We have had

A busy couple of weeks, a bit of sewing has been squeezed in here and there

the big hanky quilt Christine made for her sister is completed

April and March blocks are finished for the Guild challenge

Sorry they are upside down 😔 Jan and Feb blocks (fixed now)

We have been to a 90th birthday party for our neighbour from Eltham, she was a surrogate Mum for me when the boys were little and we were extra family and she is from East Berlin and had no extended family here at that stage.

We had a great catch up and lunch at a winery out at Kangaroo Ground.  We saw a sign going in telling us a snake had been seen in the garden that morning 🤯 but thank goodness we didn't see it!!

Sunday we went to watch Shane play footie, 28 deg C day, it was hot for then running around 

Shane is #49

Just down the road from the footie oval was a Vietnamese Buddhist centre and some thing was happening as it was very busy. 

Very interesting to wander around outside, I had to wait now and then as people were placing incense and praying near the statues. 

Monday my car was due its first service so off I went to West Geelong, I had a walk while I waited down to the Barwon River

Past the old woolen Mills

You wouldn't guess you were in the Geelong suburbs here

Someone was living down here in a tent

I found a geocache not far from here, always good motivation for a walk!

While we were away for the weekend the rainbow lorrikeets got into the peach tree...I have hung Christmas tinsel in it now in the hope they will stay away and we will get a few peaches!

I had better away and pick up David from chess club

Happy stitching.

Around Busselton

I went out walking in the wind one day to fins caches along the beach front

I watched a wind surfer for a while

He got way up in the air....must have had strong arms I decided.

Heading back to the resort, catching the sun.

Happy stitching

Tiki tour day 2

This morning we went to the Botanic Gardens in Ballarat to see the begonias, there were so many beautiful flowers

Just amazing.

There was a lovely craft shop in the gardens- the Adam Lindsay Gordon craft cottage. Adam Lindsay was a poet. He was sent out from the UK to make something of himself, he tried lots of things, including poetry,  but sadly ended up getting a head injury and ending his life. His cottage was moved from his property to the Botanic Gardens.

This was in the craft cottage - it appealed to me.

From there we went to the tram museum to get a stamp for the Adventure Passport, then off to the Info center for the same.

Then we set off for Bendigo. 

On the way we went thru Creswick, we were going to stop for lunch but also did an Adventure Lab which took us up and down the main street. There has been a music festival on since Thursday so there was all kinds of music being played/sung. We found a wonderful wool shop which had so many beautiful examples

Just one we were taken with.

One band playing we listened to for a while

Guy in the middle had a guitar, drums attached to his legs and other instruments, his singing was really good too.

Church in Creswick was part of the Ad Lab

As was the designer of this pub sign. The Lindsay family uses to eat here and enjoyed amongst other things the "bawdy humour".

We are now in Bendigo tonight.

Tomorrow is explore Bendigo day.

Again  no stitching.

Happy stitching. 

Tiki tour day 1

Today I picked up Raewyn from the airport and we headed for Ballarat. We called in at Kryal Castle on our way to get a stamp in our Australian Adventure Passports

Then the selfie queens got busy

Oh dear!! It was a windy time of day.

From here we went to Sebastapol to visit Gail's Patchwork Emporium - what a shop, do much to see! 

From here we went to the Wildlife Park and saw the Tassie Devils being fed, they are fierce little critters, busy fighting each other for food,  even though there was enough for both. 

There were many koalas to see

this one was snoozing in the sun

I had hoped Raewyn could feed the kangaroos but they were not interested sadly, must have been well fed today

We also saw a quoll being fed

He moved fast so was not easy to catch .

Once we git to our accommodation we settled in, had a cuppa and then had a walk along part of Lake Wendoree

We went to find answers for a cache

Memorial for prisoners of war, sad to see.

We have now had dinner and it is relax time. 

No stitching happened today.

Happy stitching.

Out for a walk

After a supermarket visit this morning we went out to the Sandspit Beach and I went to to find caches

Is beautiful out here today.

No luck with three caches.

We moved the car and started from the other end of the walkway 

I found the remaining three thank goodness!! I also met one of the residents who knew about the cache by her front fence, she looks after it, and helps the brownies and cubs who also come searching for it.  She also is a member of a local knitting group which is what Jenny has been looking for,  so double score!!

I am cooking dinner tonight so had better go check it and then maybe do some stitching.

Happy stitching.

Onehunga

A day out and about for me while Jenny went to see the surgeon, I was not needed so made plans and went to follow some Adventure Labe

The first one was here, walking along the edge of the Manakau Harbour

The tide was out 🤣

Beautiful big pohutulawa tree.

Next stop was a walk over the new walking bridge, this replaced the old car bridge, the new one runs along side

I walked this bridge several times trying to find the answers to the questions,  missing one answer from one set and three from the other. 😒 by this time it was after 1pm, the temp was 27degC and the UV rating was 9 out of 11, I have the bright red nose to prove it!! 🤣

Then it was off to pay another cisit to Aunty June, she was happy to see me but disappointed Jenny wasn't with me.

On my way home I did another Adventure Lab

Around Te Tauranga, a tidal lake, set up for swimming, water skiing, kyaking and wake boarding, the gates let the tide in and out twice a day to freshen the water.

I think this photo was back at the carpark 

Top end of the lake

you can see the poles and ropes for pulling the wakeboarding people along

On the right is the pontoon for kyaking people and water skiing people and me to answer the Ad Lab question 🤣

It took me a long time to get back to Waiuku as the traffic on the motorway was very conjested and slow, but it was a good day out and about.

Off to begin a crochet edge in a blanket Jenny has made now.

Happy stitching.