Sunday Stash Report

No finishes this week but wasn't expecting any.

I did have a purchase though and I wasn't expecting that. I went to a little patchwork shop in the town my cousin lives at on Friday and bought 2 patterns and a ruler. I then bought enough white tone on tone to be able to do the embroideries from the patterns that I bought - .5 metre. Its not exciting fabric so I am not going to take a photo of it to share. I would have shared a photo of the patterns but... they are packed away in a box in the back of the car atm so can't get at them. The little shop was call Quilters Harvest, an appropriate name for a shop in a wheat growing area.

I am typing this as we drive along. I  tried to get this done yesterday but was having too much fun with my cousin and family. I don't see them very often and this was the first time we have visited them at their place. Who needs to take time to write a blog post when I had 4 gorgeous young children to play with a cousin and her husband to chat with!!! Jo isn't actually my first cousin... her dad Syd, is my double first cousin... his Dad Fred was my Mum's brother and his mum Doris was my Dad's sister. Just to add to the relationship tangle Syd's wife is the daughter of my father (and therefore Doris's) cousin Marge making her my 2nd cousin. I used to say that Jo and her sisters were really 7th cousins... double second (thats 4) and 3rd cousins... a total of 7.

My cousin Jo and her daughter NB

We spent the weekend playing with the kids, chatting to Jo and her husband and doing a few jobs for them. I spent most of Saturday sewing... but it was mending sewing and taking up hems not patchwork. I was glad to give Jo a hand. With 4 youngsters she doesn't get time to sew.

4 gorgeous Ozzykids... we do  breed them cute here in Australia. The oldest 4 had just finished school for the day so are in their uniform

We also visited the local park and fed some of the animals there, and went for a bbq picnic lunch at a nearby lake where the kids had a swim but the adults still thought it was a bit cool.

Now we are on the road to South Australia, the last leg of our epic holiday. We'll have one night with a friend tonight in Bordertown and then into Adelaide for a few days before heading north to the Flinders Ranges and then it will be a quick trip home to Central Queensland in time for some Christmas celebrations and the like.

Banksia Man, Little Desert National Park

Wimmera River in Little Desert National Park

So my stash numbers are

Used this week:                               0.00m

Added this week                              0.5m

Year to Date Used                       133.31m
Year to Date added                       91.97m
Net Used                                           41.34m

Ziplining

Fixit Guy and I went ziplining on Tuesday. It was so much fun! I thought we would be the oldies on the tour but in fact of the 4 couples there we were the 2nd youngest!

The venue was at the Otway Fly, in the hinterland of the Great Ocean Road. Its an Eco Tourism place and includes a Treetop Walk which can be done separately to the Zipline Tour. In all the Zipline Tour included 6 ziplines and 2  ladder bridges all between 20 and 40 metres off the ground and up to 50 metres long.

To start with we had a safety briefing - basically being told what not to touch when we were up there - and were strapped into our harnesses which were all then checked  by one of our 2 trusty guides Josh and Jo. We later found out that it was only Jo's 4th tour so she was pretty new but was very good and reassuring. 

It was so much fun being up high and a real rush zipping along the wires. I was sure I was going to stuff up my landings each time but I pretty well nailed each one and was told that I was very competent and looked very comfortable in the air. I know I would love to do it again. Here are all the photos I took whilst up the trees. Lots more of Fixit Guy than me but that's what you get when you are the camera person

FG being adjusted into his harness

All strapped in and ready to go

So glamourous

Our starting point

The Zipline

Our guide ready to receive a flyer

FG on a Cloud Station

FG ready to launch

Flying away

our guide Josh coming in. He makes it looks soo easy

FG is next up

And he's off

The two of us on the cloud station. Enjoying ourselves. Couldn't stop grinning

FG on a bridge

I look so dorky but I was having fun. I was always a bit worried about getting my legs up at the end

And I'm in

WIP Wenesday - more sewing in the camper

WIP Wednesday - probably 2 more after this one of updates from the camper. We will be home again in just over 2 weeks.. mind you that is still a quarter of our trip to go. I shouldn't  start to wish it away.

I hadn't done any work of my own on my sewing machine since our couple of days at Duck Point on Wilsons Promontory with all my sewing time in Melbourne taken up with making curtains for my oldest son, Massage Man. (or MM) I might have to change his pseudonym as I didn't get one massage whilst in Melbourne despite seeing him every day AND spending lots of time sewing for him. Humph.

Once we got to Apollo Bay I knew I would get some sewing time tucked in there some how. We were staying in a little cottage - fully self contained with a luxurious double spa bath. Man did we enjoy that. Mind you when you have been staying in camping sites for 6 weeks having an inside bathroom is luxury in itself!!

We looked at the forecast and the worked out that Saturday (the day after we arrived) was better weather. Rain was forecast for Sunday. So we took Saturday to do some touring down the coast, checking out some of the things we had driven past with the trailer on behind the day before (it does limit where you can stop). We had a couple of walks on our way down to Lorne and then once there we explored the main street enjoying two books shops in particular. We bought a children's book at one place, gift for my cousin's children whom we will be visiting this coming weekend. In the 2nd had bookshop we browsed in I got a patchwork book and my Fixit Guy bought himself a puzzle book. We had another lovely long walk along the pier because the sun actually came out and then on our way back to Apollo Bay we stopped at numerous lookouts and took in the magnificent scenery.

So Sunday was going to be our stay close to base day and I was determined to break out my machine... and I did. We went to church in the morning and 2 walks in the afternoon: one to the shop to get some spray starch for my half square triangles which were all cut on the bias and the other after dinner along the beach to get our steps in after a rather low step day.

That apart I sewed my hst for my hourglass blocks for the border of Vanishing Hours, my disappearing hourglass quilt. I had made 10 of the units that get cut  twice diagonally to get the 4 hst whilst in Duck Point. On Sunday afternoon I managed to get 44 more made and them all cut up and pressed and 10 of the hourglass blocks made. It was very productive afternoon. 

Our little cottage was delightful but it wasn't really set up for sewing. The only indoor table was a tiny round one that was just big enough for 2 to sit up to for a meal. There was an out door one as well but given that it was raining and a bit chilly that wasn't suitable. Instead I had my machine on the coffee table and I sat on the lounge and made do. Realised later that I could have gotten one of the camping tables out of the trailer but by the time I thought of that I was almost done and it really was surprisingly comfortable!

We left Apollo Bay and have been staying a little further west along the coast at a place called Princetown. It consists of a shop, a pub, 2 camping grounds and a house or two. It is a lovely little spot. Last night, after we got back from our fabulous day at The Otway Fly - where we did the zipline tour and the tree top walk.. so much fun... 

The Cloud Station, the launch pads high in the trees from which the ziplines departed. There were 6 in all

There were two bridges as well. Fixit Guy handled them like a pro

I look like a dork in this one but it was fun. I felt like I had my arms out wide

Coming in for a landing. Nailed it

Tree Top Walk. So much fun

FG and I on the Cantilever which was hanging out over the creek

Some of the lovely mosses and ferns adoring the rain forest trees

I started to trim up the hst to make more hourglass blocks. I trimmed whilst I talked on the phone (on speaker phone) to our youngest son, Boyo, who has just finished his university year and is now back home. He started work on Friday at a fruit farm where the grape harvest has just started. It was good to catch up with him whilst I trimmed. After we had finished talking I started to sew them and got 24 made so that was productive. I had hoped to get some more made tonight but we had a huge day today. 

We left here at 8.30 to go view the Twelve Apostles in the early morning light before the hoards of tourists get there (see Monday Musings for my rant on tourists ironic cause that's what I am) 

Then we drove back East along to coast to the Otway Lighthouse where we spent several hours exploring the various buildings there and going up the old light house. 

So many amazing stories of bravery and daring, or terrible ship wrecks, of determined men and women battling isolation and danger. Did you know that the USA suffered its first casualty of World War Two in Bass Strait, not far off the coast of Cape Otway? A US ship struck a mine laid by a German U-boat. One man was killed in the incident, the first American of the war. 

We went from there to several different beaches and bays which we enjoyed exploring. On two of them were relics from ships that had been wrecked in Bass Strait - 3 anchors and another bit of ironwork. Not sure what it was.

The Anchor from the Marie Gabrielle, a French ship that was wrecked off what became known as wreck beach

The anchor from the Fiji, another wreck off Wreck Beach

I found this bottle on the beach. No message in it but it had stuff growing on it

It was 6.30 by the time we got home. I have uploaded my photos... 140 for the day on my camera and some more on my phone (which I can't get to upload. My phone has stopped co-operating with my computer. The only way I can access the photos is to put them onto Facebook and then download them from there. Most annoying) Now I am writing this. Its after 10 pm so I don't think I am going to get any sewing done now.

So
Vanishing Hours Progress
34 hourglass blocks made for the border. The hst for the remaining 20 blocks are made and ready to be trimmed before being sewn.

Tea Shop Quilt
I don't think I have done any applique on these blocks this week. I did do a little bit in Melbourne but think that was for last weeks report. I have taken it in the car with me incase I felt like doing it but I haven't got to it. I did buy some more buttons to go on it when we were in a little town near Ballarat on Friday.

Buttons for my Tea Shop Quilt

Linking up with

 and 

Monday Musings - Tourists

Last Monday I did a whingy post about going to the zoo and having to put up with hoards of school children and yummy mummies. Thursday night we went to Soverign Hill Sound and Light Show "Blood on the Southern Cross" We were there with 2 huge school groups (kids on school camp going to the late show... it started at 10PM. Smart teachers. The kids probably weren't going to sleep early any way if it was at the beginning of the school camp so they might as well have them out doing stuff. Saved the teachers having to yell at them and try to keep them in their dorms and going to bed) I like kids. I am a trained teacher but when I go visit things I really don't want to be swamped by masses of kids.

Today Fixit Guy and I packed up from our lovely 3 day stay at a self contained luxury cottage at Apollo Bay and moved to a little place called Princetown not all that far down the road, and very close to the main attractions of the Great Ocean Road (GOR) - the Twelve Apostles - some rock formations just off the coast between here and Port Campbell. After we set up our tent we decided to head in to Port Campbell to get some lunch and a few groceries. On the way we decided to stop off and have a look at The Twelve Apostles. That's when it hit us... well when we hit them. We had gone to visit these attractions right at the peak time - early afternoon when all the buses from Melbourne, who have bought people up here on day trips arrive. The place was packed. It was hard to maneuver our our way down the walk ways to look at the view let alone try to get a photo (that didn't have 12 other people in it)

We went on into Port Campbell and found somewhere to have lunch, had a bit of a walk around and then started to head back to our camp. We decide to stop in at Loch Ard Gorge as we had missed it on our way into town but when we saw the car park -- 6 or 7 buses and crowded walkways we gave it a miss.

I am glad so many people from other countries are visiting Australia and enjoying our beautiful icons. I just wish they weren't there on the days that I want to visit them.

So we decided to go for a late afternoon/sunset trip to see them again and it was so worth it. No where near as many people about (not one coach load) It was just beautiful

On another positive note. I found my camera cord. It wasn't in the tent pocket when we unfolded it but I found it in the car.... after I searched the tent. It will be good to have the little one to use again as it is easier to handle and gives better cuddle. And no I will be able to get the photos off it that I took in Ballarat... all the gorgeous birds and babies by the lake. Yay