Boonah

Late Friday I headed to Boonah for another Getaway Girls Weekend.  When I arrived, the others were just finishing their dinner, and someone had kept a serving warm for me - lovely!
I didn't do much that evening, but Saturday morning I went shopping at Maynards and found the perfect white on white fabric to finish a quilt top.

As usual on Saturday night we went out for dinner - the Dougandan Pub is just outside of town and has a great menu

I had the seafood basket which was really yummy.
On Sunday morning I went for a walk.  I would love to capture the rainbow in a dewdrop - but this will have to do

This butterfly posed for me very nicely

Loss

I remember buying this lovely mug in Toowoomba a couple of years ago.

The fine porcelain made whatever drink I was having taste so much nicer.  The other day I poured boiling water into it - as I had done countless times before - and heard a sharp sound.  Then I saw the coffee puddling on the counter.  The mug had cracked all down the side.  Another good bye.

Breadtop

If you want to try something different, head to Breadtop at Garden City.  You select your own pastry - sweet or savoury.  They taste great - light and flavourful.  This was my lunch the other day -Sacha Pork Floss -

Old Friends

Do you find it hard to let go of some things?  These shoes had REALLY had it,

but I just loved them...When I found a replacement I asked the sales person to throw them away before I changed my mind and took them home again....

Canberra to Brisbane

We were in Canberra for 2 days then drove back on Sunday.  One stop was a little off the main highway.  It was the Mudbrick Cottage, someone's house that had been turned into a cafe.  The house had taken 10 years of weekends to build

The coffee had an unusual pattern on the top

There was wisteria all along the road

Mum's Garden

Mum loves her garden.  The bees do too - I sat and watched them flitting madly from flower to flower

Bronte's Birthday

Bronte turned 19 on the 17th.  Here is the cake Mum made for her complete with flowers from her garden

and here's a lovely shot of the two of them

Canberra Trip

Last weekend Bronte and I had a whirlwind driving trip to Canberra.  Of course, a banana split was a must...

 And I had a wonderful hamburger from the Coolabah Tree Cafe near Taree

 I estimated the time quite well - 15 hours all up with a few stops.

Milton Office

On Monday I had this view

I liked the neatness of the parked cars -

Nature

I was taken with the colour and shape of these beautiful flowers.

Set Up Day

Last Thursday was when the vendors and guilds set up their stands in preparation for the Redlands Quilt Extravaganza show (last Friday through to Sunday).

How the ladies got up onto this high platform no one knows and they are not telling.  All they would say is that they flew up there on their broomsticks!

Judging Day

Judging for the Redlands Quilt Extravaganza took place last Wednesday.  The embroidery judge examined everything in minute detail

as did the quilt judges

The straggly forest of quilt stands

turned into nice neat rows by the end of the day

thanks to a LOT of work by Michael and co....

Baroque Tarantella

If you see this

you know it means I've been to a show.  And what a show!!  I saw Baroque Tarantella with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and members of L'Arpeggiata from Paris.

Wow.  Energetic, interesting and beautiful short pieces played and sung with verve and style. Take regular original instruments such as the theorbo and harpsichord, add some jazz clarinet and a wild theatrical dancer and you have a showstopper.  My ticketed seat was here

but as there were lots of spare seats I sneaked up all the way to the second row!

Down Time

As those of you who know me know, I am by nature a bright and happy thing...but this week has not been an easy one, mainly due to being quite ill.  It's a reminder that whatever our attitude and determination to look on the bright side, things don't always go as planned.  Regular programming will resume as soon as possible.

Emporium Precinct, Fortitude Valley

This is a fabulous area to stroll around.  It's a square bordered by eateries and high end shops and some interesting mosaic sculptures:

I had coffee at La Belle Epoche, and sampled a little honey truffle - the perfect sweet treat

The cafe/restaurant has a Parisian vibe, complete with lovely wallpaper

and gorgeous bathroom.

One of the shops that was amazing to visit was Alla Moda.  If you want high end fashion fabric this is THE place to go.  I saw some that was $440 per metre - yes, that is correct, $440.  This laser cut one was a snip at only $199

Naked

I've taken plenty of photos of decorated signal boxes, so when I saw this naked one the other day I thought I would capture it in its original beauty.  Only when I was uploading the photo did I notice the little "joke" in the wording...

Buses

There was a huge line up of buses across the Victoria Bridge last week - I've never seen so many in a row...

Passionfruit Slice

I used up quite a few home grown passionfruit making this slice the other day - the biscuit base has coconut in it...

Spring

As the axis of the Earth increases its tilt toward the sun, the smell of new-ness and the sense of possibility grows...