

                                                An "in progress" shot on my design wall.

This photo shows what happens when using from your stash and miscalculating the amount of background you need.  Substitutions can be fun & once it's all done, you can just look at the bigger picture.  Enjoyment is what it is all about.
I've never participated in something like this before, so do hope it's OK.
Take care all & if you pop on to take peek, a big THANK YOU.
Susan.

OUR RECENT HOLIDAY TO QUEENSLAND.

PART 1.
Well, I suppose some may have noticed I've been a bit quiet lately.  We went away with our caravan at the beginning of August & I had limited internet access, so decided I'd do anything necessary & not worry about blogging, which I'd do as soon as we arrived home.  Alas, I managed the Scavenger Photo Hunt, then had both internet & laptop problems, so now I think I'd like to catch up with a bit about our holiday before the next photo hunt arrives.  I was "k.......d" (exhausted), when we got back, so even sorting the photos was delayed.  Now I'm halfway through quilting 2 customer quilts, which has also been frustrating me. 
Sunday afternoon, quite cool & with hubby watching car racing on the telly, I'm sitting here trying to work out what to write & which photos to use.  Here goes............

DAY 1
We left home early, headed out of Melbourne, making for Tocumwal on the Murray River which is the main border between Victoria and New South Wales.  Towing a caravan limits my photo taking, so not much till we reached the lovely small town of Tocumwal which sits on the NSW side of the river, where we stayed for the night.

A rest area along the highway, where there is shaded parking area & toilets. Convenient for travelers in Australia due to the long distances traveled.

Murray River at Tocumwal.

The BIG Murray Cod.

We have a passion here to have BIG representations of 'things"  & the one above is a native fish species that lives in the Murray River.

Some wonderful murals on the front of the local IGA supermarket in Tocumwal.  Very representative of our countryside from yesteryear.

I spied this whilst we were on our walk around town & just had to snap it.  Along the top (if you click on it you can see it better), it reads National Bank of Australasia Ltd.  When I started working in the bank in 1966, this is what it was called, though I was employed in Sydney & not this branch.  It is now called NAB.  Useless information, I suppose.

                                This beautiful old tree was near the park & displayed a plaque.

And then, wondering what this was as we ended our walk.............

 Nearing the caravan park, (our car can be seen in the top left of the above photo) & approaching the long fence I could see movement.  Was it a dog? 

NO!!!!  It was these 2 kangaroos, who seemed to be fascinated by me too, snapping away madly.  

DAY 2 & 3.

Only a few photos taken these couple of days, due to aforementioned travelling restrictions & most of my followers not knowing the geography of Oz.  We traveled up the Newell Highway, west of the Great Dividing Range (a range of mountains running top to bottom on the eastern side of our country).

Most of NSW & Queensland are in severe drought & I've tried to capture that.

Taken through the rather bug spattered windscreen, showing just how dry, flat & expansive it is out west.

 A dry creek bed, which by the erosion of it's sides, can flow well, when we've had rain.

Occasionally, there are places to stop, as long as you've not got a truck or other vehicle,"right up your backside", as hubby puts it.   There were many trucks loaded with hay on their way to drought stricken farmers.

Another view over ploughed fields, awaiting those first drops of rain.  The mountains in the distance are a small section the Great Dividing Range.

I'll post more during the week about travelling over the border into Queensland, our little mishap & seeing places new to me, as I've only been to Queensland once before, when I was 16 and that is, a long time ago.

A LITTLE EXTRA.......................

I've managed to finish the piecing on the quilt I designed and started at the Mystery Case weekend I enjoyed with my friend Joy, back in July.   Ahhhhhh!

Does anyone ever feel guilty about weird things?

Here in our part of Victoria, even though the rainfall isn't as good as it should be, we are definitely in the GREEN & not drought. This I snapped last week on a short afternoon outing.

Taken on a back road between Drouin & Poowong, it definitely makes the above photos look stark.

I was actually out to take one of the photos for the Scavenger Hunt.  Hmm!  Now I have you wondering.

I'll leave it at that for today & have scheduled in another 'holiday post' on Wednesday, I hope.

Thanks for taking the time if you read this.  Am I too long winded?

Take care all & huggles.

Susan.