Mother's Day

It's been a while since I've down loaded any pics. But here we are celebrating Mother's Day at the Red Olive Restaurant.. It was a little noisy in the restaurant as it was chokkas with people celebrating how wonderful their mother's are.

I'm tryng out a new thing today from Jigzone I hope it works.
This is a fab picture of me visiting my son at Singleton in NSW. It was only a short visit but we had a great time.
Click on the picture and it will go to a puzzle for you.

We have been renovating our back garden. We have put brand new steps and paving. We have increased our garden beds to make them larger and have attempted to add lawn. However we were advised against putting the turf down until September because that is the best growing season. So in the photos you will notice patches of bare dirt well that's where the lawn will be going. We were very please with the final look and now all we have to do is plant. Unfortuantely we need to wait for the rains to come. Hope they come soon!

Gardening

Well it's been such a long time since I've added to this post. That's because I have been so busy with work and everything. At Vittorio Park we have commenced our next major landscaping renovation. We had 5 trees pulled down that were around the house and now we are planting same trees further away. 25 in fact. You can see the last remaining logs of the big tree that was in the centre of the old holding paddock.

. In this photo you can see I've planted a stand of candlebark trees with native grass as companions. At the moment I am having to hand water them using a bucket. Hopefully the rain will come and give me a break. Once they start growing I'm sure they'll look lovely from the verandah. Next month we will be paving the top area of the block

. This is the view from the verandah. Soon hopfully to be improved.

Cherries galore

Look at Angie's lovely cherries arn't they fantastic. We picked them off the tree today. Ang managed to get at least 2Kg, which is pretty good if you knew how small the tree is. Ang was worried the birds would get them.

Open Garden Scheme

Yesterday my friends and I decided to have a day out and visit some of the open gardens. The first place we visited was Powers Court, in Donvale. Quite a beautiful garden full of lovely roses and some gorgeous camellias. They had a fantastic yellow lobelia sitting amongst the shrubs. The block that the house and garden was sitting on was quite steep so it was quite remarkable that they had such a lovely garden it it. It must be painstakingly difficult to weed the garden beds.
The second house was in Park Orchards. It was on a acre and I thinks what struck me at first was the lovely neat box hedging that welcomed you in and guided the visitor to the front door. They had an enormous vegie patch which I think Ang would love to have.
Next stop was Kuranga Native Nursery where we stopped to have lunch at the Candlebark Cafe before going on. The weather wasn't all that crash hot. In fact it was quite cold and wet. We decided to eat indoors as it was warmer. After lunch we wondered through the nursery and purchased a few plants.
After that we travelled to Wandin where we went to visit a native garden. At first I didn't like the garden as it looked messy, bare and unkempt. But as we went round the corner lo and behold was a more established garden with some beautiful trees, shrubs and wonderful flowers. I gained a lot of ideas for our block while I was wondering around. I think the garden was set on at least 4 acres of land. Mostly all native except when you came closer to the house where there were more exotic plants displayed. So tomorrow I will commence planting my own expantive native garden. ( or plan one anyway) I will start with the 6 tube stock I bought at Kuranga.

I planted 6 natives in the paddock

Do you like my rose?

Our Son Returns

The day we left for Darwin Luke rang from Townsville to say he has come home from East Timor safe and sound. He was waiting for a connecting flight to Sydney. He sounded very tired and said that he and a few other men were the only ones in the airport. Luke had been away for around 5 months. We can't wait to see him. In the meantime there are these pics that some of his friends took. Doesn't he look handsome in his army gear!!!!

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

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Katherine and Mataranka

Us in the Power River

Well after Yellow River went traveled south towards Katherine. We stopped at Pine Creek. Pine Creek was once a mining town. It was surprising to find so many people who stopped to rest at the cafe next to the pub. They had great vanilla slices that we tried to purchase when went passed through again on our way to Litchfield but they had sold out. It was quite warm when we went to Katherine but we stopped to look at the bridge that Ron had built in his youth. Surprising it is still standing and takes the majority of traffic back and forth. On the second day at Katherine we went to Mataranka's hot springs where we had a great time meeting and making new friends. Mataranka is famous for the story "We of the Never Never' Charmaine brought the book after visiting the homestead where the film was shot. After the hot springs went went to the Power river and swam there. It was gorgeous scenary and we were the only soles around. Early next morning we got up at day break and made our way to Katherine Gorge where we travelled up through two gorges while eating breakfast. The scenery here was breathtaking. I took a great shot of Ang in front of the 2nd Gorge

Yellow River

We went on the yellow river cruise and saw lots of crocs. Have a look! Besides the crocs there were beautiful birds, brumbies and of course the scenery was just fabulous.

More Pictures

More Pictures of us at Kakadu. Firstly Ang and I in front of a termite mound. then Ang and I on the Mary River looking for crocs.

Ang taking a long look over the Ubirr. We went there to watch the sunset go down.
And below is an aboriginal Rock painting found at Ubirr. Namondjok, a Creation Ancestor, and to his right Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, responsible for the violent lightning storms that occur every wet season.

Trekking Around The Top End

Shopping and watching the sunset at Mindill Market.

Well what an exciting 10 days I have had. Charmaine,Ron, Ang and I flew to Darwin on September 16th. It was quite a late flight and we arrived 2am Sunday morning. The first thing to hit me was the heat and humidity but eventually I got use to it. We stayed in Darwin for 2 days then set off for Kakadu. Our first stop was at Mary River where we stayed in cabins. Our Host Jonno was fantastic and a lot of fun. We went 4 wheel driving over the flood plains that night. The next day we went on a boat along the Mary River looking for crocs. We spied a few on the banks sunning themselves. After Mary River went went to Jabaru where we explored cave paintings, watched the sunset from Ubirr and went flying over Kakadu National Park. Next stop was Cooinda a lovely desert resort and we stayed there a while swimming in their pool and checking out the local scene. We went for a boat ride on the Yellow River where we saw lots of crocodiles. I recommend the Yellow River Boat Cruise to anyone who goes there. After Cooinda was Katherine. We stayed at Katherine for 2 days stopping off at Edith Falls where Ron and Charmaine braved the croc warning signs and had a swim. While we were staying at Katherine we drove down to Mataranka to the hotsprings there and swam out little hearts out. In the afternoon we found a lovely spot on the Power River and had a dip there also. That was great because we were the only ones there and the river was crystal clear and a perfect temperature. We wanted to go th the Jim Jim Falls but we needed a 4 wheel drive for that one and we didn't have one. On the last day at Katherine we went on a breakfast tour of the Katherine Gorge. We got to go through 2 gorges, they were breathtaking and I'm sorry now we didn't sign up for the 8 hour journey where you get to travel through 5 of the 16 gorges.We also stopped of at Pine Creek which although a small town is rich in history. After Katherine we travelled to Litchfield National Park where we stayed in a hotel at Bachelor. Litchfield is known for it's fantastic waterfalls and waterholes. We had a great time over 2 days exploring the various waterholes and hiking. I wasn't too pleased about the hotel there, it needed a big makeover. The air conditioner sounded like a truck was going through your room. Crickets were leaping everywhere and the tap had a continuing drip coming from it. As I said earlier the temperature was extremely hot so we hardly slept. After Litchfield we travelled back to Darwin where we stayed at the ritzy Saville Hotel where we made up for our lack of sleep the previous night. Even though we explored the Darwin sights when we first arrived there was still plenty to see and do. On the last night we went sailing on a pearl ship around Darwin's harbour and watched the sunset while sipping champas. As our flight didn't leave till 2am the next day we headed off to Darwin's casino where there was fab entertainment until it was time to depart for home. We had a great time in the Northern Territory and I recommend it to everybody.

I have been extremly busy getting a few other people up and blogging, so I haven't had time to log onto my own blog. Last weekends was just so busy with the Wattle Festival. The Hustbridge C.W.A. ran a devonshire tea and craft display. We also sold homemade produce. Lots of people came from all over and we were run off our feet. This weekend we started with a get together with my good friend Charmaine and her husband Ron. Next week we are going to Darwin then on to Kakadu for 2 weeks. We needed to work out the various places we were going to and what are our starting times. We thought it would be nice to discuss these things over a meal and some drinks( sparkling red to be exact). So we went to Poppys a lovely Thai restaurant in Croydon. The food was great as was the company. So can't wait till next week.

Cheers to a great holiday!

Jam Making

I have been spending all day making Jam for the CWA ladies, to sell at the Wattle Tree festival next week. I had already made a few jams earlier in the year when the fruit was in season (plum & rhubarb) Today I attempted to make apricot & pineapple jam. I used dried apricots and a can of crushed pineapple. I soaked the apricots overnight to make them nice and plump before I commenced cooking. However I did not used a heavy based pot and when I was distracted, the sugar burnt, making my lovely golden jam turn yucky brown. Devastated I turned my focus onto Lime marmalade while the second batch of apricots was soaking. I had never made marmalade before and as I had tons of limes I thought why not make Lime marmalade. Problem was my limes weren’t green they were yellow so my lime marmalade looks yellow. I changed pot and found my old pressure cooker and that seemed to do the trick. My marmalade turned out quite nice if I say so myself. As for the apricot &pineapple well I had another go and this time I didn't burn it so I am pleased to announce that today I bottled 5 marmalade jars and 6 apricot & pineapple jars. Now to make the labels and put a fancy top over the top.

Busy Weekend

I had another busy weekend. Firstly Ang and I went shopping and it took all morning. (Don't you hate that!) We dropped by Charmaine and Ron's house for a cuppa and to put the final payment on our trip to Kakadu. (Can't wait)Ron was working on his carport but Charmaine was visiting her mum so we didn't get to see her. In the afternoon I went to Pat's place for another of our girls' afternoon tea. This time the theme was "wedding photos" We had photos from 1965 through to 1980 something. Very interesting. Today I spent the day at a scrapbooking workshop. We commenced at 9am and went through till 5, but because Jacob is coming over for dinner, I decided to leave early. Besides I was a little scrapped out after doing 2 pages.I did pages about Ang as those were the most decent photos I had. It's just not the same as when one does scrapping at home.I have all my things at hand and my computer to do my signs with. So now I'll sign off as I have to write a letter to one son in Timor and get dinner ready for the other son.

Old Friends

Had a busy weekend. We had Eddy and Renata over for dinner on Saturday. We hadn't seen them for at least 12 years. It was great remembering old times and the fun we had camping. Sunday I started working on myI work program but was soon distracted making a maths mini office. I was scanning the web on resources to put into the mini office that would suit grade 3, when I came across this great site 'Maths is Fun' It has some good problem solving activities and before I knew it ,it was 5 o'clock. My how time flies.I finished the night with a lovely roast dinner in the company of Ang, Kimberly and her boyfriend Dale.

Last night we went to Chadstone's Mitsubishi's 20th anniversary dinner. My sister Kerry & brother in law Con, were the owners and hosts for the night. My other sister Patty and her husband Roddy came down from Sydney and my young brother Rob and his wife Debbie were also present. It was a lavish night and the band was great. Plenty of food and wine and the dancing seemed endless. I was wearing a pair of shoes that I had only brought that day. By the end of the evening my feet were hurting a little. We finished the night off at my brother's home sipping hot Milo and reviewing the night. Ang and I finally fell into bed around 2:45, which for us is quite late. Today I am just relaxing and having a quiet time on the computer. Ang has gone to the footy to watch Nth Melbourne at Telstra Dome. PS Don't you think my sister on the left looks like that English actress Brenda Blethen?

Dinner with Friends

Last night I went out with the rellies to a fabulous restaurant called 'Rubicon' in Nth Melbourne. I highly recommend it. The meals are fabulous and at great prices too. I finished off my weekend by having a long 'lie in" in bed and watched 'Sunday' on nine. Now I have to prepare for the week ahead and get organised.But first I'll write a letter to my dear son

Aren't I clever

I think I am very clever because thanks to my friend Diane from "Needles On The Move" I was able to change the background of my Blog. But I'm not sure how to put a greeting up the top. As you can see my pic doesn't fit very well and it has a white background. Hmm I'll have to think about this. by the way do you like my portrait? Hold on I've worked out how to delete that picture. So I will.

Prep Quilt

Well I began the Prep quilt today. The theme is 'Animal Crackers' The preps went to the zoo last term so I cut out circles for them to draw on. I spent the day preparing the circles to attach to the backing fabric.All the fabric I have used so far has been unbleached calico. I like to use that because it is reasonably cheap and I enjoy dying it. I dyed the backing using parisian essence with some coffee added. To get a rich brown effect I had to dye it 3 times. So I was up all night.. next week I will attach the circles to the backing fabric and sew them on.