AUGUST PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Joining in on our monthly hunt for interesting photos to go with a set of words from the lovely Kate.
I nearly forgot all about it, as this month has been a bit of a chore with some of our coldest weather in a long time and just being a tad overwhelmed at the moment with aches, stress & the overall yucky world news.  This Hunt helps me refocus and hopefully, I'll feel like keeping up with my blog again.

1.  RELAXED.

Hubby relaxing on a timber seat during a day out a few weeks ago.  Actually, they weren't very comfortable at all.

2.  IT BEGINS WITH AN M..........

MAILBOX.......Here in Oz, we do see some very quirky mail boxes, as unlike UK, our posties ride a small motorbike to deliver our mail & our boxes are at the front gate, though some are going over to electric pushbikes now in the suburbs and country towns.  Out in the countryside, you often see a line of mailboxes together at the junction of a side road or lane.  These deliveries are usually done by car.

3.  TIME FOR........

TEA..... a miniature teaset at the NT. property McCrae's Homestead which we visited earlier this year.  Isn't it cute & I can imagine a little girl having lots of fun with it.

4.  TANGERINE.

OK, not very original, but this was the colour of the car we hired last year whilst travelling in UK.  We could definitely spot where we had parked it.

5.  IT BEGINS WITH AN O.......

OVENS.....   I took this photo of the communal ovens in Corbridge, Northumberland in 2011.  If you click on it, you can read the blue plaque explanation.

6.  WHISKERY.

Oooh,  I found this one difficult, but thought this closeup of some white gum blossom, looked sort of whiskery.

7.  LACE.

IRON LACE......The wrought iron lace on the top verandahs of this row of terrace houses in Melbourne is, I think, lovely when kept in good condition.  It was used on many houses and even bridges here in Australia in our colonial past.

8.  BRIDGE.

SEA BRIDGE.....  Actually, I've shown this before, but think that some bloggers who do the Hunt, may not have seen it.  Just south of Sydney, it was built to replace the road that kept slipping into the sea at the bottom of the cliffs.  There are several view points to take photos and I took this one in 2014.  I must like taking pics of bridges, as I found at least 8 to choose from & dithered over which one to pick.

9.  LETTERS.

Whoops!!  Just one letter, that I found at 4 Elms Nursery in Kent last year & wanted to bring home with me, as hubby's name starts with a K.  We didn't think we'd like to pay extra for luggage so left it there and only took a photo.

10.  MY OWN CHOICE.

Beach hut roofs.

Taken last Sunday, when we popped out for me to go to a small Quilt Show at Mornington.  We ate our lunch looking down on these, clouds rolling in, people walking dogs along the beach, some rowers in canoes and seagulls soaring on the wing.

Well, that's me done for another month and look forward to seeing what everyone else has chosen to go with their words.

Happy September all, Spring for us and Autumn in the northern hemisphere.

Thanks Kate.

LOOKING!!!!!!

Well, where has the time gone since I last sat & posted.  Maybe, because we've been busy, both on the home front & out and about.

Thursday the 3rd, we popped on over to Bairnsdale to pick up another chuck for hubby's lathe & whilst in the vicinity went out to Paynesville, ate our picnic lunch then boarded the small ferry as pedestrians (free) to take the Koala Walk on Raymond Island.  It was very cold, but we so enjoyed.  I was doubtful if we'd see any grey woolly bumps in the trees, but oh, what a feast.  This could be a bit top heavy with photos.
                                                                 LOOKING DOWN.

The start of the walk from near the ferry 

LOOKING UP.

I had a sore neck, by the time we'd made it back to the water's edge.

LOOKING AHEAD.

 A Banksia tree in full flower.

And sipping nectar, is a lovely Rainbow Lorikeet.

We walked along here.

Came to this seating area where parents can watch their children paddling.

The ferry coming across the river.  It's not far & only takes about 5 minutes.

Looking across to Paynesville.

Looking along the river with the mountains in the distance.

A black swan crossing the path.

A plethora of birds......2 pelicans, many seagulls, 2 different sorts of shags & 2 swans aswimming.

                                                           LOOKING DOWN AGAIN.

Not the best, but here we have a jelly fish floating near the jetty.

LOOKING LEFT.

Now this was something I'd never seen before, both on the way to Paynesville & back.  Lucky for me they were still there for a photo on our way home.

So many black swans in a large paddock.  Usually you see them near water, but I think there might have been something tasty they were after in here.

LOOKING AGAIN.

Yesterday we needed milk, so popped out & also took a little trip to work out times for our Coffee/cake run next Wednesday & came home via a gravel road & spotted a paddock of these............

Kangaroos.

I've not seen so many this close to home, even though we use a lot of back roads in the area.  Lucky I had the camera in the car.

LOOK WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO TODAY.

Oh, BTW it is now Sunday & been reasonably warm after so many cold, inclement days, so hubby set about finishing these.  Um... just a couple of pics.

Busy, working, doing............

these.

Huuuuh!  This says it all.  I think he's glad that's nearly done.

We purchased a pressure washer yesterday too & the treads will look better for a wash, as will some of our paving once Spring is here.  These steps were timber & very narrow & as we aren't getting any younger, we decided before winter, that they needed to be wider.  We already find them so much better.

Although I'm sitting here doing this post, I've not been too idle with washing done, a Butterscotch Tart made & trying to finish this on the big machine.

A few UFO tablemats, that I popped onto the end of the Mystery Case quilt backing, which is rolled up behind.  I needed to do this, as I have a customer quilt coming in next week.  What!!!, you say. "But you don't do quilts now for other people".  Well, a friend popped in during last week & asked if I'd do one for her and I said yes. 

OK, I've babbled on for long enough & posted way too many pics, but I'm just catching up with what we've been up to.  Another busy week ahead, so may be quiet again till next weekend.

Take care all, have a good week & huggles from

Susan.

 

FINISHING STITCHES - JULY

Linking with Joy for a few things that have been completed or finalised in some way over the last few months.

I'll start with 2 "proper" finishes.

 A jumper I started before we went to UK last year.  I finally sewed it together & did the neck band at the beginning of July and it has already been toasty warm for me on some very cold days.

Bibliophile Anonymous

Now this quilt, I think, was shown a few months back, sitting on the quilt machine, partially done.  It is now finished & is being used as part of a display at one of our local libraries.  A sampler done many a year ago.

Jewel Parti.

This is the quilt I made at Judy's Mystery Case weekend back at the end of June.  OK, not quilted yet, but at least pieced.  It is ready and waiting with it's backing to be quilted this week, I hope.

Now for a few more tops I've been working on over the last few months.  There are 5, all my own designs to try and use up my rather extensive stash.  Well, I did make my first quilt 40 years ago.

Judy's Promise.
This is the one I struggled with, and is now waiting to be quilted.

Water Meadows.
Another  one to play with what I had on hand.

Do you see a trend?  My trouble is that I like designing, then see them come together, and quilt when I'm in the mood.  Naughty me.

Dotty Custard.
This is made with a jelly roll & 1 background.  I did make 2 quilts a few months back (both quilted) to show how to get two from one jelly roll & this is along the same lines.  There is another one on paper & just waiting for me to have time to start it.

Cafe Culture.
Just off the machine.  I made this in the early 2000's from fabric that depicts French Cafes.  I'm hoping that someone I know with a lovely coffee shop will appreciate it once I've done the binding.
Below is the fabric on the back.  Isn't it cool.\
It is quilted with coffee cups.

Whoopsa Daisy.
OK, this is one that shouldn't be on here, but I couldn't help myself.
Some people know that I want to write a book and have been making quilts for it, for several years.
This is one of them, but I can't tell anymore.
Yes, it's bright.

I'll leave this with one last photo.  Today is the 1st of August, (I'm running late),which here in Oz is both Horse's birthday and Wattle day.

A vase of wattle on the kitchen counter.

Have a good week all and a wonderful August.
Take care.
Susan.

JULY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Linking up with Kate for the July word hunt.

This month seemed difficult, but once I set my mind to it, I found way too many for some words.
Here we go......

1.  CRANE.

Cranes in the port of Harwich.  This is one word I found quite a few pics for, but went for this one hoping it would be a little different.

2.  RING.

When we lived on the other side of town at No. 4, the grandchildren used to call these daffodils around the silver birches "THE FAIRY RING"

3.  SET.

This word has so many meanings, it is not 'funny'.  In the end, I went to the dictionary for ideas and found that as a verb, it has 18 meanings, as an adjective, 5, and as a noun, 11.  Some of these, even have a few connotations of their own too.
This is the noun, (8), --a session of jazz or rock music, usually followed by intermission, or the music played during such a session.
So these little fellas are at the Goulburn Caravan Park (NSW) where we've stayed a few times over the years and I'm quite sure they'd be playing a Jazz SET.

4.  LIGHT.

The Illiminations in Blackpool (UK) where we went one year with our niece and her family.  I was very taken with the trouble they go to, to put this on each year and thought it quite amazing.  I did love this photo I took (it was hard to take good pics), with crown and chandeliers.

5.  BOW.

The bow of a huge ship with helicopter pad looming out of the mist in Blyth (UK again).  This is a cable laying ship which was docked and I expect picking up cable from the area, as we also saw a large yard where I think, they must make it. It was huge.
I remember seeing a cable laying ship in Sydney as a child, which we were lucky enough to be shown around as my Dad used to work for OTC, an Australian communications company.

6.  SPRING.

Springer and his mate.  Hubby made these 2 doggies many years ago from the springs he replaced in one of our cars.  The one of the left is DD's and the one on the right belongs to us.  Think I have posted these before, but just the thing for this word.

7.  OPEN.

An "open"-cut coal mine in the Latrobe Valley here in Victoria east of where we live.  I'm not a big fan of coal-fired power stations, but this is the world we live in and as long as we try and better our use of resources, it stays for the time being.

8.  GRAND.

Our first "grand" child aged about 18 months (I think) sporting the latest fashion, a tupperware bowl hat.😊  This little girl, is now a young lady who will be 21 in November.  Yikes!!!!!!

9.  PARK.

OK, probably not the most obscure use for this word, but this is the oddest colour for a lyrebird, a rather shy native bird which is often seen flashing through trees in southern rain forest areas.
It stands at the entrance to a fun park just west of here on the highway to Melbourne.  Many years ago, someone put some firecrackers up it's rear end and it looked quite sad until they resurrected it. Now the park is undergoing a, wait for it...... $50 million dollar refurbishment.  We've never been, so may make that an outing once it is completed.  More photos opportunities?

I just grabbed this photo of a lyrebird off the internet so everyone can see what they really look like. I've never been quick enough to get a proper photo, so hope I'm not doing anything too naughty.

10. MY OWN CHOICE.

Hellebores in flower along the back fence.  Hubby took this photo yesterday while I was at the Quilt Show.  Aren't they 'gorgeous'.  I'll try and do a post soon as the garden comes back to life, though a few things have succumbed to the heavy frosts.  I saw a quick news item, that Australia is having it's coldest and driest winter for a long time.  Even though dry, it's been very overcast.

OK my hunt done and not as early as I'd planned.  Can I actually say this, but I was knackered, OK pooped last night and even dozed off a few times in the front of TV after my day out.  I never do that.
Have a great weekend all and I'm off to link this up.
Take care and huggles,  Susan.