Warrawong

feeding time at Warrawong a video by Poppytree2010 on Flickr.

Had a wonderful 24 hours at Warrawong Wildlife Sancuary up in the Adelaide Hills. Our accomodation was slightly better than camping but was still a canvas eco-cabin with wooden frame and zipped flyscreen windows. It did have air con for hot days and a heater and electric blanket for cold nights and a small shower room and toilet so quiet luxurious really! It rained heavily during the night and the thunder woke us several times but at least we were snug and dry in proper beds. Our package included several self guided walks, an animal show and a sunset/night walk with a warden + dinner and breakfast.


As well as all the usual marsupials and parrots we were extreme lucky to see the only Platypus (colony) living in the wild in South Australia. They are very hard to spot and sadly not easy to photograph by torchlight. I now know the difference between Bilby, Bettong and Bandicoots but the kangaroos, Euros and Wallabies are not so easy to tell apart especially when the grey ones are 'red' kangaroos and the darker brown ones are 'greys'!


We had a great meal before the evening walk and breakfast looking out over the shaded ponds and fern gardens. We were joined by loads of parrots, galahs, lorikeets and ducks as you can see.

Ohio Star & Frog Cakes

Made my first block for the Quilt Class Sampler Table Runner.  Making another in different colours to get some practice.  Think I'm going to like my new hobby though it might be a while before I make a kingsize quilt!

This is the finished shop sample - wonder if mine will look anything like that by the end of the 4 week course!

Had a fun assignment to do today.  A friend of mine in Sydney works for someone whose mother has just died. She's in Adelaide for the funeral and my friend (and the rest of the girls in the office)wanted to do something to make her smile rather than send flowers.  She loves Balfour's Frog Cakes - little fondant cakes with green icing in the shape of frogs - an Adelaide 'delicacy'  I managed to track down a baker who sold them and reserved 6 for collection then popped them in a bag with a card and left them at the house where she was staying.  I've heard she was delighted with the surprise and hasn't a clue how they got there!


The Frog cake is a dessert in the shape of a frog's head, composed of sponge cake and cream covered with fondant. It was created by the Balfours bakery in 1922, and soon became a popular treat in South Australia. Originally frog cakes were available exclusively in green, but later brown and pink were added to the range. Since then other variations have been developed, including seasonable varieties (such as snowmen and Easter "chicks"). The frog cake has been called "uniquely South Australian",^[1] and has been employed in promoting the state. In recognition of its cultural significance, in 2001 the frog cake was listed as a South Australian Heritage Icon by the National Trust of South Australia.

A 'Distressing' Morning with Belinda

Finally got round to attending a craft class at Lottie's and what a fun one it was. Belinda showed us how to make 5 cards in three hours using Graphic 45 papers in lots of creative ways. 

The paper was a lovely antique one featuring children and alphabets in shades of red, brown and cream.  Banners and flags (Belinda's signature style) were much in evidence as well as Tim Holtz Embossing Folders, Distress inks, Glimmer Mist, Nestabilities and string.  My distressing tool was well used too!

 This card has lots of texture and the folded banner adds dimension. Most edges of the 'embellishments' on these cards have been roughened with a distressing tool before being coloured with distress inks.

 The main cardstock from Graphic 45 (Alphabet Soup from ABC Primer collection) has 9 framed panels and the ones not used in their original square were cut into triangles (2 sizes using both sides) 2 other complimentary papers from other collections were used.  We also used a white resist crayon to make the little boy's face show up when distressing ink pad was used to tint and darken the edges of the frame.

 The cat came from one of the other 'frames'  and the words have been cut from a single stamped image.

A very quick and easy card to finish with -  Nestability die cut frames and image arranged creatively and wrapped with string.  The rolled corner and scroll stamping adds interest to this simple design

Highlights from the last week

Saturday:  Went to the Farmers Market at Willunga again - bought more yummy goats cheese, huge mushrooms, delicious strawberries and some wicked relishes from The Spice Girlz!  Went on to the coast at Port Willunga and discovered the Star of Greece Restaurant - we'll definately be going back there.

Sunday:  Walked to Thalassa Park with our deck chairs for a free concert in the park - lovely setting and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon but the walk was punishing - steep slope and a bit hot and humid.  The group playing were called the Baker Suite.  The link below shows the gardens and surrounding view.

http://youtu.be/UvPjmUnbtXo

Monday: Dropped Clive off at the cricket in Glenelg while I drove to Brighton to browse the Patchwork-by-Sea shop.  Bought some fabric and signed up for a 4 week course on patchwork and quilting.  Walked 8Km (5 miles) into Glenelg and back along the beach.  Knees were a bit sore by the end but glad I did it.  Even managed my Aquafit class in the evening then off to watch Clive play bowls and have a cold beer.

Tuesday:  Set up my new trestle table and folding chairs in the craft room ready for when I start classes here after Easter.  Unpacked, set up and tested the sewing machine I bought in John Lewis a year ago for £50.  Should come in handy for Saturdays class!  My neighbour popped round to in vite me a coffee morning next month.  Never a dull moment!

ODI Australia v India (India won in final over with 2 balls to spare)

Another day at the cricket! Hard to keep my legs out of the sun and my legs would do a flamingo proud! Pink shins and feet are not a good look. That's my last match for a while, I enjoy the atmosphere and even the game (provided its not too slow - prefer 20/20 or ODI to Test Matches).

Clive's there again today and making use of his Membership Card. I've been to the beach, walked from Brighton to Glenelg and back, had a read and caught up with a couple of programmes recorded on TV. Nice to have a day to myself for a change.

Happy 6th Birthday Emily

Well done Daddy - spectacular treasure chest cake - and a great success!

I made these few bits for her

How does my garden grow?

Garden, a set on Flickr.

The container grown plants may only be 1 - 6 weeks old but are all doing well - hibiscus - beautiful sunset colour, Black Prince chilli, large red very hot chilli (not ripe yet) geranium cuttings(from Victor Harbor) and herbs - the basil is very prolific - time to make some more fresh Pesto sauce!