Funky Fairy Frolics

Sky Watch Friday

2009-04-17T15:34:00.004+10:00

This is another photo from along the Bridle Trail - this time at Easter after a few days of light rain. It's remarkable how quickly it greens up again. It was simply beautiful up there but it seems that half of Sydney was out there camping.

For more Skywatch Friday photos visit here.

Photo Challenge - MY FAVOURITE COLOUR - PURPLE

2009-04-11T00:31:00.000+10:00

I love the colour purple - in nature, my home and my wardrobe. There is just something about it that I'm drawn to.

The tibouchina next to our front door. It's just starting to
flower here in the autumn and it is glorious.

A must have for every girl - purple nail varnish (OPI of course)!

Pretty purple patchwork fabrics :-)

For more participants go to Brenda's Photo Challenge blog and check out their favourite colours!

Sky Watch Friday

2009-04-10T00:42:00.000+10:00

I took this shot on the way home from the local shops. We saw this great cloud formation and I slowed down while my daughter took the snap out of her window.

For more great sky photos from around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

2009-04-10T00:27:00.000+10:00

My Punky Fairy

2009-04-08T09:30:00.007+10:00

Today is Shelby's last Easter parade. She is in Year 6 and going to High School next year. The theme this year is "Wings and Masks" and she was determined to borrow my wings, even though she is always telling me that she is NOT a girly girl, she's a tomboy.

We had everything for the costume but a top and I admit that I had to bully her into this top. She thought that it was too pretty and bright but I was adamant that it would be perfect. When we got home from the shopping trip and she tried it all on, even she had to admit that mum was right :-)

My husband must think he lives in a nuthouse sometimes. I bought the wings on our last camping / touring holiday and he was hassling me about why I needed them. He really wasn't happy when he ended up with fairy glitter all over his bag...LOL. I have quite a few wands too. And Shelby already had the black tutu.

It was very busy this morning doing Shelby's face up until she was happy with it. It turned out really well. I think that she looks absolutely gorgeous and she is happy that there is a punk look to her outfit. Like her mum, she's a girl who likes to look a little different :-)

I had to drop her off at school as she had most of her costume on, the wand poking out of her school bag that was on her back, wings in one hand and a basket of goodies for the market stall in the other.

My little girl is growing up.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-04-03T11:56:00.002+11:00

Welcome to Skywatch Friday. For more skies around the world, visit here.

This is another shot from the Bridle Trail on the way to Hill End. I just love the wispy clouds against the blus sky and the old fence rambling along.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-03-27T11:15:00.002+11:00

Welcome to Skywatch Friday. Visit here for more beautiful skies around the world.

This shot is from out near Hill End in New South Wales, off the Bridle Trail. It's really dry out there and they desperately need some rain - the river is almost non-existent in places. It's still beautiful though.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-02-13T10:56:00.003+11:00

A sunset last year out near Orange in country New South Wales. It's raining here now and the skies are dismal, but we need it.

For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday.

Been Lazy I Know!!

2009-02-09T10:25:00.002+11:00

I have been very lazy lately in regards to my blog. Sorry about that.

I had my gall bladder out two weeks ago tomorrow. I had been getting dreadful chest pain for over ten years and been on Nexium for reflux, but it was getting no better. I finally had an ultrasound done on my gall bladder after seeing a new specialist and they found a large gall stone. I then got referred to a surgeon who had a look at the results and then basically asked when I wanted the gall bladder removed. Two weeks later I was in hospital - thank the gods for private health insurance. The operation was on the day that I was supposed to go back to work after the Christmas holidays :-) The operation went well and after an overnight stay I got to go home to relax for two weeks. I have now finished watching all those movies and television series dvd's that I had stocked up on for the enforced rest.

I go back to work on Wednesday after a morning appointment to see my surgeon. All has healed pretty well and I feel good. I am not looking forward to the amount of mail and stuff on my desk though, apparently it's overflowing. Seven weeks of stuff to go through (I was on holidays for five weeks before the operation) will probably take me the rest of the week.

I am at home today watching the dreadful, horrible news coming out of Victoria about the bushfires and all the lives lost. I sit and weep it's so awful. I hope that all those who survived can get through it.

I will try to get back to more regular posts. Going back to work and getting back into routine will help, I'm sure.

Photo Challenge - LOOKING UPWARDS!

2009-01-24T00:15:00.002+11:00

We have been on a few excursions into Sydney over the past few days and I found some great views when I looked up! Thanks to Joan from Joan's Journeys for hosting this challenge. It certainly changed my point of view :-)

A light pole near the Circular Quay. It just looked so interesting, simple and elegant. I love the reflection from the sun.

The Opera House sails are just so beautiful and iconic that I had to include them.

We went to the Australian Museum in Sydney and this was the ceiling in one of the rooms. Gorgeous!

I couldn't resist adding this photo. I took it in the Chinese Gardens at Darling Harbour. It is a view of the roof of one of the pavilions in the gardens. Just beautiful.

For more upwards looking photos go to Brenda's Photo Challenge.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-01-23T10:19:00.004+11:00

We usually go away this time of year but this year we decided to stay home and enjoy the city. I could not go past a photo of the Sydney Opera House as my first contribution for 2009. There was not a cloud in the sky.

For more Sky Watch Friday, visit HERE.

Coffs Harbour Butterfly House

2009-01-18T15:45:00.004+11:00

On my recent holiday with my sister we visited the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House. There were so many butterflies and we were lucky enough to have a couple land on us (much to Andy's horror...LOL). They have their own breeding and hatching program to keep the butterfly house stocked and there are usually about ten to fifteen species living there. A great experience! Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

A Male Varied Eggfly Butterfly on my shoulder

Male Cruiser Butterfly

Male Cairns Birdwing Butterfly

Female Varied Eggfly Butterfly

Common Crow Butterfly

Andy gets a visit from a Male Varied Eggfly Butterfly

She sure is popular with the butterfly's, much to her horror....LOL

My Birthday!

2009-01-17T15:02:00.002+11:00

Happy Birthday to me and my hubbie, Tony. Yes, we share the same birthday but he's a year older. What a coincidence, huh!?

Holiday with my Sister

2009-01-12T09:26:00.003+11:00

My sister, Andy, and I went on a holiday together after New year. We left the kids and husbands at home and embarked on a road trip up the coast.

First stop was Morpeth, near Maitland, where we did some shopping. I bought the most beautiful embroidered jacket. We had lunch and were on our way again, only to get stuck in the most horrendous traffic. It took us two hours to travel about 50 kilometres because of road work - and there was actually no road work crews working that day! We finally got to Forster and stayed the night.

The second day we traveled up to Port Macquarie and enjoyed some leisurely shopping and a laze by the pool after we checked in to our motel. We had a lovely dinner at a bar overlooking the river and then retired for the night.

The next day we went to Bellingen, did some shopping and enjoyed the most delicious lunch at the pub. I have never had such divine antipasto. We then travelled on to Coffs Harbour, were we stayed for three nights. We enjoyed plenty of shopping and a little sight-seeing, went to the movies one night to see The Day the Earth Stood Still and ate out for dinner at a lovely restaurant one night. We visited a butterfly house (more in the next post about that). On our last day we also indulged in massages.

We spent day 6 travelling home - a long trip but the traffic was much better. Home after a great trip. I think that I bought more for the girls than myself, but that is usually the way. I kept seeing things that they would love and couldn't help myself.

A great, relaxing holiday :-)

New Year's Eve

2009-01-09T15:48:00.003+11:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve at my sister's with a Bollywood party. We had a great time getting into the spirit of things and dressing the part. Most people stayed the night - they even used the neighbour's backyard as a camp area with three tents and two caravans. We got the spare bedroom, so had comfie beds. It was great fun - just a shame those cocktails did me in early...LOL.

Shelby and Tegan looking fabulous!!

Shelby, Tegan and her boyfriend Lucas.

Tony and I dressed to the nine's Bollywood style.

Shelby and a little friend.

Tony, Darryl and Matt Indian style.

Maddie, Katrina and Shelby (in the middle).

Andrea, mum and I.

HAPPY 2009!!

Photo Challenge - ANYTHING NEW

2009-01-09T10:50:00.004+11:00

Sorry that I'm late - AGAIN! I've been on a holiday with my sister (I'll put up a post about it in the next few days). I got plenty of new things on my holiday, although my two girls ended up with more than me, as per usual. Whenever I go away without them I end up buying them lots of nice things.

Thanks to LauraBelle of Simply LauraBelle for hosting this round of the challenge. To see everyone else's entries go to The Brenda Photo Challenge Blog.

This is my new bracelet. The amethyst beads are for peace and wisdom, the Capricorn is my star sign (practical and loyal), the jade bear claw is for good luck, confidence, power and inner strength and the female goddess represents love and compassion.

This gorgeous little statue is Jizo Bosatsu, a protective family deity and protector of children.

These wind chimes were made from aluminium from dis-used electrical cable stripped from mine sites in Africa. The stones in the wind chime are made from melting and setting recycled glass and recycled buffing stones. It is a beautiful piece and sounds lovely.

I hope that enjoyed my 'Anything New' contribution.

Drag Races

2008-12-29T17:25:00.002+11:00

On Saturday we went to the drag races. Tony had taken the girls before but I hadn't gone. So this was my first time. We set up, went for a wander and watched some of the heats. And then it rained, and rained and rained :-( It wasn't really heavy, but it was enough to make you get under cover and they ended up canceling the meet. Tony went back the next day to watch the rest of the races by himself as we all had other things on.

Us all under cover (we were like this for over an hour!)

Tegan and Lucas

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:47:00.005+11:00

A very quick post to wish you all a very merry Christmas and to share my day with you.

We were awoken at 5.50 by Shelby, who was trying to get Tegan to get out of bed. Guess what? She wouldn't get up. So Shelby patiently waited until 6.30 and then we all got up and opened presents. Shelby was so excited ripping open gifts and finding treasures that she never thought that she would get :-) I think that Tegan is getting a little old for all the excitement (not that she doesn't like presents though).

Tony and I then went back to bed for a little snooze at 7 a.m. and didn't wake until 9.30. Oh dear! We had to get to mum's by 10.30! I had to wash my hair and get things packed and in the car, and then off we went. We were only 5 minutes late.

We spent the next 5 hours at mum's, relaxing with my sister, her husband Matt and son Brett.

Tony and I

Andy and Matt

Mum, Andy and I toasting Christmas
Tegan and Shelby at the park next to mum's

The Christmas table

Andy, me, Tony and Matt

Brett, Tegan and Shelby

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you got to spend it with someone special. Now I'm off to relax before hosting Tony's brother and his family tomorrow, who are coming over for a barbeque.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Shopping Madness

2008-12-24T14:58:00.004+11:00

Twas the day before Christmas and all the crazy people flocked to the shopping centre, including me, at 8 a.m. this morning. I had to get some lay-bys out and do some last minute shopping. I'm so glad we didn't plan on seafood this year - the lines for the fish shop were huge and apparently the fish markets in Sydney are bedlam.

Merry Christmas!!

Holidays!!

2008-12-19T14:16:00.003+11:00

Yippee! I am into count-down mode. Thirty minutes until I finish work for the year and go on holidays :-)

I won't be back (at work, that is) until January 27th. Five weeks of summer fun. I won't be as regular with my blog, but I will try and share my adventures with you and send warm thoughts to all those of you who are in cold climates.

Merry Christmas!!

Photo Challenge - HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

2008-12-16T13:36:00.015+11:00

I know that I am very late with this entry. I've been so busy with Christmas parties and the last week of work before Christmas that this was just put on the back-burner.

To see more Photo Challenge participants go to Brenda's Photo Challenge.

The girls and I usually spend a day on the first weekend in December putting up our Christmas decorations and the tree. It's always great fun and it is compulsory to play Christmas carols really loudly while we do it. The only bit I hate is packing up all my other stuff and packing it away under the house (too much like hard work).

This is our Christmas advent calendar. I made it when I first had Tegan and it goes up every year loaded with treats and the girls count down to Christmas.
It has a very Aussie flavour, don't you think?

Part of my Christmas bear cuddle.

My Santa collection is always in the lounge. I have a large variety of Santa's - traditional, wooden, tin, pottery. The more the merrier.

A few of my Christmas decorations on my
great-grandmother's sewing machine.

One of my favourite Christmas baubles.

A close-up of my gorgeous white Christmas tree.
The girls and myself love hanging all the pretty decorations.

My Christmas tree - as you can see it's all pastels and pretties :-)

My snowman collection - from pieces that I painted to
lovely pieces from Switzerland.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! THANKS FOR VISITING!

Our CRAZY Neighbour

2008-12-16T09:00:00.000+11:00

I don't think that I have ever used my blog to vent, but I really feel the need to because of a really horrible individual who lives next door to us.

We have had a very scary man living next door for a few years now. He used to be okay - polite and kept to himself. Over the last few years though, he has lost the plot. He would come out his side door and start ranting and swearing and threatening to kill someone. REALLY UNPLEASANT! If we parked our four-wheel drive near his property and did some work to it (like change the tyres) he would park his car on his lawn with the exhaust pointed at Tony and leave it running, every now and again coming out to rev the engine.

Yesterday Shelby came running into the lounge room and told us that he had an axe and was chopping our palm down. We really didn't want to confront him - he had a tomahawk after all!!! - but I went down with my camera and took a couple of photos for evidence. I really should have videoed it, though I couldn't have posted it here - it would have been full of awful swearing and abuse, and I really don't want to hear that again.

Anyway, he saw me take the pictures and came running out his side gate screaming, swearing and carrying on. I spent the next hour trying to calm him while he screamed and yelled at us. I really can't describe how demented the man was, and still is. We are now going to cut down one part of the palm that is starting to lean into his fence to keep the peace. All the crazy man had to do was ask nicely. He has really lost the plot. He spent the first half hour carrying on and telling me he was a civilised man but that he would kill my husband. HELLO!! Civilised? Crazy bastard more like it!! I was really calm, but I did not back down and told him that he was an angry, rude man who was not civilised and was scaring my children.

And then suddenly he calmed down and was fairly reasonable. The neighbour from hell. From wanting to kill someone to wanting to give us a tomato plant. What do we do with people like that? He is really unpleasant and horrible and a really angry man.

The crazy neighbour coming out to "get us'.

The crazy neighbour taking the axe to our palm tree.

Christmas Blog Party - Late Entry!!

2008-12-15T09:21:00.007+11:00

I am a naughty girl. I was supposed to do this on Saturday but I had five parties to go to this weekend and, even though I thought that I could be super-woman and fit in in, I couldn't. So forgive me and enjoy my contribution.

To read the other girl's Christmas blog party entries visit Gypsy Mermaid.

We only have a small family to celebrate Christmas with, Myself, husband Tony and the two girls, my mum, and my sister and her husband and son. We usually spend most of Christmas day together and have a big lunch. Sometimes we will have a 'sleep-over' on Christmas eve (especially if it's at Andy's on Christmas day) and wake up together and have breakfast together too. This year we are going to my mum's new place for lunch. We spend a lot of time with friends over the Christmas period, celebrating and having a good time.

What are my favourite five things that I love to do at Christmas time?

Enjoy yummy food. My secret sin is mixing leftover Christmas cake with ice-cream and tucking in.
Spending time with friends and family.
Shopping and finding the perfect gift for someone.
Watching people open the gifts that I gave them.
Playing Christmas carols - loudly.

Here are a few things that we spend time doing each year.

What would Christmas time be without cockatoos? They travel in good sized flocks at this time of year, scavenging and creating a ruckas. This one was watching us pack up after a big get-together in a national park.

For the past few years good friends of ours have gone slightly overboard with their Christmas lights. It has now become a tradition to go up there every year for a barbeque and Christmas light party. It usually goes very late and the house and backyard are filled with friends, children and good cheer. There are normally people who sleep over too, having over-indulged in said good cheer :-) It's always fun, though for the last two years I have ended up having two functions on this night, so I go to dinner with friends and then meet my family at the lights party afterwards. Busy, busy, busy.

Every year for the past five or six years (ever since we joined the four-wheel drive club) we have gone to the kids Christmas party. For the last few years I have helped out with the catering. We provide lunch for everyone and all the kids (12 and under) get a gift from Santa. This year we only brought along one of the girls. Tegan, who's now 14, decided to spend the day with her boyfriend instead. She really is getting a little too old for all the kids games but she is too young to 'hang out' with the adults. Santa is always the most popular person of the day, arriving in a bright red four-wheel drive, usually so high that he needs a ladder to get down...LOL!

I hope that you have enjoyed my Christmas celebrations. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and I promise that I won't be so late next time. As long as I can get into my superwoman costume...LOL!

Christmas Blog Party

2008-12-11T13:28:00.003+11:00

Join in the fun. Gypsy Mermaid is hosting a Christmas blog party on December the 13th. Visit her blog and join in the festivities.

Strange Weather

2008-12-09T09:45:00.004+11:00

We have had really unpredictable weather lately. Lots of nice, warm days and sudden downpours and some really windy days. This was a three o'clock special, so called because it always happens when the school bell goes and the kids are streaming outside to leave :-) These photos were taken from the library windows. It can be quite an amazing view, and as the only second story building, we get to see a lot more than everyone else. This downpour lasted about forty-five minutes.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-12-05T08:34:00.003+11:00

This is another shot taken at Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, in New South Wales. These small wetlands are found behind the first row of sound dunes. Really pretty but don't drive through them - we always see people get bogged :-)

For more Sky Watch photos visit here.

Gall Stones

2008-12-03T10:45:00.003+11:00

I have suffered with non-cardiac chest pain for fourteen years and it was put down to reflux. I have been on medication for it for a number of years and still sometimes get the pain. I got jack of it recently and got a referral to a gastroenterologist, who sent me for an ultrasound to rule out gall stones.

Guess what? I have a large gall stone about 3 1/2 cms in diameter! I have now been referred to a laproscopic surgeon, who I see in the middle of January, to probably have my gall bladder removed. Finally, I may be free of the pain that I have weathered on and off for years :-)

Photo Challenge - FROM AN ANT'S VIEW

2008-11-29T00:02:00.001+11:00

Miss Ant is having a lovely holiday at the beach, although it is a bit too windy. She is checking out this very interesting plant. Those lovely spiky leaves would be very good to hide under if something tries to attack her. Good to keep in mind, but she has to remember how to get back there.

Inquisitive Miss Ant is checking out some of the local flora in the sand dunes at the back of the beach for some up-market shelter from the wind. Those lovely furry leaves look very cozy.

Miss Ant is busy at the seashore investigating a sea urchin that has washed upon the beach. Lots of nice smells to investigate here, and maybe some good tucker too. Time for dinner. Bye!

For more Photo Challenge photos go to Brenda's Photo Challenge. Thanks to Jeanne at Life or Something Like It for hosting this round.

Our Annual Trip to Stockton

2008-11-28T14:17:00.005+11:00

Last weekend, we traveled up to Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, for our annual Blue Mountains 4Weel Drive Club trip up there. Tony and the girls made a long weekend of it, leaving Thursday night. I had to work, so I got a lift up Friday night with friends. A night of quiet and alone time Thursday was a rare treat (not that I don't love them dearly, but I never get the house to myself).

On Saturday morning we went on an adventure down Stockton Beach. Every year we stop at some old huts that were built years ago in the dunes by fishermen. As it is now State Forest you can't build any more but the existing huts can stay as long as they don't get swamped by the shifting dunes. This hut belongs to a friend of the trip leader's and we stop here ever year to take photos. It always looks different, depending on the weather and the amount of sand surrounding it. Last year you needed a gang plank to get to the front door because the sand had eroded away under the verandah that much. This year the sand had returned.

There are a few places where you can still see the tank traps that were laid during WWII to protect the air force base further inland. This row goes for a couple of kilometres and the concrete blocks stand about as tall as me (about 5'2"). There used to be a row of them in the dunes too, but they have been covered in sand over the years. Every time we travel up here we see new things that have been exposed because of the shifting dunes, but some things also disappear. We saw barbed-wire fences and some petrified forest this year that we hadn't before.

The Sygna, off Stockton Beach, is slowly breaking up. It was really miserable when we stopped there - very grey and gloomy and the wreck looked rustier than it's ever been.

This is an old firing range for shells used during WWII, located at the end of Stockton Beach. The sign is up the top of the embankment. Looks like it's seen a lot of target practice.

There are a number of old bunkers at Stockton at the back of the dunes where the scrub takes over. There are practice ranges and bunkers above and below ground. The one that we know of underground was full of water, thanks to the rain up there.

The way out at the end of the day. We were glad to get off the beach, even though it was fun, as it was so windy and we knew that we had to go back to camp and see what havoc the wind had wrought on our camp. The awning on our camper trailer had blown down and it took four adults to get it back up again in the wind.

Dinner was a sociable affair. We ordered fourty-odd pizzas. The poor pizza delivery guy's car was chock-a-block full. The windows had even fogged up :-) We all tucked in to a yummy dinner and raised money for the kids Christmas party.

The next day was a very windy and wet affair. Most people packed up in the morning and went home. A few people were staying Sunday night too, so a few of us headed into Nelson Bay for a drive and a delicious lunch at the RSL Club. When we got back to camp, I bid farewell to my family , as they were staying the extra night and I got a lift home with the friends that had brought me up. Off home to a quiet night at home, alone. Not something that I get to do often, and it's really enjoyable.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-11-28T09:56:00.003+11:00

A very agitated sea and sky at Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, NSW, Australia last weekend. For more photos from all over the world visit Sky Watch Friday.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-11-14T09:31:00.002+11:00

Welcome to this week's Skywatch Friday. This photo is again of Port Macquarie - a beautiful old three-mast sailing ship that was used to transport goods along the coast.

Photo Challenge - WATER

2008-11-14T00:01:00.000+11:00

Welcome to another Brenda's Photo Challenge. Maria from Let the Good Times Roll has set the theme for this round of the challenge. Check out all the other participants photos too. I hope that you enjoy my water photos, a small selection taken from our holidays over the last few years.

The platypus waterhole in Boonoo Boonoo National Park in New South Wales, right up near the Queensland border. The reflections are so tranquil and clear.

The Fairy Falls in the Victorian High Country, where we spent a week a few years ago enjoying some camping, four-wheel driving and beautiful, rugged country.

The wreck of the Sygna off Stockton Beach, New South Wales. We usually spend a weekend a year up at Stockton playing on the sand dunes.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-11-07T08:35:00.001+11:00

This is another shot of the river at Port Macquarie, where we spent a few days recently on holidays. I just love the strength and power of silhouettes against the sky.

Go to Skywatch Friday for more photos from around the world.

Halloween Celebrations

2008-11-05T09:36:00.004+11:00

We have celebrated Halloween for the past few years. It's not that big here, but children have started to go trick or treating on Halloween for the last few years. This year was fairly quiet - we didn't get many kids at the door. I found a nice big pumpkin (after some hunting 0 they are hard to get here and a bit pricey) and carved it. The jack-a-lantern was cool, but I forgot to take a photo of it :-(

My girls had a few friends over and they all went tramping around the neighbourhood dressed up and having fun. They didn't find many houses that were participating though and were a little disappointed, especially Shelby (my youngest) and her best friend, Erin.

After the trick or treating, I took the oldest kids (Tegan, her boyfriend and her two best friends) to see Saw IV. Slasher flicks are always good value on Halloween :-)

Photo Challenge - EMOTIONS

2008-10-31T09:23:00.002+11:00

This photo is of my sister at a Christmas party a few years back. Some of the group had been dragged out of the audience by Santa to do silly things. It was really funny, as you can see :-)

This photo was taken on our recent holiday. Tegan and I visited Dracula's Haunted House in Surfers Paradise. It was fun, though I wouldn't say it was scary. Mind you, Tegan held my hand the entire time. At the very end, there was a shark movie and you could tell that the screen was split and that something would jump through it. We were waiting, thinking "A shark is going to jump out at us" when the platform we were standing on dropped suddenly and THEN the shark jumped out. And you get a silly photo like the one above...LOL.

Check out the post on the theme parks that I went to on my holidays (just below this). There are some great emotions there too, but I didn't want to post the photos twice :-)

Visit Brenda's Photo Challenge for more EMOTION photos.

My Holidays (Part 5) - Gold Coast Theme Parks

2008-10-27T13:27:00.005+11:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.
We had GREAT FUN at Dreamworld and White Water World!

My Holidays (Part 4) - Gold Coast

2008-10-27T10:19:00.005+11:00

We spent the next part of our holiday at the Gold Coast. We stayed at a great park, Treasure Island, though we had some fun trying to get the trailer level before we could set up. The kids really enjoyed the pools, water slide, putt putt golf and the buggies!

Tegan and I visited Dracula's Haunted House in the city centre - five floors of props and scary rooms. Tegan didn't let go of my hand the entire time. It was fun, but after all those horror movies that I've watched, it wasn't that scary. Watch out for a great photo that I'm going to put in the next Brenda's Photo Challenge from here - it's absolutely hilarious...LOL!

We spent two days at Dreamworld and White Water World. What a great time riding all the rides. Shelby was unsure of a lot of them - we'd queue up for ages and she would be apprehensive, but she had a fantastic time on them. The water rides were amazing - I spent most of my time screaming on them though :-) We ended up spending a small fortune on photos of us all on the rides - they will all be in another post, so make sure that you check them out. The tigers were fascinating - we were lucky enough to see a cub being walked on a leash and at one of the shows we were treated to the white tiger showing off.

We also caught up with a few friends. Mark and Janaya had moved up to the Gold Coast earlier this year with their family, and we saw them most days that we were there and also enjoyed dinner with them at their place, and going out with them to dinner a couple of times. We also caught up with other friends, Mick and Jenni and their girls, and we all went out on Mark's boat one day to try our hand at fishing. No fish, but a great time :-)

A very hectic, but fun, five days.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-23T13:26:00.005+11:00

We were away on holidays for three weeks recently and stayed in Port Macquarie for a few days. Our cabin overlooked the mouth of the river; we had a magnificent view and were treated to some spectacular skies. This shot is one of my favourites. I took it while my DH and I were walking along the esplanade into town for a drink.

For more Skywatch Friday photos visit here.

Wordless Wednesday - Mmmff!!

2008-10-22T00:01:00.000+11:00

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, visit here.

My Holidays (Part 3) - Tenterfield area

2008-10-21T14:46:00.014+11:00

We camped in a national park about half an hour out of Tenterfield for three days and did quite a bit of exploring in the area. We also found time to relax and have fun. This was a real bush camp - long drop loo ( fancy hole in the ground with a toilet on top) and no shower (just the river). The quiet and the wildlife was definitely worth it though!

We found still more waterfalls in this area, though they were smaller and some of them were remarkably accessible, with lots of swimming swimming holes in the area. Every afternoon we came back to camp and walked the minute or two to the small river behind our camp area and enjoyed playing on the rock ledges and in the water. Of course, I pulled out a book to read (you can check out my other blog, Abundant Books, to see what I read). There was also a waterhole where there were platypus, although we weren't lucky enough to spot them.

We went on a great hike to view the single, largest exposed granite boulder in the southern hemisphere. It was a good hike up and the return track was incredibly steep - would not have liked to walk up that way.

Every evening we were gifted with delightful visitors. Small wallabies came nosing around our campsite. As you can see, they were fairly curious and not afraid to come close if we stayed still. The second night mum came too and she also had a joey in her pouch. You could see it moving around and she even stuck her nose in her pouch to lick the baby, but it wouldn't come out. The were delightful animals and made the camp even more special.

We were also visited by a possum, that liked to eat in the large tree above where we parked the car. The last night that we were there it came bolting out of the tree, almost ran over Shelby's toes where she was sitting and enjoying the campfire and scooted off into the darkness. Shelby was frightened and excited. A great finish to a great campsite.

Stay tuned for more adventures!!

My Holidays (Part 2) - Armidale Area

2008-10-21T14:21:00.006+11:00

We spent three nights in the Armidale area. We stayed at Uralla, well known locally for Captain Thunderbolt, one of our bushrangers. It was surprising cold here as it is quite high altitude-wise, so we had to go shopping for more winter clothes :-) A girl can always find an excuse to buy more clothes ...lol.

We saw so many magnificent waterfalls - there is an area near here known as Waterfall Way. Each was different for some reason, and all were beautiful. We also splurged on some very nice wine from Petersen's winery (well worth a visit).

There is also some very pretty architecture in the area, as evidenced by this gorgeous old church that is still used once a month and this really unusual shearing shed.

Stay tuned for more holiday adventures!!

ABC'S of HOMEMAKING.......

2008-10-21T09:37:00.004+11:00

I found this on Brenda's blog and she found it somewhere else. A great little exercise :-) Give it a go.

A ~Aprons--y/n If y, what does your favourite look like?
My favourite is a pretty floral, full apron with ruffles on the bottom. Oh, I don't use it :-)

B ~ Baking--Favorite thing to bake?
I love baking hummingbird cake (banana and pineapple) and baked cheesecake with honeycomb and toffee folded through it. Yummy!!

C ~ Clothes line?
I have one (a Hills Hoist) and I do use it a lot. An Aussie invented the Hills Hoist!

D ~ Donuts--Have you ever made them?
Never made them - why would I when I can buy Krispy Kremes?!

E ~ Everyday--One homemaking thing you do everyday?
Cook dinner. How does something that you love turn into a chore - do it every day!

F ~ Freezer--Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No. I have an upside-down fridge/freezer with the freezer on the bottom. Usually only has frozen herbs, ice cream and ice in it, oh, and a few bits of extra chicken and frozen left-overs.

G ~ Garbage Disposer?
No. We use bins and recycle and compost where we can.

H ~ Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource?
My cookbooks.

I ~ Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
HATE it! The only thing ironed in our house are my husbands' clothes. He still doesn't accept that he should iron them, when his are the only things ironed in the house. Grr!

J ~ Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it?
Two drawers in the kitchen and the little shelf under the coffee table. The hubbie just leaves his junk everywhere :-(

K ~ Kitchen--color and decorating scheme.
Timber cupboards (strinybark eucalyptus) and cream bench tops - country style. And chickens everywhere (figurines, plates, egg cups, nick-nacks, candle holders) - about 50 at the moment.

L ~ Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking?
I love cooking food for friends and setting the table to make it look all pretty and special.

M ~ Mop--y/n?
No. We vacuum.

N ~ Nylons--machine or hand wash?
Can't even remember the last time I wore them. Used to put them in a lingerie bag in teh washing machine.

O ~ Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Both. Have to sticky-beak all the time.

P ~ Pizza--What do you put on yours?
Pepperoni, chilli, tomato, capsicum, mushrooms. And thin crust.

Q ~ Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Watch some television. Read.

R ~ Recipe Card Box--y/n? What does it look like?
I have a pretty little hand made book with a silk gerbera on the front that I put my favourite recipes in and dozens of recipe books that I'm always thumbing through for ideas.

S ~ Style of house--What style is your house?
Brick house, with the garage and laundry underneath. A corner block, so most of our yard is at the side of our house. Nothing special to look at, but country shabby chic inside. Home :-)

T ~Tablecloths or Place mats?
Always pretty, old tablecloths that are hand-embroidered and in lovely whites and pastels. I often layer them.

U ~ Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland?
Just the bins and washing up things. Fairly organised, even if it gets a bit smelly.

V ~ Vacuum--How many times per week?
Usually once a week. I pay my oldest daughter to do it, so it's not up to my standards but she's earning money, learning how to keep a house reasonably tidy and, most importantly, I don't have to do it :-)

W ~ Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
I usually wash twice a week, 3-4 loads each time.

X's--Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
Never.

Y ~ Yard--y/n? Who does what?
My hubbie mows - our yard slopes a fair bit. I love to weed and potter occasionally in the backyard.

ZZZ's ~ what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Turn off the lights, lock the doors.

My Holidays (Part 1) - The Wildflowers

2008-10-21T08:35:00.006+11:00

My family and I recently spent three weeks traveling around north-east NSW and south-east Queensland. To make my blog more manageable I'm going to break my trip into themes or topics. Otherwise, this entry would be absolutely, ridiculously long:-)

We traveled through the granite belt for a few days (Tenterfield and surrounding areas) and, being spring, saw some beautiful wildflowers. We are certainly blessed with magnificent wildflowers here in Australia.

I hope that you enjoy the photos. Most of them were taken along a particular 4wheel-drive track and we kept stopping so that I could jump out and take photos. Good thing the family was patient with me...LOL.

More to come about my trip in the coming days!

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-10T00:01:00.001+11:00

Zigzag Railway, Lithgow, Australia. The old railway arches set off the blue sky to perfection.

I should have some new pictures up next week from our three-week camping trip. We've seen lots of beautiful skys :-)

Going on Holidays

2008-09-22T10:21:00.002+10:00

I'm off for about three weeks, leaving tomorrow. We are packing our bags and the camper trailer and going up the coast to northern New South Wales and South-East Queensland. Here comes the sun!! It should be lovely and relaxing. "See" you all when we get back.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-09-12T00:01:00.000+10:00

The cross on the top of the hill at the school that I work at in western Sydney. An inspirational place, whatever denomination you are.

Wordless Wednesday - Rugged Victorian Coastline

2008-09-10T00:01:00.002+10:00

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, visit here.

Photo Challenge - THINGS WITH WINGS

2008-09-05T00:01:00.002+10:00

Thanks Shannon for hosting this round of Brenda's Photo Challenge. The theme is Things with Wings! I had a great time finding photos for this challenge. Hope that you like them :-)

This photo is from the Katoomba Magic Festival that is held on Winter Solstice each year. You see so many wacky people and there are always plenty of photo opportunities. I just love the mish-mash of clothes she has going on.

This is me at our friend John's 50th birthday. I am a blue fairy (can you tell?...LOL). I had a great time and every now and then kids from the school I work at will come up to me and ask if I was a blue fairy because they saw my photo in the local costume shop's photo albums.

This last picture is of a very stately pelican at a beach near Nelson Bay, up the coast from Sydney. We spent a lovely weekend camped up there and there was quite a large flock of pelicans nearby as it was near the local boat ramp, where the weekend fisherman launched their boats. I'm guessing that the pelicans got all the scraps :-)

Sky Watch Friday

2008-09-05T00:01:00.001+10:00

These rock formations are called 'The Lost City' and can be be found in the Blue Mountains, Australia, near Lithgow and the Zigzag Railway.

Wordless Wednesday - Legolas and Aragorn Tribute

2008-09-03T14:44:00.003+10:00

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, visit here.

Q Station

2008-09-01T19:46:00.009+10:00

On Saturday 30th August Tony and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. We usually try to mark the occasion by doing something special together (and without the kids). This year we decided to check out the quarantine station at North Head, near Manly.

We found a special on the web and book our weekend escape. I booked a Winter Special at the Q Station. Dinner, accommodation in a harbour view room and a show.

We dropped the girls off in late morning at my sister's (thanks!) and headed into town. We stopped in Manly for a quick look (oh oh - only 1/2 hour parking) and I got a peek at the art and craft markets, where I bought a gorgeous crystal and bead necklace. I wanted to do some more shopping, but our parking time was up. Bugger!

We then found our way to the quarantine station. They have done up the old accommodation and it's now quite sleek and stylish. We had to park our car at Reception and get an electric shuttle cart to our room. The verandahs were lovely and wide and we had a couple of comfie chairs and table outside our room.

After we put our bags in our room we wandered around to explore and take lots of photos. Tony has being buying SLR (film) cameras and lens on Ebay and he took the opportunity to play, even though it was cloudy and overcast.

The room of Middle Harbour was lovely. We watched ferries go past from Manly to Circular Key and watched rabbits hopping around on the grass below the verandah. We made a quick trip back in to Manly for supplies and then whiled away a pleasant hour on the verandah sipping champagne and enjoying the view. How hard is that?!

Dinner was down the hill in the old boilerhouse, that's been renovated into a classy restaurant. We enjoyed antipasto, delicious main courses and the yummiest lemon and lime tart for dessert, along with a bottle of wine. the tables were all on a mezzanine level and the kitchen was open on the bottom floor, so we could watch dinner being cooked. Great entertainment.

After dinner, we were booked in to Defiance, a moving and inspirational immersion theatre production. True stories of life in quarantine were amazingly portrayed and there were a few tears. My grandmother nursed her family through what she called the plague in 1918 (though far away from Sydney in a tiny community near Mildura), and there was a part of the production about that period in our history. I found it fascinating and really well done.

After the production we caught a shuttle bus back up the hill to our rooms, and snuggled down for the night - with no children :-) We were woken in the early morning by the rain pounded on the roof and a slow leak in the ceiling that drip, drip, dripped.

After check-out in the morning we headed back to Manly to find the markets cancelled because of the rain :-( even though it really was starting to clear, and why couldn't all those stall holders see that and come on down and open up just for me? Was I being unreasonable? Back in the car after a little, and retail-wise, disappointing wander, we headed home in a round-about way. Oh, we did remember to collect the kids on the way through. They had had a great time. My sister, her hubbie and our mum had taken them to a South American circus with lots of performers.

Everyone had had a great weekend :-)

Stress

2008-09-01T14:21:00.002+10:00

I found a link to this little quiz on Donna's blog and just had to take it :-) It seems that I can get stressed sometimes and 'freak out'. Quite fun in a library to do that - the kids look at me with horror and puzzlement. You can just see them thinking "Can she really yell in a library? It's supposed to be quiet."...LOL. Not that I really yell at them - I just talk loudly. Besides, they do learn to expect the unexpected here, which makes it fun.

Your Stress Level is: 51%

You are somewhat prone to stress, especially when life gets hard.

When things are good, you resist stressing over little problems.

But when things are difficult, you tend to freak out and find it hard to calm down.

How Stressed Are You?

Wedding Anniversary

2008-08-31T14:55:00.005+10:00

My husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary yesterday. We were married on Saturday, 30t August, 1986 at 4pm at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Windsor. The reception was at Fairfield House in Windsor. It was really formal, but that was the way things were 'done' then.

Don't you just love the pink dresses, all taffeta and lace, and the boys cravats and tails :-)

There were so many things to do - select the invitations and get them printed, choose a lavish cake, decide on the bouquets, book the reception and a pianist, hire cars, and on and on.

I think that it can be much simpler now-a-days. Weddings can be more relaxed and fun. It's nice to look back on though. My page boy and flower girl (my youngest cousins) are now both married with children of their own and I lost touch with both my matron-of-honour and bridesmaid. My sister didn't make the cut to be in the wedding party as she was very pregnant with my nephew ( I really think that she didn't want to be seen in a hideous pink dress ...LOL). We still see the best man (Tony's brother) and occasionally Tony sees the groomsman.

Happy anniversary to me and Tony.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-29T00:01:00.000+10:00

These photos were taken at SkyTrek, a great four-wheel drive track in the Flinders Ranges. It was such a beautiful day - clear skies, stunning scenery and, of course, our great Australian landscape.

Big blue skies watch on
Grass plants stand tall and proud
Sentinels watching

Magic Wand Swap

2008-08-28T10:07:00.007+10:00

I love to get parcels in the mail. I hate window envelopes though - there are always bills inside. I got a lovely parcel the other day. It was from my partner in the Magic Wand Swap hosted by Genevieve from Bella Enchanted. It was a pretty striped box addressed to me :-) for a change - there are always parcels for my DH, who is addicted to EBay.

I opened up my pretty parcel with excitement and found some
lovely treasures inside. My girls were as excited as me to see what was inside.

"Is it your wand?"

"I think so. I love purple."

I unwrapped the purple tissue paper to find a gift and a pretty purple magic wand. Just what my fairy alter-ego desired. My daughters and I admired my gifts and then I laughed. I haven't finished the wand for my partner yet (but I am working on it) and realised that the butterfly on my wand was the same as the one that I had bought to put on hers...LOL. Just goes to show that we both must have great taste :-)

Thank you Skye from Vintage Whimsey. I promise that you will have your wand soon - I have to tweak the butterfly to make it look a little different now :-)

Brenda's Photo Challenge - Sweets

2008-08-23T00:01:00.000+10:00

Thanks Tegan for hosting this round of Brenda's Photo Challenge. It was a great excuse to buy an evil, naughty sugar fix :-) The photo above is from Central Markets in Adelaide, South Australia. There is so much choice that the girls could hardly decide what to have. Below are some shots of yummy M and M's. I had to hide them after the photos so that no-one would binge :-) Problem was, I knew where they where.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-22T00:01:00.000+10:00

January on Mount Kosciousko. The clouds closed in and the wind was too strong to walk to the peak - it was blowing the children back :-)

Trip to Oberon

2008-08-20T19:09:00.014+10:00

On Saturday we went up to Oberon and Jenolan Caves for a weekend trip. We met some friends on the road and made our way to Jenolan Caves for a tour through the Temple of Baal.

It was an hour long tour through a spectacular cave with some fantastic formations. The shawl formations were particularly impressive, especially the Angel Gabriel. Can you see him in one of the photos?

We then had to have lunch there at a cafe as they close the
road in to the caves and make it one-way only inbound so that tourist buses can negotiate the narrow, windy road in to the caves. We then had a bit of fun exploring some four-wheel drive tracks on the way to Oberon, were we settled in for the night. We woke in the morning to snow :-)

We had a great hot breakfast in Oberon and then enjoyed a day of four-wheel driving through Lowes State Forest. We have been there a few times before and it's a reasonably easy trip, but it was made more challenging thanks to the rain and the little snow that fell during the drive. It was a good weekend :-)

My Tegan

2008-08-20T19:02:00.003+10:00

Tegan has had plenty of dental work over the past six months. At thirteen, she still had six of her baby teeth, so she has slowly had them pulled out and a few fillings done too. Six months and a birthday later came the big one - braces. She had them put on about two weeks ago now and is slowly getting used to them. She hates the sore mouth that goes with them, but hopefully they will be off in twelve to eighteen months. It hasn't slowed her down on the phone though. I was trying to take a 'natural' photo of her on the phone and every time I pushed that little button on the camera she inadvertently made a stupid face. This one was a crack-up!

Wordless Wednesday - Shh! I'm Sleeping

2008-08-19T14:58:00.003+10:00

For more Wordless Wednesday photos, visit here.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-15T00:01:00.001+10:00

An electrical storm over Sydney Harbour. Nature at her wild best.

Wordless Wednesday - On Top of the World!

2008-08-13T00:01:00.001+10:00

What can I say - a WOW moment walking up the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Next Host for Photo Challenge

2008-08-09T19:02:00.001+10:00

Tegan from Pacman Forever is the next lucky hostess. She'll post her theme tomorrow.

Here are the rules as for as I know them..... If you want to participate please go to The Brenda Photo Challenge Blog and leave a comment. Then you will need to post 2-3 photos depicting your interpretation of the current theme on your blog by the set date. Most importantly of all, have fun :-)

Here are the rules for the next lucky hostess.

1. If you're asked to host the next challenge, and you accept the mission, pick a date (usually two weeks gives everyone time to gather their subjects and snap their photos).

2. Pick a theme (can be anything that floats your boat).

3. Post the rules and the next host, on your post. The next host then does the same!

Photo Challenge - PLAY

2008-08-09T00:01:00.003+10:00

Time to show-and-tell! I had great fun choosing three pictures for this challenge. I hope that you all had fun doing it too. I decided to play with the photos too before I posted them :-)

My oldest daughter Tegan and two of her girlfriends jumping down a huge sandhill at Stockton Beach, north of Sydney, Australia.

My youngest daughter Shelby after a mammoth mud fight at a four-wheel drive jamboree Easter last year. She even had mud in her ears and between her teeth :-) It took over an hour to get her clean, let alone her clothes (her socks were a write-off).

Shelby and I trying to break the land-speed record down the toboggan ride in Thredbo, Snowy Mountains. It was summer, so no snow.

Tick Tock - Almost Time!

2008-08-08T12:22:00.004+10:00

I hope that you are all ready to participate in Brenda's Photo Challenge tomorrow. If you haven't signed up, follow the link in my sidebar. Looking forward to visiting you all soon and seeing all those great pictures.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-08T00:01:00.000+10:00

Sunset at Point Hicks Lighthouse, Victoria, Australia.

I have been inspired by a few other blogs to join in Sky Watch Friday. I'll endeavour to participate every week - let's see how I do :-)

Wordless Wednesday - Shh!

2008-08-06T14:10:00.001+10:00

Welcome to Wordless Wednesday :-)

My Magic Wand Swap Partner

2008-08-04T10:21:00.000+10:00

My wand swap partner is Skye from Vintage Pretties. This should be a lot of fun. Will have to put my thinking cap on :-) Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Thanks to Genevieve from Bella Enchanted for hosting another swap.

Tea Party

2008-07-30T09:11:00.000+10:00

Welcome to my tea party, hosted by Glenda from Sweet Daisy Dreams. I'll be enjoying all my beautiful rose patterned china that I collect and making my table look beautiful. Lots of roses and candles and polished silver serving ware. I'll make my yummy chicken sandwiches and the best banana bread ever (recipes will follow). Pretty cupcakes and petite savoury muffins will adorn my multi-tiered dishes. Green berry tea and champagne will titillate our taste buds. Chocolate dipped strawberries and full-flavoured cheeses will compete for our attention. A feast for the gods :-)

Mmmm. What will I wear? A pretty floral dress and ribbons in my hair. My lovely vintage beaded purse that was my mum's as a young woman. Delicate beaded sandals and pretty pink nail polish. And of course, a smile of delight.

Visit the other tea party girls - Shelby, Genevieve, Shann and our hostess Glenda.

Nutty Chicken Ribbon Sandwiches

15 slices grain bread
90g spreadable butter or margarine
1 1/2 c (200g) finely chopped cooked chicken
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 T sour cream
2 T mayonnaise
1/3 c chopped pistachios

Spread one side of each bread slice with butter.
Combine chicken, celery, sour cream, mayonnaise and nuts in a bowl; mix well.
Spread five slices of bread with half the chicken mixture, top with buttered braed, buttered side down.
Spread with remaining chicken mixture, top with buttered bread, buttered side down.
Cut crusts from sandwiches, cut sandwiches into thirds, cut each third into two pieces.

Banana Bread

2/3 c sultanas
75 ml bourbon, dark rum or orange juice
1 1/3 c plain flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t bicarb soda
1/2 t salt
125 g unsalted butter, melted
2/3 c sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c (60 g) chopped walnuts
1 t vanilla essence

Heat the sultanas and rum (or substitute) in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and leave one hour.
Preheat oven to 170 degress Celcius.
Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, then the banana. Stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well.
Spoon into a greased, floured loaf tin and bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours.

New Photo Challenge

2008-07-27T13:36:00.000+10:00

I have had great fun participating in these photo challenges and am really looking forward to hosting this round. I must admit that it's a great thrill to get onto my blog and read all the positive comments. My oldest daughter has joined the photo challenge too and it is proving to be a positive experience for her. Thanks to those of you have encouraged my youngest daughter Shelby too.

Karen's challenge with numbers was indeed that - challenging. But great fun :-)

I love having fun so the next theme is -

PLAY!

Let your imagination and inner child run free and have fun with it.

Please try to have your posts up on Saturday 9th August.

Here are the rules as for as I know them..... If you want to participate please go to The Brenda Photo Challenge Blog and leave a comment. Then you will need to post 2-3 photos depicting your interpretation of PLAY on your blog by Saturday 9th August. Most importantly of all, have fun :-)

Here are the rules for the next lucky hostess.

1. If you're asked to host the next challenge, and you accept the mission, pick a date (usually two weeks gives everyone time to gather their subjects and snap their photos).

2. Pick a theme (can be anything that floats your boat).

3. Post the rules and the next host, on your post. The next host then does the same!

Photo Challenge - NUMBERS

2008-07-16T20:51:00.003+10:00

Welcome to Brenda's Photo Challenge. I know that I'm early, but I'll be away all weekend and am busy at work. This time Karen M hosted it. Numbers is indeed a challenge. It has made me really think about what I could photograph for the challenge.

I am hosting the next challenge. Check back on Sunday or Monday (I'm hoping to post it Sunday night in Australia so not sure when that will be for those of you overseas) for more information. Hope that you'll enjoy it.

Numbers rule our lives - birthdays, street numbers, postcodes, phone numbers, tax file numbers, employee numbers, account numbers, pin numbers, fuel prices, appointment times, and on and on. Numbers rule our existence now that I think about it.

Hello to you all from my friendly calculator.

The foreign exchange rates board outside American Express. These days the Aussie dollar is doing pretty well beside the American dollar. We aren't doing that well against the pound though.

Treasure Hunt

2008-07-16T19:50:00.000+10:00

On Sunday, we participated in the annual Blue Mountains Four Wheel Drive Club Treasure Hunt. It was based around the Wallacia/Luddenham area and proved to be difficult, challenging and fun.

We started the morning, before meeting everyone, with breakfast at McDonalds. We then all met up at the Penrith Rowing Club and were sent on our way with some clues and two pages of things to look out for during the day and a list of treasures to collect (but not before Tony and Tegan went back home to get chairs). We scavenged a wrapper from McDonalds - we needed a McMuffin wrapper, which we had already eaten for breakfast but threw away the wrappers. Little did we know that we would need it for a treasure. We had to find our way out to Wallacia and stop in Mulgoa on the way because Matt and Mick, the organisers, had a bright idea to hide something there. We found the light switch, but not the light bulbs.

We stopped off at the newsagent at Wallacia to purchase $2.70 worth of goods and collect the receipt and the next set of instructions. We made purchases that we needed for our treasure list, and continued on. It was a little frustrating as I was relegated to the back seat and couldn't really help too much. Tegan was navigator for the day. We had to look out for unusual things that you don't normally see. The gnome in the wreck stood out, though I was actually drawn to it the first place as we needed a wheel nut for a treasure and we got one off the wreck he was 'driving'. We continued following clues and collecting treasures until we met up at the checkpoint at Vickerys winery for morning tea.

The next leg was a little easier, following arrows spray painted on the road and stopping at particular points to answer questions and/or collect treasures, all the while looking out for questions and treasures from the two-page list. It became a little competitive amongst some of the boys, with some impressive slides from Shane. Even though we arrived at the memorial with two other cars - Shane and Teresa, and Steve and Connie - we had to take photos of our own crews as no-one would do it for each other :-) We got back to Vickerys, where we had left Shelby with Andy for this leg, and started off on the final leg. Shelby stayed back again, riding on Thomas the Tank Engine and playing with friends.

The last leg led us to Silverdale and Warragamba and a quick tour around the towns. We had a variety of clues to follow and the highlight of this section was visiting the dam information centre, collecting instructions and questions from the volunteer that worked there. Tegan had great fun at one of the stops, where we had to provide photographic evidence of the navigator playing on the swings. The end of the hunt led us to Wallacia golf club, where we had to buy a drink and get a receipt as the last treasure. Then we had a few drinks, enjoyed a scrumptious dinner and checked in with the organisers.

Overall, a frustrating, tiring, busy, fun day.

Photo Challenge - PATRIOTISM

2008-07-10T17:01:00.000+10:00

I have joined Brenda's Photo Challenge. I found it while roaming through some of the blogs that I read. The patriotism challenge was issued by Karen. Have a look at the links from their sites to the other participants in the challenge.

This is my oldest daughter Tegan flying the Australian flag. It is a few years old - we actually took it during the Olympics when they were in Sydney. We managed to get tickets to the rowing, near where we live, in the ballot and we had the best time barracking for the Aussies.

This is the Sydney Opera House - a landmark everyone should recognise. This picture is when they dressed it up with gorgeous lights for a special event. It is stunning day or night, sunshine or rain.

The Twelve Apostles - one of the most amazing ocean rock formations on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. We spent a day driving along this short section of coastline, the views more and more stunning as we went. One of the best drives ever! Words cannot explain the beauty and magnificence of this natural wonder.

I Love A Sunburnt Country - by Dorothea MacKellar

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens,
Is running in your veins;
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies -
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me.

The tragic ring-barked forests
Stark white beneath the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
An orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the crimson soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart around us
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold;
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown Country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Broken Hill Sculptures

2008-07-04T11:17:00.000+10:00

This slideshow is of a very special place just outside Broken Hill in outback New South Wales. I have been there a few times now with family and friends and it is always the most magical experience. We have always visited at sunset with a bottle of wine and sat or wandered and enjoyed the sculptures and the sun setting across the desert.

Yeah - I Won!

2008-07-02T16:56:00.000+10:00

This is me jumping for joy after I won 2nd Place Women at the Fun Day. Yippee!

Funkhana

2008-07-02T09:50:00.000+10:00

Last weekend, the 28th and 29th June, the Blue Mountains Four Wheel Drive Club had their annual Fun Day (or Funkhana). We set off Saturday morning up the Putty Road to a property owned by one of the members, set up camp and got started.

The activities were all great fun - they were all easy and based on skill and having fun. There were about twenty cars competing - some came up for the day, while others camped for the weekend. The Saturday night was cold - we woke up to a good frost. We were all rugged up for the cool mornings and nights, but the sun was lovely. We had glorious clear, crisp days.

Of course, catching up and chatting with friends was on the agenda :-) As you can see from the photos below, we did fit some driving in too. The left-hand photo is the start of the ball and pole event, where you have to drive around a somewhat circular course and the driver has to place a ball on each pole and then drive around and knock them all off again. The right-hand photo is an event where you have to roll balls down the pipe attached to your car and try to get them in the containers (I am REALLY bad at that).

Our camp site. We have a good size camper trailer with a swing out kitchen. It was the sunniest spot, so we had sun most of the day. In winter that's great. Below lft, is my sister Andy and I. Below right are my two girls, Shelby and Tegan.

This is me driving a full pelt and then stopping quick enough to touch, but not knock over, the post. Just like trying to get a parking spot in the shopping centre :-) You can just make out me in the driver's seat.

Every event attracted a crowd. Besides competing, watching is the next best thing!

Shelby was Tony's navigator for this event. You had to hold a full-to-the-brim container of water while the driver drove up a hill, around a loop and back down, without spilling the water. Hilarious stuff.

All in all, a great weekend :-)

Photo Challenge - ORANGE

2008-06-29T20:09:00.001+10:00

I have joined Brenda's Photo Challenge. I found it while roaming through some of the blogs that I read. The orange challenge was issued by Miz Joni. Have a look at the links from their sites to the other participants in the challenge. Can't wait for the next one :-)

This is the back view of a stilt walker at the Winter Magic Festival in Katoomba. The orange wings were stunning when the sun caught them.

The afternoon that I signed up for the photo challenge, I was driving home and caught sight of this glorious riot of orange. I had to race home and grab the camera before the sun set. Well worth the rush. Imagine that sight in your front yard every day while it's in flower.

This is a close-up of the floral hedge. The depth of colour is glorious. It is winter here and I was lucky to find these flowers.

Magic Festival

2008-06-22T14:59:00.001+10:00

Tegan and I in the main street of Katoomba

My sister Andy and I at the top of Katoomba's main street

On Saturday, my sister Andy, my oldest daughter Tegan and myself went up to Katoomba to soak in the sights and sounds of the annual Winter Magic Festival. As usual, there were lots of fantastic costumes and wonderful people. Tegan had never been before and didn't know were to look next.

I bought the hat that I'm wearing in the photos and a couple of recycled tops, and gloves for Tony and Shelby. Tegan got herself lots of badges, a CD from a band playing there and a celtic-style cross pendant (needless to say, she owes me money). On the way home we stopped at Glenbrook and I bought the most wonderful candle that makes the house smell like I've just baked sticky date pudding. Absolutely scrumptious!!

For more photos of the parade, visit my Flickr page.

Cheesy Pizza Muffins

2008-06-20T09:28:00.000+10:00

I hosted an inservice at work on Monday and they loved my muffins. If you are looking for something quick, easy and savoury for a morning or afternoon tea, or just for snacks, then try these. My oldest girl loves taking them to school :-)

Ingredients

1 red capsicum
2 1/2 c S.R. flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c milk
1/3 c olive oil (you can use vegetable oil too)
1/2 c grated tasty cheese
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/3 c finally chopped seeded black olives
1/3 c drained chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 T chopped basil
2 t chopped rosemary
1/4 c grated tasty cheese, extra

Method

Grease muffin pans well. Quarter capsicum, remove seeds and membrane. Grill capsicum, skin side up, until skin blisters and blackens. Peel skin away, cut capsicum into strips.
Sift flour unto large bowl, stir in eggs, milk, cheeses, olives, tomatoes, herbs and half the capsicum.
Spoon mixture into prepared pans, top with remaining capsicum strips, sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe will make about 2 dozen cup-cake size muffins or 1 dozen large muffins.

You can also add a little cooked, chopped bacon if you feel the need for meat.

Paper and Parasol Swap

2008-06-18T10:03:00.001+10:00

At last I downloaded the photos of what I received in the Paper and Parasol swap. My two girls have already found homes for the parasols in their rooms :-) and I have put my pretty paper with my other papers ready for when inspiration strikes. Holidays in three weeks - must make time for some play!

Have a good weekend!

2008-06-13T14:44:00.000+10:00

The library witch wishes you all a good weekend!

June Long Weekend

2008-06-10T09:08:00.000+10:00

We escaped the rain and clouds of Sydney for a weekend of camping along the Bridle Trail - the original road out to Hill End (near Bathurst). We had a great time camping, relaxing, reading (that was me) and enjoyed a nice pub lunch in Hill End on the Sunday. We had a visitor in the camp site each night - a fox that liked to steal the dog bowl and sniff through the beer bottles. We spotlighted him a number of times amongst the tents and caravans. Shelby entertained Tegan and Lucas by inventing scary stories to tell them - little did they know that the fox was outside the tent. The only downside was the long trip back down the mountain on Monday. Now Tuesday and I'm back at work looking out the window at the rain.

Our camp site along the river

Sitting around the fire

Tegan and her boyfriend Lucas

Shelby

The view along the Bridle Track on the way to Hill End

Shelby and me at the Hill End pub

Me by the river on the way back from the pub - afternoon tea stop

Shelby again - at the river

On our way home

Girls Weekend in Coogee

2008-06-02T10:08:00.000+10:00

My little sister, Andrea, two friends - Audra and Jenni- and myself headed off to Coogee for the weekend to celebrate Andy's birthday. First stop was Paddington markets where we had lunch and picked up a few pretties. I can never resist jewellery and bought a gorgeous beaded bracelet. I also got a silk velvet jacket with purple lace around the collar - still not sure about the lace; may replace it. I also bought the most hideous witch mask. It will a great addition to my dress-ups for work.

Andrea, Audra and Jenni at Paddington Markets

Andy as the Wicked Witch

We then checked in to a lovely two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment a block back from Coogee beach and had cosmopolitans on the balcony. Then off to dinner at an Italian restaurant and then some pool and dancing. After midnight pizza back at the apartment and a chat, off to sleep. Next morning we enjoyed breakfast at a cafe down the road and then off home.

A GREAT weekend! Thanks girls :-)

Me, Jenni, Audra and Andy off to dinner

Andy playing pool with Jenni

The Best Milkshakes Ever

2008-05-29T15:06:00.001+10:00

If you are ever in Broken Hill, indulge in a milkshake from Bell's. HUGE range of flavours from traditional chocolate to Cherry Ripe and White Knight.

Getting in Early

2008-05-29T14:50:00.000+10:00

My gorgeous sister celebrates her birthday on Saturday (that's her on the left) and we plan to stay in Coogee for the weekend with some friends. It should be great fun - looking forward to it :-)

Happy birthday, little sister!!!

Mermaid Swap

2008-05-26T10:41:00.000+10:00

This beautiful mermaid doll is what I made for my swap partner in the Mermaid Swap. I had great fun doing it and look forward to many more swaps in the future. They are such fun - I love planning and making lovely things for my partner and it's always fun to get lovely packages in the mail - much nicer than bills!

Mermaid Swap

2008-05-21T11:02:00.000+10:00

I got a gorgeous parcel last night from my swap partner, Mandy. Beautifully wrapped and full of mermaids. I love the canvas - it is so me! The old postcards are stunning and very sexy and the card with the little baby mermaid is so cute. Oh, the shell bookmark will find a home lickety split.

Thank you Mandy!!

Tegan is Fourteen

2008-05-21T10:33:00.000+10:00

My gorgeous older daughter turned fourteen yesterday. We had some of the family over for cake and she loves her presents. Money for clothes (what girl wouldn't love that!), a funky dress that my sister bought in Byron Bay and a matching vest, belt and bracelet and a stereo system. She wanted pretty cupcakes for her birthday cake.

Vintage Clothing

2008-05-20T09:18:00.000+10:00

I love finding a beautiful garment that's been pre-loved, is in good condition and is virtually a one-of-a-kind because it's vintage. My favourite haunt is 'Linen N Lace' in Glenbrook, N.S.W. They specialise in beautiful old linens and good vintage clothing. My latest find was this lovely coat and brooch. All I needed to do was change the buttons and do a few repairs around one armhole - easy for someone who has sewn for over thirty years.

The Girls

2008-05-19T11:31:00.000+10:00

This photo was taken almost ten years ago - the last time that mum willing had her photo taken (and I think that we had to coerce her). It was taken in Sydney at my sister's hen's night. Can't half tell that we're all related :-)

The Green Lifestyle Magazine

2008-05-15T10:04:00.000+10:00

I am always trying to think of what to give my dad and his wife for Christmas. Last year my sister and I gave them a gift subscription to G Magazine. G: The Green Lifestyle Magazine is packed with practical tips and ideas that cover every aspect of life: home, food, finance, fashion, renovation, technology, how-to as well as the big issues! It is printed on recycled paper and I was so impressed with the copies that I flicked through while visiting dad and Dawn, that I subscribed to it too.

G Magazine is the world's only monthly environmental publication. Launched in November 2006, it has collected praise and accolades far and wide, and was awarded Consumer Magazine of the Year at Australia's annual Bell Magazine Awards in 2007. Whether shopping for clothes or food, renovating a house, planning a trip, buying gifts, investing money or purchasing a car, G is a practical bible to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Check it out. Grab a copy in Coles or your local newsagent (in Australia) or subscribe online.

Parasol and Paper Swap

2008-05-13T14:01:00.000+10:00

I was wandering around in BlogLand and I came across another swap that took my fancy. The hostess turned out to be a fellow Aussie, and living not far from me. She even went to the primary school that both my girls attended. What a small world!

Check out Shannon's blog. This should be a fun swap - I've been given my swap partner and am starting to look for pretty paper and parasols. It will provide me with an excuse to visit some of my favourite shops in the Blue Mountains - I feel a shopping day coming on :-)

My Gorgeous Girls

2008-05-13T11:20:00.000+10:00

I have two daughters. Shelby is ten and Tegan is fourteen next week. They are both beautiful, inside and out.

Tegan is in Year 9 and attends the local public high school. She is capable of that typical teenage attitude, but we have a great relationship and I feel that we can (and do) talk about anything and everything. She has had a boyfriend for over a year now and has a great bunch of friends, who are genuine and nice people. She spends most of her time communicating - on the phone, on the internet and IM (you get the idea). She loves to read and listen to music - her computer hard-drive is almost full of music files.

Shelby is an extrovert. She's in Year 5 at the local primary school. She's very independent and rides her bike to school. She loves dancing and doing little skits to amuse the family. She also loves to draw. She can be a little bossy and her friendship group fluctuates, though she does have a core group of friends.

We travel a lot and the girls really enjoy seeing Australia and experiencing different things - sitting in an outback pub, watching the sun set over opal mines, paddling in creeks, climbing up to magnificent lookouts to see the view and watching outback television (the campfire). I love my girls dearly. They are both strong, loving and independent. They can think for themselves and I look forward to seeing them grow into wonderful women.

Mermaid Swap

2008-05-12T12:39:00.001+10:00

I have signed up for a couple of swaps through other blogs. The pressure is on to get the mermaid swap finished in time. Can't wait to see what I get in the mail. Most of the women in it are overseas (including the hostess) but I got paired up with someone here in Australia :-)) I am busy making a mermaid doll - haven't made dolls since my girls were little. It's fun, fiddly, frustrating and rewarding. I hope that my partner loves it.

Check out the hostess, Genevieve's, blog.

The Power of Picnik

2008-05-12T11:00:00.000+10:00

Want to edit your photos and create fantastic effects and not worry about learning to use all that technical software that you have on your computer? Give picnik a go. My fourteen year old (well, she's a week off being fourteen and don't I know it) showed it to me and I'm having a great time with it. It is really easy and has some great effects and marvellous fonts.

My Sister

2008-05-12T10:26:00.000+10:00

My sister, Andrea, is my best friend. She is kind, beautiful and a big softie :-))

"You laugh when people ask if you're sisters, you're so much closer than that! She knows everything about you, you're struggles and your joys. She's your companion, your conscience and your confidante. She's your critic and the president of your fan club. For she is your best friend!!"

Welcome

2008-05-12T09:31:00.000+10:00

Welcome to my new blog. I have another blog already (Abundant Books), but I went to an inspiring seminar on Friday in at Cockle Bay on Blogs, Wikis and other web tools. I came home wanting to expand my knowledge and my presence on the web. As I have become involved in a couple of swaps through other's blogs, I decided to put up a more personal, creative blog. So, let's see were it leads me.

A little about myself. I'm a teacher librarian in a Catholic college in the outer west of Sydney. I have been married for twenty one years and have two girls - ten and fourteen. We live at the base of the Blue Mountains and spend most of our free time four-wheel driving, camping and catching up with friends. I have sewn since I was a teenager, and am a proficient patchworker. I have also dabbled in decoupage, making paper, hand-binding journals and books, folk art and lots of other bits and pieces. I am interested in aromatherapy and alternative remedies. My girls would describe my dress sense as feral - a cross between Tree of Life and vintage. My home is just that - a home full of my families history. Shabby chic meets eclectic. Comfortable and full of meaning.