OCTOBER SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT 2018.

Joining in once again with I live, I love, I craft, I am me, whose aim is to challenge our photographic skills, being alert to the world around us, making new friends far & wide & to have lots of fun as well.
I'm also putting out an apology for being so absent.  Many who know me well, understand I've an anxiety problem (now you all know) & with such a hectic year behind us, it all impacted with a few unexpected problems throughout the last few months.  They being my poor old back pain, car maintenance items, the Queensland holiday bringing home to me, how far spread our children are, doing a couple of customer quilts which I'm not used to, having no immediate friends close by, and our area growing at a great pace with no new infrastructure & having nearly tripled since we came in 2004.  Mad!!!  The other part which worries me, was a strange comment I've had on my last 2 posts.
THERE...............All said and done, so here comes the hunt.

1.  PRINT.
I've chosen two, as I just couldn't make up my mind.

The print at left was photographed at Post Office Farm Nursery at Woodend, which specialises in Hellebores.  I thought about some of my blogpals not having heard of our native  Brolga & this is a very cute depiction.





The words below are printed on the end of a Furphy Water Cart barrel, used in the colonial days of Australia and manufactured by a firm called Furphy Foundry in Shepparton, Victoria.  I took this photo on a day out earlier this year at the National Trust property of Gulf Station in the Yarra Valley.

2.  LEAVES.

The many varied colours of Coleus leaves in the vast glasshouses at Temple Newsam in Leeds, West Yorkshire.  They are stunning.

3.  SPOT.

I found this one quite hard & really wanted to think outside the box.  At the centre of these gumnuts, is a darker spot which is actually a little hole which holds the minute seeds.  Taken a few weekends ago on a very grey day (must do a blogpost of this outing), which netted some interesting snaps.

4.  BOUNDARY.

Another one I had to think long & hard about, but these beautiful stone walls are definitely defining the boundaries of the fields, (nearly said paddocks😄).  This was taken in 2014 as we followed some of the route that the Tour de France took on it's UK leg.  A grey day once again, as much as the photo above.

5.  FLAME.

Flame coloured Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia).

I took liberty with this one & thought you put a poker into the fire or furnace to stir up the flames.  Taken last year on day out in the Dandenong Ranges.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

DH's handiwork.

I needed a photo of K's woodworking skills for someone and on a lovely sunny day took them outside to the steps and snapped this.  The latest is the one on the top step in the middle.  Clever hubby!!!

Well, that is my lot for this month.  I just realised that we've a mixture of Oz & UK!!!!!!!!!
Sorry about the top blurb, but maybe just saying it all helps me too.  I really must do some catchup posts with days out & some more of our holiday in Queensland. Oh and I need kick-starting to get some motivation for craft/quilting etc., so my blogging can be about that again too.
Thanks once again Kate for our words, take care all & huggles.
Susan.

 

SEPTEMBER SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT 2018

Ah, another month gone and it's link up time again with Kate.

This month's list had just a wee bit more thinking to be done, but I got there in the end so let us see what inspired me.

1.  BRIGHTLY COLOURED.

Oh dear, another pink tractor, but this time scattered brightly with crazy flowers.  I took this photo many years ago (2008, I think) & I was actually browsing holiday snaps when I noticed it and thought aha!  It was taken at Ruston's Rose Garden in Renmark, South Australia.
2.  UPSIDE DOWN.

Not quite upside down, but definitely not showing the right direction.  This was taken last weekend after we'd spied it on our Coffee/Cake run with the car club.  K & I both said at the same time, "Upside down", but couldn't stop then, so had an afternoon outing on the weekend.  The same day also netted my own choice photo too.  Lucky break.
3.  INK.

The photo was taken  this afternoon, after being really stumped for the word ink.  I'd been hoping to get to an antique complex and find a lovely old inkwell or bottle to photograph, but that didn't eventuate.
Fortunately, I walk past this lovely tray many times everyday, then spotted a book in one of my bookcases that came from a cleanup at my parents place.  Now of course, "pen & ink", which is the method my DD used to do this tray for me, when she had more time for craft before children.  I love it and always had it displayed in my studio, but these days it is on the treadle machine in the hall on the way to my sewing room, not a studio😢.
4.  BAG.

OK, I do have permission to use this great photo of Miss A, our lovely grand daughter who is our
eldest grandchild.  I cannot believe that she is nearly 22.  Where have all those years gone?  I'd been busy snapping some family photos, when she turned around and I got this one with her "bag" in hand.
Just a bit of fun.
5.  PATTERN.

Taken at Cape Patterson Beach back in July.  I'm not sure exactly what it is, though it reminds me of some sort of fossil imprint.  I find it rather fascinating, making a 'pattern' on the rocks.
6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

As I pointed out above, this was taken last Sunday afternoon as we came home.  Stopped to take in some views, when I noticed the cows on the way to milking on a dairy farm.  I needed my zoom lens, but I'm so pleased with this photo.  You may need to click on it to see properly.

I do enjoy these photo hunts, the thinking, keeping your eyes open to see what's around & trawling through the archives.  I also love to see what everyone else comes up with.
Thanks Kate.  Take care all & huggles.
Susan.

HOLIDAY PART 2.

Picking up again from my previous holiday post, we made our way further north & stopped in Goondiwindi for lunch.  This is quite an interesting town, which I will show mainly in photos. It is in Queensland & sits on the northern side of the river that is the border between the 2 states (NSW & Qld).

                                                The beautiful hotel in the main street.

 

A very large sign with mileages (actually kilometres) to various towns in Australia.  There was a third side, that I just couldn't manage to take from anywhere.  You can see that we were already 1325kms from Melbourne.

A monument to one of Australia's famous race horses, named Gunsynd.

The bridge over the Macintyre River which is part of the border.

                                A little about the Macintyre River which gives more information.

One of the more recent flood markers.  

A lovely mural on a large concrete water tank beside the river, depicting 2 Brolgas, which are native birds.  As a child, at Christmas time, we would sing Australian Christmas Carols, one of which was Carol of the Birds. which begins - "Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing".  I love this song with words by John Wheeler & music by William G. James.

Lunch eaten & our little jaunt around town done, we went on our way & what did we see up ahead, but a bushfire.  Not sure whether it was maybe a controlled burn, as it so dry in the north & the fire season had started very early this year.  

Enough from me today for this post.  Another will come next week about the journey from Toowoomba to Forest Glen where we spent 9 lovely days with our family.

Friday sees a post on the Photo Scavenger Hunt, so till then,

take care & huggles,  Susan.

BLOGGERS' QUILT FESTIVAL 2018

https://www.amyscreativeside.com/2018/09/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2018-edition/

Well, I just decided to pop a quilt into this festival, so it will be a short post.  The linky bit is above.
Last year I was trying to use from my stash only and made 3 quilts named for our granddaughters & although 2 were finished completely by the end of the year, the one below was finally quilted & bound this year.  I did post a photo before the binding was done, but not completely finished.

AIMEE LEE.

This is called Aimee Lee and was designed by me on my Quilt Wizard program, using my stash and then quilted on my long arm machine, with a pattern by Apricot Moon called Ribbons'n'Bows.
I enjoyed finding somewhere to take these photos.

                                                An "in progress" shot on my design wall.

This photo shows what happens when using from your stash and miscalculating the amount of background you need.  Substitutions can be fun & once it's all done, you can just look at the bigger picture.  Enjoyment is what it is all about.
I've never participated in something like this before, so do hope it's OK.
Take care all & if you pop on to take peek, a big THANK YOU.
Susan.

OUR RECENT HOLIDAY TO QUEENSLAND.

PART 1.
Well, I suppose some may have noticed I've been a bit quiet lately.  We went away with our caravan at the beginning of August & I had limited internet access, so decided I'd do anything necessary & not worry about blogging, which I'd do as soon as we arrived home.  Alas, I managed the Scavenger Photo Hunt, then had both internet & laptop problems, so now I think I'd like to catch up with a bit about our holiday before the next photo hunt arrives.  I was "k.......d" (exhausted), when we got back, so even sorting the photos was delayed.  Now I'm halfway through quilting 2 customer quilts, which has also been frustrating me. 
Sunday afternoon, quite cool & with hubby watching car racing on the telly, I'm sitting here trying to work out what to write & which photos to use.  Here goes............

DAY 1
We left home early, headed out of Melbourne, making for Tocumwal on the Murray River which is the main border between Victoria and New South Wales.  Towing a caravan limits my photo taking, so not much till we reached the lovely small town of Tocumwal which sits on the NSW side of the river, where we stayed for the night.

A rest area along the highway, where there is shaded parking area & toilets. Convenient for travelers in Australia due to the long distances traveled.

Murray River at Tocumwal.

The BIG Murray Cod.

We have a passion here to have BIG representations of 'things"  & the one above is a native fish species that lives in the Murray River.

Some wonderful murals on the front of the local IGA supermarket in Tocumwal.  Very representative of our countryside from yesteryear.

I spied this whilst we were on our walk around town & just had to snap it.  Along the top (if you click on it you can see it better), it reads National Bank of Australasia Ltd.  When I started working in the bank in 1966, this is what it was called, though I was employed in Sydney & not this branch.  It is now called NAB.  Useless information, I suppose.

                                This beautiful old tree was near the park & displayed a plaque.

And then, wondering what this was as we ended our walk.............

 Nearing the caravan park, (our car can be seen in the top left of the above photo) & approaching the long fence I could see movement.  Was it a dog? 

NO!!!!  It was these 2 kangaroos, who seemed to be fascinated by me too, snapping away madly.  

DAY 2 & 3.

Only a few photos taken these couple of days, due to aforementioned travelling restrictions & most of my followers not knowing the geography of Oz.  We traveled up the Newell Highway, west of the Great Dividing Range (a range of mountains running top to bottom on the eastern side of our country).

Most of NSW & Queensland are in severe drought & I've tried to capture that.

Taken through the rather bug spattered windscreen, showing just how dry, flat & expansive it is out west.

 A dry creek bed, which by the erosion of it's sides, can flow well, when we've had rain.

Occasionally, there are places to stop, as long as you've not got a truck or other vehicle,"right up your backside", as hubby puts it.   There were many trucks loaded with hay on their way to drought stricken farmers.

Another view over ploughed fields, awaiting those first drops of rain.  The mountains in the distance are a small section the Great Dividing Range.

I'll post more during the week about travelling over the border into Queensland, our little mishap & seeing places new to me, as I've only been to Queensland once before, when I was 16 and that is, a long time ago.

A LITTLE EXTRA.......................

I've managed to finish the piecing on the quilt I designed and started at the Mystery Case weekend I enjoyed with my friend Joy, back in July.   Ahhhhhh!

Does anyone ever feel guilty about weird things?

Here in our part of Victoria, even though the rainfall isn't as good as it should be, we are definitely in the GREEN & not drought. This I snapped last week on a short afternoon outing.

Taken on a back road between Drouin & Poowong, it definitely makes the above photos look stark.

I was actually out to take one of the photos for the Scavenger Hunt.  Hmm!  Now I have you wondering.

I'll leave it at that for today & have scheduled in another 'holiday post' on Wednesday, I hope.

Thanks for taking the time if you read this.  Am I too long winded?

Take care all & huggles.

Susan.

AUGUST SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT.

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Linking up with the lovely Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me............  Having only just got back from 3 weeks away to Queensland in our caravan, I'm still not quite with it, but here goes.

1.  TEA/TEE

 My great grandmother's delicate teacup, saucer and plate.  It's very old, as she was born in 1875 & passed away when I was 15.

A golf tee used to hold a small felted flower, propped in a cotton reel from Stotts Bobbin Mill in the Lakes District, UK.  I made this in a craft class, way back when.

2.  THYME/TIME

 Not what I had in mind, but last minute option.  I've no thyme growing in my garden & didn't have "time" to go looking for some 😖

This would tell the TIME on a sunny day, but alas it's been quite dreary here today.

3.  AISLE/ISLE

 The aisle of an old church at the Pioneer Village in Toowoomba, which we visited whilst on our trip.

Another photo taken on this trip at Mudjimba Beach showing an island just off shore.

4.  FAIRY/FERRY

 This flower "fairy" fabric was left over from a quilt I made for my great niece for her little girl bed, which was some time ago, as she is now 12.
I've been toying with an idea for these & had just got them out when the hunt list came through.

Taken yesterday, when we went out for a light lunch as my birthday treat.  On the way home we stopped of at a place called Corinella on Westernport Bay & spotted this little ferry arriving from French Island.  I went "aha", my ferry photo.

5.  FLOUR/FLOWER

 Another from our recent trip.  We had a day when we visited several waterfalls, one being a short walk, then a long walk down many steps & all the way back up again for the second..  The third was a bit of a let down, with not being able to see much, so drove back towards the caravan park & had an afternoon cuppa at this Cafe, then realised what it was called so snapped their sign.

A day out to the rhodendron gardens (late July), in the Dandenongs found me snapping away merrily & I thought this one would do for flower.  I think it goes by the name of witch hazel & I've actually never seen one in flower before.  It's so pretty.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

Another from our recent trip & also taken at Mudjimba Beach.  I had to look this one up and found it is a Pandanus Palm.  Although I knew what the top looked like, I'd never ever seen the trunk & base of this tree, and was rather amused.  We saw many more along the coast as we drove home.

OK, that's my lot for the hunt & I'm getting cold again.  Best turn the heater up before it gets dark & colder.  It's only 9° now at 5pm.
Looking forward to catching up with all again & seeing what everyone comes up with.
Take care all and huggles from Susan.