Back from our holiday in Victoria

We have had 12 days away on a holiday in Victoria, involving the Great Ocean Road, The Grampians, the Goldfields and the Yarra Valley. We were very lucky with the weather when in Victoria-- whilst Sydney and NSW got battered by storms and rain.

We started our holiday on the Great Ocean Road-- staying at Wongarra and then at Port Fairy. We tried to do as many walks each day as we could-- especially in the National parks.

Koala in the Otways National Park

 

The Otways Light House

 

The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

 

London Bridge

 

Prior to 1990, this piece of rock was connected to the mainland. But in 1990, a piece collapsed and formed this island. 2 people were stranded on the island when it collapsed and had to be rescued by helicopter. Reminded me of the child's nursery rhyme "London bridge is falling down".



 

 

Waterways at Port Fairy

 

A nankeen night heron-- it fishes at night.

 

 

Shearwater  (mutton birds) burrows

 

The shear water birds come to Griffith Island each year to nest. They leave the island to fly back to the Aleutian Islands in mid April. We walked around the island in the daytime-- we saw quite a few dead baby birds-- and no adults. Then I realised that the adults were out to sea in the day time and come in at dusk. The lady at the information centre told us that the adults left the island to fly north approximately mid April and she was not sure if they had gone as it was the 16th April. I was determined to see them and hoped that they would be back that evening. We walked back to the island that evening and waited and waited-- to no avail. The mossies and wallabies came out, but no adult shear waters came back! We must have missed them by a day or 2. There were 5 of us on the island waiting very patiently-- we had a chat instead. The babies were still in their burrows-- they were very quiet-- apparently they do not leave until 3 weeks later and manage to catch up with their parents in New Zealand on their journey north.

 

 

The next day we headed off to the Grampians. They were desperate for rain there-- it had been very dry. The waterfalls were dry too.

 

Southern Grampians taken at Dunkeld

 

Venus Baths in the Grampians.

 

View of the Grampians from a lookout

 

An Echidna

 

The only other echidna (in the wild) I saw was over 30 years ago. So can you imagine my delight when I saw this little creature trundling down to the water's edge, having a drink, turned around and trundled back into the bush. If I tried to get any closer , it rolled itself into a ball-- so had to keep my distance to not scare it.

 

Then it was a journey to the goldfields. We stopped at Maldon for lunch on our way to the B+B.

 

The Village Patch at Maldon

 

Don't you just love the sayings on the quilt-- all about chocolate-- and I agree with them.

 

Part of the 5000poppies display at Daylesford.

 

Cyril's at Trentham-- a delightful gift shop-- it was warm and inviting and Kay who runs it, was very welcoming.

 

A vintage Singer sewing machine in a shop window at Kyneton.

 

I will continue the journey in the next couple of days.

 

Cheers,

Yvonne

 

 



 

 



 

 

 

 

 

The AQC and an old table runner

I have sent off a collection of brooches and buttons to Marilyn of The Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton, Victoria. She always takes a selection of them to The AQC-- and this year was no exception.  I meant to take a photo of them before they went into the parcel-- but in my haste to get them to the Post Office, I completely forgot to take the photos. Anyway, please visit Marilyn at  Stand 53 at the AQC .


I have been trying to tidy up the house-- it was getting desperate--and washed a table runner which I had made about 2years ago, ( NB I have washed it a few times in the 2 years!) and whilst  ironing it, I realised I had not taken a photo of the poor thing. It is difficult taking a photo of a table runner-- and here is my terrible photo-- again I was in a hurry. ( why I am always in a hurry I will never know).

Blue table runner with elongated hexagons

 

Sometime ago,I had gone to a fascinating book shop in the city, and here were  some samples of tea cosies from a tea cosy book. They were just beautiful.

 



Colourful samples of tea cosies

Enjoy the AQC if you get a chance to go there next week.

Cheers,
Yvonne

Happy Easter, and No FNWFs for me

Wishing all the bloggers and their families a Very Happy and Holy Easter.

Friday night was FNWFs hosted by Cheryll.

I had every intention to join in-- but family came in unexpectedly ( which is always lovely) and that was the end of any sewing. Mind you, it was like the loaf and fishes story-- I had 2 pieces of fish for 3 of us, but had to feed 5 in the end-- it is amazing what one can do to stretch a meal.

Anyway, I decided I would join in with the Northern hemisphere bloggers and sew on Saturday morning. Well did I have a shocking night on Friday night with the worse sore throat in a long time. I felt lousy yesterday and achieved very little and still feel lousy this morning. It is Panadol every 4 hours and lots of fluids and rest. Cannot get any inspiration to do anything else. So I am sorry, Cheryll, for doing nothing for this FNWFs.

Hop onto Cheryll's blog ( click on the FNWFs logo on my sidebar) and see what the other bloggers have achieved.

Happy Easter.

Yvonne

FNSI

Last night was an FNSI night.  Click onto this logo on the sidebar, and it will take to  Wendy's blog and you can then visit the other participants' blogs to see what they got up to.

FNSI, hosted by Wendy

 

I was trying to work out what I should do--and decided that I should get stuck into the pattern writing for the  "Sew Happy" wall hanging, which I have been putting off for ages. It is so boring, but I did it. Went to print up a couple of copies-- only to find that the printer had run out of magenta and would not print. Of course I did not have a spare magenta cartridge at home , did I? Why it would need magenta, of all colours, I would not know.

 

"Sew Happy" Wall hanging

 

Watch this space-- when I do get the printer working, gone to Officeworks to print the photos and painted more buttons---I will have a give away of this pattern, if anyone is interested.

 

 

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

 

Cheers,

Yvonne



Projects from Norway and a Win

I always love it when someone takes the time to send me photos of what they have made from my patterns. So I was thrilled when I received these photos from May-Britt, all the way from Norway. These patterns are available from Asne's shop, Quiltefryd, in Tonsberg, Norway. In fact a new parcel of the patterns for the Blue Heart cushion and  Blue Heart wall hanging have just gone to the shop.

Blue heart Cushion

Blue Heart wall hanging

 

Gingerbreadman cushion

 

A Christmas Welcome  cushion

 

Thank you May-Britt, for sending these photos to me. You have made my day.



 

 

 

 

I love blog hopping and reading different posts-- and one that I love to read belongs to Stephanie from Rummage (www.stephaniedunphy.blogspot.com) . I was very lucky to win a bag from Stephanie --- and it arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, the bag is beautifully made and it now accompanies me to the shops.

 

The bag I won from Stephanie's blog

 

 

 

This Friday night is FNSI, so sign up at  Wendy's blog, www.sugarlanequilts.blogspot.com and join in. Look forward to seeing you there.

FNSI hosted by Wendy



Friday night with Friends

I am a little late in posting what I did on FNWFs.

FNWFs hosted by Cheryll

 

 

I am making a quilt and it is going to have Ohio Stars. I love Ohio stars but my machine skills are poor and accuracy is appalling. I have put off making these stars for years because of that. I decided that practice makes perfect! So I cut a heap of squares and sewed these-- 1 x 9"block, 1 x 3"block and a few 6"blocks. I was pleasantly surprised as to how well they turned out-- so they will have a place in the new quilt after all.

Ohio stars in varying sizes

 

Thank you Cheryll for hosting yet another enjoyable FNWFs.

 

Cheers,

Yvonne

FNSI, a framed cross stitch, a bag and a thread holder

Friday night was a sewing night with FNSI. Please do not laugh at what I managed to do--- in other words, not much at all!

Strips made with "PerfectStems"

 

I had good intentions to do a lot of sewing. Got a phone call and ended up chatting on the phone instead of sewing. Had to come up with some finish-- and I needed these folded strips for a project and these "Perfect Stems" certainly make them easier to make. I can now continue with the project.

 

 

 



I had bought the pattern, All About Anna, from Stephanie, of Rummage ages ago.(www.stephaniedunphy.blogspot.com).  Late last year, I   decided that I would make the bag --- I used corduroy for the navy part of the bag, and cotton fabrics for the rest. I  enjoyed making it as the instructions were clearly set out and  very easy to follow. I gave the bag away as a Christmas gift, and I have decided to make another for myself.

 

 

My version of All About Anna 

 

 

 

I had finished this cross stitch before Christmas-- and took it to the framers on Christmas eve. I have finally got it back and am very pleased with the way it has turned out. The blue wren is my favourite little bird and the flannel flower is a flower I love to look out for in spring when I go for a bush walk.

 

Framed Blue wren and flannel flower in cross stitch

 

 

Ages ago, a fellow blogger had said to me that she would love to have  a thread holder. She had a special birthday coming up, and I was racking my brain for what I could give her. I decided that I would get a thread holder cut out and paint it for her. I was so excited about it-- that I wrapped the present and posted it without taking a photo. I then had to ask her to take a photo for me to keep in my photo album. Needless to say, she presented it beautifully.

The painted Thread holder

 

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

Cheers,

Yvonne