Tuesday - Grafton to Killara

Breakfast was very healthy!

A yummy banana split at the Big Banana, Coffs Harbour.  Somehow the time is always right for a stop there :-) I had a poke around in Macksville.  Here's inspiration from the floor of the nab -

Nice displays at the antique shop

The Bridge Cafe  had some interesting bits and pieces from the past.

Good food, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want friendly service!
Mid-afternoon I stopped at the Service Centre just outside Taree.  Art is truly everywhere!

This yellow flowering shrub was by the side of the road for much of the trip -

Today's music was for children (Geoffrey Tozer); folk hearbeat; The Three Ravens (Alfred Deller); and Adiemus (Karl Jenkins).

After much rain and a detour through the Lake Haven suburbs in a desperate (but luckily successful) bid to find petrol (the pointer had NEARLY dropped BELOW the red danger zone - yikes!!) I am now happily ensconced in the Killara Inn using their wonderful broadband!

Monday - Brisbane to Grafton

I'm on my way to the National Folk Festival - via Sydney.  Today I started "late" - but I have no real schedule, so late is a relative term.  I got stuff done in the morning and I left home around 2.30pm.

It's always a good idea to have the car looked at prior to a big trip - and that's exactly what I did last Thursday.  Can you believe the bill??

 No, neither can I....

So, off I went into the southern lands - I usually stop about every two hours - first stop was Ballina - but you would have guessed that from this imposing silhouette

Driving on the open road through gorgeous countryside with music up LOUD and no commitments - just wonderful! Here's what I listened to on Day One -
John Butler Trio

  The Cat Empire

 and The Seekers.

Boonah - Sunday

Kangaroos hop through the property - a great sight first thing in the morning.

Today was a hand stitching day - I finished this cross stitch

Most people had their serious machines there - three of us took our babies along.

Here's my little Janome

 Margaret's Featherweight II

and Lynne's Elna Lotus

Boonah - Saturday

I was the first one up and headed straight to the loo - eek!!

Poor froggy found his way INTO the bowl but didn't want to go back the way he came.
Mary got him out - isn't he cute?

I got stuck  into finishing another project.  I'd prepped all the pieces at home -

Still, I found the plain squares were 1/8th inch too big - so I trimmed all those -

Then it was time to sew the triangles together

and press them

and trim them back to 3 3/8 inch - yes, **I** did the maths and it all worked out perfectly!

Lots of bits piled up -

Then more pressing

and sewing

and that's ONE block done!!  Eight more to go.
Here are the 9 all sewn together -

I now have to search my stash for a couple of border fabrics.
In between all that sewing we headed to the Boonah Markets

I bought a Detox mix of fruit and nuts from this nice lady

Dinner time found us at the Dugandan Pub.  Delicious steak and vegies

washed down with a Tobacco Road Shiraz 2006.  Wonderful company under the romantic lighting of a coke can chandelier.

More wine back at sewing central helped the conversation flow freely.

I think we solved all the problems of the (quilting) world.  I got my second wind (BTW I HAD had a nanna nap in the pm) and finished another top from a kit

Boonah - Friday

A couple of times a year the Getaway Girls head for The Outlook in Boonah.  It's a weekend of sewing, talking, laughing, drinking and eating.  Sue organises us and she has all the details down pat.  Thanks Sue!

This was the first weekend I'd been on since February 2009 - a looong time between drinks.  Margaret drove in her zippy little Colt

 We left early-ish, but detoured via a shop in Jimboomba, a thick shake in a cafe and coffee and a pie and a good look around in Boonah.

We set up and then I got stuck into sewing.  The first project was to make 4 wonky stars.  I then put them together with alphabet letters I'd made some time ago - finished top - ta- daaa!

   I had enough fabric left over to piece the backing too

Here's a close-up of the fabric -

Reamer

I first saw Martha Stewart use one of these many years ago and being the gadget girl I am, I decided to try it.  I've never looked back.  So easy to use and to clean.

If life gives you lemons - make a margarita!!  Yum yum....