A new adventure!

Well another week has gone since I posted and I've well and truly been on the hurdy gurdy. I would love to just be able to catch up with myself a little!!! This past weekend was very busy as the local pony club that the 'horsey' one attends held our annual One Day Event. It is our main fundraiser for the year but so much work to host. Unfortunately we are a small club of only about 20 members and for whatever reasons only about 5 of these families were prepared and able to help! (seems to be a common problem that it is always the same people helping!!!). As SH is President of the club and I am Treasurer we were heavily involved. A full day working bee Saturday and then we were out there by 7am Sunday and not home until 8pm. SH ran the canteen along with my Mum who gave up her day to help while I was on duty in the Secretary's office all day. We only needed the ambulance once and the 'horsey' one came 4th so all in all not a bad day!

Today was another busy one as the 'Horsey' one headed off to China this afternoon on a compulsory school trip. It is part of their year 9 experience!!! They are away for almost 4 weeks and spend a few weeks at their sister school and do some touring. All in all a wonderful experience but I will miss her so much. She never stops talking so the house will be very quiet! Of course we only managed to finish packing an hour before she had to be at school to catch the bus but I am sure we haven't forgotten anything. She chose her favorite meal for dinner last night and then Mum and I took her out for lunch today and to buy those last minute things!!! I am looking forward to the first email from her to say she's arrived safely.

Happy Birthday to Janene!

We have had a lovely day today celebrating SH's sisters 50th Birthday. SH and I headed off nice and early and met the rest of the family and her friends at the Clyde winery in Bannockburn. We enjoyed a beautiful meal of antipasta and wood fired pizzas. The winery overlooks a valley that unfortunately at the moment is a dust bath but could be spectacular when it's had some rain and becomes green.

This window believe it or not is in the individual ladies toilet, looks out onto the valley! Trust me I had a good look first to make sure no one could accidentally wander to the other side and look in!!!

Loved these pots attached to the wine barrels where the outside pizza oven is. Looked so nice and provincial.

Realised I forgot yesterday to tell you we are flying in and out of LA and will just spend some time on the West Coast. My first request for advice for our holiday - please! is about accommodation. We can book accommodation here through a travel agent but it is going to be very expensive and is worked on a per person rate not a price for the room. Is this normal? I am wondering whether I am better trying to book something directly online. Any ideas for websites for accommodation or hotel chains that are reasonably priced and reliable???

It is my 1 year blogoversary today - gosh it has gone quickly and been such a rewarding experience. I have made some wonderful friends and been inspired by so many people. I am not having a giveaway to celebrate as I have a few 'care' packages to send off this week to some blogging friends that need a bit of TLC!!

Holiday ahead!

I know, I know I've been missing again. Only thing to say in my defence is that life has been crazy . Hopefully it will settle down a bit soon so I can actually achieve something!!! I plan to keep my posts short and sweet this week and a lot more frequent so I can actually share with you!

To begin today I must apologise, I think on my last post I made it sound a lot more exciting than it actually is. Friends have opened a new business and I am their retail sales manager so the references to the new Homespun magazine were actually a full page ad and where there was a small spiel about the business was also a photo of moi! So sorry nothing more interesting than that!!

Today's exciting news is that we have planned an unplanned holiday - are you following me??? (don't blame you if you're not!). This week Qantas and other airlines announced hugely cheap flights to the US, in fact less than half their normal prices. No we can't afford it and no we shouldn't but we have!! Life is short and we have decided this is one opportunity we are grabbing with both hands and running with it! SH works 2 jobs and I work 3 and we have a tax return due any day (from last year!) so we deserve it! We have booked flights (although not paid yet - in case we get cold feet - we have a few days ) for the September school holidays and all of us are very excited. I will need help from my fellow bloggers with planning and accommodation etc etc. Any advice gratefully received. We will only have 3 weeks but will make the most of every minute.

After all that I have received 3 wonderful parcels this last week from Kerin, Kim and April so will post about them in the next few days. I feel very spoilt and blessed today.

Sshh......

If anyone has the new Homespun yet have a look on pages 85 & 123!!! Not as exciting as if I was a designer with a project and must admit I got a shock when I saw the photo! Was expecting the ad but not that!!!

Some eye candy......

Yes there is actually some eye candy today but guess what it's not mine!! It's actually my Mums but I thought it deserved to be seen. I have mentioned before that she does the most amazing work. I am lucky enough to have a house full of her projects - always very quick to say 'yes please' if she has something begging for a home! She quilts, felts, does the most amazing stumpwork and intricate embroidery as well as doll making.

The week before last she was lucky enough to take part in a 4 day workshop in Halls Gap. There were various textile workshops but Mum did a 'journey mapping' one with India Flint , an internationally renowned dyer, costumier and artist. One of her popular books is 'Eco Colour'. A lot of the workshop involved communing with nature and collecting bits and pieces which were then used in the dying process . The top photo is the main piece she made over the week and the bottom is a little book they also made. As you all know I struggle with the basics!!!! so I do not understand all the concepts they explored but Mum got such a lot out of these 4 days and has not stopped talking about it. A truly positive experience at a time she really needed it.

I am very excited being lucky enough to win two giveaways in the last few days, a set of ATC's from Kerin at a 'Little Bit of Everything' and a pattern from Kim at 'Kims Big Quilting Experiences'. I'm hoping the third thing may be a lucky lotto ticket so I can travel the world visiting my blogging friends!!!!

Back on the hurdy-gurdy!!

What a week!!! Hard to believe that this time last week we had spent the day at Aunty Jan's funeral and more importantly survived it. I am not a fan of funerals, I cry at the tv at the drop of a hat so imagine how readily the tears come at a funeral especially of someone I love. Our family is blessed though that we have not lost a lot of family members, I guess as we all age it is inevitable that it will start happening more frequently. The funeral service was lovely, a real celebration of Jan's life and really captured the essence of the person she was. Her faith was very important to her and she was very involved in her parish. Father Tim was therefore able to speak of her as a person he knew well. Aunty Jan was Catholic while Aunty Judy is Anglican ( a long story!!) and perhaps one of the nicest parts of the service was that the Anglican priest and a lot of his congregation came to the funeral, something that doesn't always happen in their small country town. The wake was catered for by the AWA (Anglican Womens Association) and I can highly recommend them. It was lovely and one less thing we needed to worry about. Jan's cremation took place in the afternoon in a city an hour away (and where she had grown up). I didn't relax until this was all over as I was the driver for Judy, my Mum and their other sister. My SH and kids didn't come up for the funeral. SH wanted to but I thought it more important that the kids be settled at home.

Mum and I motored home down the highway a day later than planned but due to severe weather warnings and me being bone tired we thought it was a good idea. We have now decided to do a 'road trip' in the upcoming school holidays and have sold it to HS as a good way for him to get his learner driver hours up!!! Thought we would like to visit some places Mum hasn't been to for years and where her grandfather spent some time a long long time ago. Sure some cemetery searching will be on the agenda while I have already planned to visit some craft shops I have only heard about!!

We have a public holiday today for Labor day so while HS has spent the weekend with a friends family in Port Fairy at a folk festival we made the most of the extra day and took a flying trip to Melbourne to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends. We went to kindergarten together and have stayed friends all this time. I am godmother to her first daughter ( a role that I relish) who is 2 1/2 now and they have just had a new baby girl 'Sadie Alice'. We needed to inspect the new arrival and I can say that she is absolutely beautiful. The 'horsey' one played for hours with Bianca as requested and both SH and I had many cuddles of Sadie. (I have to admit I am glad that I am not now starting my family and that mine are teenagers!! We laughed last night when we realised we will be planning an 18th birthday later in the year while they are obsessed with toilet training!!).

I have today attempted to hang the new curtains! Yes please note the word 'attempted' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No they are still not fully up and no I am not happy with them. I have decided to wait until the morning when I am fresh and look at them again . I will keep you updated.

I now have 2 pieces of advise I can give with authority

1/ Never get a puppy - ever!!

2/ If needing new curtains get them made to fit and installed by experts........

I'm back!

Just to let you know I arrived home safely this evening after a very long drive. I've got to be at work at 8am so I'm off to bed now!! Will start catching up on my blog reading, my emails and post some news tomorrow.
Thank you everyone for caring.