Autumn field trip

One of the best things about my job is that I get to spend time with really interesting people, sometimes in fabulous outdoor locations.

I spent this past weekend in Victoria's south-west with nearly 60 of my post-grad students; the weather was dreamy and we explored all kinds of local landscapes.

 Coastal vegetation - a pleasing juxtaposition of lumpy and spiky forms

We saw lots of race horses out for an early morning swim

 The sea mists roll away....

 The wetlands in the crater of Tower Hill (an ancient volcano) have been replenished by recent rains.

 A jetstream sliced through the sky at dusk, as we were bathed in golden light.

My husband and dogs came along too - Gus loved the beach as always

Mesmerising!

Windcatching at Yambuk

More turbines! Nice.

Blog catch-up #1 ... Creative inspiration

Wow - I feel as though I've been away for ages. But we finally prevailed in our struggles with the evil telephone provider ... our phone line (and therefore internet connection) has been repaired. Huzzah!

So, to catch up .... it seems like much more than 2 weeks ago that I went to this beautiful city for the first time in more than 25 years. There I spent a wonderful weekend with amazing crafty bloggers from all over Australia. Thank you Sheridan, for arranging such a great event again, thank you to my lovely room mates and talented, generous swap partners and all the great gals I had laughs with over the three days! I'm really looking forward to next year's S.I.T. ....

More details and pics to come in a future post, but here are a couple of pics from my phone (as my camera died almost as soon as I got to Sydney).

Oh, and before I went to S.I.T. I bumped into the very lovely Nikki and was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of her new book, which will be available for pre-orders from the ABC shop next month. Nikki is one of those wonderfully creative people who just brightens up the world wherever she goes. Check out her blog and website if you like good patterns or need a creative boost.

A little summer road trip

We flew to Adelaide on Christmas Day and took some time to pootle home along the coast the following week.

We had sunshine every day, and it was super-hot as we made our way along the Great Ocean Road on New Year's Eve; the wind felt like a furnace blast - it was 39°C, without a cloud in the sky.

We went straight to the surf beach and braved the waves as soon as we reached Apollo Bay! In the evening, a BBQ on a wooden deck overlooking the beach was followed by silly dancing with sparklers under the stars .....

~ a nice gentle way to ring in the New Year!



(click sparklers for image sources)

Dreaming of soft light

... and a place for quiet contemplation ...

Peaceful days could be spent in this Greek getaway:

(via Pure Green)