Hello every one,
I am back on track again, hopefully. After my last blog, I went up to Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, for a three day patchwork workshop. With Anne Somerlad, a lady called Petal who did fabric embellishment, and Rachel who had us doing ha dwork with reproduction fabrics. I now have another three unfinished quilts! Af
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Friday, April 18, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
More patchwork on the run.
Sorry about that , we just had a massive thunderstorm amd hailstorm and I had to stop and take some photos of the hail. I managed to save the blog, but I couldn't get back into it to finish. Damn and Blast!! It is still thundering but the rain has stopped. It is a day of contrasts we walked up to the village this morning for coffee and a few items, and upon our return I checked out the motorhome , to find the fridge was off! So i had to do some manoeuvrethe motorhome up onto a chock and blocks to try and get the fridge level. My friends property is on a very steep street. so we got that sorted and I threw out my freezerful of food. and now a thunder and hailstorm. My life is never boring.. Yesterday we went to Springwood to see over 1000 quilts made by the quilters of Australia for the victims of the recent(October) bushfires . It was really mindboggling , they were being distributed today to everyone who had a need. what a wonderful outpouring of generosity. there were also collections of quilting gear and books and fabrics for those victims who may have been quilters, also cross stitching and knitting . Very moving.
Now to attach the photos. I have battled for a couple of hours, with the help of my friends brother, but still no photos, sorry, byt if you look at my facebook i have put there a photo of the hail on the back deck and roof of the garage, and a previous post shows sone of the quilts.
Now to attach the photos. I have battled for a couple of hours, with the help of my friends brother, but still no photos, sorry, byt if you look at my facebook i have put there a photo of the hail on the back deck and roof of the garage, and a previous post shows sone of the quilts.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Patchwork on the run
well a lot has happened since my last blog, as usual. I drove up to the Central Coast to my friends Mike and Hazel at Toukley, via a side trip to Berry with the NSW solo motorhomers. Had a lovely long weekend with them met some delightful folk a lovely lady who is also a patchworker, and a chap who helped me with my photos and the computer. I was persuaded to do more with facebook and have successfully been able to put photos on my page! Still cant put them into the blog but maybe something will rub off and I will work it out again.
I had a lovely week or so at Toukley and then Hazel took me to the station to catch the train to Sydney for my patchwork cruise.. Meg arrived with another friend from the geraldton area in wa to join me. we were on the vVoyager of the Seas, 3000 plus passengers huge ship even with an icerink! we workedery hard at the classes, hardly saw anything of the ship, but enjoyed 3 ports of call at Noumea , Suva and Lautoka, I enjoyed it so much I have booked for next year which is 11 days to north island of NZ. Same ship, sister Jean is coming to share with me. So after getting back to Toukley and visiting for another 10 days with Hazel, she is a beading person and we achieved a huge amount of stock on hand. !! I finally left 2 days ago to come to the Blue Mountains where I am visiting with my friend Caroline, a patchworker, getting ready for a weekend retreat at Blackheath.
I had a lovely week or so at Toukley and then Hazel took me to the station to catch the train to Sydney for my patchwork cruise.. Meg arrived with another friend from the geraldton area in wa to join me. we were on the vVoyager of the Seas, 3000 plus passengers huge ship even with an icerink! we workedery hard at the classes, hardly saw anything of the ship, but enjoyed 3 ports of call at Noumea , Suva and Lautoka, I enjoyed it so much I have booked for next year which is 11 days to north island of NZ. Same ship, sister Jean is coming to share with me. So after getting back to Toukley and visiting for another 10 days with Hazel, she is a beading person and we achieved a huge amount of stock on hand. !! I finally left 2 days ago to come to the Blue Mountains where I am visiting with my friend Caroline, a patchworker, getting ready for a weekend retreat at Blackheath.
Friday, February 14, 2014
On the road to Gundagi
Hello Friends,
Gotta get back in the swing of things. I had a very pleasant stay with Glenda and Ray and family in Loch/woodleigh, attempted to pack more of my "stuff" into the motorhome. Managed to empty a large tub, and a small one. I was able to send to my eldest grandaughter, Emma a tub of linen. She has moved to Melbourne to further her studies, so that was good, I could help her and empty some of my excess linen on to her. Then finally after some very hot days, I was off to Albury Wodonga, to have some vital maintenance done on the motorhome. Luckily they found the leak and apparently fixed it, also the hatch handle and a few other minor probs. But the best bit was , they washed the old girl! She looks like a new one again.
Victoria nad SA have had such bad bushfires, almost my wole drive north was throug quite heavy smoke. altough I wasn't personally very near any fires, it was a bit nerve wracking smelling smoke for the whole time one is driving. Of course I almost don't know where I am going, as I just feed the destination into the GPS and let it take me, quite an exciing way to travel, but you are not sure where you are going. Anyway finally had some rain the last couple of days and now the sky is cloudy but clear, if you get my drift. I tried to take a photo to show how smoky it was, but you know me and adding photos to the blog, we will see if I can put them in. Had a bit of an interesting experience, driving over Kangaroo Valley rd, which is very steep and extremely windy, my fuel guage alarmed to say i ws empty. But as soon as I started down the mountain I had a quarter of a tank again!Gave me a bit of a fright tough!Today I am in Berry with the Blue Wrens, a NSW solo group of motorhomers, having a chapter meeting with them at the showgrounds, There is a pacthwork show on at Mittagong over the weekend, so i might try and go to that also. Then I head north to Hazel and Mikes to park the Motorhome before my patchwork cruise. Hope you are all keeping well and are having some relief from the heat. poor SA one extreme to the other. until next time
vicki
Gotta get back in the swing of things. I had a very pleasant stay with Glenda and Ray and family in Loch/woodleigh, attempted to pack more of my "stuff" into the motorhome. Managed to empty a large tub, and a small one. I was able to send to my eldest grandaughter, Emma a tub of linen. She has moved to Melbourne to further her studies, so that was good, I could help her and empty some of my excess linen on to her. Then finally after some very hot days, I was off to Albury Wodonga, to have some vital maintenance done on the motorhome. Luckily they found the leak and apparently fixed it, also the hatch handle and a few other minor probs. But the best bit was , they washed the old girl! She looks like a new one again.
Victoria nad SA have had such bad bushfires, almost my wole drive north was throug quite heavy smoke. altough I wasn't personally very near any fires, it was a bit nerve wracking smelling smoke for the whole time one is driving. Of course I almost don't know where I am going, as I just feed the destination into the GPS and let it take me, quite an exciing way to travel, but you are not sure where you are going. Anyway finally had some rain the last couple of days and now the sky is cloudy but clear, if you get my drift. I tried to take a photo to show how smoky it was, but you know me and adding photos to the blog, we will see if I can put them in. Had a bit of an interesting experience, driving over Kangaroo Valley rd, which is very steep and extremely windy, my fuel guage alarmed to say i ws empty. But as soon as I started down the mountain I had a quarter of a tank again!Gave me a bit of a fright tough!Today I am in Berry with the Blue Wrens, a NSW solo group of motorhomers, having a chapter meeting with them at the showgrounds, There is a pacthwork show on at Mittagong over the weekend, so i might try and go to that also. Then I head north to Hazel and Mikes to park the Motorhome before my patchwork cruise. Hope you are all keeping well and are having some relief from the heat. poor SA one extreme to the other. until next time
vicki
Thursday, January 16, 2014
2014 On the road again
Hi Friends,
Here I am on the road again. I have spent a good time in WA since April, seeing family and fr iends and of course quilting. The family had a bit of a scare inAugust, around the time of mm's 99 th birthday. She had a particularly nasty bout of shingles which became infected, turned into septicaemia, had fluid on the lungs, you name it poor mum was doing it hard. but she rallied thru, no dubt about it, she's a fighter. Is almost back to her old self, so I felt able to head off again. Then a cousin passed away so I waited another few days until after the fneral, then wa had a heatwave. So finally on Monday I headed off om Suth yerup at about 29 degres. stayed at a lovely campsite called Louis Lookout over the first night, then pushed on to Norseman. I am so out of touch with long distance travel, I forgot to fill the water tanks!!from Norseman i it the heat again, by lunch time the outsi temp was hitting 44 and upwards, but the old /new donga kept on going with not a falter. It was me conking out. I stopped over night at Madura Pass caravan park, for th e power , and the airconditioner working all night! Took off about 7 local time and boy did it get hot. Outside temp hit 51, so I slowed down so the tyres were not going too hard , made more stops for cold drinks than fuel! and arrived at Penong S on Thursday afternoon. I didn't push on to ceduna as I could see a big bushfire ahead and didn't want to run into that. 4 hours before the aircon hot the inside temp down to 28. Yep I can sure pick my travelling dates. !!
So I carried on this morning to Ceduna booked into the foreshore caravan park, I am almost a regular now, did some washing and sitting down with a beaut view of the bay and a cool breeze blowing. Off to the pub tonight for some famous ceduna seafood. and maybe a coldie or two.
so herr I am heading for LOch in Victoria to pick up some of my stuff I had to leave behind last year and continue with my travels. send me word if you are around and we can meet up. wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy 2014.
love vickiy
Here I am on the road again. I have spent a good time in WA since April, seeing family and fr iends and of course quilting. The family had a bit of a scare inAugust, around the time of mm's 99 th birthday. She had a particularly nasty bout of shingles which became infected, turned into septicaemia, had fluid on the lungs, you name it poor mum was doing it hard. but she rallied thru, no dubt about it, she's a fighter. Is almost back to her old self, so I felt able to head off again. Then a cousin passed away so I waited another few days until after the fneral, then wa had a heatwave. So finally on Monday I headed off om Suth yerup at about 29 degres. stayed at a lovely campsite called Louis Lookout over the first night, then pushed on to Norseman. I am so out of touch with long distance travel, I forgot to fill the water tanks!!from Norseman i it the heat again, by lunch time the outsi temp was hitting 44 and upwards, but the old /new donga kept on going with not a falter. It was me conking out. I stopped over night at Madura Pass caravan park, for th e power , and the airconditioner working all night! Took off about 7 local time and boy did it get hot. Outside temp hit 51, so I slowed down so the tyres were not going too hard , made more stops for cold drinks than fuel! and arrived at Penong S on Thursday afternoon. I didn't push on to ceduna as I could see a big bushfire ahead and didn't want to run into that. 4 hours before the aircon hot the inside temp down to 28. Yep I can sure pick my travelling dates. !!
So I carried on this morning to Ceduna booked into the foreshore caravan park, I am almost a regular now, did some washing and sitting down with a beaut view of the bay and a cool breeze blowing. Off to the pub tonight for some famous ceduna seafood. and maybe a coldie or two.
so herr I am heading for LOch in Victoria to pick up some of my stuff I had to leave behind last year and continue with my travels. send me word if you are around and we can meet up. wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy 2014.
love vickiy
Monday, September 2, 2013
99 not out
Hi Every one,
I know this has been a really long time, But I think I have some excuses!
Apart from skipping a few months since I posted the last blog, which I faintly think I didn't advise you all of? The family has had some troubles with our Mum. She turned 99 in late August, unfortunately she was in hospital, and on the day itself, she actually looked about as bad as you could get. happily she has now recovered , mostly, and is back in her nursing home.
So after I got back from my little jaunt up to the north west, including a visit to Onslow, where my husband Doug, passed away. That was a difficult visit, but having faced it once I can say I will probably feel able to return at a later date. Then I went back to Geraldton to mind Megs' dogs while she and her husband both went away for a week. Then back down south and over to Banksia Springs up at Dwellingup for a patchwork retreat with the Pinjarra girls. and finally heading out to this place, (a farm at Yarloop), where I am farm sitting for a few weeks now and then again for a couple of months in October to December.
I have 8 chooks to feed and collect eggs and a boisterous, very spoiled blue heeler, to feed. Luckily there is a handyman to look to the cattle!! I am putting my "pink" welly boots, bought in Qld last year, to good use. We have had over 3 inchesv of rain in the last 2 weeks and I am slopping through mud and cow poo to get to the chickens. The road into the farm has been under water and basically it has been pretty wet, but I am loving it!
So all this time Mum was hospitalised initially from infected shingles resulting in septicaemia, dehydration , low grade pneumonia and fluid on the lungs.My sisters and I took it in turn to be at the hospital daily, no mean feat as we all live away from Busselton, I took the motorhome down to a caravan park close to the hsopital for the worst few days and was able to walk to and fro. She was pretty sick for a while, and lost the plot for quite a few days. but she always knew us, so that was not as bad as it could have been. Anyway now she has been discharged back to her nursing home and she seems to be getting her mojo back. So maybe 100 is still a possibility! I hope you can forgive me for my tardiness with the blog, I should be back on track now! still working on the photos, I need a class to go to to work it out.
So until next time. Good health to you all Love Vicki
I know this has been a really long time, But I think I have some excuses!
Apart from skipping a few months since I posted the last blog, which I faintly think I didn't advise you all of? The family has had some troubles with our Mum. She turned 99 in late August, unfortunately she was in hospital, and on the day itself, she actually looked about as bad as you could get. happily she has now recovered , mostly, and is back in her nursing home.
So after I got back from my little jaunt up to the north west, including a visit to Onslow, where my husband Doug, passed away. That was a difficult visit, but having faced it once I can say I will probably feel able to return at a later date. Then I went back to Geraldton to mind Megs' dogs while she and her husband both went away for a week. Then back down south and over to Banksia Springs up at Dwellingup for a patchwork retreat with the Pinjarra girls. and finally heading out to this place, (a farm at Yarloop), where I am farm sitting for a few weeks now and then again for a couple of months in October to December.
I have 8 chooks to feed and collect eggs and a boisterous, very spoiled blue heeler, to feed. Luckily there is a handyman to look to the cattle!! I am putting my "pink" welly boots, bought in Qld last year, to good use. We have had over 3 inchesv of rain in the last 2 weeks and I am slopping through mud and cow poo to get to the chickens. The road into the farm has been under water and basically it has been pretty wet, but I am loving it!
So all this time Mum was hospitalised initially from infected shingles resulting in septicaemia, dehydration , low grade pneumonia and fluid on the lungs.My sisters and I took it in turn to be at the hospital daily, no mean feat as we all live away from Busselton, I took the motorhome down to a caravan park close to the hsopital for the worst few days and was able to walk to and fro. She was pretty sick for a while, and lost the plot for quite a few days. but she always knew us, so that was not as bad as it could have been. Anyway now she has been discharged back to her nursing home and she seems to be getting her mojo back. So maybe 100 is still a possibility! I hope you can forgive me for my tardiness with the blog, I should be back on track now! still working on the photos, I need a class to go to to work it out.
So until next time. Good health to you all Love Vicki
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Red Dirt and Spinifex
Hi All,
Well it has been a while, I was surprised to realise over a month! So sorry to those of you waiting withd bated breath for the next edition!
I am currently driving in the North West, the Pilbara to be exact. I have been revisiting old hauntsKath my travelling companion from Busselton , flew up to crarvon and we have been on a journey to our old towns we lived in in the seventies. First offf I drove to Shark Bay a beautiful spot actually in the Gascoyne, I had friends who go there for up to three months in the winter, to escape Donnybrooks cold weather. so I joined them for five weeks. Upon arrival it blew a gale and poured with rain! I am going , what the heck? it is suoposed to be good weather up here and I was still in the track suit! Luckily we got over that little hickup, but we had we had six inches of rain over two days. Anyway a big surprise, after organising Kath to join me in Carnarvon, she and a "friend" drove up to Shark Bay for a week . It was lovely to see her and because they were in a caravan, it meant we had wheeels to do a bit of sightseeing, especially as distances ar so big up there.The Bay is incredibly blue, the waters are so clear, we went over to Monkey Mia , where you can feed the wild dolphins, but we just lunched there. Shell Beach was another horgeous spot, where the beach is made of millions of tiny shells washed there over millions of years and in places is manymetres deep. but so white! against the incredible turquoise of the water, I could rhapsodise for hours!
I had a really good time relaxing there, and on my second last day I took a catamaran trip out on the bay to see the dolphins, turtles and also to a local pearling setup. just gorgeous. I restrained myself from buying any more pearls, but it was hard! We also did a couple of trips to the oceanpark shark aquarium, they do a mean lunch! and it is beside the water and the views are prettty special.
So off I went to Caranvon, checked in to a park and Kath arrived by plane about an hour after. I was waiting for mail, (still am), unbelievably australia post has managed to separate 3items my sister posted to me, on the same day, and I have only received one. Lickily it was the most vital, as it was my prescription. So we stayed another couple of days waiting , but no sign of any more mail, so we left for points further north. It is a bit of a squeeze with the extra person, but we have managed. the table reduces down and the two couches cushions become the mattress, and Kath is spread across the width of the van! Not necessarily a pretty sight but fairly comfortable. We leave it up and that means we eat outside regardless of the weather conditions! So we headed north and stayed the nit at Minilya roadhouse, beside the river, and drove into Exmouth next morning, I was remembering the road in and my days when I lived in Exmouth in the seventies, and used to kow the road like the back of my hand! It was so green. they have had plenty of rain up here! We drove around the town looking at my old houses, and marvelling at the changes, you could be in the city, the houses look so suburban now, not like the old norwesters we were used to! So we stayed three nights there and then drove out via Burkett road, which is bitumen, in y day it was a goat track past a couple of stations whose people we used to know. Now it is a wonrful road cutting off a lot of miles if you are heading north. Once again I was amazed at how green everything is. lots of water lying around on the ground so they obviously had huge amounts of rain as it hasn't rained for at least a couple of weeks .
Well it has been a while, I was surprised to realise over a month! So sorry to those of you waiting withd bated breath for the next edition!
I am currently driving in the North West, the Pilbara to be exact. I have been revisiting old hauntsKath my travelling companion from Busselton , flew up to crarvon and we have been on a journey to our old towns we lived in in the seventies. First offf I drove to Shark Bay a beautiful spot actually in the Gascoyne, I had friends who go there for up to three months in the winter, to escape Donnybrooks cold weather. so I joined them for five weeks. Upon arrival it blew a gale and poured with rain! I am going , what the heck? it is suoposed to be good weather up here and I was still in the track suit! Luckily we got over that little hickup, but we had we had six inches of rain over two days. Anyway a big surprise, after organising Kath to join me in Carnarvon, she and a "friend" drove up to Shark Bay for a week . It was lovely to see her and because they were in a caravan, it meant we had wheeels to do a bit of sightseeing, especially as distances ar so big up there.The Bay is incredibly blue, the waters are so clear, we went over to Monkey Mia , where you can feed the wild dolphins, but we just lunched there. Shell Beach was another horgeous spot, where the beach is made of millions of tiny shells washed there over millions of years and in places is manymetres deep. but so white! against the incredible turquoise of the water, I could rhapsodise for hours!
I had a really good time relaxing there, and on my second last day I took a catamaran trip out on the bay to see the dolphins, turtles and also to a local pearling setup. just gorgeous. I restrained myself from buying any more pearls, but it was hard! We also did a couple of trips to the oceanpark shark aquarium, they do a mean lunch! and it is beside the water and the views are prettty special.
So off I went to Caranvon, checked in to a park and Kath arrived by plane about an hour after. I was waiting for mail, (still am), unbelievably australia post has managed to separate 3items my sister posted to me, on the same day, and I have only received one. Lickily it was the most vital, as it was my prescription. So we stayed another couple of days waiting , but no sign of any more mail, so we left for points further north. It is a bit of a squeeze with the extra person, but we have managed. the table reduces down and the two couches cushions become the mattress, and Kath is spread across the width of the van! Not necessarily a pretty sight but fairly comfortable. We leave it up and that means we eat outside regardless of the weather conditions! So we headed north and stayed the nit at Minilya roadhouse, beside the river, and drove into Exmouth next morning, I was remembering the road in and my days when I lived in Exmouth in the seventies, and used to kow the road like the back of my hand! It was so green. they have had plenty of rain up here! We drove around the town looking at my old houses, and marvelling at the changes, you could be in the city, the houses look so suburban now, not like the old norwesters we were used to! So we stayed three nights there and then drove out via Burkett road, which is bitumen, in y day it was a goat track past a couple of stations whose people we used to know. Now it is a wonrful road cutting off a lot of miles if you are heading north. Once again I was amazed at how green everything is. lots of water lying around on the ground so they obviously had huge amounts of rain as it hasn't rained for at least a couple of weeks .
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