Happy Australia Day

Happy Australia Day Everyone...hope you are all having a lovely time with your family and friends....[i tried to upload this earlier today but blogger was having a few hiccups with uploading photos, however the thought was there]

Hubby and i took a little jaunt to Maldon and Daylesford yesterday to pick up our dog who had been away on a little sex fest! he didn't look that happy to see us, i don't think he wanted to come home!
Anyway we stopped at Maldon, a very pretty little heritage town with lots of curio and junk shops, yummy bakeries and a great little patchwork shop.
This the view down the front street.

Its a bit touristy on weekend but through the week it was fairly quiet. A few years we went on the steam train for a Fathers Day lunch. That was so much fun....and hubby got picked to go and have a drive with the train driver!

Then we went to Daylesford, the home of mineral water and spas......wow, was that place alive with all the summer tourists...I was looking for a craft/patchwork shop but it was full of eateries, spas and pretentious little gift shops.

Then we went to the Convent Gallery, the gardens are absolutely magnificent and i took some pictures of this tree, aren't the patterns in the bark amazing?





The buildings have been renovated and it houses a restaurant, convention, wedding centre, art gallery supporting local artists and gift shop. I took some pictures of the beautiful leadlight windows in the chapel





and from the veranda overlooking Daylesford.



I could never live here, look how thick that forest is [beautiful i know] but it totally surrounds the town, you would have no hope in a bushfire.





On the way home we stopped here at the
Chocolate Mill made from straw bales. It was so cool inside. One of my dreams is to have a straw bale home but I'd have to divorce hubby first ;)

All in all a lovely end to the day......


ATC

I made this for the Inkurable Stampers Gothic Arch Challenge. The theme was Butterflies and you had to use at least one stamp. I have real lack of commercial stamps but alphas i do collect!
The background is oil pastels smudged around the over stamped with gesso on bubble wrap.
The red stripes are from the cardboard that covers your chocolates in the box. A bit of muslin and a little store bought ribbon butterfly and it was done...I'm trying to push myself a bit this year and the best way to do that is to actually sign up to challenges!!


Charlie and Ted
I wanted to say thank you for all your lovely comments too regarding Charlie and Ted. You make me smile!
She's settling in well thanks to the wonderful kindness of her host families and will be off to school tomorrow.
She set up a blog if you would like to see her first photos and maybe leave comment...

It looks funny to see snow on the beach and id forgotten how soft the light is in Europe....

I sent her over with some pavlova eggs so guess what she's making for Australia Day?!