WALKING ALONG THE COAST NO.2

 Another walk on another day.  We headed towards Phillip Island this particular day & decided to stop & eat our picnic lunch at San Remo & then thought, why don't we walk the beach here, down to the headland & up the stairs, which we'd not done before.  Not many people were about, so off we went, camera in hand and basically had the beach to ourselves.  I'll take you along in photos.

Driftwood on the track leading down to the sand.

We walked along the track for a way before making our way onto the sand.
Notice the absence of people?

I like to think these are strings of squidgy pearls.

Pretty patterns adorning the rocks.

Never sure what these are, but so many shells encasing itty bitty creatures.

Looking towards San Remo & over to Phillip Island.

Looking back again to the first set of stairs, but we continued on to the second set & headed upwards.

Reaching the top, you realise there is a new estate with roads and houses taking shape.
I cannot believe all the new developments happening everywhere we go.
Depressing...........

Looking from the top of the first set of stairs to the second in the distance where we climbed up.

Looking once again, across to Phillip Island.

As we passed the Primary School, we noticed a beautiful Spoonsville.
There are still some about, well looked after, although the small one near us has disappeared.

I snapped these wonderful gum nuts still attached to a wayward branch in someones lovely garden.

Well that was a great walk, with very few people around until we were heading back into town past homes & school.  We never did go over the bridge to Phillip Island that day, but it's only just over an hour's drive for us from home and we do go a few times each year.

Today has been lovely & sunny so we took ourselves off for a local walk after we'd been pottering about this morning.  DH washed the car (much needed) & played in his shed for a little bit & I did a load of washing, popped our evening meal into the slow cooker, sewed 2 quilt blocks, then went outside & did some potting so I can show some progress in a later post.

Enough of my waffling, take care all, stay safe & hugs from down under.

Susan.

WALKING ALONG THE COAST.

 OK, finally making a start on some catch up walking and outings days we've been able to have.

I'll start with a very recent one and we hope to do the second half before we head into May.

 GEORGE BASS COASTAL WALK.

This walk sounds lengthy, but you can just stick to the cliff top and we thought we went about half way & back again from the Kilcunda end, which took about 2-2 1/2 hours, but then maybe we didn't get half way.  Although it was extremely windy & I had to straighten all the photos, it was a very enjoyable afternoon stroll.

A small handbook we have with inspiring Gippsland walk & rides, which lives in our car, so we can choose something where ever we may be in our area.  We parked at the Kilcunda end and this what I snapped along the way.

Looking ahead,

Looking behind us.

Looking far into the distance behind us from a great vantage point.
If you click, you can just make out the wind farm at Wonthaggi that I posted about on Friday.

Looking further ahead.

Indentations in the rocks below.

Grasses bending in the stiff breeze.

A cave forming in the cliff face.

Beautiful rusty machinery languishing beside the path.

And this is what it is.

Made in Bendigo, one of our old gold rush towns, north-west of Melbourne.

Looking right through this one and notice the little bobbly thing to the right.
Ever so cute.

Turning around and heading back to the car, I only took a few photos.

Houses in the distance, not far from where we'd parked.

This unusual shaped part of a house had me wondering what might be inside.
A pool, a games room or a gazebo type room with a central firepit.
My imagination ran away with me.

Hope you enjoyed tagging along with us.  I've a few more bits 'n' bobs to post about of walks & days out, but for now I've  been dismantling & then rearranging my sewing room so my dear S-I-L can install 2 more power points, so I'm not tripping over extension cords.  School holidays here and DD & family are coming across tomorrow to do it.  Great to be seeing them & we'll have a BBQ tea and I've made an Oreo Cheesecake for dessert as I know the kids love Oreos & we'll see how that goes.  

Best go and finish the Spag-Bol we are having tonight. 

Take care, stay safe & virtual hugs from down under.

Susan.

PART 2 OF WAFFLING.

 Another 2 days from October with my camera in tow.

1.  A Side Trip to Phillip Island.

Setting out one Tuesday to pick up some timber from Grantville on the  western side of Westernport Bay, somewhere we were allowed to go, we took our picnic stuff along and then made for San Remo for lunch.  Had a short walk down along the jetties looking for rays, but saw none that day.  Watching the cars heading over the bridge to Phillip Island, a decision was made to pop over and do some walking along one of it's many tracks.  What the heck if we were late home for tea.

                                          We chose this walk to Conservation Hill & Rhyll Inlet.

                                              Part of the walk took us along the boardwalk.

                                                  Aha,  we spy the inlet in the distance.

A fork in the path could take us further towards one of the towns on the island or a circular route back to the car in a the car park.  We chose to go back to the car and as we wandered along, I spotted a wallaby, but all I snapped was an empty clearing.  He was just too quick.

Nearer the car park I spotted these two Cape Barren geese & as we got closer, what did we see..........

A tiny gosling as well.  I didn't get too close & have cropped the photo so you can see it.

                                                     Right click to see it better.

A grouping of  trees with die-back, but after I took the photo I also noticed I'd captured some lovely wispy clouds behind them.  I do like getting a little surprise when you download photos.

As we drove back towards the bridge I noticed this tree carving sailing captain.  I should have got out to look at the plaque.  Very remiss of me..

The 2 boats were covered in birds which I thought amusing.

2.  Another drive just to get some photos I couldn't take when we had our little break in the caravan.

On the way  to Yarram we'd seen a couple things and nowhere to pull over with the van in tow, we knew it could be a drive sometime later.

Heading east on the Princes' Freeway you enter the LaTrobe Valley which is an area of coal mines and power stations.

A mining dredge & it's information board.  There is also a Power Museum, but closed at the moment due to Covid.  Although we've lived here in Victoria for 16 years now & pass this monstrosity on our travels, it's somewhere we've not been.

There was also this information board below & one day we may take one of these drives too.

                         We've explored a few of these areas at different times in the past, I think.

Off we went once again to find our next photo shoot, which I've been looking forward to putting on the blog.

An old timber shed painted with bookcases and their contents which I loved.  Sorry about the bins, as it must have been garbage day.😊

Across the road we have a set of manequins which I was surprised and bewildered to see out in farming country.  Evidently there are more than this, but they change them on a regular basis I've been told.  It certainly puts a smile on your face.

Heading back towards the highway, we took an alternative route and ended up trying to find Toms Cap Lookout & although we didn't quite get there, we ate lunch in the middle of nowhere.

WE pulled in here, looked at the road to the site and decided not to take the car up due to the condition of it.  We started to walk up instead but our feet were nearly vertical on the hill & it was killing our legs, so turned around, ate our lunch & took some happy snaps instead.

The hill, which I haven't done justice, as it was way steeper than it looks in the photo.

Our native Banksias in all their different stages of flowering on one tree.

                     Looking through the trees with bracken fern in abundance on the forest floor.

                                                              The ti-tree flower in closeup.

What an amazing sight..............I've know idea why this tree has grown like this & wasn't even sure what it was, though maybe one of our gums by the look of the leaves.

One last photo & it is one of my silly ideas.  I quite often throw a few quilts in the car to get "hero shots in the wild".  Most of the time I forget to take photos or it is too windy, wet or just nowhere to place them.  That day I took at least one..............

Jacob's Medallion over a Banksia branch.

Well, just for once I've kept my word by posting when I said and being able to catch up on our day trips in the middle of all this mayhem.

My camera has certainly been a constant companion through this and hopefully we are coming out the other side now, with certain restrictions lifted here in Victoria and being able to travel freely now throughout the state including Melbourne as they have lifted the "ring of steel", as they called it.

I'm so hoping that we can all keep doing the right thing & be able to live a somewhat normal life in the future.  At least we'll be able to see DD and family soon & hopefully our boys & families next year.

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

Susan.

  

IT'S SATURDAY.

 Not much of a title, but then each day seems to come and go at the moment with not much meaning to it.

Just plodding along at home, not venturing out & wondering if this is what the rest of our lives will be like, though I've had the camera handy to capture whatever the imagination can find.

A walk very early this week near one of our new estates netted this.................something I actually detest!

The benching of the hillside into little blocks that are flat.
UGH!!!!!ugly.

TODAY..............weather!!!!

Looking from the study window at about midday.

The back verandah a little later covered in itty-bitty hail (sago snow).

Looking along the back paving beside the steps & retaining wall.

We also had a thunderstorm amidst all this and at 3.30pm as I type this it is 6.5℃  It is cold & the fire is lit, though the sun has just appeared briefly with lots more grey storm clouds on the horizon.

A FINISH and A PHOTO SHOOT.

My quilt now named "Whimsy" inspired by the colours of Attic 24's dahlia rug is now quilted & bound.
I took this photo today after waiting for a break in our weather, but it hasn't come so this is the best I could do.

I also finally finished this butterfly embroidery, which has similar colours, though I started it a couple of years ago.  Not sure how to finish the back now it's in the hoop.  Any suggestions?

This is one that didn't really come out how I'd envisioned, but I did use what I had available in my stash.  It was designed by me on trusty Quilt Wizard & I'd thought of using a plain tone on tone mauve, but this was about the only mauve fabric I had.  It is quilted and bound & although not what I planned, I don't hate it.  I've come up with the name Sonora & can't fathom why.
A very "pandamic" quilt I think.😖

Just a quick lot today after being a misery guts for most of the week, due to weather, a computer that's been playing silly, not venturing out & missing family.
Luckily I've a little project to do for a newborn bub.  That makes me happy & busy at the same time with purpose.
Take care all, stay safe & huge huggles from down under.
Susan.

PS:  Still having trouble using this new blogger.  How's everyone else coping?