Weekend away

Always lovely to have time away, discovering new places. This is the view of Mt Warning, NSW from near Cudgen. It was a super colour saturated sort of day!

Was on the hunt for pineapples and found lots of souvenirs at Tropical Fruit World. I had not been here before and will come back for a much longer visit.

Down at Kingscliff for a bite to eat and the avocado toast did not disappoint, yum!

I love shoes

My friend Margaret knows my love of shoes and gave me this card [I just love shoes by Robyn Johnson] for my birthday. The back reads, "Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions." Coco Chanel.

Life in the freezer- day 19

Going off to a Mongolian party and sheep BBQ with the quilters in a ger suburb, was something I was looking forward to. This ger is tightly wrapped up and closed for the winter- no chimney.

We make our way slowly down the snowy slope to be warmly welcomed inside the cosy atmosphere of the ger.

Good timing as the cooked meat and vegetables were being pulled out of the pot.

After a delicious feast we settled in for some singing followed by a little Mongolian Vodka nip.

This is the group of lovely ladies! It has been fun getting to know them and although we have a big language barrier, sometimes words don't express everything and are not needed. The small stove in the foreground is used for heating and the cooking. Carpets and covers on the wall lattice also kept it cosy.

A better photo without the electrical cord in front of our faces. The floor is covered in vinyl.

Enjoying the entertainment as we all take turns to sing a song.

The second round of sheep and vegetable cooking begins, as meat and vegetables are layered in the large pot. Hot stones are then placed in the pot- the sizzling begins.

More meat and hot stones before the lid goes on and the pot is then placed on the stove.

And 45 minutes or so later the delicious cooked food comes out. Thanks for a super party!

 

 

 

Life in a freezer- day 3 continued

My third day in UB was busy and after coffee I went to see my friend Selenge Tserendash who established the New Way Life Mongolian Quilts to empower disadvantaged women to earn a living. It had been 3 years since I was last at the shop/office and I noticed changes in what was being stitched. Mongolian motifs and cultural influences are now making their way into quilt designs and small sales items.

Here Selenge shows me a Hobby Horse made from offcuts from the Gobi cashmere factory- recycling at it's best and she is proud of their 70%  use of these otherwise waste products. The cashmere is so lovely and soft and baby blankets have also been made, as in the photo below.

Stitching is underway for the Christmas Fair in November with Advent hangings made with cute horses, gers and a camel or two.

I loved this Christmas tree with items velcroed to the tree.

 This tree was made of silk offcuts while the patched Bactrian camel uses cashmere offcuts. In the weeks ahead I will be spending more of my time with this group of industrious women.

Royal banquet

And let the feasting begin! Chinese food is so delicious and there are many new dishes to try. Our Welcome Banquet was a Royal banquet with dish after dish brought out to the round table's lazy susan.

Tofu on glass noodles

Tender pork and vegetables, just a couple of the dishes.

Yuanshan and Misik discuss a dish.

Even dessert- but this is one we can't recommend as it was very dry.

 

 

Beijing adventures

Had a whirlwind week of fun, friends old and new, food and quilts in Beijing! Arriving at the hotel after midnight and an early start the next morning meant I ran on adrenaline for most of the week- also the sheer excitement of what was happening!

Catching up with friends from Taiwan 2012 was a thrill L-R Jin Yuanshan- China, Mary Pal- Canada, me and Lin Hsin-Chen-Taiwan.

Set up day with help from my lovely translator Jessica. She was a student and a great help throughout. Impossible to do these things without a translator.

The Chinese ladder, what an amazing feat to climb, straddle it and then walk it like stilts! Lighting set up in progress in my 3metre square booth.

Looking good now in the booth. Great to have the large sign above announcing Australia!

Mary was to the left of my booth.

Lots of photo opportunities for the international artists L-R Misik Kim- S. Korea, Desiree Vaughan- USA, Lin Hsin-Chen- Taiwan, pat Gould- USA, Mary Pal- Canada, Sue Dennis- Australia in Hsin-Chen's booth.

 

 

Lunch

Lunch at Reilly's was delicious, from the shared tasting plates to our individual choices for the main. Wine to complement the food- heavenly!

Duck and couscous.

Felt a bit like this barrel after the feast!
 

Wine

No trip to a wine producing area would be complete without sampling a drop or two. There were many opportunities to try the local offerings in cellars and wineries open for tastings. Sevenhill Hotel had an impressive cellar, above.

I don't know about you, but I'm often attracted by the clever labelling.

Before the dinner got underway.

Some of our party enjoying the sunshine on Pikes lawn. You know who you are!

The Sevenhills winery was interesting for the religious history and connection.