TWO LINK UP PARTIES in one post.

Today, this is a quick post for 2 link-ups, being.........

Linking with Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs.

Linking with Sandra from MMM Quilts.

I'll start with Dreami!

I'd designed this quilt a little while back and after I finished in the quiltalong on my Panademia quilt, I decided to use some more scraps I'd found while foraging to do the QAL.  The big problem was that I was supposed to be working on a baby quilt for a friend in UK.  Ah, what a dilemma, so I worked on both during October.

Up Hill and Down Dale once done sat on the design board for a few days whilst I quilted & bound the baby quilt.  Now although not finished, the photo below shows I am still working on it now, so it was sort of a drop everything & make a start.

2.  Favourite finish for October.

The baby quilt is for this one and it is now on it's way to UK & will hopefully arrive shortly.

I wasn't sure what to do, then happened on some panels I'd seen, so ordered them from a shop I know well, by phone & actually received them the next day.  Poor hubby had been waiting for a parcel too & it took 5 weeks & was actually closer to home than the quilt shop, but as we've not been able to go into Melbourne because of restrictions, post has been the only way if you need something.

                                                        This one is called "Luv from Oz."

                                            The back is a lovely soft flannel with teddy bears.

Hubby has had a bit of a Dreami moment too.

A patchwork trivet made from the leftovers of my bowl I showed on a previous post.  Isn't he clever.

                                                                            I love it.

Off now to do my linkups before they close.

Take care all, stay safe & huggles.

Susan.

OCTOBER PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT 2020

 

Today I'm linking with the lovely Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me to post our photos for this month of October.

As I'm still struggling with mojo, this will be plain & simple.

1.  SWEET TREAT.

CUPCAKES.

Some very old embroideries done probably around 2009/10 & never finished as life took over.

Found them a little while ago & have been thinking of incorporating them into a table runner, but it filled the bill as "sweet treat" with cupcakes, a pot of tea & cup.

2.  STARTS WITH A W......

NARRACAN FALLS.

W is for waterfall.  About an hour's drive from home,  this photo was taken in 2018 & I still can't believe it was that long ago.

3.  READING NOW.

LANDSCAPE.

I am rereading some articles in my old Landscape magazines, which I really love and as I've not been able to concentrate on much lately it's been great revisiting beautiful gardens, crafts people & their studios & work, plus lots of other interesting bits'n'pieces.

4.  HOBBY/CRAFTING.

Lucky me, with a clever hubby who has a hobby, which entails crafting.

                                         A bookstand in the making for one of our granddaughters.

I'll of course show it again, once finished.

5.  SOMETHING PURPLE.

A lovely iris, which my DD gave me from one of her plants.  It has surpassed itself this year after not                                                                     flowering last year.

                  My violas in the velvety shade of deep purple with their little smiling faces.

                                               These 2 photos above were taken this morning.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

My first 2 strawberries off my plant I put in a "strawberry pot"😋.  I took this photo late this afternoon, then picked them & we shared with a small amount of ice cream & they were definitely scrumptious.

OK, my lot for this month & although not as exciting what I'm sure the others will be, it's done.  If only the worry & anxiety would abate, but can't see it happening for some time to come.

Please take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.

GARDEN & CRAFT CATCH UP.

 Over the last month I've lagged on blogposts, but have still been taking photos, doing "stuff", as in a bit around the garden(weather permitting) & our crafts, plus walking, which will come in another post before the end of October.

Let's start with the garden & few favourites.

Dutch iris in the front garden.

The snowball bush in full bloom with the banksia rose on the trellis.

The hydrangea with a wayward flower out of season.

The concrete planter surrounded by violets & filled with what I call pink bluebells.
Maybe I should do a little research into what they are really called.

Some of the work we are attempting is also shown below.

Hubby is trying to extend his shed and he is this far now, but due large amounts of rain the progress has been slow.

The excavation work & a pile of soil building up behind, which I've used to fill some pots ready for summer flowers., as below.

My late brother's ancient wheelbarrow with pots ready for, maybe, some petunias.

We've also moved about 200 bricks from here...................................................

Can you see them peeking through the fence from next door?  They were starting to push the fence & we approached the neighbours who didn't even know they were there, at the back of their wilderness & unaccessable to them.  We took some palings off & between DH & I, managed to move them, which was a backbreaking job, but they are now ready & waiting for a project in the near future.

We are going to pave this corner, maybe put up a triangular pergola & have some seating & pots to make it all very pretty.😊

A couple more pics of how steep our garden is & why we need to make it "old people" friendly.

Erosion

Looking up to the shed.

Looking down.

More dirt slipping away here too.

It was supposedly landscaped professionally, but I've never understood steep sloping flower beds & we need to remedy it this year if at all possible.

Another few pics of the garden & my late birthday gifts.😍

The corner of the verandah is starting to look quite colourful.

Looking across the pond, through the pergola to the far corner where we intend to pave.

A little cutie I nearly destroyed, thinking it was a slug in between some agapanthus leaves.
As soon as I realised I was disturbing a little frog, I left him be.
Isn't he the best?

My presents...........An electric lawnmower so I can help do the lawns again.
I cannot pull the starter string on a petrol one anymore & miss mowing.
The other is a wee greenhouse which will be up near the shed, once we've leveled a small spot beside the doorway.

Now onto a bit of crafting.  I'm sure we've done more than this, but a little to show that we've not been                                                                                      idle.

DH made me this beautiful "patchwork" bowl and it's gorgeous.  He did one attempt with some less favourable glue, which is going to become a receptacle for a pot plant, but the one above will definitely be used inside.

DDs quilt has been quilted & is awaiting for us all to be able to visit again, but we aren't holding our breaths.

                                              A photo shoot for 2 recently finished quilts.

Panademia on the keyhole tree.

Gee Whiz on a friends veteran car.

The last one has a bit of sun on it, on an amazingly sunny day which has been a rarity of late.

This one which I've called Luv from Oz, is waiting to be posted to UK for a blog friend's new baby boy.
Designed, pieced, quilted & labeled in Sepember/October, so has kept me busy.
I'm waiting to receive the address, then it will be on it's way.

                                       I'm ready to put this one onto the big machine today.

I'm sure you've had enough of my waffling, so will end this now and hopefully be back with some local walks we've done recently and taken my camera with me.  I'll part with one last photo of our murky grey skies of late, taken from our backyard.  This has been our weather for nearly all of this pandemic, with possibly a handful of nice sunny days.  We even lit the fire over the weekend, as temperatures were very low & the wind has been icy, though the garden, hills and farmers have appreciated the rain.

Thanks for reading my blog all, take care, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.  xx

HOLIDAY BREAK - LAST DAY & TO HOME.

Thursday was  the final day of our break, then Friday we traveled home.  Thursday saw us once again pack our lunch & this time head towards Bairnsdale for DH to pick up a few bits'n'bobs for his woodworking.  After that was done we headed to Paynesville for lunch and a wander.  I have posted about Paynesville here also a few years ago.

Sitting eating our lunch, we were watching these cygnets, being looked after by Mum & Dad.

                               You may have to click on this & make it larger to get a better look.

                         This is more of the pier above where you can wander & some boats come in.

                                              Looking to our left from where we were sitting.

A tree close to where we were seated had a black swan sitting on a nest.  As we put our picnic stuff away in the car, another swan came & chased it away & wow, there were 5 eggs in this nest.  I didn't go any closer in case he/she came back.

Wandering further around the town, I happily snapped these..........................

Mosaics on the side of the shelter, where foot passengers wait for the ferry to Raymond Island.

                                      The ferry coming across the narrow strait from the island.

                                                         Looking towards part of the marina.

I was surprised and fearful for these two & their four cygnets, asleep on the boards where the ferry ties up, but they were fine, as the ferry has buffers it comes in against & when the gangplank comes down for the cars to alight, they are well underneath.  Phew.....................

On the way home we stopped to snap a few interesting (to me) places.

 I loved this old abandoned farm with it's tank stand, old  homestead sheltered by the tree & the derelict shedding.  

                                   

      I'm not too sure what this building is, but it's both weird and interesting.                                

We headed for home on Friday & I took the photo below of one of the many pretty garden beds adorning the main street of Yarram before we left.

Leaving the beautiful countryside of East Gippsland & heading into the LaTrobe Valley, you see this eyesore, though I suppose it is an essential part of our lives these days, especially as so many are now relying on power to use the internet for essential work to stay employed.

This post is probably somewhat disjointed due to my photos changing position occasionally (don't know why), and me losing so much of my mojo and motivation "again" of late.  

Hope you've enjoyed this break we had and I'll be back with catchups of the garden, crafting & some local walking.  Will things ever get better?

Take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.