'Counting'

When the poinciana trees are in full bloom they are magnificient.

The flowers are a combination of red & orange hues & very bright. After, the green elongated seed pods decorate the tree. When they are dry & brown they split & tumble their seeds down for germinating & small poincianas come up all over the place in our garden.

'Counting' is my quilt which uses the poinciana as inspiration & it has been selected for the STATE of the ART quilt 10 exhibition to premier at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, April 29 - May 2. Hope to see you there or in one of the 3 workshops I'm presenting.

Austral cafe

Few things are as good as the food from one's childhood & the Austral cafe in Murwillumbah has been keeping the community fed since 1919. L-R French Vanilla Slice & Jam Donut.

I'm sure the decor has been renovated a number of times, but not perhaps since the 1970's? Of course, when I go back for those rubbings Jan, I'll have to drop in here, for morning tea.

Cattle brands

I always come across great things that would be perfect for a rubbing, when I don't have my oil sticks with me! Such was the case in Uki where the local historic society had erected a fence branded with cattle brands used in the Uki & South Arm district between 1880 & the late 20th century.

Beautiful tree

Diane -5 in Beijing is warm, as Bob is now flying to Mongolia & the capital Ulan Bator where it is -30 to -40. It was so much warmer in Uki & while we were photographing the flying foxes, I noticed this tree had sent out fingers to caress the fence post.

Flying foxes

Today is a National holiday to celebrate Australia Day & Bob will be celebrating with some Aussie colleagues in Beijing, but because the temperature is -5 the lamb isn't thawing out for the BBQ!

Flying foxes or fruit bats are also very much part of the Australian landscape & we came across this colony in Uki on the banks of the river which runs through the small town.

Their black wings were wrapped tightly around their red furry heads & the shape reminded me of a crysalis. At night they fly off to feed on ripe fruit of the season from gardens & native trees.

Marina Cavalieri

In Lismore we had the pleasure of discovering the beautiful, original textile designs of Marina Cavalieri. Her large screen printing table occupied 1 room of her upstairs Keen Street studio & showroom. Luscious rolls of silk had been printed with her sophisticated stylised designs.

Grafton Gallery

Large columns covered with beach items greeted us at the Grafton Art Gallery. These totems were part of the exhibition showcasing photos from the 1960's & 70's of Australian beach culture. Many visitors could be heard reminising about their childhood & we were the same when a photo struck a chord.

I was attracted by the colour & shapes on the totems & the blue one was all thongs.

Arcola breakfast

Rosemary does a wonderful breakfast on the Arcola verandah, with their own, fresh sliced mango, juice, the most delicious coffee flavoured locally sourced yoghurt & raspberry jam on thick sliced, buttered home baked bread. Now I'll go back to eating my small bowl of museli!

Arcola B&B

Yes, Diane the letterboxes were such an assortment- microwave, rusty fridges, old milkcans & drums cut to fit the job.
Melly, tea is also good for cooling down on a hot day & we enjoyed the beautiful setting of the old established gardens at Arcola Bed & Breakfast in Grafton.



Scent of frangipani & ripe mango, drifted across to us as we relaxed on the shaded verandah.
Thank you Rosemary & Graham for sharing your beautiful home.

Letterboxes

We saw this jumble of letterboxes on the side of the road & had to stop for photos.

Everything & anything had been used to collect the mail.

This was the one in the best condition with a cow & pigs chime.

Cool lemonade

Yesterday, in the sweltering heat in Brisbane, I couldn't help but remember the icy cold home-made lemonade we had in Bellingen & the coolness in Dorrigo.

Waygu girls

These Waygu girls made up the small herd at Lisnagarvey. Dark chocolate in colour & very used to human contact, they were more curious than scared of us.
Jan, I look forward to seeing the resulting work from your Arboretum visit.

Gum trees

The intricately twisted tangle of the gum branches at Ebor Falls had my mind racing with design possibilities. Lines were dancing, value was present & shape was also making an appearance.

Ebor Falls

No walking at Ebor Falls which are easily accessed by road & a short stroll across the picnic grounds. The interesting thing for us in this area was when we stopped for coffee at the Ebor Road House.

A great collection of 'things' hung on the corugated iron & slab walls & made for interesting perusing. Number plates from most of the United States of America were on display, if you looked carefully.

In the rainforest

On our walk to the waterfall we passed these 2 scrub turkeys getting warm in the sunshine & searching for breakfast. They were quite unafraid of us & didn't hurry away. Large mounds of vegetation are built by the male to incubate the eggs.

Gardeners in suburban areas aren't happy with the turkeys scratching & destroying their gardens.

The walking stick palms were fruiting & the red seeds dangled down deliciously from the palm canopy.

Waterfalls

Dorrigo is on the Waterfall Way so of course lots of National Parks with waterfalls, although you also pass them just driving on the road. Near the Skywalk we walked into Crystal Shower Falls.

At Crystal Shower Falls you walk under the overhang & gaze out, a really cool experience! It was a perfect shelter from the rain which fell heavily for some time. All the rainforest is beautiful except for 1 thing- leeches! I am now suffering the after effect of reactions from their blood sucking habits.

This is another one passed on the walk to Crystal Shower Falls.

Lisnagarvey

This was the view I had while I stitched at Lisnagarvey Cottage B & B at Dorrigo. The mist, light conditions & cloud provided a never ending delight on the landscape of gently rolling hills & the lights of Dorrigo twinkling at night.

Rita those lovely cottages in Melbourne are just around the corner from you, at the back of the park.

"Melbourne Lace"- the quilt

Isn't it hard to get back into the regular work routine after being on holiday? I was inspired by the cottages with the iron lace & I'm happy they brought back pleasant memories for you Dianne. So while away in Northern New South Wales, just south of the Queensland border, I stitched the 8" square needed for the Alaska Fiber Festival 'Through the Knot Hole' challenge.

The process was easy with the use of prepared photo sheets, Printed Teasures by Milliken, for the printer. This was an old packet that I'd bought at Quilt Festival, Houston 5 years ago, but they were still OK.

Quilting along the printed architectural details brought it to life & I finished it with a binding of some hand dyed fabric which picked up the colours in the print. Just need to put in the 2 grommets [eyelets] & post.

Iron lace # 2

Australian quilter Eileen Campbell has made a series of quilts featuring iron lace through the Seasons. Eileen is well known for her intricate machine applique designs, books & patterns.

I'm away for a short break, travelling in rural areas so will post blogs when I return.

Iron lace

Many small cottages in Melbourne have the most wonderful iron lace decoration on the front verandahs. I took many photos as I noticed the designs were all subtly different, as were the accompanying gardens.