Some layouts for today

Hi there

I have been busy creating today and here are some layouts that I have finished....


In Cairns we were facinated with the different plants but this tree must have taken the cake!! It is a Cannonball Tree and is native to tropical America. The flowers are superb (note to self...paint this when you go to Cairns next year!) and the fruit is just like cannonballs - they are bigger than a soft ball nad heavy - very like a boab tree we thought. Weird!


Isn't this a wonderful Torch Ginger. It was so great to see the wonderful plants and especially the gingers int he botanical gardens - they are so colourful and bright.


These palms were on lots of things at Cairns - often with little green tree frogs. The gates at the botanical gardens which Phil is standing near have these palms in the iron work. The gardens are so green and lush! These palms are cut out by hand and decorated but they haven'ty come up too badly I think... and I love that frog!!


How awesome is this bird the Cassowary. They are big, fearless and beutiful. This layout is very simple - but it didn't need a lot more! The bright cobalt blue and scarlet colours on the neck and chest are true of the colours.... how awesome is this bird??


Love these little guys. They appeared at dusk and fed on insects for a lot of the night then hid during the day. They are so cute!!

Going to get a glass of wine now..... and then tidy up this mess so I can make more mess next time I scrap - thanks for looking

Carol

Allow time to dream

Here is a very quick post of a layout I did for a Cybercrop last weekend..... it got a lot of comment - probably because it is a bit unlike what I usually do.... The photo is of Scribbly Gums


Can't you just feel the enchantment of it all and you expect a fairy or two to appear from behind the trees (I haven't been drinking!)

Balloon Ride

Last year the kids gave me a wonderful present for my birthday .... a balloon ride over Canberra and a champagne breakfast. So finally last weekend (a year and one week later) I finally managed to go...Phil also decided he wanted to come too so here is the story.

It was a cold minus 3 degrees in the early mornign when we met 'Balloon Aloft' at the Hyatt in Canberra. And a very early 6am. We had our briefing session and then it was off to Narrabundah oval so we could prepare for take off. 4 other balloons were also there - apparently they usually are at the same start off point each time. That is frost on the ground and we stood around while things were getting started.


The men helped the balloon come out of the bag - it is 8 stories high uninflated.


That is the pilot ensuring that the wires were not tangled and all was okay. The basket is on its side and rights itself once the air is heated inside the balloon. Lots of frost beneath our feet!


First cold air is pumped into the balloon by large fans and then the pilot blasts it with the gas flame. When this happens it starts to lift and the basket rights itself. Everyone then has to clambour into the basket nad it is NOT at all an elegant thing. The basket holds 16 passengers and the pilot.


The balloon we went in is the blue and gold one. The other balloon got off more quickly and you will see it in the photos to follow.


Sunrise over the Russell Offices on the left is the CBD.


The reflections of the blue sky att his time of day are amazing. Black Mountain tower is ahead and the Carrilion in on the right.


Love this photo - with the shadow of the balloon!! It was so peaceful up there....warmer than on the ground and a perfectly still day....wonderful


The Australian War Memorial from above!

Whn we finished we hopped back in the vehicle and headed back to the Hyatt for a champagne breakfast. Thanks kids it was an awesone birthday present! Even though I did it a year later.....

Lots of love
C

Awesome Weekend

Hi everyone

I had the best weekend because I caught up with some fantastic ladies who have made me laugh and cry over the past year with their antics and their lives. The LSBS (Little Scrap Book Shop) is a forum which I visit to meet up with my scrapbook friends and we had a wonderful retreat this year topping the experience of the retreat last year.

So what was great about this years LSBS Retreat??

• Spending the weekend with Bec, Theresa and the other wonderful ladies at my table - AT, PT, Vanilla, Shelee and Paperdoll
• Meeting up with all the other ladies who I have talked to at numerous times on forums and and especially Relsi, Lisa, Marg, Helen and Spikey Jen
• Completing 14 layouts, 2 circle journals and Lisa's class album (some of my layuouts are below that I completed over the weekend)

These are not Australian - but oh so cute and bright!!

• Winning a photographic prize for a photo of butterflies below (and no it isn't from google!!)

Cairns Birdwing butterfly

• Looking and buying stash from the shop (not telling how much)
• Eating way too much chocolate and licorice oh and drinking more than enough wine
• Snow on the way home..... what the Americans call 'Winter Wonderland' white hills and snow flurries - awesome
• And celebrating my birthday on Sunday with everyone..... and thanks girls for the cards, and Cath for the pancakes on Sunday morning
• Thanks also to Bec and Theresa who took me out to an Italian Restaurant for my birthday tea on Saturday night.

Am I going next year?????? Absolutely!!!!!!

This is where we stayed in Cairns after the retreat ...
the beautiful Zanzoo

Where we stayed for the Scrap Therapy Retreat in Cairns
Cairns Colonial Club Resort

We came as strangers and left as friends....so true
Scrap Therapy Retreat May 2008

I look forward to doing some layouts of the LSBS Retreat to share with you once I have the photos back from PT!!

Today Phil and I were supposed to be going on a champagne balloon ride this morning but as instructed we called at 5am to find out it was cancelled. Usually I would be so disappointed but this morning I was grateful to sleep another 4 hours!! We will try again in the next week.

Tonight we are celebrating my birthday (I still feel 30 so I am not counting the years anymore - I just think to myself can I possible be 51 it really doesn't seem at all possible) so we are going out to dinner tonight and I will pop over and see Mum and Dad this afternoon for a cuppa.

Thanks everyone for a fabulous time

Love
Carol

Thursday post .... pelicans

phOkay everyone - I have been very remiss.... we spent a wonderful few days last week at the beautiful Narooma on the coast. It was just superb! 18 degrees - what a relief for the 10 degrees in Canberra.

Baby pelican

So sweet.....love pelicans

These were taken while I was waiting for a pelican to land
thank goodness for great shutter speed.....

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4

While we were away Mum and Dad had a health issue which saw Dad admitted to hospital for almost a week and Mum into respite. The great outcome though was that Mum and Dad now both have help showering and dressing in the mornings and this will be a great relief to them.

Work is so hectic but it is wonderful. We are interviewing for lots of staff at the moment and we should have around 50 staff by Christmas...hohohohohohoho and increase of about 10. And upwards of 60 next year. What an amazing place to be at the moment.

The house at Walson has been sold and finalised so that is done! Phil is more relaxed and it is great to look forward to building a new place at Scribbly Gums.

And ...... I am off to a scrapbooking retreat at the LSBS this weekend with Bec and Theresa and about 40 other ladies. What fun and great times we will have. Sunday is my birthday and A dawn balloon flight and out to dinner on Monday!

I promise to post more photos and chat after next weekend. til then be safe and happy

Love
C

A quiet day this weekend

After working like a mad person for the past weeks I am now officially off on holidays all week!! Yipeeeee. Time to get some quality R&R and that definitely means going away because if I stay here I tend to work...... so we are off to gorgeous Narooma from Tuesday to Sunday.

I will be taking my watercolours with me and my camera to take some great shots I hope. And I also bought some new watercolour paper so I am hoping to complete a whole lot of paintings as well.

Tonight (Saturday) I went ot my official farewell at Scouts. It was a lovely dinner and a celebration of the time I have spent in scouts (15 years!!). Alan also was leaving tonight too..... so it was a double thing. Scouts was very special for me when my first marriage broke up, and it gave me things to do, experiences and friends who were safe and friendly. Not only that but it developed me in so many ways. I treasure the time I spent as 'KANGA' and hope I made a difference.

We also visited Scribbly Gums today and it is looking great. We are trying to decide on a suitable site for the house....and it is harder than than may seem. It needs to be accessible, have good light, not be too near trees and bushfire risk, nearish to the power..... all pretty important. Any way we met our neighbours today Carlos and Megan and they are friendly and great. They have done a lot of work on their block and will be able to help steer us in the right direction for ous!! It is good to have great neighbours!

Tomorrow I am doing a hair colouring job - more red than usual - but it should be fun for winter. Then off to see Mum and Dad who are well again after a few health concerns 10 or so days ago. We are ppopping in for morning tea.

Not much else to share I am afraid - it is so cold at the moment I will be pleased to have spring here soon - frozen birdbath agin this morning!! Oh and the kids gave me a balloon flight last year for my birthday which I have now booked for the 11th August - now over a year old!! Anyway Phil wants to come too so we are off on a balloon ride on the 11th and I should take some great photos of Canberra!!

Smile, and let the work be concerned about what you have been up too!!

Love
Carol

A mid week catch up

Hello everyone

This is a fairly quick blog for two reasons:

• Because I have had waaay too much wine and I need to lie down
• Because it is mid week and refer to point 1.

A few things are happening and I thought that I would write to let you know......

Firstly we are going away next week to Narooma to stay for 5 nights of tranquility and painting. I am so looking forward to a bit of a break as my workload has been crazy lately. But I have finished so much so that is great! I will work one day over the weekend and complete my stuff on a funding application then it is finished.

Bec, Theresa and I are off to a scrapping retreat with the Little Scrap Book Shop in August. It is actually my birthday weekend. But I am delighted to have the opportunity to go and catch up with the wonderful and talented lassies form LSBS. I know them so much better now and it will be wonderful to catch up again. I am hoping we can go out on Saturday night for dinner..... and celebrate - but we will see. There might be something interesting on which we can't miss!

Matt DS has been showering here for about a week as the gas people did not fill up their tank at where he and Joe live. However today we didn't see him so I am guessing that all is well again and he has hot water and a warm house. What a time to run out of gas though - freezing winter! It gets so chilly here and you really do need heating etc.

Caught up with Jess DD and Jason DSIL on Sunday night and they are well, though a little sore from horse riding over the weekend for a birthday bash in Nowra. They had a great time and apparently the weather was very kind.

Saw Damo last Friday before he returned to Bathurst and he is doing really well. At the end of this year he will be at the halfway mark...... what a wonderful achievement.

On Saturday I say goodbye officially to the training team at Scouts. It has been a big part of my life and I have trained more scout leaders than I can possibly remember. Scouts was a contant force in my life through my marriage breakup 12 years ago and it gave me skills and lots of froiends who have seen me through some difficult and joyful times. Many of my scouts are now adults with their own lives and that in itself is a success. They were great times and so enjoyable. Now it is time to move on, no regrets just sweet memories - I must bring a camera with me to catch those last photos. We always say we are going to catch up but we are also so busy!! Never seems to be the time, I am sad to say.

Mum and Dad have had their ups and downs over the past week - but are now in an up..... which is a relief. They are bringing in community help for showering and dressing in the mornings which will be a good help. Neither of them have as much mobility as they did and this bit of extra help will offer them much needed support.

Other than that I am just mooching along. I haven't felt too inspired to do much lately - work has pretty nuch got in the way - but everything should calm down now for a while anyway. Can't wait to do some paintings in Narooma and lot of quiet days and easy nights - just what I need I think - time with my wonderful, ecentric, atristic, patient and incredibly tollerant husband Phil!

Near Lake Argle - the dawn of time

There are times when life is a kaliescope of colour
Changing, moving and irredescient pools full of promise
And there are times when life is a still stream
Renewing and nuturing everything in its path
It is the ebb and flow of life
That renews and makes a new day
Worth living
Anon

Lots of love
Carol