Sunday, 22 September 2013
Monday, 16 September 2013
European holiday week one
Hi All,
Well after 27 hours travelling we finally made it to London at 5.19am to a chilly 9 degrees. Our tour guide was there to meet us, boarded bus into London . The park plaza in Westminster is unreal they got us into our room just after 10am. We slept for 5 hours then decided we needed to visit queenie in her house. The palace is amazing and I can't wait to get back there and do tour.
Tuesday saw us board the Eurostar bound for Belgium, man if I lived in London I would be on this train every minute it is fantastic. After 3 hours of travelling 180mph we arrived in Brussels. Boarded our bus and met our wonderful Italian driver guiseppe whose driving skills are second to none. Not bad on the eye either.
In a short drive we were at the Grand place and it is superb to think it got burnt down and they have rebuilt the whole place and it dates back to 16 th century. Then on to mannequin pis monument. Then some free time well I had to have a waffle, some Belgium chocolate and a pastry the some frites with mayo. Our hotel that night was The Hotel in Brussels all leather in the room, meal,was average and they seemed a little disorganised, but on the whole it was lovely.
Wednesday saw us travel to Amsterdam. Via,Cologne, this is where I fell victim to one of the several hawkers out side the cathedral she was dressed as an angel she posed in a photo with John and then me and then charged us 20 euro for the photo which I took. But anyway I think she did some good as our weather in Lucerne was the best. Amsterdam what can I say about this place I love the lot, canals, canal houses, dope coffee shops, the red light district and the food was good too. Went to a working windmill that is over 300 years old. Then it was on to cheese farm and tasting and a few purchases. We then went to a quaint little village called Volendam, this is such a pretty little town right on the banks of lake. Our motel,for the night was the Novotel, and boy the breakfast was so good I was like a kid in a candy store. I had toast with chocolate sprinkles on it yummy .
Thursday saw us get on the road very early for our longest day travel so far, Amsterdam to Germany a Rhine cruise was the order for the day followed by wine tasting at Ruddeshiem
, and then a meal at the same place and a 4 piece German band. This is where I was sculling schnapps and teaching the Yankees Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi we all had a great night and no one wanted to board the bus for Wiesbaden we arrived at 8.30Pm it was the Crowne Plaza and it was soooooo nice.
Well after 27 hours travelling we finally made it to London at 5.19am to a chilly 9 degrees. Our tour guide was there to meet us, boarded bus into London . The park plaza in Westminster is unreal they got us into our room just after 10am. We slept for 5 hours then decided we needed to visit queenie in her house. The palace is amazing and I can't wait to get back there and do tour.
Tuesday saw us board the Eurostar bound for Belgium, man if I lived in London I would be on this train every minute it is fantastic. After 3 hours of travelling 180mph we arrived in Brussels. Boarded our bus and met our wonderful Italian driver guiseppe whose driving skills are second to none. Not bad on the eye either.
In a short drive we were at the Grand place and it is superb to think it got burnt down and they have rebuilt the whole place and it dates back to 16 th century. Then on to mannequin pis monument. Then some free time well I had to have a waffle, some Belgium chocolate and a pastry the some frites with mayo. Our hotel that night was The Hotel in Brussels all leather in the room, meal,was average and they seemed a little disorganised, but on the whole it was lovely.
Wednesday saw us travel to Amsterdam. Via,Cologne, this is where I fell victim to one of the several hawkers out side the cathedral she was dressed as an angel she posed in a photo with John and then me and then charged us 20 euro for the photo which I took. But anyway I think she did some good as our weather in Lucerne was the best. Amsterdam what can I say about this place I love the lot, canals, canal houses, dope coffee shops, the red light district and the food was good too. Went to a working windmill that is over 300 years old. Then it was on to cheese farm and tasting and a few purchases. We then went to a quaint little village called Volendam, this is such a pretty little town right on the banks of lake. Our motel,for the night was the Novotel, and boy the breakfast was so good I was like a kid in a candy store. I had toast with chocolate sprinkles on it yummy .
Thursday saw us get on the road very early for our longest day travel so far, Amsterdam to Germany a Rhine cruise was the order for the day followed by wine tasting at Ruddeshiem
, and then a meal at the same place and a 4 piece German band. This is where I was sculling schnapps and teaching the Yankees Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi we all had a great night and no one wanted to board the bus for Wiesbaden we arrived at 8.30Pm it was the Crowne Plaza and it was soooooo nice.
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Brisbane international airport waiting.........
Good morning all,
Well after a very full on day yesterday around Brisbane , we are now waiting for plane to Hongkong.
Quilters travelling to Brisbane really need to see the quilt display at GOMA, these quilts are from the 1700's. They are absolutely beautiful and most all made by hand. Brisbane festival started yesterday and the Glng light show at southbank was a great way to finish the day.
Our plane has just landed and disembarking is taking place, a quick clean and then I will be on it. Quite a few children are travelling on the flight hope they are well behaved.
Will have to sign off on this now and maybe talk from Hong Kong .
Well after a very full on day yesterday around Brisbane , we are now waiting for plane to Hongkong.
Quilters travelling to Brisbane really need to see the quilt display at GOMA, these quilts are from the 1700's. They are absolutely beautiful and most all made by hand. Brisbane festival started yesterday and the Glng light show at southbank was a great way to finish the day.
Our plane has just landed and disembarking is taking place, a quick clean and then I will be on it. Quite a few children are travelling on the flight hope they are well behaved.
Will have to sign off on this now and maybe talk from Hong Kong .
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Like Sands through the hourglass, so is the time going by for my holiday...................
Well can you believe it, it is nearly here the journey of a lifetime thats right we are going overseas for a whole 3 weeks traveling Europe and finishing with four days in London. I have been counting down since 10months ago and now it it is 3 days away. Have just had a farewell dinner with my Brendan(son) and his partner Carmen and their gorgeous baby Armani, who at 6 months has decided it is much better to crawl than learn to sit. She has this very determined look on her face whenever she is trying to do something, just what I need is another determined child.
The quilting is all up to date, and already there are quilts waiting for me to return, which is a good thing. Evelyn has been waiting for over 12 months for her quilt but I can say it is finished, and what a feeling that is.
With all the jobs now out of the way, I have decided to think about what to take............what does one actually take when one goes overseas????????? With no means of washing for 3 weeks, it is going to be mix and match all the way.......that goes with this and this goes with that. As for darling husband we have tried for several weekends to drive into Rockhapmton, a good 3 hour drive to try and get some clothes for him, but to no avail could we work it. So he is just using clothes from wardrobe and picking the rest up in Brisbane on Saturday.....DFO here we come.
Itinerary:
Day 1. London to Brussels by high speed train the Eurostar
Day 2. Brussels to Amsterdam
Day 3. Amsterdam to cologne,Germany
Day 4. Wiesbaden to Lucerne
Day5. Lucerne
Day 6. Lucerne to Liechtenstein to Innsbruck,Austria to Munich Germany.
Day 7. Munich to Salzburg,Austria
Day 8. Vienna
Day 9. Vienna, Venice, Italy
Day 10. Venice
Day 11. Venice to Ferrara to Rome, Italy
Day 12. Rome
Day 13. Rome to Florence to Tuscany
Day 14. Tuscany to Pisa to Nice, France
Day 15. Nice
Day 16. Nice to Avignon to Lyon
Day 17. Lyon to Paris
Day 18. Paris
Day 19. Paris.
So please join me on this tour and stay tuned to the blog as you travel with me on this big adventure.
Well can you believe it, it is nearly here the journey of a lifetime thats right we are going overseas for a whole 3 weeks traveling Europe and finishing with four days in London. I have been counting down since 10months ago and now it it is 3 days away. Have just had a farewell dinner with my Brendan(son) and his partner Carmen and their gorgeous baby Armani, who at 6 months has decided it is much better to crawl than learn to sit. She has this very determined look on her face whenever she is trying to do something, just what I need is another determined child.
The quilting is all up to date, and already there are quilts waiting for me to return, which is a good thing. Evelyn has been waiting for over 12 months for her quilt but I can say it is finished, and what a feeling that is.
With all the jobs now out of the way, I have decided to think about what to take............what does one actually take when one goes overseas????????? With no means of washing for 3 weeks, it is going to be mix and match all the way.......that goes with this and this goes with that. As for darling husband we have tried for several weekends to drive into Rockhapmton, a good 3 hour drive to try and get some clothes for him, but to no avail could we work it. So he is just using clothes from wardrobe and picking the rest up in Brisbane on Saturday.....DFO here we come.
Itinerary:
Day 1. London to Brussels by high speed train the Eurostar
Day 2. Brussels to Amsterdam
Day 3. Amsterdam to cologne,Germany
Day 4. Wiesbaden to Lucerne
Day5. Lucerne
Day 6. Lucerne to Liechtenstein to Innsbruck,Austria to Munich Germany.
Day 7. Munich to Salzburg,Austria
Day 8. Vienna
Day 9. Vienna, Venice, Italy
Day 10. Venice
Day 11. Venice to Ferrara to Rome, Italy
Day 12. Rome
Day 13. Rome to Florence to Tuscany
Day 14. Tuscany to Pisa to Nice, France
Day 15. Nice
Day 16. Nice to Avignon to Lyon
Day 17. Lyon to Paris
Day 18. Paris
Day 19. Paris.
So please join me on this tour and stay tuned to the blog as you travel with me on this big adventure.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Barcaldine Retreat Cont.........................
With everyone busy sewing, it was another late night sewing in pyjamas, late night snacks and lots of coffee and other forms of beverages. When we first arrived this lovely lady came and introduced herself to us and we have nicknamed her Nanna Jean, you can tell country people their hospitality is second to none.
Nanna Jean had this dry sense of wit and a very warm personality. Wendy said I can close my eyes and listen to Jean talk and it reminds me of my own Nanna. We met lots of new people and it was lovely to think that women can gather from all parts of the area and have a great time sewing, talking and sharing ideas it is great.
Of course Amanda puts her own stamp on the project and turns out something stunning.
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| Nanna Jean |
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| Front and back of Amanda's runner |
Good Friends, Good Food, A Celebration, A weekend Away.
What an absolutely fantabulous weekend we all had. Friday saw us pack up and head to the lovely western town of Barcaldine, for a sewing retreat, a celebration the coming of age(my 50th).
After arriving at the heritage centre in Barcy, we unpacked rather quickly, got the machines set up and ready to sew. We started on our projects for the weekend. Most of the women chose to do the spring table runner, which saw us get out of our comfort zone and learn Raw Edge appliqué, this is done with the feed dogs down and just your hands controlling the fabric, Scary stuff, but after a few attempts you eventually get the hang of it and it doesn't look that bad.
Saturday saw the coming of age for me, with the celebration of my 50th, after receiving many phone calls and text messages it was time for my wonderful friends to bestow upon me the cake that they had planned. I had started to get worried a few days out when I knew who was making it. But alas it was not what I had imagined but rather funny instead. As i have no photos of it I will have to describe it as best I can. It was a boob cake but no ordinary cake they were hanging down to my belly button, complete with piercings in one boob, stretch marks and a note attached saying: 50, and still hanging around. It was delicious. Thank - you Amanda I loved it.
After arriving at the heritage centre in Barcy, we unpacked rather quickly, got the machines set up and ready to sew. We started on our projects for the weekend. Most of the women chose to do the spring table runner, which saw us get out of our comfort zone and learn Raw Edge appliqué, this is done with the feed dogs down and just your hands controlling the fabric, Scary stuff, but after a few attempts you eventually get the hang of it and it doesn't look that bad.
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| Julie, concentrating on the Raw edge Applique |
Sunday, 26 May 2013
NINE DAYS AND COUNTING
Nine days and counting until we all meet again for another retreat in Barcaldine over the June long weekend, hosted by the Silver Thimble. Finally recovered from our own retreat at the Fairbairn Dam last weekend which saw myself and Julie line dancing at some ungodly hour. The pictures did not look great, the next day. However we had a fantastic time and the food was to die for(as usual as we all share a passion for good food). As there was no set project for the weekend everyone was content doing their PHD's (projects half done). Wendy was working on her kingsize hexagon quilt(she's nuts)., julie worked on Amanda's quilt which is a stitchery quilt of all girly things and will be great to see it finished. Amanda worked on lots of things as usual she always has lots on the go at once, unlike myself,,, not. I started a paper pieced scrap attack block which I got from crafts.com, I have decided that the hexie quilt is not going to lessen the scrap pile that I have that is growing at a slow rate. So I started the scrap attack to ease the scrap pile.I hope it works. Evelyn finished her lovely smocked dress for Kate, it is absolutely gorgeous. I hope Kate Ellen gets a lot of wear out of it.
This week saw little production come out of the Quilting cabin, I have completed a little chocolate and cream quilt which came up absolutely beautiful, except that when I sprayed it with water to remove my guide lines the chocolate fabric ran every where and I mean everywhere. I went into panic mode big time, after 2 washes with run away it still wasn't perfect, I rang the owner and she was very good about the whole ordeal. I so hate giving quilts back that are far from perfect, even if it wasn't my mistake. I am now working on a quilt for Betty B. it is all red and cream with 12 stitchery blocks with a Teddy Bear Theme and I have absolutely enjoyed quilting this quilt, it has taken some time but it looks good.This week will see a huge week come out of Quilters Cabin so I can justify going to Barcaldine the following weekend which also sees me celebrate my 50th. WooHoo?????
This week saw little production come out of the Quilting cabin, I have completed a little chocolate and cream quilt which came up absolutely beautiful, except that when I sprayed it with water to remove my guide lines the chocolate fabric ran every where and I mean everywhere. I went into panic mode big time, after 2 washes with run away it still wasn't perfect, I rang the owner and she was very good about the whole ordeal. I so hate giving quilts back that are far from perfect, even if it wasn't my mistake. I am now working on a quilt for Betty B. it is all red and cream with 12 stitchery blocks with a Teddy Bear Theme and I have absolutely enjoyed quilting this quilt, it has taken some time but it looks good.This week will see a huge week come out of Quilters Cabin so I can justify going to Barcaldine the following weekend which also sees me celebrate my 50th. WooHoo?????
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