Easter Adventures!

A belated "HOPPY EASTER" to you all! :0) (sorry ... couldn't resist a little Easter joke there!!!) Hope you're all enjoying a lovely long weekend, I know we here at the Meares' Madhouse have been enjoying having no schedules for a few days ... though that doesn't mean things have been dull! :0) We've had my sort-of-sister Tiffy and a friend of hers staying with us so they could enjoy the activities of Easterfest ... a three-day Christian music festival that is held here in Toowoomba each Easter ... you probably guessed that part from the EASTER-fest name! :0) So ... they've been coming and going while we old fuddy-duddies decided to hibernate and catch up on some sleep, some chores and ... for me ... some stitching! Insert some happy anticipatory dancing here! :0)

Well ... we held to our hibernating intentions for two days, but with such GLORIOUS sunny autumn weather being enjoyed by all on top of our 'hill', we decided we really should make the most of it and Sunday saw us take a little road trip. First stop: Lake Cressbrook, a water-storage dam about three quarters of an hour's drive north-east.

With a good wet season two years in a row, the dam was looking pretty full and pretty ... well ... PRETTY! :0) A very picturesque little spot that is perfect for a Sunday picnic ... unfortunately HEAPS of other people had the same idea and we found it very crowded, so after a walk around to admire the water and the old pumping building ...

... we jumped back into the feisty Festiva and headed a bit further down the road, up and over the range, through Esk ... next stop ... Tagooloowah. Why? To watch people falling out of the sky! :0) One of the guys who works with my Beloved Geek Boy was helping organise this event ...

Now ... there would have to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with the plane before I would ever consider jumping out of it, but it was pretty entertaining to watch other people do it! Tee! Hee! Hee! There was a lot of cloud-gazing done as we listened to the drone of the drop plane and waited to see jumpers. At first, there were just little specks in the distance ...

While the cloud cover made it hard to pick the jumpers when they first left the plane, once their shutes opened, those pretty silk canopies showed up beautifully against the grey. It then didn't take too long until we were watching them do this right in front of where we were sitting ...

... and this ...

Oops! That one's a bit fuzzy ... slow camera combined with VERY quick descent! :0) It was pretty amazing just how fast they came towards the ground and just when you were certain things were going to end in a messy tangle of broken limbs and tangled lines and parachute ... they would tug the brake cords and come to almost a complete halt, then drift gently down the last couple of feet to the ground. Pretty cool to watch! :0) Because it was the Australian Championships, there were quite a few larger groups competing in formations. Due to the cloud, we didn't really see the formations cos they were done up high before chutes were opened ... except for one rather special one ...

How COOL does this look!!!! It was pretty awesome seeing these four jumpers form up, then drift for quite a long time together until just before they reached the ground ...

... they moved apart to land so it didn't all end in one of those tangles of broken limbs and tangled parachutes that I kept imagining! :0) They still haven't convinced me that it's a good idea to fling yourself out of a perfectly good plane ... though I think GB is starting to think it might be good to try ... I've got news for him!!!!! ;0)

So ... that was our Easter mini-road trip and a great way to enjoy the perfect autumn day. Another sunny one today, but I'm gluing myself to the couch today in front of some fave DVDs cos I'm working on the sample for a new design. Want to see what I'm playing with? OK ... those of you who've known me for a while will need to brace yourself for a shock, because my new quilt design is ...

PINK!!!! AAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!! I know ... I am usually the "Anti-Pink" but when I saw these fabrics when they first arrived at my Home-Away-From-Home Quilters Angel, I immediately had a mental picture of them in a girly quilt! And you know that you just have to go where the muse takes you when that creative urge hits, so I bit the bullet and bought some ... trying to ignore Marion chuckling in the background!!! She says she is gradually bringing me over to the "Pink Side"!! Tee! Hee! Hee! When I brought them home, I showed GB. The conversation when something like this ...

Me: These are the fabrics I bought today for a new quilt design.

GB: They're pink.

Me: Yes, they are.

GB: They're VERY pink!

Me: Yes, they are.

GB: But you don't DO pink!
Me: Not usually, no, but I can picture them as a quilt.

GB: (slightly bewildered!) Huh ...!

Tee! Hee! Hee! All but one of these fabrics are from the Cabbages and Roses range, so if you ARE a pink-girly-girl, pop in or call Marion and Steph to add some to your stash. Right now, though, I'm off to do some stitching on my pink-girly-girl quilt. :0) Hope you enjoy the last day of your Easter break as much as I am. OH!! OPAM gals ... hop across and visit Sweet Peg cos she has just posted this month's OPAM winners. Which reminds me ... Judy S. and Karen H. you were the January winners, so you need to email Sweet Peg with your snail mail addresses so she can send a little something your way. OK ... I'm off to put the kettle on and get stitching!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS