HAPPY BIRTHDAY & THE YEAR THAT WAS!!!!!!!!

Today, 46 years ago I had my first baby & here she is when she was about 2 years old.  She is a wonderful daughter, wife, mother of two and works as a library technician.  You couldn't ask for  more.  Happy Birthday daughter.

OUR WACKY, HECTIC & EXPENSIVE YEAR.

A quick wrap up of the year in words. If you think it may be boring, skip this post.
This time last year we were entertaining our nephew & partner, who were visiting from the UK.  Once they had departed, it was a trip to Canberra for some child minding in late January.  Come February I did a workshop in Torquay with Angie from Gnome Angel at Amitie Textiles.  On to March & our step granddaughter arrived from UK & stayed with us & we also celebrated hubby's 70th.  May saw us making an emergency trip to Sydney for my little brother who spent a week in hospital. This was the start of many car repairs, having to have a new alternator fitted whilst away.  June saw our DD have a foot operation and  at the end of June we took a trip to Bordertown for a Mystery Case Retreat with Judy,  (News from Jude blog), and to meet with my friend Joy, (Days filled with Joy blog), who was visiting from Dubai, when she isn't at home in Oz.  At the beginning of August we headed north to Queensland for a family get together, as my stepdaughter & family from the UK, were visiting friends up there.  Whilst on our way to where we were staying, we broke down (with caravan in tow) & had to be towed to Ipswich, where we had a new radiator & 2 thermostats fitted.  Expensive!!  We arrived home just before my birthday & were (may I use this word?), knackered.  A quick few days in Geelong was lovely, as we had  day in Ballarat too & saw Joy again, & as she is living back here in Oz, we'll be able to spend a bit more time seeing each other & talking quilting.  We decided at the very beginning of December, we would take time out for a week to visit our two boys in N.S.W. & the A.C.T.  By just after lunch on the first day, we were on our way home again, once more on the back of a tow truck.  Luckily for us this fix wasn't too expensive, but we are yet to see if it is going to be the last in a series of mishaps.  Christmas saw us over at DD's for the day, with no incidents.  Yay! 
I now think I know, from putting this on paper, why I may have been a bit overwhelmed by 2018.

TODAY.
We are in second day of some very extreme weather.  I made the effort to pick some blueberries this morning, but just one small section from one of my two bushes.

600 grams worth in this lot.  I'm keeping a tally on the fridge.  Some of this lot will be in my freezer                                                                             for next year.

Our weather station reading just before lunch.  It has only gone up to 36.3 so far &is still around that temperature.  Yesterday, it reached 39.6 here, though there were places in north western Victoria and South Australia which were in the 40's.  Marble Bar in central Australia, reached......48 degrees. Ouch, that's way to hot.

OK, enough from me today and I'll post a roundup of some crafty moments in the last few months, that, I think,  I'm proud of.  I've been in "finish that up" mode, even though I've been very flat metally.  I'd not realised that I'd actually done quite as much.  Hubby has also been busy with his woodwork, so I'll sort some photos & give you a bit of an overload possibly.  I've also got a few posts I'd like to do next year with some odd days out & holiday snaps, taken in Queensland.
Until then,  take care & huggles from Susan.
PS>  Thanks if you do take the time to read this.