CATCHING UP - SHORT BREAK IN DECEMBER 2021

I've just realised I've rarely posted about anything we did last year and although it didn't amount to much, I did make the effort to capture a few moments.  I will admit to high anxiety level, no mojo to do my usual take the camera everywhere we go and just not coping with the Covid situation, so now you all know why I've been a little hit'n'miss with my blog. 

Just before Christmas, we really needed to try and get up to Sydney to catch up with my brother and his carers and maybe see our 2 boys and their offspring, all being well.                                                            We left on a Tuesday and were back the next Tuesday just before Christmas, so away for a week.             Packing up the caravan, we left early to be in Eden for our first night.  We arrived, parked the van and opened the door, only to be greeted by our TV flat on it's face on the floor.  It still actually worked, minus part of the back and the mountings.  Headed off the next morning and it was a very hot day and we had a few hassles with the car on the journey.  As we neared Nowra it got worse and we had to call the RACV who found that it was an intermittent fault, not liking the heat.  We made it to Shoalhaven Heads and had no more troubles with said car, but have decided to be brave and replace it, which isn't what we had in mind for this year, but so be it.

Thursday saw us wend our up to Sydney, only to find that we couldn't see my brother as there had been a Covid scare at the centre he attends & he & others were in isolation till they got negative results, which meant our trip up to the harbour city had been for nothing. 

On the way back to the van via the coast we stopped at a place called Stanwell Tops where you often see hang gliders and to our amazement one was in the act of taking off and I snapped his progress.

Ready...

Set......

Up......

and away....................

Now for some more photos..........                                                                                                                 

Our caravan site at Shoalhaven Heads with the ensuite on the left, which we like to get when we are away rather than using  the larger shared facilities.

Hubby relaxing under our awning.

Not the best photo, but can you see our visitor in the centre.  A gorgeous lizard and there were quite a few about.

On the Friday, we took ourselves off on a local walk and although we lived very close to here for 10 years, we'd never been to the Botanic Gardens.

A lovely expanse of grassed area surrounded by trees and shrubbery with 2 sculpted kangaroos sitting middle rear of photo.

A beautiful tree.

Another I suppose, sculpture of sorts.

Exiting the parkland we were confronted by this gorgeous mural.

Heading down towards the Shoalhaven River I took several photos showing that it is a large river at it's mouth.

Then we saw this group of elderly gentlemen playing with their remote controlled sailing boats.

A lovely walk with some interesting moments.

We did saw our 2 boys on Saturday, their partners and 2 of our grandchildren who are both way taller than me now at 14 & 15.  We'd not seen them for over 2 years Little E informed me.  Our eldest son's 4 couldn't make it due to either work commitments or close contacts.                                                Sunday saw us head to my cousin's place and we actually saw  her parents, my Aunt & Uncle who are 96 & 93 which was wonderful.  Been so hard during these last 2 years.

On Monday we headed for home for home, stopping for a night in Eden again and arriving home on Tuesday afternoon.

We had morning tea on Tuesday in Orbost, a great country town in the east of Victoria and I actually took a few photos there.  It is on our famous Snowy River and the next photo shows it very full due to some heavy rain we'd had leading into December.

The Snowy River.

Emu sculpture at the Information centre dressed in Santa gear.

The beautiful old building housing the Information Centre.

The Man from Snowy River sculpture on the nature strip.
The Man from Snowy River is a well known poem written by Banjo Patterson about our iconic high country and which all children of my era would recite at school.

Another snap of Info Centre from across the road.

OK, if you've read all that, my hat off to you and a big thanks as I keep thinking you are probably perplexed with some of the locations & other bits.

We are just about to have another thunderstorm after, a big one yesterday,  and it has cooled a little after reaching about 32deg and very, very humid again.

Take care all, stay safe & hugs.

Susan.

HOT, HOT, HOT.......A WEEK OF MUGGINESS.

 Well, I said I'd do a couple of catchups, but with such humid weather, I've felt very lethargic & not coming into the study due to it's lack of cooling vent, but let's see what has been happening on the home front.  I'm still wary about going anywhere much, but we still keep busy & out into local countryside.  The next two pics are for my friend Kate as she planted the idea.

Bulrushes jut below Middle Farm that I talk about.  We regularly walk passed these from home and someone has used the spare bit of ground to plant up some pumpkins, which they then come and collect when fully grown.

My "leftovers" crochet rug, which I'm just finishing some borders on, thrown over a stone gateway wall just out of town.  Made up the rows as I went.

Yesterday as we were driving back from a drive to the coast & a very quick walk along a beach to the south on Bass Strait, we saw this..............

an old bus parked near Loch where there is a lovely lookout with panorama out to Westernport Bay.   Not something we'd seen there before.

BUSY BOY.

DH has been busy making bird breeding boxes for our friend who breeds Budgies, Canaries & Quail.

Hope she is pleased with them.

It's taken me some time to get my sewjo back, but a design of my own that has been on my to-do list for quite some time has come to fruition and now needs the quilter to work some magic, but then that is another story.

Bubs hasn't been behaving of late, so need to get in touch with my technician once he's back from holidays and maybe a service will be needed.

We've also been flat out picking blueberries early before the heat hits.

This mornings haul of 2150 grams.

THE GARDEN.

I've not had much mojo to garden either in this heat/humidity and last year was a bit wayward too, so just a few photos I've snapped this morning.

One pathetic looking raised bed with a couple of zucchini & a few tomato plants, which luckily have produce on them, as seen below.

The netted blueberries before and during the thunderstorm this morning.  We had 10mls in the rain gauge in an hour.  And we now have another storm brewing with the clouds getting heavy & grey and thunder rolling around now.  Wonder how much rain we'll get from this one?

And the experiment that didn't work as we actually went away for a week before Christmas, though a few marigold seedlings have appeared, so as soon as this humid weather wanes, I''ll be back into the garden, as I've missed it.

Best go as it has just started to rain & the lightning and thunder are too close for me to be still attempting to work on the computer in case there is a blackout.

Hope all is well with everyone and I'll be back next one with a few catchups & crafty bits.

Take care all and hugs.  Did you all hear that...................an almighty crack of thunder.😞

Susan.  xxx

HELLO, HELLO......I think I'm back!

 First I'll start by saying sorry to all my good bogpals, that I've been a little wayward of late, but this last lockdown did my head in & I lost all my mojo for anything basically.  I kept busy just pottering about doing all sorts, but nothing worthy of a blog post.

I'll start by ..............."wrapping up 2021 in quilts".  Beware, you've seen some of these before, but it's a bit for me as an online diary of what I achieved this year in my favourite craft.

Hydrangea Galaxy.
 Block patterns by Alyce Blyth and set my own way.
Gifted to our eldest grand daughter for her 25th birthday last year.

Stars Aligned.
A pattern by Sandra Walker of mmm.quilts

Ooh la-la Cats.
One of my own designs to use up some fanciful cat fabric.
Gifted to a little girl whose parents are in our car club.

Paper Chains.
A QAL run in conjunction with friend Joy.
I gifted this one to Windgap Foundation for their Xmas raffle.

Yorvick.
One of my own designs, just because I could.

Catitude.
Another of my own designs using the attic window blocks I've been playing with for years for the highlight border.

Cobbles.
My own design using a variation log cabin block and done in colours that matched
my mood at the time.

Skewiff.
My design and another to use up some stash & just because.
Don't you love DH's little car that matches the centre green.

Which Direction.
This above and the one below were done with Sandra in her annual QAL and I had so much fun,
that I had to make two.

I Did it My Way.

Baby Pluses.
These blocks were started many years ago as part of a QAL that never got very far, due to me miscalculating the fabric I needed, so I finished it as a baby quilt and gifted it to a friend who became a grandma for the first time.

Pinwheel Splash.
Leftover pieces turned into pinwheels and set together my way.
This was gifted to one of the doctors at our clinic for her first baby.

Let's Stay Home.
My friend Joy was running a QAL based on staying home during our extensive lockdowns & as we'd talked about what to do I designed this, but haven't the ability to write a pattern coherently, so made it for myself, along with doing the one she set for us too, which isn't quite finished yet.

Sewcialite Sewalong.
Also made with my friend Joy this year and put together in our own settings.

Flower Power.
Another QAL I joined in with from Jo Avery in Scotland.
Enjoyed doing this using just coloured scraps from my myriad of bits and the backgrounds and sashing from the stash.

Chateau Garden.
Another 2 of my designs made from my stash.
(above & below.)

Rosetta.

Well, that's the wrap up done and now what about the year to come.............................

                                                                            

                                                                             2022  

I've finally chosen my word for this coming year and hope that I can live up to it.

It is COURAGE.................to be myself and make it through the year without stressing too much.

I hope now that I've plucked up the "courage" to do a post, the camera will start being used around the garden, when we walk sometimes and if we get out and about this year.

Happy New Year to all my blog friends and I'll catch up during the month with a few bits'n'bobs that happened last year that I didn't have the heart to post about.

Take care all and giant virtual hugs from down under.

Susan.