What I Did For My Holiday!

I know, that sounds a bit like a school report, doesn't it? Well, I promised to share some photos and stories of our holiday adventures - it's just taken a few days to get back to it! I'm not really sure where this week went, actually, except it seems to have gone WHIZZING past in a cloud of dust!!

So ... for our holiday, we headed north about four and a half hours to Bargara, which is near Bundaberg. (I'm sure many of you have heard of the famous beverage bottled at Bundy?!?) Whenever we've visited Bargara previously, it's been for family events and get-togethers, which, while fantastic, haven't left much time for sight-seeing, so this time we decided to play tourist a bit. After declaring day one a rest day, we set out the next day on our adventures. We hadn't really even left Bargara when we were brought to a stop by ...


A cane train. Bundaberg is a sugar cane growing region and we happened to be there during the harvesting season. Cane is most often transported from the cane fields to the sugar mills by ... cane trains. They rattle along at a pretty good rate of knots, so I was lucky the camera went through it's focus, red eye flash, take the photo, wait a bit, flash a few lights routine in time to catch it! (I keep promising myself I'll get a quicker camera one day to make like a little easier, but it's on "THAT" list!!) A little way down the road, we called in to check out the recently established Amandine Lavender Farm and gift shop.


Here, we met Helen and had a lovely time wandering through her cute little shop, admiring all the pretties - well, I had a lovely time, my beloved Geek Boy isn't too fond of the smell of lavender after a childhood trauma involving his younger brother splashing a cheap and nasty bottle of lavender perfume on him!! Tee! Hee! Hee! We had a great chat with Helen and, in fact, met with her and her family later in the week to talk about GB designing a web site for their growing business and me designing some lavender-themed stitchery patterns and kits to be sold in the gift shop! Talk about mixing business with pleasure!! I even used the holiday chill-out time to come up with the first lavender design so I could show Helen before we headed home. Wanna see???


I was pretty pleased with how it came up - and I bought myself some lavender tea from Helen's shop, so that was the inspiration - very soothing!

From the lavender farm, we headed for Schmeider's Cooperage where we watched a video about the cooper's trade (they make casks and barrels for those not in the know!) and we watched one of the guys in action making a small barrel that they sell to hold port. Sorry, couldn't get a good photo, as the cooper was working behind a glass safety wall and the reflections were a killer.

Also at the Cooperage is the workshop of master glassblower, Wolfgang Engel. We ended up spending quite a lot of time here, watching Wolfgang at work. This is what the work in progress looked like ...


I reckon he must have to have asbestos hands to work so close to the flame - though this is a small flame compared to what he uses when he's working on the bigger blown pieces. And the end result of this action shot was ...


Ta da! A pendant and earrings to compliment my summer wardrobe! Tee! Hee! Hee! It was also a great spot to pick up some Christmas presents - someone very KINDLY (?!?!?) pointed out it's less than 10 weeks til Christmas and I'm still not done with BIRTHDAYS!!!

So, that was our first day of adventures - we have to strike a balance when we holiday, as I like to be out exploring and adventuring and GB likes to read computer text books, program, sleep, watch movies ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! So we had a quiet day next, just kicking back and going for lovely walks along the beach.

We then caught up with a school friend of mine, Michelle. I've told you before how Lynette and I have been best buds since year 4, well we 'adopted' Michelle in year 8 when she came from a smaller school that didn't have high school and the three of us were a trio for the rest of high school. Here's Shell and I having a giggle about the position GB contorted himself into to take the photo without actually getting out of his chair!!



Driving around, we also noticed a number or wineries are now operating in the Bundaberg area, so we felt OBLIGED to check out at least one ... or two ...! Here's GB, the closet soak, in front of the Isis Winery, where he picked up a bottle of nice fruity white wine and a bottle of port for a Christmas gift.


Good thing this barrel didn't fall on his head! Hmmm, perhaps that's where the expression to be "barrelled over" came from!! Who knows!!

Now, since they're only a couple of hours away from Bargara, Mum and Dad came across on the weekend so we could all catch up - oh, and to bring Grandma back from a week's visit! Tee! Hee! Hee! Grandma actually lives at Bargara. We hit the local tavern on Saturday night for a VERY yummy and filling dinner. Here's our three generations of GORGEOUS women!!! Hmmm ... well ... it's three generations of women!! Two out of three ain't bad!! :0)


Do you like my new top? I bought it specially to take on holidays!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Anyways, that's only week one of our trip and I seem to have rambled, so I'll leave it there for now. Be sure to tune in next time at the same Bat-time, same Bat-channel, same Bat-place for the continuing adventures of GB and Super Ted!! Hmmm perhaps not, but I'll tell you about our whale watching trip!! So til then - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS