Ring Out The Old Year, Ring In The New!

Well ... Here we are. It's the last day of the month, the last day of the year & the last day of the decade. WHEW! No wonder we've all been a bit tired ... Look what we've come through?! 😜 I have to say that 2019 hasn't been as calm, uneventful or productive as I'd hoped. There were certainly some disappointments & challenges along the way, but do you know what? There were WAY MORE positives than negatives, it's brought me to where I am now & it's brought us to the point of a new beginning as we ring out the old year & ring in the new. I've decided that 2020 is going to be an AWESOME year!! 😁 And now it's up to each of us to MAKE it awesome. 😉

The end of the year is always a time of reflection & resolutions are made for the coming year ... Most of which don't last to the end of the first week! 😝 However, I tend not to make new year's resolutions ... See previous comment about not lasting to the end of the first week! Tee! Hee! Hee! But I do try to set at least a couple of goals for the year. Last year I made it a goal to design my first block of the month (BOM). Due to the aforementioned challenges encountered during the year, I didn't get to finish it ... BUT ... During this lovely Christmas staycation, I've been able to design, edit & prep the last two blocks, so that goal WILL be met ... Just a little later than I'd anticipated ... Sat tuned! 😉

Somehow, my creative process inevitably sees the dining room table buried in an avalanche of fabric & general sewing flotsam & jetsam! 😂

So what are my goals for 2020? I've chosen two ... The first goal is to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that we use. This is a bit of an ongoing goal ... I've been using the "green bags" for groceries for more than 15 years & for the last couple of years, I've been using re-usable mesh bags for our fresh produce, as well as choosing other "green" options when possible ... But in 2020 I am aiming to be more mindful of what goes in our bin & find more replacements for our use of plastic. I can let you know how I go with that ... If anyone is interested ... Even though it's not sewing related. 😜

My second goal is a little harder to measure ... I'm going to try to be kinder. That doesn't seem like a monumental goal, and yet ... Think of the HUGE difference in the world we would see if everyone made that their goal! 😳 If we all made a concerted effort to be more patient when we're in the slow moving lane at the post office or supermarket or the traffic jam; took time to smile & say hello to elderly people we see in the course of our day; offer to open a door or carry things for someone we see struggling; only leave positive & encouraging comments on social media posts (stick with Mother's golden rule, "if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all!" & just keep scrolling! Just because you disagree with a post or opinion doesn't mean you have to attack the person.) ; send encouraging/funny texts, emails or cards to friends & family; make a simple meal for a busy young mum or unwell friend ... There are literally THOUSANDS of small ways we can be kind every day ... If we CHOOSE to. 😉

So ... That's what I'm aiming for in 2020 ... As well as catching up with friends more & doing more sewing, of course! 😜 Those goals are carry-over goals every year. 😁 And as we get ready to sing "Auld Lang Syne", I'd like to thank all of my blogging buddies for popping in to visit & chat this year. I've made some wonderful friends through blogging & appreciate all of your encouragement & friendship. My wish for you all as we turn the page to a new day, a new month, a new year & a new decade is that you stay safe, stay well & enjoy the many new exciting adventures that come your way in 2020. 😊 And as I sign off, I'll share a favourite Irish Blessing. Til next time ...

NEW YEAR'S BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Hooray For Holidays!!

Hello to everyone out there in blogland! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, however you may have celebrated. My Beloved Geek Boy & I enjoyed a relaxing, quiet day with my folks, which was just what the doctor ordered after a crazy-busy couple of months. And we're now both enjoying some time at home, resting, recuperating, sleeping in (though GB's body clock isn't cooperating there! 😝 ) & getting around to tackling some of the jobs that have been on our "to do" lists for a while.

And with some rest & extended time at home, I'm finding that my creative mojo has kicked in (I think it had been holidaying in the Maldives without me! 😜) & I've been hard at fun-work designing. I've just finished prepping the second-last block of my block of the month design-in-progress & am looking forward to some stitching this afternoon in front of the cricket ... Yes ... I actually LIKE watching cricket. 😜 In fact, it's the only sport I'll watch. 😝 And something else I've started playing with is ...

... My project for Girls' Stitch In, where I'll be one of the guest designers. (I can't give TOO much away yet ... It would spoil the surprise! 😜 I've got lots of ideas I'm playing with already. Isn't it wonderful how some quiet time at home can recharge your batteries?!

If you really want to spoil yourself (or drop hints about late Christmas gifties or birthday gifties! 😉) you really should come & play with us on March 14 &/or 15, 2020. In case you'd like more details, I'll pop them on the end of this post. Nobody organises a better stitching retreat than the Marvellous Marion & Stupendous Steph of the Quilters Angel! 😍

But right now, I think it's time for some lunch before I settle down to stitch & help the Aussie cricketers beat New Zealand ... Sorry to all my Kiwi buddies! 😁 Oh ... OPAMers ... It's time to get your last tally for 2019 to me & update your sidebar lists. 😁 I wonder who else has been enjoying some holiday sewing time? HOORAY for holidays! 😁😍 Til next time ...

HOLIDAY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

- GIRLS STITCH IN -

SATURDAY 14th and SUNDAY 15th MARCH 2020

Our Guest Designers for 2020...

NATALIE BIRD (The Birdhouse)

and

KRIS MEARES (Tag Along Teddies)

Our 'Girls Stitch In' is all about treating yourself and celebrating womanhood!

Take time out for YOU, be surrounded by all things girlie and hand stitching (which we all know is FABULOUS for the soul!) 

The ‘Girls Stitch In’ is an annual event, with new designers each year.

 

The cost of the day includes:

A lovely day out with the designers who have created special projects for the weekend. Each day will be relaxed, as the guest designers will be giving demonstrations with their specialty, mingling with the participants and giving any help you need. A special lunch, morning and afternoon tea. Coffee, Tea & Cool Water available all day (Please advise at registration if you have any food allergies as catering is prepared offsite). Prizes and Giveaways. A beautiful gift bag filled with goodies, patterns for all event projects AND a mystery kit (stitchery already transferred) to start hand stitching on the day.

Special Pop Up Stores for shopping!

Venue: 

Highfields State School SmART Space Hall (Right next door to The Quilters

Angel, ‘The Village Green’!) New England Highway, HIGHFIELDS QLD

Date: 

Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March 2020

(the Sat and Sun are repeated, so you only need to attend 1 day but you are welcome to come along to both!)

Time: 

9.30am till 3.30pm

(arrivals from 9am)

Cost: 

$150 per day

($75 deposit required to secure your spot which is strictly non- refundable )

Full payment MUST be received by March 1st 

or your spot and deposit will be forfeited

Bring: 

Your Hand Sewing Kit (Needles, hoop, scissors, etc), Threads (list available in

February), a Coffee Mug, a Camera to take photos of the projects.

Forget The Partridge In A Pear Tree!

I just had to pop in & share some Aussie Christmas cuteness. 😜 

This morning when I got up, I headed out into the hallway to open the front door to see if there was a breeze to be caught. I then ducked back into the bedroom to grab my phone & water bottle. As I picked up the phone from the bedside table, I heard a peculiar noise from the front door. Poking my head round the doorway I saw ...

... This feathery little critter gazing back at me. He was still quite fluffy & small, so a bubba kookaburra. He was periodically letting out an enquiring warble, which I took to be the kooka version of, "Where are you, mama??!" He wasn't at all afraid of me & I managed to open the door to get a better pic ...

He eventually flew off (with a few wibble-wobbles! 😜) in search of his mama. Never mind the partridge in a pear tree ... We had the Aussie equivalent ... A kookaburra on the verandah. 😂 Actually, we get so many birds coming into our yard for water & seed that I should try to do an Aussie bird version of the 12 days of Christmas ... Except ... It's already 30-something degrees out there, so perhaps I'll just stay inside & plan some Christmas cooking. 😆

Hope you are enjoying the countdown to Christmas ... Til next time ...

BIRDY HUGS! 

CHEERS!

KRIS xx

It's Beginning To Taste Like Christmas!

Hello all! I hope you're well & haven't been buried in the Christmas Crazies as we count down to the fat man in the red suit's visit. 😜 I was starting to think I had been, but managed to claw my way out from under the tinsel avalanche & am currently enjoying my first day of two weeks of freedom! YAY! 😁 

It's been another topsy-turvy year of changes with my grown up job, which has sucked my creative energy down the plug hole this last couple of months, but for the next two weeks I'm planning on playing with pencil & design notebook, fabric & thread ... & as little else as possible since I have a couple of deadlines looming early in 2020! EEP! 😳😜

Now most years, in the lead up to Christmas I spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen making Christmas treats. This year, with one thing & 10 others! 😜 ... I was way behind on that. So I picked one of the simplest of our Christmasy faves to make to encourage our Christmas cheer ... Sugar coated peanuts! YUMMO! 😋 

Add a jug of iced tea & it's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas. 😜 I love iced tea but don't like how sweet most of the commercial brands are & although I often comment that I should experiment with my own brews ... I never quite get there. So today I thought I'd brew up some Cranberry & Blood Orange from Tambourine Tea. I'm liking it better iced than hot! 😝 It's quite fruity & refreshing ... & washes the yummy nuts down nicely. 😉 

Do you see the woven fan in the background? It belonged to my gorgeous Grandma & came to live with me when we lost her a few years ago. Both sets of my grandparents lived in Mackay in North Queensland & I have childhood memories of my Grandma & my Nan both fluttering these sorts of fans on hot & humid summer days, before air conditioning was ever heard of. I quite like the swoosh of a hand held fan ... I think it's the back & forth rhythm ... It's almost hypnotic & encourages you to slow down & go with the laid back flow of summer when it's too steamy & hot to be rushing around. Or maybe that's just me feeling holiday-lazy! 😜 Do you have favourite memories & treats that go along with Christmas? I'd love to hear them. 😁

Whatever you're doing in the countdown to Christmas Day, I hope you remember that it's more important to spend time with loved ones & the special people in your life than it is to spend time fussing to get things 'just right'. We sometimes miss the treasure of spending time with the special people in our lives, don't we? Right now, though, I think it's time for another glass of iced tea to be sipped under the ceiling fan ... Almost as relaxing as the swoosh of the woven fan, but the ceiling fan does all the work for you! 😂 Til next time ...

HOLIDAY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

OPAM & An Italian Treat!

Hello all! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend. I haven't had the weekend I planned ... But that seems to sum up this year! 😜 Part of my weekend plan was to do this post yesterday ... But that didn't happen! I dragged GB kicking & screaming (actually he was more resigned! 😂) off to the shopping centre to tackle the Christmas shopping. We actually did pretty well & crossed most gifts off the list, but by about 3pm we'd been trampled & prodded enough by the "Holiday Cheer" that we felt like we needed a big glass of Christmas spirits ... With ice! 😂 And as it was around 40 degrees & muggy, we decided to treat ourselves to a salted caramel frappe & watch a movie at GB's work ... Among many other audio visual things, they install home theatres & have a display theatre in the showroom ... With air con! 😂

However ... Today after doing a few grown up chores, I've added emailed tallies to the spreadsheet & blog hopped to collect the rest of your finishes for November ... Big thanks to those who emailed tallies &/or made sure their sidebar list was updated. It's a big help to me. 😁 Well ... I've concluded that everyone has been busily sewing for Christmas because November was the biggest tally for the year ...

191 FINISHES!

YAY! Well done everyone! And the random draw winner is ...

MARIA

Congrats Maria! Drop me an email & I'll send your prize PDF pattern to you to play with. 😁

Now, with all of the doings here over the last month or two, I've done very little sewing, so don't have any pics to share ... But November was birthday month for my Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette & as a fun way of celebrating, we signed up to be part of a pasta making class. Mama Mia! 😂 The class was hosted by the lovely Kat & mischievous Sonny, the dynamic duo behind Foodie Shots photography. As well as taking superb photos of colourful culinary cuties, Kat has a passion for encouraging people to rediscover the pleasure of simple, traditional food prepared well using local produce. And the class was held at one of Lynette's & my fave play date destinations ... Bunnyconnellon.

Lynette & I were joined by 10 other fun & friendly people to learn the art of pasta making from local chef, Steve.

Here's Steve in demonstration mode.

Then it was our turn. We all made pasta dough from scratch & half was bundled up to take home & the other half fed through the handy pasta roller to make our lunch. Here's Lynette concentrating hard. 😜

And here's my efforts. 😁 Two things ... It was a STINKIN HOT day that made it a bit challenging to keep the pasta dough from drying out & made us all 'glow'. 😉 And second ... Thanks to the lovely lady who took these two pics for us while we had floury hands. 😁 Of course once the pasta was made & cooked ...

... It was time for lunch! 😋

Handmade fresh pasta with a simple tomato sauce ... & a glass of Bunnyconnellon wine, of course! 😜 And afterwards ...

Lots of plates that didn't need to be scraped. 😝

And a Happy Birthday cheers to my Bestest-Buddy. 😘 We had a fantastic time & would definitely look at attending other cooking workshops organised by Kat & Sonny of Foodie Shots  If you're stuck for gift ideas for friends or family members who are foodies, why not treat them to a workshop or  ... Like Lynette & I ... Attend one together. For those of you not far from our little corner of the world, I know the lovely Kat will be organising more workshops next year so check out her Facebook page to keep up. I would HIGHLY recommend Foodie Shots workshops, as this was the friendliest, most relaxed, best organised workshop I've ever attended. Kat had everything on hand ready to go ... & Sonny helped put everyone at ease by making us laugh. 😁 And it goes without saying that any time spent at Bunnyconnellon is enjoyable, especially with my Bestie ... Although it does make the husbands a little nervous! 😂

And on that note, I'm suddenly feeling peckish! 😂 So I'm off to find some Bunnyconnellon olives to have with my cheese, crackers & G&T. 😁 Have a fantastic week! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Back On The Air!

Hello all! How's your week going? Mine is a little calmer than the last coulee of weeks, let me tell you! Sorry to have fallen off the blogging radar for a couple of weeks, but I have a really good excuse. I've actually started to write this post a couple of times, but find it hard to condense the events of the last few weeks ... So I'll just say, this may be a long post, so get comfy. 😜

Last post I mentioned the terrible bushfires being experienced in Australia's eastern states (though since then there have been more in South Australia, too.) Many of you may not realise, but we live on the edge of forestry areas & 'just down the road' from several national parks, so since moving here, we've been careful to keep an eye on the Rural Fire Emergency Services ap updates, especially in the extreme dry & heat that we've been experiencing. On November 12, the ap notified us of a fire a few kilometres from us ... In the forestry area. Less than 24 hours later we received the "Leave Immediately" instructions. Thankfully, we had time to pack most of our clothes, family heirlooms & many special treasures & could stay with my parents who live in the retirement village where I work. (I was still slightly late for work! 😝) That fire burned for 14 days, burnt thousands of hectares of forest, national parks & farmland, destroyed six homes & other outbuildings, killed huge numbers of wildlife & destroyed the habitat of so many more & it came to within just over a kilometre of our house. It was huge, it was scary, it's suspected to have been deliberately lit & it was battled into submission by hundreds of real life superheroes ... Many of whom were volunteers.

This is a photo of the fire our neighbour took from his back verandah when the fire was closest to us. He drove around our neighbourhood that night in a water truck wetting down yards, fences & trees in case the wind carried embers our way.

We were exceptionally fortunate. Our house suffered no damage, other than reeking of smoke for a couple of weeks & we could stay with my folks until the fire had been contained & it was safe to come home. HUGE thanks go to the firies who fought to keep everyone safe, often not knowing whether their own homes were safe, to the other emergency services personnel who played vital roles & to those who worked in the background to support the frontline defenders. 

While this experience was scary & nerve-wracking as the days ticked by & the fire burned on, changing direction at the whim of the erratic winds, some really positive things came out of it. 

Firstly ... Our fire response plan worked. When we moved into this fire risk area, we made a fire plan ... We talked about what to grab in a hurry & then leave. It's not worth risking our lives for 'things' ... Even precious pretty things. 😜 ... And we didn't want to hamper emergency services in their efforts by making them worry about us, too. Can I tell you ... You'd be amazed at how much you can shove in garbage bags, overnight bags, boxes & washing baskets when you need to! 😝 

Second positive thing ... Our little community all came together to make sure everyone was safe, informed & evacuated when the time came. In the normal scheme of things, we might not see some of our neighbours for months, or might only ever wave as we pass each other, but the fire brought out the best in our little neighbourhood.

Third positive thing ... We were reminded of what a huge encouraging, supportive tribe of family & friends we have in our lives. We literally were receiving emails, texts, Facebook messages & phone calls from all around Australia & even some overseas friends to check on us. One gorgeous local friend made a special trip to my parents' place to give me a hug & check if there was anything she could do to help. We are loved! 😊

And the Fourth positive outcome of the fire ... Our house has been completely spring cleaned at my Mother's insistence! 😂😂 Mind you, I'm still unpacking the things we took with us & I won't be doing any sewing any time soon because this is what my sewing room looks like ...

... As does the sitting room & the dining room. 😂 Yes ... It has been pointed out that we have a LOT of stuff! (Thanks Mum! 😝) Actually ... I DO need to thank my Mum. Not only did she & Dad put up with house guests who didn't know how long they were staying (four adults, one bathroom ... It can be a juggling act! 😜) but Mum washed loads & loads of smoky clothes & linens & cleaned alongside me when she cracked the whip on our spring cleaning. Love ya Ma & Pa! 😘 

So ... We've had a bit of a roller coaster ride here but overall we're feeling pretty darn BLESSED! 😁 I would encourage all of you to make a fire response plan, even if you don't live on acreage or on the edge of a forest area. Our nearby town of Criws Nest was put on alert at one point & several small towns in other fire areas have been wiped out, so don't think it couldn't happen to you. Having talked through & planned what we would do in case of a bushfire, we knew exactly what to do when we got the "Leave Now" notification. It's worth thinking about.

Ok ... I think that's enough from me today. Thanks if you managed to stay with me to the end. 😜 And thanks to those lovely blogging buddies who are also Facebook buddies & have been checking in on us ... Your thoughts & prayers were appreciated. 😘. But now, my Beloved Geek Boy is home & it's time to think about dinner. Stay safe, everyone & til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

OPAM Winner!

Hello to everyone out there in blogland! I hope you're well ... & safe. Those of my blogging buddies who are overseas may not know it, but Queensland & New South Wales are experiencing horrific bushfires at the moment in many places. Bushland has been devastated, wildlife has been killed, injured & made homeless, houses, businesses & schools have been lost, people have been injured & killed. The largely volunteer fire fighting force is stretched to the limit. The scariest part is ... It's not even summer yet. We live in an area bordered on three sides by either national park areas or forestry, so we're keeping a close eye on our local fire news & praying for those already affected ... And praying for rain! For those of you in areas affected by the fires ... Please stay safe.

On to something a little lighter ...I'm finally getting around to doing the random prize draw for OPAM for October. Sorry to drag the chain a bit ... Getting back into the swing of being a grown up has been wearing me out. 😜 Now ... Since we were road tripping for the last half of the month, I'm pretty chuffed that I managed two finishes before we went ...

OK ... I know I shared this pic of the yoga mat carry pouch I made for my Aunt to thank her for hosting our stay in the Adelaide Hills, but I kinda have to show it again ... Cos I made myself one that was almost identical. 😜 It was a quick, fun project to make & handy to take my yoga mat on our holiday to stretch out the aches & stiff muscles caused by long hours in the car. Our final tally for October was ...

95 FINISHES!

YAY! Well done everyone. & well done if you also made some progress on a long term project. And the winner of the random draw is ...

FABULOUS FIONA

Congrats, Fiona! Drop me an email & I'll send you a copy of the PDF prize pattern.

But now ... It's time to start playing in the kitchen to make dinner ... Chicken kababs on warm pumpkin, sweet potato & baby spinach salad ... YUMMO! 😁 Take care everyone. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS 

Holiday Wrap Up!

Hello everyone! Happy Friday to you! Unless you're in the northern hemisphere, in which case ... Happy Thursday evening to you! 😜 I have to say, I love Fridays even more than most people as its my not-grown-up-job day & I can sleep in ...usually! 😜 But today is especially welcome as it marks the end of a VERY busy first week back after our holiday. My poor body clock is still sorting out time zones & my brain is overloaded, so I'm pretty happy to hang out at home today, wearing my daggy, comfy house clothes & catching up with the washing & unpacking after our holiday ... That THUD you just heard was my Mother fainting in shock that I'm doing house chores! Tee! Hee! Hee!

While I wait for the washing machine to finish its work, I thought I'd pop in & share some last holiday happy snaps with you from Broken Hill. You know, there's a saying in Broken Hill ... It's not the end of the earth ... But you can see it from there!" 😝 But ... There's a whole lot of places to see & things to do in Broken Hill to make the trip worthwhile, so I'd recommend it.

So ...one of the things we didn't get to see in Broken Hill last visit was the rail museum ... It closed due to the heat! 😜 Which we 'tourists' found pretty funny, since we'd been commenting how nice it was to be warm. You know GB & I are confirmed summer chooks, right?! 😂 This visit we got to see the museum open ... & spent way longer there than we'd expected because there was just so much to see & read. First things first, though ... If you visit a rail museum of COURSE ...

... You HAVE to have your picture taken in a train. 😜 Yes, that is GB in the driver's seat, so hold on! Tee! Hee! Hee! I, on the other hand, drooled over ...

... Vintage luggage!! 😍 There were lots of interesting displays & rail history anecdotes to read about, including the bombing of a picnic train during the war. As well as rail memorabilia, there were other displays of Broken Hill history ...

... Including hospital/medical history. I love old cottages & the corrugated iron cladding is a particular feature of Broken Hill cottages because timber & iron were the most readily available building materials when the town was settled.

Since I count so many nurses amongst my friends, I particularly enjoyed the displays of vintage uniforms ... This one was a war era uniform. Quite a few women from Broken Hill served as nurses in the wars.

And this was a Broken Hill District Hospital uniform after the war. After we finally dragged ourselves away from the museum, we revisited the art gallery/mint to adopt a couple more pieces of jewellery made from Broken Hill silver & then caught up with one of GB's childhood friends & his lovely wife & family ... Yummy dinner in excellent company ... A wonderful way to round out our visit.  Thanks Mark & Rob! 😘

The morning we left Broken Hill was grey & overcast ... & rainy! WOO! HOO! Although GB did comment that it would have been even nicer if it had held off until he'd finished packing Big Blue! 😂 However, as we drove east, we soon realised we were being followed by something scary & eerie ...

Yep ... Between the rain we'd left behind & where we'd reached an hour later, the 80+km/hr winds had whipped up a decent dust storm ... & we were running ahead of it. We pulled over to take this pic & were stopped for only minutes before it was on us & visibility dropped dramatically ... So it was quickly back in the vehicle to outrun it again as we headed for a special destination near Coonamble in central NSW ... To spend the night with Miss Chookyblue & Mr Chooky! 😁 It's amazing to think Chooky & I 'met' around 11 years ago when I started blogging ... You meet lots of odd ... & lovely! 😉 ... People through blogging. 😁 After a wonderful catch up (thanks for your hospitality Chooky! 😘) we swung through the nearest town of Coonamble & stopped for a pic of the mural on the water tower painted by one of my favourite Aussie artists, John Murray.

I love this design that combines John's outback images with Aboriginal artwork & that vivid pop of sunset colours ... John does a lot of collaborative work with other artists. The fun part of this was, as we parked on the side of the road to get this pic, we scared a flock of galahs, so they looked like the mural! 😂

Well ... That's it. The end of the 2019. 5000km; 4 states; 3 time zones; 2 weeks; & 1 EXCELLENT ADVENTURE of Kris & GB. 😁 It may take a bit for us ... & the play money! 😝 ... To recover ...but there are already whispers of "next road trip" ! 😁 Stay tuned!

But right now, my washing machine is telling me (loudly & monotonously! 🙄) that I need to hang out the next load of clean clothes, so I'll sign off. OPAMers ... I'll do the blog hopping & draw over the weekend, so stay tuned. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS,

KRIS

Reality Bites!

Hello to all you lovely people out there in blogland! Well ... All good things must come to an end ... So they say! ... And we're home from our five state border crossings, four states, three time zones, two weeks & one excellent adventure road trip. SIGH! Reality bit with sharp teeth this morning when my Beloved Geek Boy & I had to go back to impersonating responsible adults after two wonderful weeks of making our own schedule. Our body clocks are still haywire from changing time zones several times & I suspect there will be some sleeping on the weekend to catch up. 😜

However ... I thought over the next few days I'd pop in from time to time to share some pics from our last few days that I had trouble getting to load previously. Today I thought I'd share with you the rather special accomodation we had for our two nights in Broken Hill. For those of you who don't know, Broken Hill is a mining town ... Lead, copper, zinc & rather special silver ... Unlike most silver, Broken Hill silver is pure & contains no tin, which is what causes normal silver to tarnish. So, with its history resting on mining, it stands to reason that there would be some original miners' cottages built in the late 1800's ... Including "The Miners' Rest" cottage we called home for two days ...

It was hard to get a good pic because the light was muted by dust haze the first day & rainy overcast the second day ... Ah! Australia! A land of contrasts! 😜 I don't know if you can see, but the front of the cottage is its original stone. GB organised our stay here as a surprise for me because he knows I love old buildings. 😁 And inside, the owner had gone to great lengths to decorate in a cottage/vintage style. It was tricky to get pics due to the light & narrow cottage doorways, but here we go ...

The main bedroom, complete with lace net, velvet throw & cushions, antique dressing table & lacy cloths & doilies.

A different angle to show the dressing table.

The entryway with lovely vintage photos & knick-knacks.

The lounge room with original fireplace ...

One of the twin single beds in the second bedroom ...

... And the sweet dressing table in the second bedroom.

The eat-in kitchen. I love the original stove nook ... Though I did find it a wee bit impractical when cooking scrambled eggs, trying to see what I was doing. 😜

The kitchen was pretty well equipped, with everything stored in pretty vintage cupboards.

... Which held treasures & knick-knacks galore. There was also a two person spa ... Which I enjoyed a soak in, since we haven't had enough water to indulge in bath soaks for a while. 😁 If you're visiting Broken Hill I would definitely recommend The Miners' Rest Cottage. 

That's enough photo bombardment for today. Next time I'll share some pics of the Rail Museum we spent ages exploring. But right now, I think it's dinner time so I'll sign off. Oh! OPAMErs ... It's that time again when you need to update your sidebar lists & email me your October tally. Draw in a few days. 😁 Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Day 14 Of The 2019 Road Trip!

Hello, hello! How is everyone today? GB & I are a little weary as we were back on the road today. We're gradually making our way home to QLD over the next few days because they insist that we have to go back to being grown ups next week. SIGH! 

So this morning we bid farewell to the Adelaide Hills to head north, but took time to check out one more attraction along the way ...

A giant rocking horse. It's a bit hard to see in the pic, but below the front leg there's a normal size rocking horse to compare it to. You wouldn't want to fall off! 😜 Then it was driving, driving ...

... Til we crossed another state border back into NSW. We're in Broken Hill for two nights ... Which is a bit confusing because even though we're in NSW, we're still on South Australian time. Not seeing the logic ... But then again, day light savings doesn't make any sense to me. 😜 We're looking forward to seeing a couple of sights we missed last visit & catching up with GB's friends. And tomorrow I'll share some pics of the cute cottage we're staying in. 😁 

But right now, the kettle is singing my song. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Day 12 Of The 2019 Road Trip!

Happy Tuesday to you all! Brace yourselves ... This is likely to be a shorter-than-usual post. 😁 Really we're at the part of our holiday where we've done most of the things we'd planned to do (& spent most of the play money! 😂) so we're not going very far afield & just taking it a little easier.

Today we took ourselves off to the nearby town of Strathalbyn. We paid a flying visit there last year as we passed through, so decided to have more of a look around. It's a pretty town that is also known to have several antique & collectible shops, so you KNOW I was keen to take a peek! 😜 On our way, we drove past a lovely stone cottage that thousands of people around Australia would be familiar with ... Sophie Thompson of Gardening Australia on ABC lives 'just down the road' from where we're staying. I couldn't get a pic because it was back from the road with lots of lovely gardens blocking most of it & a tour bus blocking the rest! Ah well ... I can now picture what the landscape is like when next I watch GA. 😁

On arriving in Strathalbyn we discovered it's a town that lives for weekends, with a couple of the shops I'd hoped to visit being closed except for the weekend. SIGH! But we DID manage to find a couple! 😜 And, yes ... A few new treasures will be coming home with me. 😁 As well as enjoying shuffling through treasures, we enjoyed driving around the town admiring the lovely stone buildings that are characteristic of this area ...

This is the tourist information office, housed in the old railway station building.

One of the antique shops visited.

A gorgeous church building.

All in all, we had a nice cruisy day ... & enjoyed some delicious macarons at the bakery with our lunch. 😁 

And that's our last play day here in the Adelaide Hills. GB has his work training day in Adelaide tomorrow before we start to wind our way north again on Thursday. SIGH! Neither of us are really ready to go back to our grown up jobs, but I guess we need to so we can start saving for the next holiday. 😝 Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Day 11 Of The 2019 Road Trip!

Hey-ho everyone! How was your Monday? I hope it was pretty fabulous ... I know mine was. 😁 It's Day 11 of our road trip & today we headed off to see some animals ... The ones who call Gorge Animal Park home. Now, it being a zoo, I'm about to spam you with animal pics, so brace yourself. 😜 We had a warmer, brilliantly sunny day today, which made it very pleasant to meander around the exhibits. First critter greeted was ...

... The lemurs. This guy was just sitting around in the sun, contemplating his tail.

I'd never seen brolgas before ... Only sung about them in an Aussie Christmas song. 😁

This wombat was pretty sweet. He even let us give his head a scratch.

Quokas are known for their 'smile' but this little guy was too busy chowing down. 😜 

Apparently Monday is even too much for gibbons to deal with. 😝 

I actually find camels cute. This one was enjoying a midday siesta.

There were a surprising number of albino wallabies, including some joeys like this little one.

Meerkats on patrol! He was watching a hawk having an argument with the peewees. While we enjoyed all of the animals, the koalas were the stars of the show ...

Just chillin'.

Someone else finding Monday too hard. 😝 The highlight, though, was ... KOALA CUDDLES!! 😍 

This is Ozzie. He sure was a cutie! 😁 

Ozzie being bribed with his fave eucalyptus leaves to pose for the camera. The only other time I've been this close to a koala was when I was about 6 so this was special. 😍 

There were lots more animals to chat to, but they were hard to get pics of. All in all, a nice way to spend a Monday. 😁 More adventures tomorrow, so stay tuned. 😁 Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS

KRIS