Goofy Adventures and Hobbies.

Tuesday 16th August

2011-09-17T14:34:00.000+10:00

Lula and I were up early and into the city. We could not resist buying a pair of shoes each at the shop next to the monorail station, we then met up with Jacqui, who went to primary school with Lula in Caloundra. Jacqui moved back to Woolongong some ten years back but the girls have always kept in touch.
After looking at a few shops we headed up to the top of the Sky Tower, where we all, yes all, did the Sky Walk. After overcoming my fears of walking on a glass platform that high up, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a beautiful warm day, which gave us a glorious view.
From here we walked to The Rocks, and had lunch at Pancakes on The Rocks, and we walked our lunch off, by walking back into the city, doing what girls do best talking and window shopping.
We walked Jacqui back to Central Station, for her to catch the train home, and then Lula and I went into the Backpackers across the road for a great meal, again it was a fairly early night.

Off to Sydney We Go

2011-09-17T14:18:00.000+10:00

Monday 15th August, saw Lula and me off to Sydney. We left the Sunny Coast at 11 am and by 3pm, we had checked into our hotel in Chinatown (Breakfree on George) and were hitting the shops in Darling Harbour. We also did a ride around on the Monorail to see what had changed in the four years since we had been, not too much. The big Supre shop had gone but there were other shops to take it's place. After an early tea an early night was in order.

The Last Eight Months

2011-08-24T21:13:00.000+10:00

How the time flies, it's been a long time since I added to my blog, but I feel the time is right to "try" and get it going again.
The end of last year finished on a sad note, with us losing one of our cats, Slinky was the one with the most personality, she was always up for a cuddle, loved the fire, would go for a walk on a lead and all up was a gorgeous cat. Sadly she got a lung infection and by the time we got a second opinion from a second vet it was too late. This was the second grey tabby we have lost in the week before Christmas, as it happened eight years agao as well.
2011 started with Steve's heart going out of rythmn, better known as AF, on New Years Day, this put us in limbo, even though he went straight to hospital we then had to wait for an out patient appointment and then a day in hospital for cardioversion to take place. This eventually happen at Caboolture Hospital in April but the procedure didn't work, so still being in AF, he was still limited in what he could do.
Around Easter daughter Lula moved home, having been transfered to Kawana. June saw Steve back in hospital for an eleven night stay but this time at the major heart hospital on the north side of Brisbane. They tried cardioversion, but again it was not successful, they did however pick up that Steve more than likely has Giddeman's Syndrome, a rare thing which basically means he can not keep magnesium in his body.
This has affected Steve a lot in what he can do, he now at least can try to manage it. We could also look forward to the rest of the year, with our cat sitter home, we now looked forward to travelling again.
So while Lula and I planned and organised a trip to Sydney in August, Steve and I looked into buying a caravan and travelling.
Both took place early August, and from here I will procede day by day.
On the craft side, I gave away my on-line card groups at the start of the year, but I started my own group, only because I wanted a small group where we could exchange cards that did not have to have stamping on them. I also branched in to Scrapbooking more, I went to classes every Tuesday, and I have learnt so much I feel I will be able to scrapbook out travels.

Last two days of Getaway

2010-12-10T15:25:00.001+10:00

Thursday saw a very wet day, so much so that even the gravel road from the chalet to the main road was very slushy.
We headed to Highfields to check out a couple of craft shops then into Toowoomba, where we had a looked around the shopping centre in the city.
Westie bought himself a new car in the shopping centre, no not a Suzuki but a Ford. Number 756 of the 1800 made.
It was no use doing the lookouts and sightseeing, as you can see from the pic above visability was not good. Afternoon was spent relaxing. Friday saw us heading for home, but again we stopped in Esk, then came home via the banks of Somerset Dam, looking at the camping grounds for future reference.

It was a great few days away, could not believe how much wildlife we saw on the tracks, lots of wallabies and hares.

Anniversary Photos

2010-12-05T10:07:00.001+10:00

Wednesday Dec 1st

2010-12-05T10:01:00.001+10:00

http://www.crowsnest.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=125
Link to the tracks we did.
On the way by 8.30 Wednesday morn, after a hearty breakie, and also phoning Lula and telling her not to come because of the weather. Went to Beutel's Lookout but had to take the conventional route, as the Dry Weather Road only had a large puddle, and didn't want to get stuck in the first ten mins.Lovely picnic spot, as for the view.... We were doing Drive C, didn't know about the warning on this track as I was going by the leaflets we have had for 4 years. It was interesting on the descent, very muddy and very rutted out, no views because of the weather. In to Gatton for coffee, and then we did Drive D in reverse. Again we had that sign "Dry Weather Road Only" and an ascent and descent, Mrs Stretch handled it all well, we never let the tyres down, as we needed to keep clearance for the deep ruts, but we were collecting more and more clay mud as we travelled. We arrived at Cabarlah Pub where we were to have lunch with Lula, but decided to press on, and do another Track. Track B this time, having taken the hubs out at the pub, we therefore found it very hard going up the slippery hill, till Steve got out to take a photo and I got out for a stretch, when I said "do you think it would help if the hubs were in?" It did. Back to the chalet I made a late lunch, while Westie hosed and poked mud of the underside of Mrs Stretch. We studied the maps and realised doing tracks tomorrow would be out because of the weather, so we could squeeze one more in today.
So at 3.30 we headed for Crows Nest, a look round then on to Drive F. Two very soggy campers were the only ones at the National Park camping area. This was a good run and though that Dry Weather sign was passed again (Not on the Route details) it was quite passable. We were back in CN by 5.40, and got fuel before the servo closed at 6, as we were down to less than a quarter of a tank. Back to the chalet for tea, a DVD for Steve and I checked out the workings of the spa.

3 Perfect Days Away

2010-12-04T11:44:00.000+10:00

This is the chalet we stayed in, who would believe we would have a log fire going in Qld in December. It wasn't cold, but damp and cool, just made the cabin warm and snug.

Anniversary Card

2010-12-04T11:08:00.003+10:00

This is the card I made for Steve
Here is the link to where we stayed...so restful and peaceful, can recommend it.
http://www.ravensbourneforestchalets.com.au/

25th Anniversary

2010-12-04T11:01:00.002+10:00

Trip Report Day One Tuesday
Well packing was fun, had to sneak in long trousers and warm vest for Westie, being as he thought we were going to tropical Hervey Bay, when Toowoomba's temps were low 20''s. Why so much food for 3 days?, we can always buy food in HB. Shut up Westie and just do as you are told.
On our way just after 10, and Westie headed north, it was hard to contain myself as I told him to U-turn and head south at Chancellor Park, oh boy the atmosphere in the car got frosty, didn't expect this reaction, thankfully when we hit the northern suburbs of Brisbane, it had started to thaw, and by the time we were heading up Mt Glorious, the warmth was back. Coffee and scones at the top of the hill, and take in the atmosphere was great, no rush, can't believe I've lived in the area nearly 40yrs and never been up here before. Definatly better to do the drive in the week than weekends though.
From there we went around the bottom of Wivenhoe Dam, stopping to check out the camping area and the flood gates and then on to Esk, to re-fuel. About 10 mins out of Hampton we turned on to gravel road, no trip with me is complete with out a gravel road. Checked into our cabin, and for the rest of the day we worked out where to go tomorrow, had tea and watched DVD "Australia" as there is no TV reception at the cabins. Light rain fell all night.

Drive in the Great Outdoors

2010-10-31T20:00:00.003+10:00

Went for a drive today, 260 kms later....

Headed from home to Kenilworth, via a route we had never been on before, considering we lived in Kenilworth for 18 months some 30 years ago, this seemed odd. On the way we checked out a couple of No Through Roads, just to look at the scenery.

We had a walk around Kenilworth and chatted to the man in the Information centre, but as expected the town has changed and so have the people. We stopped at Charlie Moreland for lunch, then headed out on Sunday Creek Road to Jimna, home via Kilcoy. The Water Dragon was on the rock down in the Gully, and the Carpet Python was stretched across the road, he was not happy when Steve through a stick at the side of him, to get him to move off the road, as there were plenty of motorbike riders using the road. It was a great day out, no serious four wheel driving, though we did do one hill climb, which we had failed at 30 years ago in a Panel Van.

Lunch at Rainbow Beach

2010-10-21T20:24:00.002+10:00

Being as daughter Lula was home for a couple of days, we went for a drive to Rainbow Beach for lunch. As you can see from the bottom photo, we had to negotiate a few rocks to get there, can just see Lula directing Steve. On heading home from a great lunch at the Surf Club, we encountered the Nissan Patrol, going no where, so we had to give him a pull to get hime off the rock he was stuck on, and then direct him around. The top photo shows one of the many 1000 of Mutton birds, that are either dead or very close to it which were on the beach, we thought there were a lot, but there are many more on Fraser and down the East Coast of Aus. They have encountered bad weather on their migration back from the north and are exhausted.

Other than the birds it was a great day out.

Work In Progress

2010-10-08T20:34:00.000+10:00

This is the table I was at, didn't look like we took much, but believe me we all took heaps, we also got a lot done, as we had plenty of time to do our own thing as well as going around and getting ideas and inspiration from everyone else.

2nd to 4th October

2010-10-08T20:27:00.000+10:00

Been a while since I updated my Blog. Steve and I both came down with Flu or cold the week after our cruise, though we were not too bad it left us rather flat for a while, taking time to get over it. Thankfully I was 100% again last week as I was off to Card Camp, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. This camp is run by Daisy Chain Scrapbooking at Nambour, and takes place in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, it is a wonderful weekend, as you can see from the photo we have plenty of room to move about, and put all our stuff. Lots of cards were made and it was a most enjoyable time, with good food, great company, and a great job done by Barbi and her staff.

Friday Last Full Day

2010-09-23T20:26:00.003+10:00

This was to be our last full day at sea, and we didn't intend to waste a minute. First stop after brekkie, was to go look at all the numerous photos that had been taken, and work out which ones we wanted. Of course everyone else was doing the same thing, and narrowing them down and down took ages, but at last we had it down to 20, more than we would have got at any other time but being with friends and a birthday cruise they were a fitting reminder.

At this time a call went out over the speaker for blood donors of a certain type to make their way to the medical centre as blood was urgently required for a critical medical case, several people quickly headed off from where we were, and I assume others from other parts of the ship also went, it was good to see so many offering up assistance.

After lunch to had the hard task of packing having to have our ports outside our cabin between 5pm and 8pm. Some how we managed to pack it all in. We got to talk to our Cabin Steward Ashadi, and thank him for looking after us. 8 months of the year he works, 7 days a week, and on change over day he works up to 17 hours, yet he always had a cheery Hello, a smile on his face and would point us in the direction of our cabin, when we headed in the wrong direction.

Just after 4pm saw us assemble on Deck 12, ready to be taken to the Bridge by security.

This was absolutely fascinating, we were given a thorough run down on how the ship is navigated, and run. We of course asked the usual questions, how long is the anchor? how far is the horizon? and a few more technical ones, one which even needed a call to the communications room for an answer. After an hour, with us all bursting with knowledge, we were returned back through the steel doors.

There was nothing left to do, but have a final cocktail, some tea, and watch the last show, before heading for an early night, with a light shower of rain falling.

None of us slept well, I watched us come round the buouy at Caloundra, on the TV monitor, and head for Brisbane, then after a bit more of a doze watched as we went up the Brisbane River and under the Gateway Bridge.

An early brekkie, and by 7.10am we were assembled in the ShowLounge ready for disembarking. We were called on time, and after walking off, collecting our luggage, Heather declaring the wooden artifact she had bought, cars collected, we were on our way home at 7.45.

9am saw us all having a cuppa, watching the cars drive by from the front of our house. We stayed like this till lunch time, when after Pizza I decided I had better make a start on Lula's washing, which she would need for Monday.

Birthday Continued

2010-09-23T19:50:00.003+10:00

I had pre-ordered a Black Forest Birthday Cake and 2 Bottles of Champagne, which all went down well at dinner, with a number of the waiters helping us sing Happy Birthday. From there we headed to the evening show, another good singing and dancing one. Next it was the Baked Alaska Parade, though I have to say I think this was better when we saw it done in the dining room on the Pacific Sun. That led into the Champagne Waterfall, which resulted in several more glasses of Champagne being drunk, and Lula even being given an un-opened bottle. She also got her pic taken with some of the Entertainment staff.

At 11.30 we headed up to The Dome to see the Late Night Adult Comedy with Darren Sanders, and this was a real good laugh to end what had been a very big day. There was one more surprise waiting for us at our cabins that night, we had received invites to do a Bridge Tour, this truly made it a great day.

Cooking Demo

2010-09-23T19:37:00.003+10:00

We caught the tail end of the Towel and Napkin Folding Demo, then it was on to the Cooking Demo and Galley Tour. Lula got to sample one of the dishes, the one that had Vodka in it. She was also thrilled to find that Paul the Cruise Director (third from left) was wearing a Tarocash shirt, she manages one of the Tarocash stores in Brisbane.
Galley tour is so interesting, a very hot and busy place to work, the fruit carvings were great. After a quick lunch we were back in the ShowLounge, for Meet The Captain, Paul talked to Captain Box, and then we got to ask him questions. It was odd how many questions related to people jumping and falling overboard. After this Lula got some time to open her presents, before it was Meet the Entertainment Cast and a walk through their dressing room. Again some interesting questions, and some about their personal life that just were not needed.

Before long we headed to get ready for dinner, this time I had made sure we had a round table booked, and our waiter was a lot better.

Birthday Thursday

2010-09-23T19:23:00.002+10:00

We awoke to find the balloons had been put on the outside of our cabin door, with the Happy Birthday sign. We had a busy day ahead of us, so we headed for an early breakfast, no time to open presents.

Bush Mechanic

2010-09-19T15:58:00.002+10:00

Bit of a contrast, love the roof of the van. The second pic is our taxi van, and the brake return spring/ elastic!!!

Wednesday 8th Port Vila

2010-09-19T15:24:00.003+10:00

We were all up and ready to go a bit earlier today, off the ship with the usual swiping of our Cruise Cards, and then out through the dock compound to the many Taxi Drivers offering lifts into town.

Steve negotaiated price, and into a Suzuki Cary Van the seven of us got. What a ride! No door handle on the outside front passenger door, Sliding door had to be lifted and slammed. No door trims, plus there were gaps in the door, Vey little clutch, resulting in loud noises as gears were changed, Taxi sign held on with 100 mile an hour tape. We had to pull into a servo to put air in the back tyre as it was flat, but main thing is we made it to town.

We wandered down the one main street, checking out all the shops even though they all seemed to have much the same. Of course the Duty Free shop was doing a roaring trade. We also bought perfume, handbags, and other tourist nick nacks. The others made their way back to the ship whilst Lula and stayed on for an extra half hour or so, getting a newer taxi for the ride back. After lunch on the ship we headed back to shore to do the markets, and again bought some of the local crafts. The evening saw us watching the Pirate Show, and again it was great, everyone including the entertainers could not stop laughing. An early night tonight for a change.

Dancing Girls.

2010-09-17T20:00:00.003+10:00

It had been a really great day, and before midnight we all headed to bed, to rest up before the shopping day in Port Vila tomorrow.

Lifou Continued

2010-09-17T19:48:00.003+10:00

After dabbling our toes in the water, we returned to the ship before the last half hour rush.

Steve and I went to the show at 9.30 Brad Manuel Comedy/Magician, and to start he had a hard job ahead of him as there were only about 150 to 200 in the audience, but he quickly had us all under his spell, and did a good job of keeping our attention. From there it was on to the Island Night Dance party, and by now the wind was fairly strong. Thankfully I put shorts on under my sarong, and even resorted to a cardigan. Lula and I again danced away, though the dance night was not nearly as good as when we were on the Pacific Sun, just not the same atmosphere, may be because the weather was not ideal, or a different band.

Tuesday 6th Lifou

2010-09-17T19:27:00.003+10:00

After another leisurely morning, we got are boarding passes for the tender to take us to Lifou, and we waited and waited. So long we waited that Amy laid down for a rest, thanks to the waiter with the trolley full of ice, who was only too pleased to give us some, just to put on Amy to make sure she was not over heating. Maybe everyone was late setting off, but I think another tender to get us all ashore would have been helpful as it was noon before we set off.

What a contrast Lifou is to Noumea, hard to believe it is the same country. Though there is only a village market, and a few vehicles for the organised trips, the people are friendly, spoke good English, and all happy to pose for photos. It is also an extremely pretty place, with clear blue water. I walked with R,H,G and Amy some of the way to the church on the hill, but having done the climb last time, I let them do it on there own. Meanwhile back on the forshore Steve and Lula were enjoying a $2 Beer together. They went for another, but they had bought the last one available.

Monday 6th Noumea

2010-09-17T08:55:00.005+10:00

Monday morning, saw us all excited at seeing land again, not that we were bored at see, but more for the experience of seeing a new place. To pass the morning, some went to the Virtual Bridge Tour in the Show Lounge, Steve went and took his GPS readings on his Laptop, and others admired the sea, and of course checked out the daily specials in the shops. We met up at 11.15 in the Bengal Bar for Trivia, which was based on Cartoon Characters.

After Lunch we went ashore shortly after 3pm when we docked. I had read so much on Noumea, and how it is not a favourable destination, but I was willing to give the place a fair go, and try to see only the positives. The dance/singing group on the dockside were entertaining, the local craft market at the dock was fair, the Supermarket was interesting, and the man in the Tourist Info place was friendly and helpful, and the bakery smelt good. But that is it for positives. The people are unfriendly, unsmiling, and as we walked around we got the feeling the locals were saying "Another load of tourists, cluttering up our town", where as they should have been saying "Another load of tourists, who want to spend money, buy souveneers, lets welcome them and their money". No doubt the welcome is better at the resorts, and I am sure the country is very pretty, but as for Noumea itself, forget it. As for the ship staying there till 10pm, be were back on board by sundown at 6pm, not somewhere I would like to be after dark.

Country Night was the theme, and after dinner, we saw the the Laser Dance Presentation, something new and a bit different, then on to Country Music Trivia, and then Guy, Lula and I stayed on for the Country & Western Party, which included the usual dance games.

Father's Day

2010-09-16T16:32:00.003+10:00

Steve and I were the first up, and enjoyed our wonderful breakfast, the spread that is provided for brekkie is amazing, varieties of cereal, yoghurt, cold meats, fruits, and then of course the hot stuff, and not forgetting the yummy Danish Pastries. At home it is cereal and toast, but then at home we don't have all morning to enjoy it. It wasn't long before everyone was up, and after a leisurely morning we headed to The Dome for Father's Day Trivia, but we were too late it must have started on the dot of 11am. Never mind. We booked in to the Palm Court Dining room for tea at 8pm, so after a late lunch we all went for a Nanny Nap, then to the ShowLounge at 7.30 to see Captain Box introduce his Senior Staff and Executive Officers to everyone.

Dinner was great, with the Steak being cooked to perfection, I had fish and Lula had chicken all great, though can't say the same for our waiter, maybe he was just having an off day, but his attitude was not the greatest. Oh and it was the official photographer who told us all to make a funny face for the photo, not our idea even though we happily obliged.

Our intention was to go get deserts in the buffet if we felt like it, but after seeing the 9.30 show, again another good production by the entertainers, we called it a night, except for the "party pair".

Goodbye Brisbane, Hello Fun! 4 Sept

2010-09-16T11:44:00.000+10:00

On arrival at the dock in Brisbane, luggage was dropped off, and cars were taken to Portside Parking where we had booked them in for the week. The health and Immigration cards filled out we joined the queue to be checked in. We were lucky enough to be able to go through the fast check in lane, owing to the fact that Steve was carrying a pole with him, it serves two purposes, one as a mono-pod for his camera, but also as a walking help for him on uneven or rough terrain. He is on the waiting list for knee replacement op, and prior to this trip had injections in both knees to ease the pain and enable him to do more walking. Walking the near 1 km to the ship would have been okay but the standing in line waiting would have taken a toll.
We cleared customs, with only my hand luggage being checked as I was carrying 12 cans of Zero coke, again would have not taken it if they had sold Zero on board.
After checking out our side by side cabins, B165 and B169 on Baja Deck we were off to lunch, and of course it was busy. Life Jacket drill, then we went up the front of Deck 10 to watch us sail, leaving at 2.15pm. We stayed up there till we cleared the Brisbane River taking an hour.
We had dinner in the Buffet, looked at Caloundra as we sailed past at 6pm, unpacked and turned in for an early night, the youngsters turning in a couple of hours after us.
I had to have my port/suitcase opened and inspected owing to the fact I had a pair of scissors in it, (I'd put in needle and thread also) luckily they just fell in under the size permitted, but just beware if you are going to take scissors for craft on board.

Sept 1st to 4th

2010-09-15T19:52:00.002+10:00

Our holiday started on Wednesday 1st, when we picked up friends from Brisbane airport, that is Ross and Heather, Guy 21 and Amy 17. They had flown up from Melbourne. We called in to the shopping centre not far from the airport, so we could join our daughter Lula for lunch as that is where she works.
After a bit of a look around we headed for home, with tea waiting for us as I had put on chicken in the slow cooker earlier in the morning.
Thursday saw us girls going to the Sunshine Plaza for a bit of last minute shopping, and the boys going for a bit of a tour around.
Friday we did the last minute packing and putting on the baggage tags, Lula arrived home at about 8pm having got a spray tan after work.
Saturday saw us all up early, the two cars loaded, and a goodbye to the three furry girls and we were off at 9.15.

Return from Cruise

2010-09-14T16:50:00.002+10:00

Well we have returned from our cruise, what a fantastic 7 days, weather was great, little windy but at least it didn't rain, company was wonderful, the whole week went off without a hitch. Lula truly had a 21st birthday to remember.

Secret Sister Swap

2010-06-23T16:31:00.000+10:00

For June, July and August we are having a Secret Sister swap on the Yahoo group Stampin Up In Oz, like we did at Christmas. The pic above is what I received for June, two lovely cards and a whole heap of goodies. There are many more punched and die cut pieces than what are pictured here, ribbon which I requested, and also some stamped articles. I have no idea at this stage who sent to me. I can not show you what I sent, one I didn't take a photo and even if I did, I can not reveal myself till the end of August.

A Sight Not Often Seen

2010-06-10T11:50:00.000+10:00

Clear work space, is a sight not often seen in my craft room. Having a big tidy up before starting my next projects, so needed to clear some space.

What Cats Do Best

2010-06-08T14:53:00.000+10:00

7pm and all are asleep!!! At the top we have Slinky (The Boss), she loves everyone and everything and really would not hurt a fly, in fact when she is outside on her harness and string she sits/sleeps on a plastic chair and the birds can sit on the back of the chair and she does not worry.
Amber (The Snob) in the middle, loves to hunt Geekos, eat prawns and drink milk. The older she has got the more playful she has become.
Fluffy ana Chocko (The Adopted Stray) will always bit shy and wary, but then she did live wild for several months, killing a bird a day to survive, before we fed her and took her in. Loves company and affection when she wants it. The top two are indoor cats, and Fluffy is indoor and outdoor, knowing better than to ever leave the yard.

Bright Birthday Cards

2010-06-06T14:16:00.000+10:00

Finished off two Birthday cards this week, both so bright and summery. One is heading to near Ballarat Victoria, whose top temp is about 11 deg today, and the other is heading to London. You can see in the Victoria one there is another jigsaw piece included.

100 days togo

2010-05-26T16:23:00.000+10:00

Thought I'd get in early, as of tomorrow we have 100 days to go to our cruise. The jigsaws are now over halfway completed, with another two pieces to be added in the next week. The Pacific Dawn is at the moment in dry dock in Brisbane having her annual service and renovations done, we are all looking forward to our cruise.

Male Cards

2010-05-26T16:17:00.000+10:00

Made these male cards over the last week, and used the bottom one for hubby Steve's birthday on Sunday. Love the Graphic 45 papers.

Trip to Sydney

2010-05-26T16:12:00.000+10:00

Saturday was a day for adventure. We flew to Sydney from Maroochydore airport in the morning, and by 6.30pm we were back in Brisbane being picked up from the airport by Calula. On Thursday evening we booked the flights to Sydney after Steve found a Suzuki Vitara that looked okay to buy. After several phone calls to the owner and various questions we decided to go and drive it home as we have on three other occasions. However on seeing the car which was only a suburb away from the airport, it was not as described, in fact it was a disgrace, and the fact that though the motor sounded good there was a question as to whether it would make the trip home, so a taxi ride back to the airport and how lucky were we that we could get cheap tickets and return home.
Steve did get to play with the GPS program on the laptop, hence getting the readings above.

An Award

2010-05-13T16:48:00.004+10:00

What a lovely surprise to find I have been given this award by Tammy Hanlon, Tammy has some beautiful cards on her blog so do take a look.
The rules that go with this award are that I have to pass it in to 10 blogs that I admire and enjoy, I have picked different ones from the on-line stamping group I am in, so that we spread the viewing widely. Still hard to only list ten. I also have to tell you 10 things about myself that could also be hard but here goes.
10 Blogs I admire.

1. Blossies
2. Angela Sargeant
3. Diane Barnes
4. Carol Dunstan
5. Alisa Tilsner
6. Michelle Marchant
7. Frances Byrne
8. Jessica Watson
9. Linda Higgins
10. Marelle Taylor

Now for ten things about me:
1. Nov 30th will be my 25th Wedding Anniversary, we were engaged for 6 years prior to getting married. We met in a carpark, by way of CB radio.
2. I have two children Wayne (34) and Calula (20) both have left home. Do however have three cats to keep hubby Steve and me company.
3. I came to Australia from England in 1972 when I was 16, and have never been back to England. Have lived on the Sunshine Coast for all of that time.
4. I have a car, motorbike, boat, jetski, and marriage license.
5. I have never broken any bones and neither has hubby or my children.
6. I have never worked for anyone other than family and self.
7. I don't like bananas, and never eat them.
8. I used to ice skate as a child, then took up rollerblading, only getting rid of my rollerblades a couple of weeks ago.
9. I travelled a lot up to the age of 16 going to places like East Africa and Barbados, but since then only been out of Australia three times to Singapore, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
10. I hate the cold.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:43:00.000+10:00

I've had a lovely day, quiet and relaxed and out for lunch. This little guy or girl has not been so lucky. Steve found him on the driveway, hardly moving this morning, so we put him in a box with water and a bit of seed. This afternoon he seems better, but is reluctant to try flying. As you can see very tame for a wild bird.

Fraser Island Clean Up

2010-05-04T14:59:00.000+10:00

Just spent the long weekend camping on Fraser Island, with the North Brisbane Suzuki Club. It was the annual Fraser Island Clean Up weekend organised by Qld 4WD and Toyota. We had to pull out, or cut off and poison Easter Cassia plant for a few hours on Sunday morning. The weekend was great, weather was good, company was wonderful, 7 cars, 11 adults and 8 children, and the drives through Fraser Island were a delight.

Impulse Buying

2010-04-23T11:32:00.000+10:00

At our last card group get together at Daisy Chain in Nambour, I spotted this beautiful ribbon and just had to buy some. Then of course came the problem of what to combine it with, there are some lovely Roses papers out there but they all seemed to be too "busy". I bought the Roses embellishments as they matched perfectly, then set to making the cards. I kept them basic and simple as I really just wanted to set off the ribbon. Again I'm not 100% happy with the outcome, but I have still have some ribbon left for when I get another idea.
I have been working on more Jigsaw puzzle pieces a lot this week, and have now got many done, so I'm well ahead of myself.
For now I need to go pack up some stamping stuff to take to Daisy Chain for our car making day tomorrow.

4WDing Wednesday

2010-04-16T15:04:00.000+10:00

Had a great day out on Wednesday, exploring and 4WD-ing, there was only the two cars, so when one got bogged (us) we had to be careful the other didn't as well. Some areas were still very wet from all the rain we have had lately.

Lawn Mower Man

2010-04-16T14:58:00.000+10:00

This is how the garden got attacked, by a bucket device Steve built to go on the front of the mower.

Gardening

2010-04-16T14:17:00.000+10:00

Needed to do a bit of gardening as the Bush Orchids had got a bit too wild, and were rapidly spreading, plus Steve wanted to give the mower a work out.

More Cards Adapted

2010-04-10T11:14:00.000+10:00

Again here is another card kit I did, the white one, I had an attempt at using Stampin' Up colours and of course the Butterfly, still not 100% happy at the outcome, but I'm a bit limited in colours etc. Still think this has potential and will get back to it at another time

Jigsaw Owl

2010-04-08T15:42:00.000+10:00

We are now less than 150 ndays till our cruise, and three more pieces of the Jigsaw have been added. I am trying different packaging for the pieces as well, but of course it has to be flat for postage. Again this ideas came from Daisy Chain, though I did not have the same punched and dies so it took a bit of fiddling, but I was pleased with the results. Also I put Brisbane on this piece though our friends will no doubt fly into Maroochydore, but there is no way I could fit all those letters on just one jigsaw piece.

Cards cased from Card Kit

2010-04-08T15:36:00.000+10:00

A week last Saturday we had are monthly get together at Daisy Chain Scrapbooking in Nambour, and I was not feeling 100%, so instead of doing my own stuff, I made up some of the card kits that Daisy's sell. On coming home I had the same papers, but changed the stamp, flowers and trim and came up with these cards.

More Farm Cards

2010-03-26T16:43:00.000+10:00

A couple more Farm cards.

Farm Cards

2010-03-26T16:41:00.000+10:00

Yes I play that game on Facebook, the one that seems to be all the rage. Made these cards and a few more to send to my "neighbours". The paper was just the thing, but I could not find any stamps to go with the theme, the ones I found were cute animals, just didn't fit. Then I saw the Sunflower/Picket fence at a Paper show, and I've had the tractor brads for a while, so just needed to put it all together.

One Week to Easter

2010-03-26T16:35:00.000+10:00

Isn't he cute, I'm rather partial to rabbits but of course we are not allowed to keep them in Qld.
I love the cheeky face on this guy.

4WD Action Issue 146

2010-03-26T16:29:00.000+10:00

Here are the pages from Issue 146 of 4WD Action, these are of our car. They were taken last November, I remember it well as it was a very hot day. This is the car we bought in Melbourne without seeing it first, flew down and then drove it home. Not bad for a car that has now done 444,444 kms.

Same design With Colour

2010-03-26T16:26:00.000+10:00

I stuck to the same sort of design as the Black and White cards, but made colour ones this time.

Black and White

2010-03-19T14:46:00.000+10:00

Had a great day out last Sunday stamping with friends, we made a lovely Black and White card, though I was not 100% happy with mine, the background was embossed and my embossing was not the best. I knew I had some black and white printed paper which would work well, and be easier, so this is what I turned out last night.

Count Down Jigsaw

2010-03-17T12:20:00.000+10:00

Why a partly done jig saw? well this is our countdown jigsaw for our cruise in September to celebrate daughter Calula's 21st birthday. I am doing three of these, all the same. One for Steve and me, one for Calula, and one for the friends in Victoria who are coming with us on the cruise. I am sending out pieces at various times, next one is due 20th March, which will be 1/4 of time passed since we booked. I will not bore you by showing it every time a piece is added, but will show it times of it filling up.

Just perfect stamps

2010-03-17T12:13:00.000+10:00

A good friend gave me this set of stamps, and I remarked at the time that I knew just what I wanted to do with them, so here are some of the results.

More Pastels

2010-03-17T12:12:00.000+10:00

I seem to be going through a Pastel phase, and more surprising using pink, I guess I can like it in card making even if I would never wear the colour.

Card Day

2010-03-17T12:09:00.000+10:00

On the fourth Saturday of every month we have card making day at our local Stamping/Scrapbooking shop, Daisy Chain at Nambour. This is a lovely get together with friends, and of course spending time in Barbi's shop is always a delight. These are some of the cards I made on my last visit there, I bought the word stamp recently, then of course I had to buy a ship stamp to go with it.

Secret Sister swap February

2010-03-06T16:39:00.002+10:00

This is the wonderful array of gifts I received for Feb from my Secret Sister. We have been having this swap over the last three months on Stampin_Up_In_Oz group I am on.
My thanks go to Liz my partner and to Julie price for organising the swap. Also thanks to Liz for this photo which I got from her blog, have been going to take photos my self but I like to do it outside, and for the last week in Qld the conditions have not been the best for taking photos.

January Secret Sister Gifts

2010-02-18T15:07:00.000+10:00

Here is what I got from my Secret sister for January. We are doing a secret swap through out Dec, Jan and Feb on Stampin_Up_In_Oz group I am on. It has been so much fun with so many great ideas and the most wonderful gifts being exchanged. This month we get to sign our gifts so it will ot be a secret any longer who our partners are.

Valentine Card

2010-02-18T15:03:00.000+10:00

Here is the Valentine card I made, again thanks to my Secret Sister for the stamped heart image, it worked on this card so well

Sketch Challenge

2010-02-08T20:26:00.003+10:00

Here is a card I made for last weeks Sketch challenge on the stamping group I am on, Stampin_Up_In_Oz. It opens from corner to corner, I like this card and am happy with the outcome.

Basics again

2010-02-03T10:03:00.000+10:00

Again a few cards using basic designs, a great way to build up a stack ready for birthdays etc.

More from SS Swap

2010-02-03T10:00:00.000+10:00

Here are more cards made from what my Secret Sister sent me. It is funny that I have admired the single flower in this Stampi' Up set, Bloomin' with Beauty, but this vase of flowers did not appeal to me, well I have changed my mind, I now love this vase of flowers, and I had a great time colouring it in with my Copics. Also using Kraft card was out of my comfort zone, but again I liked the outcome.

Die Cut cards

2010-02-03T09:55:00.000+10:00

I can not claim full credit for these cards. We are having a Secret Sister swap on one of the groups I am on and in my December present were these die-cuts and also some stamped images, I had a great time putting them together and making these cards.

Easel Card

2010-02-02T11:56:00.000+10:00

I saw some of these cards made by Dawn at our Card Making Day a couple of Saturday's ago, and thought I would give them a try, loved how this one turned out, will be doing more of this design.
'

Back to Basics

2010-01-27T11:34:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I've done much card making, so to get back into it, I bought some pretty paper a bit of ribbon and twine and made a selection of cards. Not complicated by any means but at least it gave me a sense of acheivement, and I have some cards to send out for the birthdays I have missed.

One More Photo

2010-01-22T21:17:00.000+10:00

Looking towards the garage doors.

Around My Craft Room Part 2

2010-01-22T21:08:00.000+10:00

Further along the wall from Goofy, is the paper rack that holds my DSP then the plastic baskets contain my scrap card, one basket per colour and a few odd ones.
After the plastic baskets is my Sizzix machine, with Cuttlebug embossing folders and dies.

At the far end is a wadrobe, holding sewing bits and pieces, Christmas stamps and paraphanalia.

From the end of the bench looking back towards the sliding doors, and you can see the car to the right. It is a lot lighter than this.

Around My Craft Room

2010-01-22T21:00:00.000+10:00

As you come through the sliding doors from the Entertainment room yhis is what greats you on the right.
To the left of the sliding doors, is a bookcase with bits and pieces, and then plastic bags for cards.
Another Bookcase with mags, catalogues, and in the corner is my "Goofy" collection, well most of the collection there are other things dotted through out the house.
Looking from the sliding doors to the Goofy corner.

Craft Room Photos

2010-01-22T20:50:00.000+10:00

On one of the stamping groups I am on we have been sharing photos of our craft rooms, so first I had to have a big tidy up before photos could be taken, even then I didn't get to vacuum the carpet.
My craft room is in half of our double garage, which has carpet, curtains, TV and a portable air-con. I guess you could say the car is in half of my craft room.
The drawers are not normally left open, but I opened them to show you where my stamp pads and stamps are kept.

The other end of my bench, with my Tombow/Copic stand, and again more stamp and punch drawers.

Looking down the bench.

An Oldie with a Newie

2010-01-14T17:22:00.000+10:00

Yes that is me taken way back in 196?, but it is my new toy that has enabled me to show it to you. I got a new scanner on Boxing Day, and the scanner is able to scan Slides, so now instead of having the boring "Slide Nights" I can scan, print, blog and e-mail them all.

More up the beach Pics.

2010-01-13T18:09:00.000+10:00

Lots of Bluebottles in the water here so we went to another spot where not only were there none, but also were it was a lot safer to swim.
This is the three cars that went on the trip.
This is fresh water the vehicle is going through, not salt water.

Monday Beach Trip

2010-01-13T18:03:00.000+10:00

Monday saw Hubby and I, and two other cars go for a run to Double Island Point, the weather sea and beach were perfect, long day out bgut what a great day.

Quad Bike Ride

2010-01-13T14:56:00.000+10:00

You can just see me, I'm on the back of the Quad bike having a ride around an 80 acre property, what fun.

Nanango Trip

2010-01-13T14:52:00.001+10:00

After saying I would Blog more I've been a bit slack, but I have not been doing any crafting so no cards to show. Here is another pic from our couple of nights away , in one area there were all these magnificent Blackboys or Grass trees, all up three sides of a big hill

Nights away

2010-01-06T11:47:00.002+10:00

Just spend two nights away, exploring the countryside. Basically going from Kilkivan to Nanango, via bush tracks and Forestry roads, staying off the bitumen as much as possible. Scenery was fantastic, though would have been clearer with out the rain, but then it would have been a lot hotter. We were out from 10am till 8.30pm on Monday, lots of fun, lots of mud and lots of cow poo!

Christmas Table

2010-01-01T14:20:00.000+10:00

Well the Christmas tree is all packed away for another year. Each year we choose a different colour scheme to decorate the tree and the dinner table, this year was Aqua/Turquoise blue, silver and white. The Bonbons were silver with the flowers on them. The triangular boxes contained small presents, and the envelope boxes contained chocolates. I think this year the colour will be red and silver, because I have bon bons that colour.

New Year Coming, new Start Coming

2009-12-29T13:03:00.002+10:00

Well It has been a long long time since I posted here, so it is all new to me again, hence I've got to learn it all again.

Witht the New Year nearly upon us i intend to make a new start in some things, one being getting my Blog going again. I want to do more things for me, which does not mean not participate in the stamping groups I am in, but I will be going back to just two. I will also be going back to Scrapbooking this year, with two memorable events occuring this year, one being daughter Calula's 21st Birthday and the other Steve and my 25th Wedding anniversary, both I think warrent albums being done for them.

I can't see me giving up card making though as I love it so much, plus I have so much stuff that needs to be used.

For now though here are pics of what I received in a Secret Sister swap, Julie in one of my groups organised, how lucky was I, and even better we have two more months of swapping.

Hubby's Birthday

2008-05-23T17:51:00.000+10:00

Wow, so much for adding something to my Blog every day! Life has just got a bit hectic this last month, but I will try to get back on track.
Hubby's Birthday today, so over the years I've done fishing ones, photography ones, camping, four wheel driving, and this year I went with a car, the closest I could get to a Toyota Landcruiser. Also used my new Cuttlebug Embossing folder I got last week, this one so lends itself to all things male, or that more rugged feel.

Same Ribbon

2008-04-24T21:46:00.000+10:00

Must have an attraction to this ribbon, though the colour does not show up well in this scan. I made this card a while back, and noticed it has the same ribbon as what I bought last week. This is one of my favourite stamps, so versatile in the fact you can change the colours of the flowers to suit.

Bold is Back

2008-04-22T18:24:00.000+10:00

Oh dear, not sure I like this now, it looks so crooked. Well the stitching on the yellow is crooked that is why I distressed the edges of the yellow, thought it might have made it look a bit rustic.
Can't do exactly the same as I have no more of this beautiful ribbon, but I did buy an alternative so will try again with that.

Bon Voyage Cards

2008-04-22T18:17:00.000+10:00

Well a completly different couple of cards today. These are for a couple of on-line friends who are heading off soon on a great crafting holiday together.
I am glad to say these cards came together quite well for me especially when time is running out and I need to get them in the mail.

Stuck in a Rut.

2008-04-20T12:12:00.000+10:00

Okay this is the last one (at least for a while) of Cuttlebug embossing being the main feature. I have certainly loved playing and the colours and ideas have flowed. I now need to go on to something completly different. It is a wet wet day, so I will experiment this afternoon.

Still Got "The Bug".

2008-04-17T20:56:00.000+10:00

Been away for a couple of nights and had quite a few things happening, so have not been in my craft room for a few days. I always think a break now and again is a good thing. However instead of starting on a new theme I still had a layout using the Cuttlebug I wanted to do. Even better I've made my Mother's card well in advance.

"More Bugs".

2008-04-07T12:54:00.001+10:00

A couple more cards made using the "Cuttlebug" embossing folders and my Scalloped circle punches.

Got The " Bug."

2008-04-07T12:53:00.000+10:00

Yes I've been struck by the "Bug", Cuttlebug that is, I have a few of the Embossing Folders which I use with my Sizzix machine, though I must admit I have not used them very much, but I've made up for it in the last few days. The Swiss Dot folder is prabably the one that has impressed me the most, it is so versatile. These cards are all made using the shimmer card, though some have cream and some white, the cream I got from "Reversable Garbage" a while ago knowing that one day it would come in very handy.

Roses

2008-04-03T22:00:00.000+10:00

This is one of those scrapbooking papers that just so appealed to me. I then set about making a range of cards using different layouts for each one. These are just two of the many.

Black & White

2008-04-02T11:27:00.000+10:00

I recently went through a Black and White phase, there seemed to be a lot of Scrapbooking paper in these colours around at the time. I ended up doing a range of cards with different layouts, accenting with red and blue. I want to do some more using different colours as accent, like Orange and Hot Pink.

Cheeky Mice

2008-03-30T20:54:00.000+10:00

It complete contrast to my last post, is this card with the Cheeky Mice. Again though it is coloured with Watercolour pencils.

Been a Bit Slack!

2008-03-30T20:50:00.000+10:00

So much for a post a day, been nearly two weeks since I posted, but then I was away camping over Easter and also had a couple of day trips out and about.
This is one of the new stamps I picked up on a "Day Trip". "A Perfect Summer Day" by Thomas Kinkade made by Cornish Heritage Farms. I pondered a long while about buying the stamp, was I going to be able to do it justice in colouring it in. The stamp stamped up beautifully using Versafine Black and I coloured it with Watercolour Pencils, I also use a paintbrush and jar of water, I just prefer it to the Waterbrushes. I am happy with my results, this being the first one I have done, though I wouls like to see my sky a bit better.

New (to me) Products

2008-03-18T08:48:00.001+10:00

Bought this Un-mouned floral stamp last Thursday, it just appealed to me, also picked up this card. The card seemed to go with the stamp so well.
Then I bought the Verse stamp (Hero Arts) at Brisbane Paper Arts last Friday. All the flower centres on the card have a touch of glitter on them and I have added a touch of glitter to the stamped image.

Late Nighters.

2008-03-17T12:54:00.000+10:00

Came across this tiny un-mounted stamp as I was tidying up, must have put it in a safe place and forgot it. Funny as I already had the layout and idea of this card in the planning stages, so the stamp just fitted in so aptly. So who is a real late night stamper?

Catch Up Card

2008-03-17T12:51:00.000+10:00

A basic card today, need to catch up on my blog, had a couple of days away. Friday went to Brisbane Paper Arts, oohh more temptation, had to call at two Stamping shops on the way home, well I was going past. Sunday was a drive up the beach to Double Island Point, good to see the beach is slowly returning to it's past beautiful condition, after all the rough weather we have had.

Two More ATC's

2008-03-12T20:11:00.000+10:00

Another couple of ATC's I did a while back. The first one was for a "Sewing" swap had a great time doing this one, as I had lots of left over bits from my days when I used to sew and make everything.
The second one I just loved the paper, I went on to make some matching cards in this design, I just "Upsized" the layout.

Another Wet Day

2008-03-10T09:10:00.000+10:00

Another wet day in Paradise, yes it is raining yet again on the Sunshine Coast, the upside is more crafting can be done. Here are a couple of ATC's I can't remember whether I got the two tone ribbon first or coloured the card with Lumiere's first for the one on the left, which ever way they went well together. The ATC on the right was for a "Summer" swap, the fishing rod punch is so handy for so many male cards.

Returned From Road Trip

2008-03-08T18:09:00.000+10:00

Got back last night from our fly/Road trip, flew to Melbourne on Tuesday and then headed for home that afternoon. We travelled 2205km, visited Glenrowan where Ned Kelly was captured, saw the original Ettamogah Pub and saw "The Dog Sitting on the Tucker Box' just north of Gundagai. The trip went very well with no problems. I managed to visit one stamping/Scrapbook store along the way, and bought some more flowers.
Here is an ATC I did for a travel swap, took me ages to find an embellishment for this, but I was very happy with the outcome of the finished product.

Road Trip Ahead.

2008-03-03T20:13:00.000+10:00

Well I am of on an adventure tomorrow, fly to Melbourne and then drive home via Sydney. I expect to be gone about five to ten days depending how the car goes, what we see on the way and of course the weather. Need to be home by15thMarch for Brisbane Paper Arts, oh and local elections..
I made a simular card to this a couple of weeks ago for a friend that was going overseas, again using my Marvy Scalloped Punches. The stamp I am unsure of the brand but I saw it at one of the craft/stamp shows and had to have it because my father flew with this airline for 27 years.

Stamping Bella

2008-03-03T20:06:00.001+10:00

I picked up this lovely cat themed paper first, I liked the fact it had the pink and yellow colours on it, instead of just shades of brown as a lot of the dog/ cat papers. Then of course I just had to have the Stamping Bella stamp to co-ordinate with it, but then for me a stamp with cats on it never goes a miss.

Stamping Bella

2008-03-02T16:17:00.001+10:00

I have recent bought 3 Stamping Bella stamps, thankfully for my pocket the store that sells them is about an hour away from me. I therefore am using the three I have on lots of cards.
I did intend to use the other side of this paper which is coloured Mustard Yellow with very small Olive dots but on looking, I liked this side if not even more. Again I love using three flowers and the Sparkly centre.

Hero Arts Again

2008-03-01T16:59:00.001+10:00

Another one of the gorgeous Hero Art stamps, and again using card I coloured ages ago though on closer inspection I think it was with Lumieres. I love using the flowers and the sparkly centres.

2008-02-29T10:55:00.001+10:00

Here again is another new stamp from Hero Arts, also used the Photo Corner punch which is a new addition to my collection.

Cute Duckie

2008-02-29T10:38:00.000+10:00

After taking my daughter (18) to the last craft show, she found this cute Duck stamp. Now Duckie is special to Calula, as her car (Duckie) has a little plastic duck on the front bumper bar, and on a four wheel drive forum she is called Duckie.

2008-02-28T21:10:00.001+10:00

Card made using Hero Arts stamps, stamped on to card I had coloured a while back with H2O's. I added some pretty ribbon and highlighted the butterfly by layering using my scalloped circle punch.