Blessed Tuesdays with Dad

Every Tuesday I take Dad (in-law) out for morning tea to give Mum (in-law) a bit of a break from his shenanigans (Alzheimers really is a bugger!)  Lately we go for about a half hour drive in the country up to a little place called Clare to a lovely little cafe called 'the Windmill Cafe'.

It's set in the grounds of Claredale Pastures - the old Burdekin Agricultural College which was sold by the Government quite a few years ago, went into disrepair and then bought by a local agricultural family to bring back to life.  It's one of  Dad's favourite places as it takes him back to 'the farm' and great memories of the past.....and it fuels his belly......

After our morning tea this week, we went for a little wander out the back to check out where the bleating was coming from.

Just at the back of the cafe were a few sheep with their lambs, and one VERY protective mother was giving me the evil eye...I think she might have thought her littlest lambie was going to become lamb chops!    Hard to believe it's winter and people down south of the country have their fires burning and are rugged up....we are having daytime temps of 28 degrees C. and nighttime ones of between 14-21 degrees C.  and NO humidity.....it's bliss in the tropics.  I think I've worn a jumper only once or twice so far this year.

After our wander around we headed for home.  On the way out, through the grounds we saw a family of curlews, a bird native to Australia with a very eerie high pitched wailing at night.  Normally you see them in family groups of two or three but we counted at least 15 in the undergrowth of the trees lining the road.

They are night time birds too so hard to see them during the day, that's when they do most of their sleeping but this lot were out and about.   I just love the nature in our part of the world... we are blessed aren't we?.

After dropping Dad home to Mum, I headed home to catch up on jobs and walking to the front door I witnessed another nature display...

This little fella had been hard at work right at my front door....great inspiration for quilting I think!  

But after the housework...... 

hope you've had a wonderful week too....

many sugary hugs xox  :o)

Oh what a beautiful morning...

As usual, my Wednesday nights are spent with hubby 'up the bush' where he works....it's just gorgeous - kick back, smell the roses  eucalypts  and watch the roos and wallabies hop along the dirt track whilst the cows meander amongst the silvery-green bushes.
This morning, I had to return to reality early as I have to work today.  Along the highway there's a lookout  and I just had to stop this morning......what I saw just took my breath away....

The view was spectacular......it certainly does pay to stop and take a look around you. With all the trouble and strife in the world around us, it's sometimes hard to see the beauty that IS there, and sometimes it's right in front of us.  Today was a day I felt truly thankful and blessed.

Hope your day is as wonderful too!

Oh, I've had a few messages saying followers are having a bit of trouble commenting...something to do with Google+, so I've disabled that part.....please let me know if there's anymore issues?  Hopefully that's fixed the problem! *phew*

xox sugary hugs :o)

F.N.S.I. and a swap

Friday Night Sew In saw what seems like a meagre amount of work, but boy, did it take some fiddly time!!! I finished one side of a border on my mystery quilt…..here is a close up. I like the way it gives a 3D outline to the border…..but this one is going to take me a bit of time……why I never choose ‘easy’ over a challenge, I’ll never know! It’s been fairly miserable weather around here the past week or so and today was no exception…..although there wasn’t any rain…(well….does a slight drizzle for about 5 minutes count???)….it was overcast, dull and cool, compared to our normal tropical weather…even in winter!  We awoke to the sound of birds outside the window….and these gorgeous kingfishers were sitting on our clothesline… It was difficult to catch the three of them together, and finding three surprised me as we normally have one or two, but even that’s not frequent.  Hubby told me it’s because the are fond of bees….with this dreaded, dull weather, the bees have been staying close to their hives so are a ready food source for the birds. As I watched, they flew off towards the hives, dived and grabbed a bee, bringing it back to the clothesline to bang it against the poles before gobbling it up. As the bees aren’t out collecting pollen, they’re a ready target as they’re also not feeding, so Mumma Mrs B to the rescue…..off I trotted armed with my squirty bottle of honey from the last collection to feed the bay-bees!!!!!   And boy were they hungry…. Look at them all lined up drinking up the honey!!! Nature is amazing isn’t it??  Hopefully that will give them the strength till the sun comes out again….hopefully tomorrow!!!!! A lovely surprise awaited me at the post office on Friday too…..it was my swap partner Leena’s (no blog) Christmas in July mug rug swap. Isn’t it gorgeous???  And Leena sent me a bonus Christmas FQ as well…..just love it….thanks so much Leena, and thanks to Cathy for organising it too! *mwah* Sugary hugs xox

F.N.S.I. and a swap

Friday Night Sew In saw what seems like a meagre amount of work, but boy, did it take some fiddly time!!!

I finished one side of a border on my mystery quilt…..here is a close up.

I like the way it gives a 3D outline to the border…..but this one is going to take me a bit of time……why I never choose ‘easy’ over a challenge, I’ll never know!

It’s been fairly miserable weather around here the past week or so and today was no exception…..although there wasn’t any rain…(well….does a slight drizzle for about 5 minutes count???)….it was overcast, dull and cool, compared to our normal tropical weather…even in winter!  We awoke to the sound of birds outside the window….and these gorgeous kingfishers were sitting on our clothesline…

It was difficult to catch the three of them together, and finding three surprised me as we normally have one or two, but even that’s not frequent.  Hubby told me it’s because the are fond of bees….with this dreaded, dull weather, the bees have been staying close to their hives so are a ready food source for the birds. As I watched, they flew off towards the hives, dived and grabbed a bee, bringing it back to the clothesline to bang it against the poles before gobbling it up.

As the bees aren’t out collecting pollen, they’re a ready target as they’re also not feeding, so Mumma Mrs B to the rescue…..off I trotted armed with my squirty bottle of honey from the last collection to feed the bay-bees!!!!!   And boy were they hungry….

Look at them all lined up drinking up the honey!!! Nature is amazing isn’t it??  Hopefully that will give them the strength till the sun comes out again….hopefully tomorrow!!!!!

A lovely surprise awaited me at the post office on Friday too…..it was my swap partner Leena’s (no blog) Christmas in July mug rug swap.

Isn’t it gorgeous???  And Leena sent me a bonus Christmas FQ as well…..just love it….thanks so much Leena, and thanks to Cathy for organising it too! *mwah*

Sugary hugs xox

What ? Wednesday already????

Where has the week gone???  I promised you I’d post ‘tomorrow’ last time I posted…..I’m sure it can’t be Wednesday yet!!!! Mmmmmm!!!!!  Here’s what I’ve been doing…. making more stillborn quilts for our hospital… taking time to soak up the nature in my surroundings…can you see this little fella?…. …and this one… and just generally appreciating and enjoying each new day, Sugary hugs

What ? Wednesday already????

Where has the week gone??? 

I promised you I’d post ‘tomorrow’ last time I posted…..I’m sure it can’t be Wednesday yet!!!!

Mmmmmm!!!!!  Here’s what I’ve been doing….

making more stillborn quilts for our hospital…

taking time to soak up the nature in my surroundings…can you see this little fella?….

…and this one…

and just generally appreciating and enjoying each new day,

Sugary hugs

It’s a dog’s life…

well, it is…..!!!!! take a look at this lazy duo……….. only 4 weeks left of high school before it’s all over for ever and ever……until uni starts!!!!!….where did the time go???  It only seems like yesterday that I was in the same boat….not a care in the world….getting up at 7.30 to leave for school at 8…..aaaah, those were the days!!! And next week will see us attending this…….. ….clever little bunny certainly didn’t take after his Mum…..he’s being awarded a Level 2 Award, which means all A’s and B’s on his report card……imagine what that kid could do if he actually ‘studied’!?!?!?! LOL And poor little Ralph….little did he know, that yesterday was to be a little different to the ‘normal’ day in the life of ‘dog’.  Notice how ‘shaggy’ he had become in the first photo???  Well, no longer…… …what a poser!!!!!   He always loves visiting his ‘groomer’ for his bi-monthly ‘do’!!!  And once he’s coiffed, he forgets he’s nearly 10 and behaves like a puppy again …. …with his favourite toy, Mr Rabbit, who he loves to give a shake… As you can see, that poor Mr Rabbit certainly has been well and truly loved!!!! If you’re wondering…Ralph is our little moodle, a cross between a maltese terrier and a standard poodle.  Ralphy certainly took most of his good looks and charm from the maltese side (!!!) as we met one of his siblings a while back who had the stronger poodle strain and he had much longer legs and stood about hip-height!!!!…reminded me of Danny DeVito and Arnie in Twins!!!!…..Poor Ralphy’s like his human ‘parents’ (and Danny DeVito!)…..stumpy legs…. and bodies!!!! I did actually have a finish this week too.  Remember the placemats I told you about here?  Well, they are finished now and ready for……????? All yummy and done…… And I’m still making 9-patches galore for our year 7 Art project…I’m about halfway through and they’re looking scrummy too….   Definitely a work in progress……I can’t wait to add them to the children’s stitcheries!!!! and some hand stitching too on my NPNT. …definitely still a work in progress….a very slow one, but I’m NEARLY there!!!!! There is a good reason why things take me so long……..I get caught up with the entertainment around here…… These little guys, not sure but I think they’re baby kingfishers, were beginning to catch their dinner.  Needless to say I spent a good half hour yesterday at least watching them fly off, bring their prey back and beat it into oblivion before swallowing it down whole and doing it all over again!!!  And they’re just soooo cute, don’t ya think??? Hope your weekend’s full to the brim of laziness, a little bit of entertainment and crafty fun too!!! Sugary hugs XO Wendy :O)