Showing posts with label Botanic Gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Botanic Gardens. Show all posts

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Time to catch up again

 Since my last post I went to Gisborne on retreat, on the way Carleen and I stopped to find some geocaches

I had found this one before so had an idea of where it was

Carleen spotted it

The cache, the log was in the plastic container in the plane cockpit. This cache is on the road into the Bacchus Marsh airport. Very appropriate we thought.
I think this block was made before going on the retreat. One more for the Anthology collection.

At the end of the last retreat we were each given a bag of green strips from Kates collection of fabric and asked to make some blocks to go into a scrappy quilt, here is progress so far.

I did some green blocks and some joining and the worked on a horse quilt for Belinda

The star blocks have boots and cowboys in the centres.
We went down to the Botanic Gardens in Gisborne for a walk one morning and to find an Adventure Lab
I used to walk the dog here all the time when we lived in Gisborne, and really like these gardens as the plants are all from New Zealand
In the front you can see NZ flax and right up the back is a kowhai tree in flower. In NZ they attract the tui bird for the nectar in the flowers.

There are tadpoles happily living in the puddles here, goes to show how much rain we have had when the tadpoles are thriving!!

We came  home from the retreat Thursday afternoon, Friday I was on duty at the Geelong Show, the Bellarine Quilters had a table there
Despite my gloomy face I was happy to be there, was tired though. The quilt with the red border was the group raffle quilt that was raffled at the quilt show the following weekend.

We had ladies making clothing to go overseas opposite us

a repurposed jacket 

This section always gives me a giggle, the decorated bras

and this cake was stunning.
Saturday was an eventful day although I do not remember any of it, David called an ambulance in the afternoon as he couldn't get any sense out of me, they took me to Geelong Hospital and then I was taken to the Royal Melbourne, where I was operated on for a brain aneurysm and kept in hospital for a week. I had a Level 1 bleed, lowest on the scale and fixable thank goodness. The week I came home David was going to Adelaide for a wargaming gathering so I stayed with Adam and Beth, they were wonderful and waited on me hand and foot - I had lots of company
Beth is keeping well and the baby is growing

Tira was keeping an eye on everything

Hank found his favourite squeaky toy, this one has lasted for ever! Usually he bites the squeaker out but for some reason, not this one.
After a week I went back home.
I have had a few walks up the back yard since coming home - I am one more week to go before I am allowed to ride my bike and go walking, we have had so much rain the garden is growing like mad and everything looks so good.

I was given some poppy seeds and scattered them around the garden - I was told this one is the heroin poppy and to pull it out before it seeds...I thought I was doing well getting it to grow! I had another one here but it got damaged in the last bout of bad weather

the flowers are inside and are slowly opening,  it is a beautiful flower.

Sorry for the bad photo, I started another wasgij

and today I have finally put borders on a panel Jenny gave me about 4 years ago now to get it quilted.

and Jill very kindly put the border on the horse quilt for me, I think I used up all my brownie points there. It is always hard to take over someone else's project especially when there is no pattern and just and idea of using up pieces cut and not used in the quilt. Jill did an amazing job and I am very grateful. This also is ready to go to the quilters.
ok that is me up to date.
I think I need a snooze now!
Happy stitching.












Saturday, September 17, 2022

Grand Day Out part two and home

 On the way to the cafe I spied a little water dragon



and more stunning flowers

up close

Guess what?? another water dragon

and another - you can tell we do not get these at home can't you!!

This one posed very nicely for me, he must have been too warm on the rock to move!
Back to the clivias again

Loved this statue.
The sculpture commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Russian scientist, and founder of cosmonautics,  Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.  You can read more about this amazing man here.

Brisbane city from the Mt Cootha look out

A panorama including the city, the old tea house and a random tourist!!😄
Thank you for a wonderful day out Michelle, I had a great time.

Out the hotel room window on our last night in Brisbane.
We flew home the next morning, on time and drove home.
Yesterday I dusted off the sewing machine and did some blocks for an Aussie Hero quilt
Some yellow gun flowers

and some red gum flowers, the last block nearly did my head in  getting used to doing foundation paper piecing again.
I also completed this weeks Anthology block. A productive day.
Today I need to clean the house and then back to sorting this AH quilt. 
Happy stitching.





































Friday, September 16, 2022

Grand Day Out Part One

 On our last full day in Brisbane Michelle came and picked me up and we went for a visit to Mount Cootha and the Botanic Gardens. We ventured across the city, Michelle had directions from her son and we didn't get lost!!  I have taken many many photos so this might have to be part one and two!!

Michelle told me there would be water dragons around the gardens, the first thing going in Michelle said to me was "Watch your step" and yep there was a dragon on the path, luckily it hurried off into the garden bed.

Our first stop was the dome

and what an amazing place that was, so many beautiful plants and flowers, one of the workers there told us about the fish on the pond and some of the plants.
He also kindly took a photo for us.




The fern house had the most amazing ferns of all kinds

There were sculptures all through out the gardens

Beautiful colour in the Japanese gardens

Musicians up in the tree 😁

More beautiful sculptures in the water.
Lovely views over the creek

and through the trees

the clivias were stunning, there were both orange and yellow

I made a dragon friend

and saw a wee frog

the hippeastrum was stunning 

I really liked this sculpture I had to find a description as I couldn't remember it properly
The current artwork displays were created by Jamie North in Sydney, named “Remainder No. 20 and 21”. These eroded spheres demonstrate the highly altered environments we live in today and fit seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
These sculptures were highly polished brass when first installed.

This is Michelle's favourite sculpture, I was looking for the butterflies they were trying to catch. 😃

Lovely pelican down by the lagoon.

This area had lots of muck growing on the water but you could see the water lilies starting to come through.

Love these beautiful flowers hanging from an archway.

More out in the garden. It is time for a cuppa and lunch!
I think I will stop here and continue tomorrow.