ADELAIDE TRIP - Part Two.

 Apologies to all.  I am trying to leave comments on the blogs I follow, but some won't take and then replies to me come back through my email as subsystem errors, so I am completely frustrated & getting somewhat disheartened, but will try and keep up.

Back again after such a long spell away from blogging.  It's been hectic since we got back with all sorts, me not sleeping well, cataracts forming on both eyes, which isn't helping with sewing etc., medical appointments, keeping up to date with little brothers NDIS stuff and another quick trip away.  That little one should also be blogged about too, soon.

Let's see what else we saw on our trip in September.  After a great night at the Quilt Trunk Show, we opted to head out to Victor Harbour on the Saturday and to our surprise...................it was their Rock'n'Roll weekend.  Arriving, and not knowing what was happening to start with, meant finding a parking spot was hard and then, we noticed what was happening.  To cut a long story short, there was also a vintage/veteran car display too.  A few photos follow of this lovely little town and yes we have been there with the kids a long time ago.

All sorts of cars and this was only a small sample of what was there.

A couple from my childhood and teenage years.

OH!!!!!!!  I remember these well as it was my first car when I was about 17 1/2.
Nearly the same colour too. 😂

Some other attractions in Victor Harbour.

The gorgeous horse float that brings a gorgeous horse to town.

The horse drawn tram which travels all the way on the causeway to Granite Island.
We went on the older one many years ago.

There were also camel rides along the beach.

Stumps from the old causeway.

We also spotted a National Trust building and as we are members, explored and I can't remember exactly what it was originally and didn't take any photos telling me, did manage a few snaps.

Trim, Matthew Flinders cat, which I think most of us oldies have heard about. (giggle).

Part of the very pretty walkway.

Ooh.............and a quilt hanging on the wall.

And,  what!  a redback spider on the toilet seat.
Most Aussies will remember the song.

Sunday saw us head over to Lara's for morning tea, up in the beautiful hills of Adelaide.

Lara is one of the co-founders of the on-line digital magazine Make Modern & we have met before, but was great meeting her hubby and children too.

Next day saw us making our way to Mount Gambier for the night and here is what we saw at Kingston South East  on the way,  which will round up today's post.

The Big Lobster.

A carved fur seal.

The most unusual (if not gross) algae floating on the water in a small creek.

Beautiful reflection in the pond.

OK, still having trouble with blogger, not playing like it used to.

I'll leave it at that for today, publish this hoping there are no silly errors and see if anyone is still following me.  

Take care all and hugs from Susan.

WAFFLING ON WEDNESDAY.

 Oh dear, I do have an apology to all those who commented on the Photo Hunt, as I didn't manage any replies, but a huge thanks to all. I've been a bit melancholy & muddle-headed, due to my ongoing back pain & bunged up ears.  I've had the ears seen to & although ears have been done, it's left one irritated & inflamed.  Next appointment is Monday for my back. 

Today I'm going to post about a couple of our local drives we've taken and a walk, with a few more posts to come over the next week, as I'm way behind & I do take my camera most places & find some great pics and some really wacky things too.

A WALK.

A short drive from home takes us to a reserve with walking track called Picnic Point.  The walk isn't anything spectacular, but just an enjoyable ramble & can be done safely with masks down as we generally don't see anybody.

Nasturtiums seem to have taken over just here, but do make a nice splash of colour.

A goat we see quite often on a long tether keeping some of the verge neat & tidy near a small row of                                                                                  properties.

More of the West Gippsland Burrowing Crayfish chimneys.  This year seems to have been a bumper year as they are popping up all over the place.

The first bit of the walk sort of took us via the road, but now we need to head further into the reserve and the turning point is near this lovely house which has a large dam. So much wind in October brought down many trees throughout Victoria and this one landed in their dam.

As we turned on the track, oh dear, another down & with no way round it we had to climb over.  We noticed as we drove past yesterday that it has been cleared.

                                                              An old car rusting in peace.

Arum lilies colonising at the base of an old gum which has been lopped of it's top, probably due to the dangerous habit they have of dropping branches.

                                                        Another very large gum along the track.

              Back to near where we'd parked the car with a sward of green near a small farm.

A DRIVE INTO THE FOREST SOURCING FIREWOOD.

Another day we took a drive out into a new to us area of forest where we can source firewood collection, but alas no luck on that front, though we did see plenty for me and my camera.

Along the road we noticed this wallaby, slowed down, I took this through the windscreen, then he hopped over the road in front of us and up the embankment.  You must be careful as they can be unpredictable as to when they'll make their move.

Spotted these 2 lovely kookaburras carved into the top of a felled tree in someone's front yard.

And these two shaggy highland cattle were watching us, as we watched them.  I do love these shaggy                                                                                  beasts.

                                          Another of our magnificent gums.  Look at it's girth.

AND...............this was the most amazing sight!!!

A bluebell wood in the middle of farming country, just out of the forest on a narrow gravel road.  I was completely gob-smacked.  Must admit that they aren't the pretty darker English bluebell, but the lighter Spanish variety.  Just the same, it was absolutely gorgeous.

                              Another view and yes I did take more snaps than these two.

                    The distant ranges make for stunning views up through here on a sunny day.

Although I was going to do another of our drives, I'll leave it till Friday as I'm both tired and needing to finish handsewing the binding on the other baby quilt whilst watching an episode the The Great British Sewing Bee.  After a very hot & muggy day of 30+ degrees, we've had a shower of rain and are expecting storms overnight & tomorrow.

Have a lovely Wednesday in the northern hemisphere, take care, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.

AUGUST PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT - 2020

Catching up with Kate and the photo scavenger hunt once again.  Not missing it this time, even though I found these prompts somewhat difficult in "difficult" times.😖

1.  MOVING.

         Fast moving car on the race track on Phillip Island taken from the archives a few years ago.

2.  BOXES.

Taken this afternoon on my well loved blanket box.  To the left is my late Mum's "hankie" box where she always kept her clean handkerchiefs.  Centre and right are two boxes DH has made me over the years.

3.  STARTS WITH......D

The old "DREDGE" at Porcupine Flat near Maldon in Central Victoria where gold was once mined.

4.  BREAKFAST.

Ah......breakfast is finally here.  One taken from the archives of a couple of King Parrots at the feeder one morning.

5.  MAKING.

"Making" pieced backings for some recent quilts that I've quilted over the last few months.  Not having access to any of my favourite quilt shops for widebacks, I've resorted to using leftovers or larger pieces from my stash and sewing them together to be big enough.  

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

Our magnolia "Susan" just coming into flower, but already being blown to pieces by the extreme winds we are experiencing today.

My lot for this month and although I've found this difficult, I think it is just the fact that we cannot venture anywhere and won't be able to for a long time to come.  Photos 2, 5 & 6 were all taken about 5 minutes before I started doing this.  We'd planned on going for a walk in the rare sunshine, but it is just too windy and I know that I'd have trouble with my mask in the wind and my ears would pain terribly.

Hopefully tomorrow or Saturday, before the next cold front and rain arrive.

Take care all, stay safe and huggles from down under.

Susan.

I will link up this time................

MAY PHOTO SCAVENER HUNT - 2020

Joining in once again with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me, for the scavenger word hunt.
Wow, did I find this one difficult and not because of the words, but more than likely these unreal times we are experiencing.  I had high hopes for the words to start with & it just fizzled, so have had to go to the archives yesterday & scout around.  Hope it doesn't disappoint.
1.  TRIANGLE.

I think I've shown this before, but it looks triangular shaped to me.  We see many of these teepee type structures on the beach at Inverloch, I guess made by visitors, from the flotsam that gets washed down from the river & the scrub that lines the shore.  This beach has been getting badly eroded over many years & the native plants are succumbing to the battering. 

2.  CIRCLE.

Thinking about this one, I'd just heard something about the cancellation of the Olympics, which got me thinking about rings & circles and I remembered this photo I took at Lake Wendourie in Ballarat a few years ago.  My Dad spent a few weeks here in 1956 for the games, relaying messages across the world from the rowing venue on the lake.  He was a telegraphist & I was all of 7 years old & so excited when he came home to hear all about it.
 
3.  SPLAT.

I had to scan this one from an album.  When we belonged to the Morris Minor Touring Club, we had many adventures across much of this wide brown land.  We had been travelling along the Sturt Highway between Mildura & Euston & went into a service station & realised we had a bad case of BUG SPLAT.  So much you could barely read the number plate.  This photo was taken in the late 90s.

4.  SQUARE.

Lovely mosaic squares on the wall in the park at Thornton-le-Dale in North Yorkshire, which I posted about earlier this year from our holiday in 2019.

5.  STAR.

Notice the the star in the background of this bit of paving at York Gate Garden, in Adel, a suburb of Leeds.  I took this photo in 2016 & if you click on it, there is also some writing around the edge as well as the shamrock compass in the centre.  DH did point out that I could have used this for circle too.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

Using my older small camera the other day, I found a few odd photos lurking on it & thought I'd use this one for my own choice, as I really could not think.....
This is a beautiful stained glass window on Flinders Street Station in Melbourne with the old clocks denoting times when trains are leaving for the different lines fanning out over the suburban rail network.
Well, that is my lot for this month & although tougher than usual, I'm pleased I've done it.
Maybe things will get easier, though I know life will never be the same as before.  I suppose life is more about what lies ahead of us & the past is a bank of memories & at least I've got photos to go with those memories.
I'll be looking in on the other hunters later.
Have a great weekend, take care, stay safe and huggles from down under.
Susan.

JANUARY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT...2020.

Time again for our photo hunt linking up with the lovely Kate.  No the easiest this month for me, but here's what I came up with.

1.  LOST/FOUND.
This one (I think), I found the most difficult.  Not getting out much this month because of heat, fires etc., I'd not even really thought about the hunt.  Luckily I scoured both my archives and other bits'n'bobs & noticed this sitting in my library of DVDs.

A word for  "lost" and the "found" part is that I actually found something.

2.  PRINT/S.

A set of black & white prints my late mother-in-law gave me many years ago.  These are of Leeds & I framed them in certificate frames, which I felt suited them well & they have hung in our spare bedroom in each house we've lived in.

3.  LUNCH.

Lunch for a pair of King Parrots at our poor now defunct feeder, as the post rotted and fell down whilst we were away in UK last year.  We must resurrect it soon.  Their water bowl is still there & plenty of birds use it to drink.

4.  STARTS WITH M.....
OK, I couldn't make up my mind with this one, so all 3 have a place.

MOSS

The most sumptuous mossy wall.  This photo was taken on a walk in the Lakes District with my friend Jayne.

MALHAM COVE.

The gorgeous Malham Cove, somewhere I love.  I think I took this in 2014, when we said that we'd do the steps up the side next time we visited.  Sad to say, we've been back to UK twice and still not done them.

MORRIS MINOR.

Our beloved car with a rose arbour framing it.
Sorry about that lot, but this is what happens to a mad woman on a seering hot day of 40 degrees.
Ooh, it's yuk..............fires close to our son again in Canberra.... worrying times.

5.  ENDS WITH T.....

CRAFT.

And then---------------these all end with T too.  We have crochet, knit, quilt and woodcraft, which are my wool bowl & cute cat.  My 3 items are all in progress at the moment, though slowly as it's been hot & not comfortable to knit or crochet much.  The quilt has progressed from the photo last post to this and will be on the big machine before too long.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.
OK, this was something I saw on the internet & thought about how some people have chosen a word for this year & this sort of fell into place for me.  I need a kick up the butt occasionally & I struggle feeling like I'm worthwhile, so I'm plucking up the "courage" to do something about it.  Maybe watch this space!

Enough of my waffling and I'm off to find a cooler spot  in the house, (no cooler outlet here in the study) and also prepare our evening meal of cold meat & salad.
Hope everyone has a great weekend, stay cool or warm wherever you live.
Take care & huggles from Susan.