Spring!

My tomatoes are planted, my ponds are clean and lots of plants have been repotted! I have happy fish, croaking frogs, baby galahs, a baby possum and feeding magpies.

I've been busy this week trying to get things done before Ross has an arthroscopy on his knee tomorrow. He has been quite grumpy; partly due to the pain and reduced mobility and partly because I've been requesting help for jobs that have to be done at this time of year. (And now he is complaining about backache too! The joys of ageing!)

Previously we spent nearly a week with my sister in Airlie Beach and on their boat in the Whitsundays. How lucky are we to be able to spend time in that magical part of the world!?! We saw lots of dolphins which always adds to the magic for me and as the ocean was calm it was wonderful to fall asleep at night listening to the gentle lap of the waves.

I was home in time to attend the opening of the Toowoomba Quilters' Club exhibition on Saturday. What an inspiring occasion - but also somewhat intimidating for such a beginner patchwork/quilter. I'm surprised at how much my tastes have changed over the past year; possibly because I have a much better of idea of what is actually involved in producing the different types of finished quilts.

I didn't make it to the Carnival of Flowers parade this year and neither have I visited any of the gardens, despite having good intentions.

Nambucca Heads

We've just returned from a trip to yet another beautiful place: Nambucca Heads in NSW. We are lucky to have so many of these beautiful estuaries along the east coast of Australia. The bird life here was impressive too.

The fishermen were disappointed with their catches but we did have a lovely view from our cabin. (They didn't regard that as compensation!) I want to share one of my dawn photos.

I did a little bit of work on my crazy patches - but nothing as meaningful as Di's work. I also did a fair bit of reading and walking - by myself because of Ross' bung knee! We see the specialist on Wednesday and we're hopeful that another arthroscopy will fix his problem.

There's nothing like a deadline for motivation! I finished another contract job before we went away. These small jobs are good for my brain - and enable me to indulge myself occasionally.

Spring is here - my favourite time of year! I've dug over and spread manure on a section of my old vegetable garden with the intention of growing a few things this summer. We are totally reliant on our rainwater tanks but I do not anticipate any problems. Since our daughters have left home the tanks have overflowed regularly when it has rained. I've also planted a small pot of pansies - so I am being extravagant with our water!

Back on Deck

I've just spent a couple of days in bed with a virus/cold thing. I was extravagantly kind to myself and reflected that in a previous life I would have drugged up and dragged myself off to work! Obviously I'm getting soft!

However, that is no excuse for my not blogging for ages. I know I've had trouble getting my fair share of access time to the computer in recent weeks. Well, personal time - I've learned a lot more than I intended about MYOB as my husband deviously involved me in the end of financial year work he was meant to do.

We did have a wonderful and unique trip to the Northern Territory, spending most of our time at Daly River. It's a beautiful spot - completely wasted on the many crocodiles that frequent it. This causeway near the Daly River pub was 4 metres under water during the last wet season and during the dry season it is favoured by sizeable crocs that wish to sun themselves.

This is a photo of our friend and neighbour with one of the barramundi caught last month. (My husband is shy!) We froze a few fillets to bring home with us.

We met some interesting people including some dental technicians who do the rounds of the indigenous communities helping the children to look after their teeth. They were a good source of information about the dynamics of the communities in that area and certainly prompted me to read a bit about the "NT Intervention" which has now been in place for just over a year. (The "Crikey" website is worth reading.)

Since we've been home I have caught up with friends and family, including some of the wonderful people at Toowoomba Quilters. I've also been to the Empire Theatre (Toowoomba) to see the Queensland Ballet's performance of "Carmen" which was simply wonderful and another example of Francois Klaus' brilliant choreography. Our daughters took me to see the "So You think You Can Dance" concert and my husband took me to see "Shine A Light" in Brisbane. (I'm a Stones fan from way back!)

Plans for the coming months are under discussion and now that I am no longer "unwell" I feel a lot more enthusiastic. A return to yoga classes and gym sessions is required!

Lost week

I'm not sure what happened to the past week! Mostly I have lists of things that didn't get done and places I didn't get to! (They include my yoga class, gym and Toowoomba Quilters.)

I did, however, get a bus to Brisbane to see our daughters before we go away again. A $10 bus fare (one way) makes it not worth driving and their devoted father didn't need to see them because he "can remember what they look like!"

Wasn't the rain wonderful! We had a total of 62mls and our tanks are overflowing - it's especially good when you are totally reliant on rain water. Hopefully, this area will be nice and green when I get back from Darwin.

We fly out from Brisbane on Friday and will be staying in a fairly remote part of the NT. I have several novels to take with me and I will be back to sewing hexagons again while we are away because I haven't progressed any other projects to an appropriate hand sewing level.

Back from NZ

Back home to my Spartan lifestyle (for a short time anyway) to compensate for the extravagances and indulgences of my trip to New Zealand. I had a wonderful time and again extol the virtues of New Zealand as a holiday destination. I hadn't been to Queenstown for decades and it it a beautiful place although changing quickly, I'm told, as it attracts increasing numbers of international tourists.

My niece's wedding was beautiful and a delightfully extravagant affair. (She was heard to say "Just because Mum and Aunty Ruth had hippie weddings doesn't mean I had to !") I was sorry that our daughters were unable to attend the wedding but it may have been a good thing; the bar was set high! I can share the view from the hotel room and the delights of the autumn leaves on the balcony.

Back in Christchurch we enjoyed some old favourites: a visit to the Botanic Gardens (I'd never been there at this time of year) and a walk in Victoria Park. Lunch at the restaurant in the Gardens is highly recommended! As usual my sister also produced some wonderful culinary delights.


The weather was great while we were there: cold, but clear and sunny. We were lucky because it clouded over on the day we left and was actually raining as we flew out of Christchurch.

Table Runner

Last week I decided that a table runner would be a good project for me as a beginner patchworker and quilter and by accident, rather than design, I chose a pattern that required me to exercise a few new skills. Things didn't go well and I got angry with myself for being so stupid. (So stupid that I don't want to provide any details - but I cut wrongly, sewed wrongly, reacted wrongly...) After I cut out the pieces I seemed to have a lot of material left over, which was good because I had to recut some pieces! I consoled myself with the fact that this was intended as a learning exercise - and if I didn't make mistakes I wasn't going to learn , was I?

After directing my energies into other areas I returned to the project and have now completed three of the basic blocks. I am quite pleased with the results (finally) - and learned a few lessons!

Our younger daughter has decided to come to Toowoomba this weekend which is lovely. (Not sure why we're suddenly so popular.) She can come shoe shopping with me tomorrow and maybe I'll have more success than I did today.

I'm starting to look forward to my trip to New Zealand next week. Mum and I are the only ones going from Australia. My niece's wedding is in Queenstown on the Saturday and we will spend most of our time in Christchurch where my only sister and husband have recently moved into a new apartment. Mum looks remarkably well after her treatment for breast cancer last year and it will be great for the three of us to spend some fun time together. My sister is a gourmand and brilliant cook so I expect to be heavier on the return trip!

Cauldron Fire

Our plans were modified a bit when our elder daughter decided at short notice to spend the long weekend in Toowoomba. We enjoyed her company - and the visit did make me clear off the spare bed. We do tend to use it as storage space and dump a lot of stuff on it!

Last night we had a cauldron fire on our water tank where we enjoyed several hours of fire gazing, star gazing and quiet conversation. We've always enjoyed bonfires and since the introduction of fire restrictions we have modified our methods. It was such a beautiful evening with a glorious clear sky.

During the week we cleared a bank of lantana. It wasn't actually convenient for me but the time is always right when male muscle is volunteered! I should add that it has been there for decades but only recently earmarked for destruction. The results suit both of us and my scratches and wounds are healing nicely.

I thought our computer was dying earlier today so freaked out a little. It must be three years old and there are some files which should have been backed up. It seems ok again now but the experience served as a reminder to save files responsibly!

We are still without our 4WD after it was taken back to the dealer's workshop last week (for the thrid time)! I'm going to New Zealand in ten days' time so there won't be any camping trips in the immediate future. I just checked out the weather in Queenstown: maximum of 8 degrees today, minimum of -4!