South Australia Bound.

For the next 4 weeks I will be travelling in South Australia. We left home on the 8th April and headed to Lightning Ridge, Cobar and then Broken Hill.

Lightning Ridge is a very different town, population -unknown, it appears to have no real rules about building or mining but very famous for opals especially the black opal which fetches the most money for the miners. The ridge as it's known is a place of
 "make- do". People use anything and everything to build things and make art.  Lightning Ridge is also the home of a well known Australian artist John Murray who treats the subject of the outback with some humour. 

Build your own castle

Mullock heaps - evidence of opal mining throughout the town 

creative signage 

no rules 

Old is important 

John Murray's Gallery

Some creative metal art

 

COBAR 

 Cobar has a sliver, lead ,zinc, copper and gold in the area. So red and so dry. The landscape really lives up to the name so often given to Central Australia -  "the red centre" 

Beautiful old pubs.

Town Sculpture 

 

  Broken Hill has large deposits of silver, lead and zinc as well.That same ore body became the largest single source of silver, lead and zinc ore ever discovered on earth, generating over $100 billion in wealth.  It was also the home of  Pro Hart another famous Australian artist. 

On our way to Broken Hill

Rest time for the driver BM

Broken Hill

Memorial to miners 

The mine 

 

Travelling with Pam and Tony 

Out side of Broken Hill is Silverton , once a thriving silver mine now almost a ghost town and a  famous location for movie making. MAD MAX 2, parts of  Mission Impossible  and Priscilla Queen of the Dessert were filmed there. It is certainly the place if you want to show isolation, the red colour of the outback and miles of nothing.

Mel Gibson ??

Not much grows in the dry climate 

Open space forever 

See you at Peterbourough.

Lov'n my New Kitchen and Living area

New cupboards and benchtops.

New floor covering through out the living areas and the hallway removed as well as a part wall.

Moved the dining room 

No its not a TV above the stove just a very modern range hood. This was Mr Bird's choice. He didn't do too bad I thought.

New Life

Dad just missed his 8th great grandchild Brooklyn ,born on Mum and Dad's 61 st Wedding anniversary.  But she brought some sunshine to great grandma's life. Congratulations to Shaun and Kirsty.

These Two

These two just love a bit of play acting and dressing up. Nanny Gail found some things belonging to her grandparents ... glasses and hat. I guess  this is what they thought they would look like . 

                Not sure what he was thinking Are you?

Celebrating the life of my wonderful Dad

I could not have wished for a more loving, kind, fair, hardworking and creative father. He was a true gentleman.  I loved him every minute of the 59 years and 11 months I had him as my Dad, my teacher and my best friend.

A younger "Ray" working in the bush all his life , he had a passion for nature.

After many years in the logging industry he bought this tractor in 1976  and began to do agricultural earth works ,  scrub clearing , fence lines and de-silting dams . He loved his Volvo loaders , his first one was sold to a farmer in the area and recently he found it and had to have a photo shoot. Of course he had many newer models after this  one.


Thank you  for your messages of love and support over the past 10 days .

Sitting and Watching

I am spending many hours sitting , watching and comforting  this beautiful man, my dad. Sadly he is really not well. The many memories going over and over in my head fill the hours and the tears of course.

At home the carpenters are hard at work - we are nearly there. The kitchen is almost done. A few more days ..... 

Interesting Photos

Mother Nature at her best and most interesting.

If you are a 30cm long brown snake caught in a pool you curl around a piece of fly away grass and float around.

Sunset from my back yard .

The park is so dry but there is still fun to be had at the end of the day.

Who can you see loving being lost in the ball pit.

Renovations

No sewing for a couple of weeks we are doing some renovations, getting a new kitchen and may be I  get a new sewing room too. Lots of unpacking cupboards and storing things for a few weeks. 

This was my sewing space 

Like my temporary desk leg  ha ha !

Another reason for not even hand sewing squashed in the moving ...Ouch !!

Josh's Birthday.

We spent the weekend in Bundaberg celebrating Josh's birthday and spending time with them all. The grandchildren are growing so fast. Josh is the best Barbecue cook. He cooked up a feast for his own birthday celebration. He loves to barbecue.  His mum in law Gail made him a beautiful cake of course a Barbecue cake what else. She is so clever. We had brisket, pork ribs, beef ribs and pork belly. We had salads too of course. It was so delicious. I'm so lucky both the men in may family are excellent cooks.

The meat 

The barbecue cake 

The celebration.

Being creative with Dijanne Cevaal's Prints.

Time for some creative stitching. I bought this at the Sydney Quilt and Craft show last year. I did a workshop with this lady she was very nice. She made a lino print and then embroidered it.

I am loving this now because there is no plan and no rules , just add a bit of creativity.

My stitching looks a bit primitive and not the neatest here but it is what it is. I think  I will make it into a table center for my coffee table. I just love these earthy colours.

The Snow Men are Done.

I was determined to finish these two projects and not pack them away unfinished until next Christmas and yes I have done it .. Yeah!  I love these part printed projects by Bonnie Sullivan. Stay tuned for the last thing to finish a Christmas bauble made with yo yos. 

Packed up ready to sleep for a year!

This is my favourite one . My first introduction to the cardinal bird was with my American friend Denice in Michigan she had them at her back door...so cute.

I love reindeer and snow men too. I just love Christmas.

A Little Christmas Finish.

I am determined to finish off these little Christmas beauties designed by Bonnie Sullivan. When there done they will go on a wreath ready for next Christmas. I still have a few to go. Not the best photo sorry.

Happy Australia Day 2019

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie Friends. 

Have a good  day! We are blessed to live here on this island continent in the south.  Celebrate it for what it is today- diverse, free, friendly and prosperous. Remember Dorothea Mackeller's words when she doesn't treat us so well.( below) We know "she'll be right in the end "

My Country   by Dorothea Mackeller

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze ...

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Sashiko

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This is  what I am working on at the moment. It’s actually a brown orange thread which is one of my favourites. I bought this kit from the Sydney Craft show last year.

Why is it sometimes so very hard?

I think this is one on the hardest times of my life emotionally. My dad, Ray  has always been my rock, strong, powerful, inventive, giving, teaching, loving and protective.  Now it's our turn to do all that and more for him. Last week we had to admit him to an aged care home. On a respite basis at the moment but I have no doubt it will be permanent. His  health  and his ability to do day to day tasks independently is declining. His long term memory and ability to know his family is still fine but this is marred with some confusion and anxiety. He is 82 tomorrow. We will have cake!!  Life is not fair sometimes. Love you Dad!