Another day in Sydney

Photos are in no particular order - Chinatown

Queen Victoria Building - so beautiful

HofM reading a plaque.

The Rocks

Lunch at 'Jamie's Italian' - yes, the Jamie - food was great, so busy.

Just to prove we were there - so many people - home now for a rest.

Australian Maritime Museum

A couple of days in Sydney & we visited this museum - so much to see that we didn't have enough time to get inside the museum itself but managed to visit 3 ships.

And you thought they had it tough on sailing ships - a fireplace, patchwork quilts - we won't mention the very cramped sleeping quarters for the sailors or having to bend in half to get to the officer's quarters or the fact, that I think most sailors were 4 feet nothing to be able to sleep in the beds!  It was all an eye opener.

Old & new - views of the city through the ropes.

We were privileged to witness the Pyrmont bridge swinging open to let someone's very big boat go through.  Doesn't happen very often, apparently.

Checked out the replica of the 'Endeavour' - (for my OS readers, Captain Cook's ship when he discovered the Australian coast) - this piece of lead is an actual piece of ballast from the original 'Endeavour'

The crows nest on the 'Endeavour'.

Then we went in to a submarine 'HMAS Ounslow' - it went out of service in 1999 after 30 years - boy, of boy, talk about cramped quarters - those guys did not paid enough at all! Some slept with controls at their heads - again I think they were all only allowed to be 4' or maybe 5' at a stretch.

Patchwork is never far from my thoughts - tiles in the loos under the Pyrmont Bridge.

In Sydney

We left Brisbane on Saturday morning & had an uneventful drive as far as Gloucester, New South Wales - it's a lovely drive down Thunderbolt's Way from Uralla on the New England Highway. Nothing much at Gloucester - an evening meal at the Roundabout Inn but it wasn't as good as we remembered last time we visited.  On Sunday morning through Dungog, Paterson, Maitland & on to Sydney arriving at our neices just after lunch.  My laptap does not want to recognize my bit thinggy from the camera & so can't download photos - will try to recitify that today - if not - will sort it when we get home.  Technology!!!!! It can be very frustrating.
 Hope everyone is having a pleasant Christmas break - I am sitting on the deck at my nieces, all is quiet - HofM has gone to golf with nephew - niece is as work, great-niece is still sleeping - the birds are noisy & the river is also quiet.  They have a magnificient view - photos to follow!

Pimp My Postcard

Received 2 postcards from Sherri & she invited me to join her MailArt call - Pimp My Postcard  - of course, forgot to scan the unaltered cards but this is what I ended up with.

Christmas Mailart

This lovely piece was sent by Helen - think it's wonderful!

This one is waiting to go out!

Christmas Break-ups

It's that time of year - Christmas break-ups!! For my OS readers - here in Australia it is now summer & most everything stops for a month or so - all groups that meet monthly will not meet over either December or January depending on what week meetings are held.  So - tradition demands that we have our break-ups - golf (HofM) at a Thai restaurant on Thursday night, Inner City Circle Quilt Group on Saturday breakfast at the Red Hen and yesterday (Sunday) brunch/morning tea for Purple Paddo Patchers at Forget-me-Not Tearooms.  This was my dessert - delightful mornings (both of them) with all my good friends.  Merry Christmas, everyone (there, I've said, ONCE!)

Suzanne showed us the Hawaiian quilt she has been making for a niece - it's a Christmas present so it has to be kept under wraps - this will be the lable.  It's hand appliqued & hand quilted - defintiely a labour of love. I think Suzanne will heave a sigh of relief once it's handed over.  The other niece has not been forgotten, she's getting a beaut hexagon quilt (large hexagond in purples) - again all hand work! You'll have to believe me when I say they are beautiful.

Playing Tourist

We took our English guests out for a drive around Brisbane & re-discovered a bit of out city. This is a view of the Brisbane River from the bandstand at Newstead Park. Blue river!!!!

Gondolas on Brekkie Creek - for your next romantic outing??

Mosaic armchair at a lookout on Latrobe Terrace.

View of the city from the armchair - not bad, hey!

Had desert at the Taiwanese dessert place at Sunnybank Plaza - thanks to Sue for introducing me to this little place - our guests were impressed!