Easter at the Bunyas

We have been holidaying and spending time up at the Bunya Mountains for many years. It is a national park 3 hours from where we live on the Sunshine Coast and about 40 minutes from Dalby where I did live. It is always green in a country which is beset with drought after drought and is covered in large high trees called...Bunya Trees! They are very green and have long spiky leaves and also very large nuts, about football size which drop to the ground below at 'nut' time.

We booked a unit from Canada 8 months ago as it is a popular place at Easter...so having only seen it on the net I was a bit nervous about what we would find. But it turned out to be pretty perfect...2 bedrooms upstairs with their own ensuites and another one down with a large living and kitchen/dining area with a little balcony and bbq. And it backed onto a quiet lawn area where lots of wallabies were congregating...so very nice.

It was cold by our standards...11 degrees at nite so we lit the fire and cuddled up at nite and the days were pretty sunny and lovely although a bit cool. We spent the time making art and watching silly movies and reading and just lazing...also lots of food and junk food...it was easter after all...chocolate time...yay.

Trudy gave me a cardboard globe of the world which we put together and then painted and have begun keeping a record of where we all have lived and want to live...

On Good Friday we had the 4 kids there and that was really special for me as that is a rare occasion now...especially with me in Canada at times and Trudy and Tom planning on travelling too...

These photos are for Nikki....this is part of an antique dinner set given to me by my mum. The original set had enough plate settings for 12 people and there were 6 tureens with china ladles and 8 platters in different sizes. Mum halved the set and my sister and I were each given a dinner set for 6 people. Some of the plates have somehow found their way to Trudy's house...

The green plates were also some of mum's. I love the cabbage leaf plates. She had a pile of them and I now have a few. I try to use them every day.

Well I hadn't been able to access my blog....I've been having trouble with my hotmail and my new gmail and I'm not sure if it is me or the computer or the internet baddies..stuff I don't understand. Luckily I have some brainiac family members who know what computers are about...I rang my son-in-law, Tom, the other day for internet help and he was very patient and helpful. I realized though that maybe I need to persevere sometimes and so I did and got back on here. This blog is really nice to have for me to post photos for friends who are not okay with facebook. Living between the 2 countries means that I am often thinking about friends and family on the other side from whichever country I happen to be in at the time. So now of course I think of my Canadians....especially Nikki and Don's children, Melanie and David.

Some more art

This is a page from my journal...the photo is one found in the thrift shops in Canada of all places and not of anyone I know...I just really liked it and of course it is in a very Aussie setting...

I know this is fairly rubbishy but just wanted to show off my spelling (??) not really my calligraphy, which is a new passion and one I am loving....

A page done on being a woman and aging....something that a lot of my friends seem to be going through or have gone through...it is all cliched stuff but very true...the letting go of being 'cute' and attractive and becoming the wise women we are now meant to be. Surely all that experience and living must count for something and I do honestly believe it does and that it should.

Some watercolour fun...my calligraphy ink, water spray bottle and my coffee mug...some favourite possessions.

Vignettes - my place and others'

Some of the hearts I have collected arranged on an antique platter from my mum...

with a tealight candle set in the centre. The candle is in an old crystal cigarette lighter that was my dad's...I removed the lighter and was left with the crystal..pretty isn't it?

Some of the secondhand patterns I picked up for a dollar each...I was using one the other day and found it was brand new!

Some of the fabrics in my collection...I like having them piled up on the end of my table to keep my inspired.

This is Zoe and Alex's wall of books in their lounge....I love it...

Playing with watercolour.

When we are in Canada I draw the buildings as we drive through the countryside..just quick sketches from the car...Canada is full of gorgeous old buildings. So I played with some of the drawings and painted them with a bit of poetry.

Watercolour pears

At left is a pencil and watercolour drawing and on the right just watercolour...the pears were so pretty but not overly tasty...

Amamoor, Mary Valley, Queensland - Gorgeous

We spent the day with our friend Gary who lives in a beautiful little village called Amamoor...he is now officially an Amamooron...(according to him).

Me in some of my 'keep that sun off me' clothing...I have an umbrella over my shoulder..I had just walked down a path through Gary's garden which is very thick and leafy and occasionally visited by the odd snake, hence the umbrella...(read weapon)!!

The Gympie Rattler chugging past the bottom of the garden...we acted as Amamoorons and waved nicely to the tourists...it would be fun to make the trip one day. Gary is perfecting the art of crossing his eyes and having a piece of grass hanging out of one side of his mouth for the next train....

Some tropical flowers....so pretty and fun to paint and draw..

and very textural foliage..

and Chuckles!!! Isn't he cute?