27 October 2010

Dog Greetings

Come Home Soon, We Miss You is a photo of our dog Missy in the White and Black
Fluffy outfit. Buddy is my Mum's two year old poodle that we have been dog sitting. They
are both waiting with wagging tails doing overtime when we get visitors at my house.
I made this into a card for someone special who is in Hospital and appreciates lots of
wagging tail attention.



This is Buddy who is my shadow at the moment while Mum is away.
I am trying to take some photos of the new pink flowers but he is keeping
a close eye on me at all times. So this turned out to be such a sweet snap
for Mum to keep when she arrives home.
Hi to everyone, be back soon.
Sue

23 October 2010

Beach Weather



There is a Old but lovely photo of my two girls busy at Stansbury Beach in South Australia.
I just love this quiet little beach. When our children were growing up we lived here just next
to the beach and even if the weather wasn't sunny and warm we still enjoyed lots of fun
family times.


Because I don't live so close to the beach but in the city I still like to think of it often
I saw this lovely old illustration for sale on a delightful Etsy Store called Paddyridge
Vintage in Chicago but easy to find online at http://www.paddyridge.etsy.com/.
What a great find and I new it had to be mine. I will put it in a nice frame and day
dream of fun and sun at the beach.
On not so sunny beach days especially! The little girl looks familiar, probably a good
mixture of similar looks to the beach girls in our family.


We are having a very busy family week with lots of coming and going. Family visiting from
the country and a quick trip from my daughter from Darwin, Northern Territory. She has
a busy time planned with finalizing lots of Wedding Plans all ready for September next year.
All being well she will get some time to relax a little in the middle of all the running around.
This great sunset photo was not take on some tropical location but from the back of our
home in South Australia! Last night the sunset was so beautiful and peachy looking that
we couldn't resist a quick photo shoot. The palm trees are in a yard two doors down.
The little Tropical area we have in our garden isn't quite so fantastic, the palms are
struggling at the moment. But the rest of our garden is springing to life with lots of flowers.
Yesterday the new bottle brush native bush finally flowered and soon it will be covered
with flowers. Or should I say bottle brushes as that is why they are named that.
Hope everyone has a great weekend just like I intend to enjoy all the special moments
with all my family.
Sue


20 October 2010

Beautiful Western Australia











Last night I happen to catch the new show Iron Chef Australia and was excited
to see that they were featuring a WA Chef contestant who runs a beaut restaurant
in the heart of Perth. Sorry I did not run and put pen to paper and get the name
of the restaurant but I know exactly where it is and since this is only our second
trip there as a couple. We were staying close to the city centre and came across
this unique little restaurant that caught our eye mainly because it had a netting
frame around the brick walls that accommodated 1000's of pots full of fresh leafy
green herbs of all types. It was amazing to see. Because we were just doing some
shopping we had a quick peek inside and decided it looked very interesting and
alternative. Something to explore another day. You could see that they had a
roof top garden too, that concept of a country style garden in the middle of a
busy city really intrigues me.
When we visited Perth in May on Holidays we had a great week relaxing and
enjoying some late sunny and warm weather before Winter kicked in. This
time we just pottered around and did our own thing. Last time we did lots of
tourist trips here, there and everywhere. So we tried to find new things and
revisit other fav spots more leisurely this time around. We walked our legs off!
Wandering for miles. The Swan river surrounds Perth and all the pretty
gardens.
The photo of the Gum nut babies was taken late one afternoon on our way
back from the wharf. We had just spent the most relaxing time on a Captain
Cook Cruise down river to a Winery. It was a Luncheon Cruise with wine
tasting on board as well as later at the Winery. This is my type of Cruise, no
packing, no customs, no seasickness on the open sea. Plenty of scenery to look
at, good company, excellent food and a very talented crew who entertained
us back into Perth. Next time we go we will invite our friends who live there
to come along and enjoy.

Kings Park in the central park lands overlooking the water views is something
we love. Lots of Native plants and trees. We got to see the seasonal difference
as last time it was spring wildflower season. The last photo shows the huge
Boab Tree transplanted from the Kimberley area. It is much bigger than it looks
in the photo. In Australia the boab is found only in the Kimberley and the
neighbouring area of Northern Territory. Really something to see. When you
hit the road to outback WA it is fantastic to see them doted along the landscape
all the way to Broome and beyond. Truly Magical!
We venture to Fremantle for the day by trail. Nice new and speedy. Everything
is so easy to see without having to drive. Bus trips around the city are FREE.
Plus if you do book a bus tour you usually get a Welcome to Perth tour of the
city FREE to! The day we went to the Art Gallery it was closed but we did the
Museum that is big enough to keep us busy for ages. Perth has two Malls for
shopping and one of the arcades are very old world English. Lots of old
buildings and architecture to look at and appreciate.
Next visit we hope to Fly/Drive so that we can see some more of the coastal
towns and treasure hunt without worrying about excess luggage! The good
thing about traveling is you can always plan to do all the things you missed
next time and reminisce often.

Here is to lots of happy travels to everyone!

Sue






15 October 2010

Welcome New Baby


Welcome to our family dear little Isaac. Proud parents Mat and Elisha and big sisters
Cheyenne and Dakota make one lovely happy family. Our already BIG family is getting
larger this year with a lovely Great Neice and Great Nephew. Last year was a busy year
for babies too. I look forward to getting to know them.
Since we moved back to South Australia from Darwin, Northern Territory we are lucky
to be able to see much more of our extended family and enjoy catching up often.
Another thing we are enjoying is creating a garden at our new home and watching it
spring to life with the great weather we have had lately. Plenty of rain after the dry
Summer. The flowers in the picture are from our garden and have all just started
flowering.
Hubby is a fantastic gardener. He enjoys pottering around and did all our landscaping
himself, so he is very talented and a handy person. I on the other hand love giving
plenty of input into the design and picking out of plants. Our garden is small but has
plenty of character and since we started from scratch it has been lots of fun.
Missy our dog and I get to check out whats happening around our area when we go for
long walks. The variety of homes in our area range from very old to brand new.
One minute an old home is minding its own business and then its goodbye to make
room for 2 or 3! new homes on the one block. Anyway some of the older homes have
cottage style gardens and some old fashion types of plants. I get to see just what will
do well at our place. One day we will run out of room, not too soon I hope!
Getting ready for another busy weekend. Another big birthday in the family and a
get together to attend. We are dog sitting my Mums 2 year old poodle for a bit.
Hope he settles, fast! He cried most of last night, next to our bedroom window!
We will have to close off that area or we will be very tired soon.
Hope you all have a great time this weekend.
Cheers, Sue

08 October 2010

Philadelphia here we come!


My dear Hippos in top hats and bow ties are headed off on a big trip OS to Philadelphia
USA! WOW are these shy guys excited. I know they are going to a nice home. I will
miss those beautiful eyelashes and smart attire though. Beau and Hugh are country
guys from SA so they make friends easily. I can see them dancing the night away at a
smart dinner dance.
The boys have been hanging around my Astrachic Studio Etsy Store for a bit.
Make sure you don't miss out on any other fun finds by clicking on my link
http://www.astrachic.etsy.com/ Remember to tell your family and friends about it.
Bye,
Sue
PS Just downloaded my nifty little pocket shop here on the right side of the page.
I love it! Thankyou to the CraftCult team for making it so easy for everyone to view my
etsy store.