A LITTLE SECRET.

Limited internet connection has meant that I've been very quiet, but here we go.
OK, no photos as yet,  but our going north for a holiday, was really going  VERY NORTH!
Tomorrow,  hubby I are going on a train trip.  Where from and to?   From Skipton, to Settle, over the Ribblehead Viaduct and onto Carlisle, where we will have lunch, then back again. 
On Friday, the plan is to visit the Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland, which we attempted 2 years ago, but it was closed.  We know better this time.
Most of our time since we arrived has been short outings and family catch ups.
One of the exciting things for me next week is meeting Hawthorn from the blog "I live, I love, I craft, I am me" and her mother from the blog "Jak's Tales".  I've also seen Jo from "Through the Keyhole" fleetingly, but will catch up with her again, I hope next week too.  Nearer the end of our  holiday I'll be seeing my friend Jayne again from "The View from Bag End" and hopefully going to Yarndale.  So exciting!!!!!
I hope to take lots of photos over the next few days, even though I came away with my small camera this time and it's doing my head in having no bigger lenses to capture long distance shots and all manner of other things.  I also have trouble loading them on this mini laptop, but hope to learn along the way.
After having a small break, I'm looking forward to a few short posts during our trip and hope to catch up with my blog list when do I have internet connection.
Off  to bed now for an early start.
Take care all and have a good week.
Susan.

AUGUST SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT.

First, before I start on the above, I'd like to thank all who commented on my last post and sorry I did not reply, but was very busy and appreciated them.  So here we go.


This month has not been easy for photo-hunting, but as I enjoy it so much, I love to join in.  I find it challenging and  all very thought provoking as to how to interpret some words without it being the obvious choice.  Hope this published OK as I've done it before we went away.
1.  BLUE.

Forget-me-nots just starting to flower.

2.  EYE.

Bull's eye.  Hubby got this one straight off last week.  I don't do nearly as good.

3.  BUTTON.

Pretty buttons on a doll I made many years ago.

4.  FAVOURITE.

My granddaughter Missy Moo, used to love this photo of Hubby & his girlfriend.  She asked who the lady was, and we jokingly told her it was his girlfriend, to which she replied, she isn''t "real".

5.  FEET.

Where are they going?
Where have they been?
Who do they belong to?

6. GLASS.

A large perfume bottle (no, I don't use it), bought in Berry on the NSW south coast where I worked in the bank at one time.
There was a handmade glass shop across the road and I just couldn't resist this as it is so gorgeous.
It was a drawcard at times,but I resisted all but twice.

7.  GREEN.

Road signs in GREEN!
I thought this might be a giggle with some of our funny town names.
They are all in our area of Victoria.

8.  FLOOR.

Beautiful parquet at Castle Howard in Yorkshire.  I took this photo in 2014, as I thought it could make a good quilt block pattern.  

9.  KNITTED/CROCHETED.

The cupcake rug from Attic 24 coming along slowly.

10. MY OWN CHOICE.

I found this utterly awesome.  A crane manoeuvreing a narrow boat onto the canal marina at Stanley Ferry.  Notice the pushbike on the end.  You may have to click to enlarge.  (trip to UK in 2014).

OK, that is my lot for this month.
Enjoy, take care and September will with us before we know it.  Ah, Spring.
Susan.

TIME OFF.

A quick post before I take a short blog break.  As some of you will know already, I quite often suffer from anxiety, which has been just a tad too prevalent of late.  Hubby and I will head north for some warmth and hopefully come home refreshed and ready for summer.  I'm not sure whether I will have good internet access, so, if I'm quiet on the comments front you'll also know why.  I'd love to be able to do my Photo Scavenger Hunt and  may get the post ready, so I can just push "publish".  We'll see.
Now for a few odd photos lurking in my blog folder just waiting today.

QUILTING.

The quilt I designed for a jelly roll, which still awaits its border.

THE GARDEN.

A pot of Tete a Tete daffodils, which I'd forgotten all about.  If you leave bulbs in pots, quite often they won't flower again, but these decided to give it a go.

I thought this pot was actually empty and only supporting a covering of moss and now I have these.

Our lovely, but quite small magnolia, which is flowering, with  a few more buds to open.  It is called Susan.

The little lemon tree which was already here when we moved in and looked quite scraggy, but is now flourishing due to hubby taking time with watering and feeding.

My hydrangea is also showing plenty of new growth, so hope I get some flowers later in Spring.

Not a lot else has been happening here due to the rather cold and inclement weather, though we did have two lovely days (Wednesday & Thursday), but today has turned bitterly cold and wet.
I'll try and keep up with everyone when I can.
Take care all and  huggles,
Susan.

PRETTY IN PINK.

OK, yes I've been a bit quiet, not feeling 100% lately and stressed, but then, that's just me.  I'll settle soon.

As it is nearly Spring here in Oz, I though I'd share some "pink" photos I've snapped over the last few days.  As most of my followers know, it is my favourite colour.

On our way into town centre we pass these 2 beauties.

Prunus, which is one of many planted along a street, though some aren't even showing colour yet.

Gorgeous magnolia in a front garden.
Mine little one has a few buds, but not nearly open.

Next we have a selection from our garden.

One of 3 lovely heather plants.

One of two dark hellebores which we inherited.

A diosma.
  I don't really like the smell of these, but they are pretty when in flower.

A daphne in the front garden and although the flowers are nearly white, the buds are pink.

My camellia "Volunteer", which I brought with me from Ballarat.  It doesn't seem to have grown much but has a few more buds to come.

Now I digress from pink (only one).  These crocus can be so surprising.  Nothing one day and then, wham, flowers popping up.

Crocus.

Just a little post with a few of my favourite things, being flowers and pink.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.
Take care,  Susan.

SMITH'S BEACH.

Good name, she says,with tongue in cheek.

 On Sunday, being not as cold and quite sunny, we packed some lunch and headed off to Phillip Island.  Ate our lunch at San Remo, then over the bridge to the island.  We'd never been down to Smith's Beach, so that was our goal.  We parked in the parking area, then walked on down the board walk below.

The boardwalk down to the sands.

Looking right.

Looking left.

Along the beach we discovered lots of interesting things, which made me keep stopping to take photos.  I"d taken my small camera, as it easier to carry at times, but still takes a good photo.

Strange markings on these, reminding me of a heart on the right and a face with a gaping mouth on the left.

Different coloured rocks and stones in the shallows.

Slimy, velvety green seaweed covering a rock.

Looking out across the rocks to the breakers.

Now as I am having trouble with these photos having a mind of their own, I'll just put a few more on.

As we were leaving the beach we could here a not too far off rumbling.  Click!!!  The island's raceway must be in use today.  Off we went and were rewarded with some lovely classic cars, ie.  minis, mustangs, cortinas, triumphs, escorts and lots of others that hubby would know.  

Through the wire fence.

The galahs don't seem to mind the noise, as they didn't move, just kept on eating.

And one last photo with an "Anglia", which is the type of car my first ever boyfriend had.

OK, just a small post from the weekend just gone and hopefully my next one will behave as I add the photos.  It is again, quite a lovely day and hubby has been moving our letterbox from one side of the driveway to the other as it was very awkward near the caravan.  Hope the poor postie doesn't get too confused. (hee, hee).

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Take care,

Susan.

JULY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Linking up with Hawthorn at I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

1  REFLECTIONS.

From my archives.  I know that it was taken in early 2010 on the way back from a trip to Sydney, to see my parents.  We came back via the south coast of NSW & Victoria, but I didn't think to label it. Sorry.

2.  STRIPE.

This one was taken last week.  As I walked past my design wall one afternoon, I thought, tah-dah!
Strips of fabric making - stripes -.  One of my own designs I'm working on "slowly" at the moment from the Jelly roll I showed a couple of posts ago.

3.  SECRET.

Do you think this desk may conceal a "SECRET DRAWER".  I've really been trawling the archives this month and the photo above was taken at the Lakeland Motor Museum whilst in UK in 2014. This one was the hardest for me this month.

4.  RED.

I love this old cart photo, taken in the outbuildings at Temple Newsam in Leeds, whilst on holiday (once again) in 2014 and it is certainly red.

5.  CONTRAST.

What is it, you say?  Oh, I don't know, but the contrast against the bright blue sky is great.  Taken on the same holiday as photo 1, but this time on the Parramatta River aboard the catamaran that runs from Parramatta to Circular Quay in Sydney.  I snapped it above all the other buildings on the banks of the river, but can't even remember where it was placed in relation to any of the suburbs.

6.  FORGOTTEN.

Rusting in peace amongst the long grasses of a paddock.  Taken in our area on one of our day's out.

7.  SOFT.

OK, I'm definitely going outside the square here.  "SOFT" pink flowers on my Pieris in our old garden.  Did you know that pieris flowers smell lovely?

8.  COLD.

Roadside and hills with a dusting of snow in May a few years back, when we took a short break to the Victorian High Country.  It was certainly cold for May.

9.  SEAT.

Forget the old lady sitting there and concentrate on the clever use of an old tree.  Actually it was quite comfortable.  Another snap from our trip to UK, 2014 and taken at Jimmy's Farrm.

10.  MY OWN CHOICE.

A bowl of the most beautiful hellebore flowers at Post Office Farm Nursery, which specialise in these gorgeous plants.  We visited last Sunday and yes I bought some plants, which are still waiting to be planted. as the weather this week has been foul.  Hopefully we'll get some  pleasant days soon.

Hope you enjoy my rather odd assortment this month, mainly taken from my archives, due to the inclement weather at the moment.
On a footnote, whilst doing this, I've been serenaded by some magpies, outside the study window.
Have a wonderful weekend all and take care.
Susan,.

HAVE YOU SEEN?

                                                                      This little book.

The title says it all.
Interesting for anyone needing their own space.
Sheds are from Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA & Canada.

A bit of something that some may want to skip.
Today I went for a CT scan of my brain, because I had a funny incident the other day, but hopefully by Friday I will know if anything untoward is afoot.

Now, I am going to experiment with my comments, as I've a few close family and friends who often say they can't leave one, so if it works and you find you can leave one, could you please leave your name at the bottom as well ----- PLEASE!!

All for now and I will be back on Friday with my SCAVENGER HUNT PHOTOS.
Take care,  Susan.