CHILLING OUT.

Literally!!!
We enjoyed a day out on Thursday to chill out & relax, but we were also chilled to the bone, as it was very, very cold.
Before we go on the journey, I'll say 'thank you' to all your great suggestions & especially Kate, who made me giggle with her "tetris" comment.  Yes, playing with blocks could be likened to that.
THURSDAY.
I quickly made us some lunch, then we set out in sunshine & made our way down to the Mornington Peninsular, not too far, for my sea air fix, as being cooped up inside in this cold, damp weather makes me go bananas.  By the time we got to Hastings, it was nearly time for lunch, but a brisk walk first, along the foreshore was a must. What did we see?


Mangrove swamp, as the tide must have been out.

A small boat that sank & was too far gone to save & has been left to the elements.  Hubby read a little about it and realised that it had been renamed at some time & according to folk lore, that is very unlucky, so maybe that is why it ran aground.

These boats in the marina were all clinking away merrily due to the breezy conditions.

                                         The old shed used as the current Information Centre.

                                                                       Fascinating.

Lunch eaten & we were off again following the road on the eastern side of Western Port Bay, where we made our way in and out of a few of the bayside towns.
Our first stop was in a small parking area on the Foreshore Reserve near Woolleys Beach where I took the next 4 photos.

Two leaning trees framing the view.

Odd!

Chained.  This is quite near the sand & could have been used to tie boats to.

A lovely Hakea  & the woody buds which burst open to reveal the fluffy pink flowers. 

We kept on going down along the bay where I took a few more snaps quickly as it was starting to rain now.

Another old boat abandoned along the shoreline.

Not sure what this was, but it was worth photographing.

One of our native trees, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is called.

View of a headland.

This jetty was looking rather neglected, even though there were quite a few boats in the vicinity.  Maybe in summer it is used more often.

Ah, it was lovely getting a dose of sea (or should I say bay) air, even though frightfully cold.
Monday sees us minding 2 of our grandchildren whilst DD heads to work.  Master L & Missy Moo go back to school on the Tuesday, but Mum has to go back Monday.
Just a quick bit extra, with my indulgence last week.  Oh dear, I bought both a book & magazine & have taken this snap, along with a paperback I'm reading at the moment, from a pile I've had for years, but not yet read.

I'm enjoying The Rose Garden, & the kitchen one is a bookazine about kitchens, which I couldn't resist and She Sheds is right up my street.  Love it.

OK, enough from me now and I'm off to think about our tea.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Take care,  Susan.

HELP.....................PLEASE!!!!!

I'm working on a quilt of my own design at the moment and now have a dilemma of how to place the blocks, although I did start with a plan.
Below is the mock-up from my QW program.

I thought it looked good on paper, but once it was all in place on the design wall, I had doubts.
Hubby came in whilst I was pondering and suggested we re-arrange the blocks (whoops, something I didn't think he'd know about), though after 40 years of me quilting, I suppose he has good idea of what I do & has helped me make decisions before on colour & design.

1.  Original layout.

2.  First suggestion.

I wasn't so sure about this with the larger block of aqua together?

3.  Again we played.

We both had the same idea for this one as I was playing with the bottom corner as H sorted the top & we laughed that we'd done the same.

4.  Here we go again.

H came up with this one, then we stopped, as I was confused.

5.  Much, much later after tea.

I popped out to my sewing room for one last look for the night, played again & came up with this one.

OH!....................I  now really don't know which one to go with and need your help.   PLEASE!!!!

BTW.   I have finished piecing the Mystery Quilt I started at Judy's weekend retreat & will reveal all at a later date.
Just a quick post for now & will do a catchup later this week.  It is certainly chilly here in our part of Oz at the moment & below is a map of Victoria showing the different council areas & we actually reside in the Baw Baw shire, which is in the south east of the state.

The red shaded area is Melbourne.

Best go & look forward to hearing what you think is best.
Take care all, keep warm or cool & thank you for reading my posts.
Susan.

QUICK TRIP TO SYDNEY.

Last week saw us head to Sydney for a few days to help my younger brother with an interview to access the new scheme they are rolling out here in Oz for disabled people.  All went reasonably well.
Whilst there we also caught up with family and friends.
We stayed south of Sydney due to the caravan park where we used to stay,  has now gone, so it was panic stations to find something suitable, inexpensive & with en-suite sites.  Found, though it did mean a bit of travelling back & forwards, but that was OK.
A lot of photos  taken of the week away, with a small selection here.  We stayed south of Sydney in an area we know well, having lived there for about 9 years before we came to Victoria.  I also spent a lot my childhood holidays & outings on the South Coast of NSW.

Typical countryside of the South Coast & a road we've travelled may times.

East Beach at Kiama, accessed from the caravan park where we stayed.

An action shot of hubby jumping across the running water.

Waves breaking on the rocks.  Most were small until this one came along.
What happens when these hit whilst standing staring out to sea.

                                                                           THIS!!!!!

You get very wet as hubby found out.

Then whilst waiting for me to make a cup of tea & with legs outstretched drying in the sun, this critter (duck) came along & bit him on the ankle.  I couldn't stop laughing!!  There must have been something tasty on his trouser leg.

On Saturday we visited my bestie from school, whom I've known since I was 5 1/2.  She minded me on my first day at a new school & we've kept in touch ever since, though there have been times when it was few and far between.  She said I could put this photo on & I do have a better one where I don't look so silly, but I don't know how to get it off my tablet.  This tech stuff does my head in at times.

                                                        Sue on the right & me on the left.

Now for a funny story before we head home with some more scenery.
On Sunday we met up with our older son & his family for a day at a Car Show.  We don't see a lot of A due to him being so far away, but it was a lovely day out. His partner J, our drandaughter Miss A, grandsons, B1, J & R all did a lot oohing & aahing over the vehicles on display.
One of them caught my eye.

Now remember, I'm an Aussie girl who had her teen years in the swinging sixties.
"Oh", I said, "What a bright orange panel van".  As the boys moved further along & Miss A was out of earshot, I laughingly told J, I was actually going to say, look at that 'shagging wagon', but thought better of it with the kids around.  She started laughing and said she was actually going to say that too, but thought I might not approve.  Whilst we were laughing about all this, a voice next to me said, "Really Nana", & Miss A had overheard us, but then she is nearly 21, so it was the laughter all round.
I forget she is all grown up now.
At the show we saw this and all agreed it could be on Pop's garage door.

Just a few more pics of the trip back home.

The bridge at Bateman's Bay which has a centre section that elevates to let boats through.

Wagonga Inlet at Narooma where we ate lunch.

We were asked to pull over by the police as this appeared coming the other way.
What was behind it?

This very large piece of equipment.
Our older son A, actually works on the mechanical side of things like this.

We stopped at the lookout to take some photos of Bega with the mountains in the distance.
It is quite stunning scenery all the way down the coast of NSW.

Threatening clouds that didn't amount to anything at all.

Just 2 more.

Closeup of flowers from an Illawarra Flame tree, that are dotted around the Wollongong area south of Sydney.
Not sure they are called this anymore, but what we said as kids.

On our lunch break on the last leg of our journey at Cann River, I took a photo of this old church.
I've said many times over the years, I should take one & now I have.

OK, enough from me and I will be back on the weekend, "hopefully", with some crafty bits 'n' bobs, that I've got on the go, to post about along with whatever else is happening in our part of the world.
Take care all and lots of huggles.
Susan.
PS.  Thanks to all who browsed my Scavenger Photo Hunt, as their were some newbies in there.  Ta!

JUNE PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Linking up with Kate for June's photo hunt.

1.   The setting sun.

Driving near home one evening and knowing the sun was setting behind us in the west, but to the east was this coloured blob amongst the clouds.  Evidently the sun was being reflected this way across the new estate.  Lucky I took this photo!

2.   Your local wild place.

Could you call this messy  corner of our backyard wild.  Maybe....... as the pile of wee logs & spare roof tiles could be a hiding place for lots of insects etc.

3.   Mug of favourite drink in the garden.

Being very literal with this one.  My mug of weak coffee at 10am this morning, sitting in the violets, whose leaves have a coating of frost.  Yes, it was -1°c this morning.   Brrrrrrrr!

4.   My kind of beautiful.

The River Ribble (I think) at Sawley in Lancashire which for me is a beautiful bucolic view.  Ahhhh!

5.   Look to the skies.

Taken one morning earlier this year at home, as I was fascinated by the cloud formation.  Lucky for me that I noticed it.  Isn't it amazing what we can find in our archives.

6.   Mini beasts.

Another one from the archives.  Taken by chance one day, as we don't get as many skinks here as we did over the other side of town.

7.   Rain.

Snapped last year in The Yorkshire Dales on the road from Otley to Blubberhouses.  Rain in the distance & a lovely rainbow.

8.   Something summery.

This was so HARD Kate!!!!!  As it is the middle of winter here & I've not really taken anything much I class as summery, I searched & searched.............  OK, this has to be it.  A very hot summer day with heat haze & kite surfers having some fun on the water at Inverloch.

9.   Urban wilderness.

This part of my old garden invariably looked like a wilderness, with a 6 foot high Alstroemaria in front of a Pelargonium which climbed the fence.  On the left is a grevillia which the New Holland Honeyeaters loved.  They are nectar seeking native birds.  I do miss that garden.

10.  My choice.

Staying with the wild theme, but indoors instead.  These beautiful floral drawings are on the wall behind the altar at the church attached to the ruins of Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, somewhere I often turn to when posting on my blog.  We always have a few outings to wander around the ruins, woods, riverside and have a cuppa at one of the lovely cafes dotted about the area.

Well, that's my lot this time and so sorry I'm late, but we've had a few hectic weeks in June.
Hopefully next week, I can do a catch up post on our trip to Sydney, though a lot of my photos didn't either happen or turn out well.  Don't try & take them through the windscreen when travelling, as more are yukky than you think.
Have a good weekend all and take care.