Short escape

 today we left home and headed northwestish to Daylesford , we looked and found a few caches on the way, the forecast was for rain showers, that didn't happen until about midday as we were going to go for a walk to a mineral spring, might do that on the way home 😄

this was the second cache I found in the old Ballan cenetery, pretty appropriate I thought!! It was in an old tree stump.

This is a huge cemetery with a few old headstones here and there, I wondered if they were in different denomination areas, lots had fallen over and were broken but one area was new with lots of crosses with names on them. I am going to look up the cemetery and see if I can find out any other info.

The sign and the main entrance. We didn't stay too pong as the rain had started to drizzle.

Third cache I looked for was at the Ballan train station, I spent 10 minutes looking in the wrong place, before I realised I needed to go 24 m to the left!! Duh!!

Next stop was Sailors Falls, it was great to see the amount of water coming over the falls, but now the rain was fairly persistent, so we didn't go for a walk here.

We are staying at the Lake Jubilee Holiday Park, we have a self contained cabin, this is the view out the door,

And our little front verandah.

We did get out for a walk around the lake, it was very muddy and wet but pleasant to be out.

I am all set up for some sewing, just need some enthusiasm now. 

Time for a cuppa I think 

Happy stitching. 

Sunday

 afternoon I decided out of the blue to make a quilt top I had had the pattern for, for a while, so I thought I had better get it finished today

So, one pixelated heart, made with left over charm squares - I find random quite hard, luckily I didn't see how the colours would work out until it was sewn into rows and then it was not going to be changed! I have a large bag of 5 inch squares cut for another project but might make this pattern again one day as it went together quite quickly.

Sunday was a nice day to be out sandwiching a quilt together, the breeze was a little cool but the sun was lovely.

In the big gum tree next door this galah was preening, chatting and generally showing off. I missed getting a photo of the wings out and the strutting up and down the branch.

Same bird

The view over the bay was lovely.

This morning I cooked up lasagne and macaroni cheese with bacon and onion, meals ready for later in the week.

I found out there was a new geocache down the beach not far from us so had to go and find that today when I went for a walk.

It was windy by the beach but refreshing

In the park area over from the beach the spring bulbs are flowering on mass!! No perfume but they look wonderful, and they survived the council mowing!!

I had better go sort dinner

Happy stitching.

This has been a week

 of reading book,. finishing up quilts, foundation paper piecing, english paper piecing and wandering along the beach

I walked along the beach at Indented Head last week

the remains of the old paddle steamer are still visible and much used by the birds.

The name on one of the beach huts, which translates to the House

I passed the Little free library the other day and was saddened to read the note on the door, someone had been taking books and selling them online, so not what the idea is about!

Two oncology quilts are finished.

I have finished this book, in a flood of tears I might add, (happy ones!) It was a great read, love story, WW2 story, family story. story of love and loss and of a child with problems, well worth reading if you can.

I have finished another Old Time Kaleidoscope block, two more to go!! Yay!!

I have prepared next weeks Sylvia's Bridal Sampler block, with a lot of help from Jill here at St Leonards, Jill is the applique queen and showed me how to do these blocks a different way to in the book.

Jill also came over Friday afternoon for a foundation paper piecing lesson, she made the flying geese, I am not sure I have converted her to the joys of fpp 👩

Another 5 hearts have joined the family, I didn't realise I have used the same fabric two strips in a row until I took the photo! 

One of this weeks Sylvia's blocks

and a second, I couldn't believe I hadn't already made this one, it was not ticked in the index or in the book, but when I put it away I found another in the box! I need to improve my recording system.

The first of this weeks Anthology blocks

And the second. These are coming along quite well, but it is going to be a very long term project.

We had some heavy rain and cold weather this week, up in Gisborne where we used to live they had snow! We lived in Gisborne for 20 years and saw snow once.

We have had days like this, cloudy and wet

a beautiful flower spike come up from the bulb

and days like this, a little warmer and sunnier.

I am off for a cuppa.

Happy stitching.

Freedom

 seems to be being enjoyed this weekend down here at the beach, the traffic has increased a lot and the number of people out walking has increased, holiday homes are opened up and have people staying. I guess regional Victorians are on the move again!

We have been at home enjoying the spring garden, going for walks and being at home.

We had a visit from our eldest son and his partner and Hank yesterday, it was wonderful to see them again, they were happy to have a break from their home too.

We had a wander to the shops and back

Hank enjoyed the outing

I received some happy mail in the week from the Threadbare quilt shop in Castlemaine

Wednesday two Anthology blocks were made, this one is Lollipops, I have to go and find a photo of the other one.

There it is one happy star.

Thursday saw the making of another Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Blocks, this one was  foundation paper pieced, it took quite a while to cut all the pieces and then get them in the right place.

Mmmmmmm the poor machine got a clean out. It must have been feeling very uncomfortable!

I have been chipping away at another Old Time Kaleidoscope block after neglecting them for a while.

I have had a pile of off cuts of quilt backing fabric sitting in a pile for a long time so in the week I have been cutting them into 5 inch squares and two and a half by five inch squares. I thought Adam and Beth were staying the night Saturday so that made me cut them all up and clear away the table. They are now all waiting to be sewn into a quilt top.

Saturday I was invited to join in a zoom stitch and chat with these lovely ladies, I have to improve my photo taking skills when it comes to getting a photo of the lap top screen. I haven't seen these ladies for quite a while so it was lovely to have a catch up.

Over the weekend I crocheted two kitchen wash cloths from cotton sent to me by Ingrid. I like the graduating colours.

The Kevin quilt is finished

I am currently quilting this beauty made by Marina who lives In Gisborne, she made two stunning kaleidoscope quilts to go to the oncology ward at SJOG.

I really like the patterns that form in the centre of the blocks

this one too.

I had other happy mail in the week, a box of beautiful reproduction scraps from Marina, we were email talking about making the flying geese and Marina kindly offered to send some of her scraps. Thank you Marina.

A little herbal posie from the garden his morning.

I am off for a soak in the bath before the fish and chips arrive for dinner.

Happy stitching.