I'm enjoying a catch up Sunday

Isn't it great to have time to chill out and attend to one's pleasure list.
You, know, the things you only get to when there's time to spare.

I was able to play with a new photo collage app.

These lovely things are being shown at Gallery 159 in Brisbane, by the artist Dorothy Haig.
Paul and I enjoyed seeing them yesterday. We can also recommend Sharyn Hall's exhibition at the Robyn Bauer Gallery in Paddington. Exceptionally beautiful work. ( no photos allowed)

Lunch at 'Kettle and Tin' at Paddington was great. It didn't look like this, but here's a gratuitous photo of the 'small' cheese platter at Maleny Cheese factory.

Another task completed with the changeover of the wreath on the front door.

Autumn's here, but apparently we have one last day of 33 degrees today before we can unpack the cardigans.

Now it's time to move on to the next job on my list. Yippee!

am still trying to get over the shock

So there we were; 9 creatives on a blissful retreat near Toowoomba.
Check out the serenity.

..... on my return home, I was introduced to our new garden tenant.

I may never hang out the washing again.

wonder why we are so keen to travel to France

There's something about France and Paris in particular that makes most women sigh and get that faraway look in their eye.

Isn't it wonderful that there are petite touches of La belle Francais in Le Brisbane?

It might just hold us over until we can get there encore.

am searching for a subject

The years's routine is starting to impinge on the potential blog posts.
Are we doing anything utterly fabulous? Semi - fabulous yes, but not utterly.
So where do I go for inspiration?

Will it be a showcase of flowers?

Will it be reminiscing about wonderful places we've visited?

Or pondering about the exoticness of our next trip?

Will it be about pride in our family's acheivements?

.... Or a more loved up family tribute?

I know, a foodie photo always goes down well.

Perhaps I should share with you my fondness for pineapple decor?

No; sorry folks; I've got nothing.

have so much to tell you

When we were in Roatan for the wedding of the year in July 2012, I found some special textile treasures sewn by the local Honduran women.

One of these was this amazing embroidery. My xmas and birthday present was getting it framed. I love the way it's turned out.

and a close up.

My birthday has dribbled into February as Myles kept reassuring me that his present was in the mail; he'd been tracking it online.

Yippee it arrived.

He knows me well and has a very good eye for what makes me happy. Here it is.

Thank you to my boys for indulging me.

am waiting by the mailbox

Every so often, a lovely surprise arrives in the mail box.
In the past week, I've had 3 of those days.

Firstly, a wonderful personalised calendar from Mey's Mum Mary (try saying that when you've had a Mai-Tai or 3).

On each page are photos representing the special days in our family's lives. Please note that
July 17th is National Cocktail Day.

Here are a couple of examples:

.... Then on Wednesday was a postcard from my dear friend Chris Jones who has been working her way through the 'mail art 365' challenge. The goal is to create and post 365 postcards. Hers have gone all over the world, and been featured in an exhibition in New York.

This is the one I received this week.Apparently she's adapted a card I'd previously sent to her.

Her decision to start this project came after the treacherous floods of 2011. She and hubby were away when their house was inundated.
In the clean up, a friend retrieved their photos and cleaned them, hoping memories would remain. What resulted was a whole new phase in her creativity, as she collaged, stitched printed on these photos.

Here's my first from Chris, soon after she started her project.

Yesterday's visit to the mailbox yielded a postcard from my gorgeous niece Emma who's been travelling around Europe in her Uni break. How lovely that she thought of us when she was in Scotland.

You can bet I'll be checking for the postie today.

want to reassure you that I'm still blogging

I know; I missed writing a blog last week. I'm hurting just as much as you are.

The past few days have had me feeling like this:

And this:

.... Not sure why really, I think it has to do with Oswald and anxiety over dear friends who've had real problems to deal with.

This is how they coped:

Stoically and with grace.
Their homes are intact and they are safe.

I'd like to thank my photographer Paul who recorded these images at San Antonio Zoo in July last year.