CATCHING UP SLOWLY.

 I'm so sorry to be somewhat AWOL lately, but I'm having lots of trouble with my "old" laptop & now my PC too which needs updating, as I've still got Windows 7.  Hopefully over the coming weeks I'll have some of it sorted.                                                                                                                                                BUT.....for now, we'll do a little catching up on a slow basis.  We have had a quick trip away to Adelaide which is part of the slow start and now after explaining why and where, I'll pop on a couple of local photos and hope to do more as the week progresses.

Driving through the back of Yarragon one afternoon, I suddenly noticed these 2 deer.
Never seen them before, so out with the camera and this was the best I could get as it was overcast and I couldn't get close as there was a big ditch along the side of the road near the fence line.

Just to the south of town we have the most wonderful daffodil fields and they never fail to enchant me each Spring.

We did have a great break, except for cracking our windscreen, which will be replaced next week.  A large truck threw up a stone, much to our annoyance.

Not sure what is happening with Blogger as I'm having trouble commenting on some blogs and seems some people are having the same issues.  Hope all is fixed soon.

I'll finish off for today and hopefully tomorrow or later this week, a post will appear about our latest trip and maybe a bit of crafty stuff.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Take care all and hugs from down under.

Susan.  xox    

                               

 large truck threw a stone up which is so annoying.

LINKING UP WITH TWO CHALLENGES.

 Today I've linked with 2 other quilty bloggers.

The first is with Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs for the Favourite Finish.

Magic Triangles ( my own design).

These blocks were made many moons ago & sat waiting for inspiration to eventuate.  I finally decided on a setting, made it up, then it sat waiting in the tub of shame till last month.  I did a  very simple custom pattern on it.  

The second is with Patty from Elm Street Quilts & is a monthly goal plan to at least work on "something" you need to get done.

Deco Delight (my own design too).

I have shown this at the end of last year when I was slowly working on it after my silly fall.  Now I've decided it is time to get it quilted and bound, ready for the May Favourite Finish.😉  Wish me luck.

Other than the above, things have been quiet and strange, though we did have a nice walk on Tuesday along the Great Southern Rail Trail, so one more section done.  It was one of our only nice days for the last 3 weeks or so and has been cold, grey and raining for a good part of today.  At least this morning was dry so we could start cutting more wood for the coming winter months.  Below is the view from where we were working.

Not often I show what I've been cooking so here is what was made late last week.

Some buttery Yo Yo biscuits in both a flowery shape & ordinary round ones.
Our eldest granddaughter used to love these.

A lemon drizzle cake too.

Well that is a short post today and I really must finish off the Silo Trail this month.

My lovely friend Sandra at mmmquilts is hosting a QAL which is keeping me some what engrossed with rummaging through my scraps and...............mine is going to be a village.  More to tell as we progress on this.  Motivation has been hard lately.  The garden is looking sorry for itself too.

OK, enough from me now.

Take care all and hugs from a cool, damp down under.

Susan.

SILO TRAIL - PART 2.

 Today will be a bit photo heavy.

This will cover from Kaniva to Rupanyup.

There are many beautifully painted sheep all around the town.Theses are in Kaniva park.

The town's silos have a very colourful mural, which was hard to photograph well because of some power poles.

We passed through Dimboola, where I took a few photos, but thought I'd share the old machinery display instead.

Next we came across the Invisible Man at Arkona, a small siding for the silos.

On the way into the township of Jeparit we passed this old lot of letterboxes, which really makes good use of whatever was to hand in the day.

This large shedding complex has also been painted with birds.
Jeparit is a small town with a school that boasts all of 22 pupils and where one of our better known Prime Ministers was born, Sir Robert Menzies.

Along the road on our travels in between towns we saw this amazing Salt Lake.

The Albacutya silos.

On our second day of exploration, driving along, passing traffic coming the other way we suddenly came across a big gum branch across the road.  We must have just been far enough off, not to see it come down, but it did cause a few problems with cars & trucks approaching & a nice truckie offered a snatch strap which we hooked to our tow bar and pulled it out of the way so everyone could be moving again.  The adventures you have at times.

Reaching Rupanyup we realised that this mural has faded since we first saw it.  Some years ago, 2017 actually, I took a photo of this as it one of some of the first silos to be painted and also a couple of the first we ever saw or heard about.  Many, many more now though.

I loved this carved sculpture of the farmer and his trusty dog.

Sad to see these shops so empty and neglected, but some country towns have lost so much with the passing of time.

Weather today is mild, but ever so windy which scares me a little with grasses so dry and hopefully no bush fires will start.

OK, that is my lot for today, off for lunch now and the the weekly grocery shop.

See you later this week.

Take care all and hugs from Susan.

I'M BACK WITH A 2 PART POST.

 OK.......where did February go?

Been a busy month of appointments, hot weather and trying to keep on top of blueberry picking & car club stuff.  Not done a lot of crafting, but did have a few days fussing & stressing over something I'd wanted to do for a while with a gifted pattern and using my stash.  This will be the "Part 1".

We also took some time out for a short trip which will be shown slowly over the next month or so as I took many photos.  This will be "Part 2".

PART ONE.

Linking with Sandra from mmm.quilts for her DrEaMi post.

Mine is quite paltry, as it isn't quilted yet, but did take many days of stressing over the fact that I'd read the fabric requirement wrong and only wanted to use from my stash.  So instead of using one background fabric I've used 2.  This is how it turned out................

The Cascade pattern from Joanne at Canuck Quilter which I was gifted after participating in a QAL.

PART TWO.

SILO TRAIL TRIP (Part One).  

This will have to be done in stages and hope everyone enjoys seeing some of our wonderful creatives and scenery here in Oz.

We started out on Sunday & headed towards Ballarat to visit my friend Joy, then off towards Stawell, staying at Lake Fyans Caravan Park.

Monday morning saw us head out to our first silos in Horsham, where we also picked up a new brochure than the one we had & also found the most amazing Newsagent that had a plethora of magazines & books, a gift shop and cafe.

Our first silos of our adventure.

Now a photo, completely opposite of the ones above, being some grain storage in a paddock.

Covered storage after harvesting.

Next we arrived in Natimuk.

Some children's art on display.

Interesting in the window of this shop that wasn't open.

OOH...............a one eyed monster made from some very interesting castoffs.

A dry creek bed beside the car park.

Passing by Mt. Arapiles with the little side lump of rock to the right of first photo and in the second a great gaping hole in the middle which looks like an open mouth.  You many need to click on it to enlarge.

Next stop was Goroke and its silos.

And here we have 2 of my favourite birds..............a kookaburra and a magpie.

As we left town heading for Kaniva we passed this little display in a farmers front paddock.

Isn't it gotgeous.

In this part of Western Victoria, much of the landscape is broad-acre farming with the emphasis on a variety of grains, which of course go to the wonderful painted silos along the train line.  

Last photo for today of the wide open countryside.

That's it for today and hope I've not bored anyone too much and I will be back with a few more posts of our adventures, plus, more crafty fun when it happens.

Thanks everyone who follows, take care and hugs.

Susan.

Looooong overdue post.

Still not feeling much like posting or even being myself, but we have kept sort of busy, with mainly bits/n/bobs of all sorts.  I'll break back in slowly and hopefully get September sorted over the rest of the month.  Here goes................

A DAY OUT & A BIT OF CRAFT.

This particular day saw me take a few quilts, camera, our picnic lunch & lots of enthusiasm for a day of sunshine after so much dreariness, which is now back with us I'm afraid.  

LANCY LOOKOUT.

I've shown Lancy lookout before as I do enjoy taking quilt photos there, then we had a meander through the hills & on down to Leongatha. 

Some interesting clouds in this photo.

A huge gum tree, some of which is breaking away slowly.  They are notorious for dropping limbs when they feel like it.

Next we took some quilt snaps whilst there and at the next unnamed lookout where we ate our lunch.

These are three old pieced tops from my tub of shame that I made from magazines or books way back in the very late 90s and early 2000s.  I finally quilted & bound them this winter & will possibly donate or sell, as my poor cupboard is getting very full.  I'd also taken a few snaps inside too, so will put them below.                                                                                                              

                                                                                           

And a close up of the quirky quilting on the purple one.

A SURPRISE 

One morning early this month we heard a steam train whistle & wondered what on earth that was all about, rang a friend & found out they were running a steam service between a couple of stations on our line & people could pay to have a ride.  Lots of children these days aren't familiar with these big beasts.  We opted to get to one of the crossings and take some photos.  As there is quite a steep part of the line, it was both a steam engine on the front and an old diesel at the back, so they could do a push/pull as there is no turning around point on the Gippsland line near here.

The steam is seen in the distance between the trees.

Nearing the crossing with a puff of black smoke.

The diesel bringing up the rear and lots of onlookers.

 This brought back so many memories of  my childhood, as steam trains still ran outside of big cities when I was growing up.

FROM THE GARDEN.

Although the garden is looking partially reasonable, it has been such a long, hard winter and I've done very little outside, but the bulbs have come out beautifully and other things have flowered fleetingly, before being battered by wind and rain.

The poor Magnolia is hanging in there.... just.  Notice the 2 white flowers on the left at the top.
What is that all about?

The little round garden out the front is full of Earlicheer daffs, friesias, a few crocus and muscari.

I also picked a few bits'n'bobs to put inside.

Excuse my messy side table.  I do use the coaster for my mug and there is always sewing paraphernalia lurking near my chair for working on things after tea.

☔☔RAIN..................and more rain!!!!!!☔

We've had more than our share this winter and there is so much laying in places we've never seen it in before.

We took an afternoon drive last Monday and went up to Blue Rock Dam to see the water flowing down the spillway and to our surprise, just before we headed for the dam wall, we spied these kangaroos in a paddock.  Once we stopped they decided to bounce away.

Can you spot all five.  At this point they were watching us and I snapped this one from the car window.

But, then they thought better of us staying there and hopped away.  That one you can see above had just jumped over those fences in the background.  

The road over the dam wall and spillway.

Just loved the patterns the flowing water made.

OK, I'll leave it at that for today, as we did have another couple of odd outings if it was fine, into the countryside.                                                                                                                                                    Have a great week all, take care and hugs from Susan.