A MUCH NEEDED SMALL BREAK.

 Having not been away in our caravan since last November, we decided to go away for a few days in it, now that we have a little freedom here in regional Victoria.  DH booked 4 days at a caravan park in Yarram, on the South Gippsland Highway only a 2 to 3 hour drive south east from home.  This little outing of ours could also help the economy & our sanity.  In the last "unlockdown"😊, around July, we'd had a drive down that way & I'd already taken some photos that I'd not posted, so here we go with a photo heavy post of this small town and what it has to offer.  Our break will be spread over a few posts & I'm determined to get to grips with the new format of Blogger so I can keep this little diary going.

YARRAM.

                                                       The lovely old court house building.

                                                        Two churches I found really nice.

Now for the reason we went here after we'd heard about the MURALS, although we've both stayed & driven through in past years, before they were done.

This selection are all on outside walls.  There are many more inside ones, that we can't access due to restrictions, but one is in a cafe where they are allowed to seat up to ten people.  I was allowed in as they were about to close & most of the customers had left.

I really did think this was something else.  One day in the future we may be able to access the rest of them.  I also found a new to me............................

The lovely quilt shop that I could go into as long as I was masked and kept the appropriate distances.

That was great for my sewjo!

MONDAY AFTERNOON.

The day was not very fine with light misty rain & very windy, so DH had seen in the atlas a place called Jack Smith Lake & thought we should take a look.  His late brother's name was Jack Smith & it was sort of calling us for short trip to fill in the rest of the day.

After a short drive from town, we turned onto a somewhat very rough road & saw plenty of nature inspired photo opportunities for me.  Here are some although not the best due to the poor weather.

The sign for the lake & reserve, but no sign of the actual lake here, so off down the rutted road.

                                      From a distance we saw these kangaroos hopping away.

                                          Then we came across another group just ahead of us.

Finally the lake came into view, but the road was so bad we parked up and did a little walking before the rain set in again.

                                 Coastal ti tree seemed to be quite predominant in these areas.

                                                                A very nice row of trees.

                                                     One of our later flowering wattles.

   This what I've always called native clematis, but I should find out what it really is sometime.

Finally the lake.  As you can see the mountains in the distance are disappearing into low level cloud.

                                                          A view further down the lake.

                  On our way out of the reserve we spotted this bunny running in front of us.  

OK enough for today & I promise I will be back with more of our break this week, even though it rained for 3 days, with a much nicer day on Thursday, we made the most of our time.

Stay safe all, take care and huggles from Susan.

SEPTEMBER SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT.

Linking up with the lovely Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me for the September hunt. 

1.SEASONAL.

Our lovely Wonga vine.

I think this is of the larger Acer family.  I love the hairy flowers.

The 2 photos above were taken, one this morning (top) & the other earlier this month.

2. FAVOURITE SEAT/PLACE TO SIT.

On Tuesday we headed for Inverloch, the first time in many months to get a sea fix & although the weather turned nasty, it was lovely watching the sky change colour, the waves breaking over the jetty and a rainbow appearing, disappearing & then reappearing.  Somewhere we like to sit, whether in the car, on the sand or at one of many tables available along the foreshore.  Didn't have to worry about social distancing that day due to the weather.  Hopefully once the weather is better,. we'll have a proper walk on the beach.

3. COMFORTABLE/COSY.

Taken before I started to TRY & post this.
The fire lit (cold & wet today) and my finished Panademia quilt, which will keep me cosy & some of my favourite magazines to read, when I'm not busy.

4. DELIGHT/ED/FUL.

Well, I'm delighted with this lot even though you may all be horrified at the messy look & the amount.
I've now labelled many of the quilts which still reside here and am on a roll with getting them all archived too.

5. MICRO/MINI/TEENY TINY.

My first blueberries forming & although I took this close up, they are still very teeny.

This is my own choice.
Somehow or another I'm having lots of trouble with this new blogger, which isn't the same as what I was using when they first suggested to try it out.  It has changed completely again.😠
The above photo was taken on Tuesday on the way home from Inverloch and as you can see by the trees it was blowing a gale, the sky was once again darkening, but I did think it would be a lovely spot to take "quilt" photos in the WILD.
When the weather is nicer perhaps.

OK, that's my lot for this Hunt and as to whether I post or not again, will remain to be seen.
This has been the biggest PA-LAVA I've dealt with recently.

W H Y ???????????
Take care all, stay safe and huge huggles from down under.
Susan. 

TREES........UP & DOWN.

 OK, I've been a little quiet of late, but it seems our I'net Provider is doing some "updating" so I've been a little out of sorts with my computer.  My webmail/email is so slow, though I seem to be finding it difficult to come to terms with so much upheaval with all sorts & not being able to go very far from town or see anybody at the moment is really doing my head in.  Hopefully some normality will creep in slowly over the next few months, though I won't hold my breath.  Even finding things to blog about doesn't seem to be coming easily.  Enough of my moaning and let's enjoy a bit from our local walks & something I promised I would show too.

A couple of days before my birthday, we had horrific winds here in southern Victoria, which did unseen amounts of damage due to fallen trees.  My birthday was one of the best sunny days we'd had in about 3 months, so it was off for a local walk and we discovered this tree which had come down in a small reserve 5 minutes from home.

DOWN....................

Our path blocked from this side and the damage to someone's shed is extensive.

You can see the size of the root system, but because gums are shallow rooted, after much rain they become unstable & whoosh, down they come.

This is what it looked like from other side of the path.  We'd had to walk back to the street & come from the other side.

UP..................

                                                 My magnolia has withstood the winds well.

DAMAGED but still standing.

We pass this tree just out of town, when we head for the coast & I'm always going to take some photos.

Yesterday, being able to have a small outing without going further than we should, I decided to stop and snap this fascinating curly tree, but oh dear, it had lost a limb.  

Don't  you love it's little round keyhole.  I love this tree.

The little trip was about taking some more photos of the daffodil farm which I said I would do before the flowers fade too much or have been picked for the cut flower trade.  

Taken from the main road showing the different colours behind the tree line.

Looking down from the gravel back road we took to go home again.

Along said gravel road, we came across these wandering cattle & one very woolly sheep.  Not sure they should have been out, though if trees had come down on fences, it could have been why.

                                      

                                      The views are spectacular in this area to the south of us.

                                                   

Also, a very large Wombat burrow.

A quick local walk today, I discovered this and have now been told they are popping up all over the place.

 Isn't it the cutest!

I've waffled on long enough, so I'll leave it at that.  I hope to be able to catch up with some blogreading over the next few days, so sorry I've not caught up with some recent post.

Take care all, stay safe & huggles from a windy 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................

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?