please bear with me I did well........

the local show has been on and I entered some photograpy and sewing.............I did well really well.....just let me gloat for a few minutes.............first time I have come home with more money then it cost to do the entries.......lol......

......3 firsts here.......carry bag (big bag), hangbag, and soft toy

the entries were down on last year which was abit disappointing and the flowers sections was pretty low but there are not many blooms around at the moment...........our show is usually a little later........

the dark quilt in the middle got first in the flannel quilt section...........

the quilt on the right is my quilt and i am very please...............

here are the ribbons for it...........first again.............Champion in the Patchwork section and most successful exhibitor.........yeh..........a stitchery also got a first..............

Book worm got to hold a snake...............highlight of the day....................or was it first in his painting or going on one of the big rides and throwing up everywhere...(including on his mate)..........lol.........(his grandmother took him on that I know his tummy can't do it)

Some of the High School kids did these great chooks painting on hessian and some blanket stitch around the edges..............they looked fab..........

more chooks ........you know I had to show you these...............

this painting didn't get a prize but it is my favourite...............(not my painting)

I also entered some photos did really well there............

.....4 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 thirds...............lots of great photos in the entries this year so I was very lucky.............

...............take care til next post.............

Farm Day and some links.........

Lots of stuff to say here................something for everyone.............

As so many have enjoyed my farm posts if you live in OZ this may be of interest......................

Fun, Friendship & Understanding
Farm Day is when a farm family hosts a city family for a day of real hands-on experiences and a greater understanding of the day-to-day life of the farming family.

If anyone is interested Farm Day is on on the 24 and/or 25th May 2008.........you can register your interest to go to a farm for the day or travel further and have a weekend in the country vising a farm and other places in country area. As far as I can tell it is Australia wide.

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Now I have found some new blogs lately......will share them now but only if you go and check them out..........Don't look now!.............Izilulu's Stuff............... Highland Quilter..................Down by the creek.............The Chocolate Cat.............. A spoon full of sugar..........Amee's Blog

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Natalie is launching some new patterns so check them out........

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And finally if you want to read an amazing poem head to Kate @ Raggedy Rambles and have a read.................it is long but so worth it.............make sure people know they are special in your life..............she did the post for ANZAC day.............

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That's enough for now...........man it takes a bit to put a lot of links into a post............

...............take care............

Shearing..........

Well this is the last day of the school holidays and thankfully the last day of the shearing........I had a very bad day of wind yesterday and the umbrella grass swirled around everywhere..........it was a pretty miserable day............today we have had a cold change and winter is in the air.........you northern girls must be sending it our way as you are starting to mention that spring has come.............so this post is about our shearing which has been happening during the school holidays..........book worm would spend every waking hour there if I let him...........and as for fairy girl she went to the shed for the first time today and had a princess tiara on.................the shearers are probably still laughing.............

The sheep are waiting in the shed..................

this is the counter the shearers flick as they pull there sheep out of the pen...........

Here is the handpiece they use to shear the wool off with...............

shearer's supplies...........

here they were on there break yarning over the pens...........check out there feet

shearing the sheep...........

nearly done...........

the rousabout gathers the fleece ready to pick up and take to the wool table...........

Throwing the fleece onto the wool table...........

and another..........

the fleece is skirted........the edge wool and bad bits (stained) are pulled off and put into a separate pile to bale later.........

the fleece is placed into a bin below and then when there is enough wool to make a bale it goes into the press..............

here is the wool press which squashes the wool into the bale...............

wool bales labeled ready to go onto the truck ...........

here are the sheep all shorn.........

.....they will need to hide in the grass/timber areas tonight as it is going to be very cold ........

they get counted out of there pens and tallied for the shearer and then they are paid according to how many sheep they shear...........

take care til next time.............

home from the markets.........

Hi thanks for the good wishes...........I had a lovely day at the markets............they say it was a quiet day so considering that I was happy enough for the first visit ........so that was good.........I will give them ago next markets day.........
Zelly's Crafts and Gifts had a stall..........she has an online shop so head there and check it out.........I refrained only brought a few fat quarters......very nice.........sorry I forgot to take a pic of her stall.........

............take care till I make it back again..............

Markets.........

I am off to the markets with my cards tomorrow..........hopefully someone wants to buy some........lol........more news later............I have an early start........

.......take care.......

ANZAC Day............

As I sit here and write this post I have been watching the TV and the Dawn Service at Currumbin in QLD.

Today is a national holiday for all Australians. It is a day to remember all our service men and women who have fought for the freedom that we enjoy in Australia.

We live in the luckiest country in the world.

(photo from the RSL Site)

ANZAC Day is the day Australians remember the original landing on Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula 25 April 1915 in Turkey. Many make a pilgrimage to this area for the service. I know a friends daughter will be there this year and some students from the local High School will also be at ANZAC Cove in Turkey.

The spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

Services are held in every city, town and village in the country where the services of all our service men and women are recognised. In my town like most the school children march with there school and the diggers. It is a day to be proud. These services continue to grow every year and testifies to ANZAC Day’s significance for all Australians.

ANZAC - Australia and New Zealand Army Corps

You can read more info here on the RSL site.

The Ode

A veteran reads this during the service on ANZAC day.

This is the verse of the ode that is said during the minutes of silence on Anzac Day:

They shall grow not old,

As we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them,

Nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,

And in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we Forget

A trip to the zoo.......

In the last week or 2 we went to the zoo..............it is a wonderful open plain zoo and the animals roam around in there areas - lots of great grasses like these.........some even had pink tinges...........very pretty floating in the breeze..........

Our favourite Aussie icon..............koala..........

Ibis.........amazing rookeys up in the trees...........they could go anywhere but stay here at the zoo.........

Meerkats - my favourite - very inquisitive

so pretty.........a peacock wandering around the ground.....

so many animals I collaged some pics so I could share more ..........

Asian elephant on the left (small ears) and African on the right -the kids say their ears are the shape of Africa..........

most displays don't have a big obvious fence in front of them................

my favourites the otters - this is a new display since I was last at the zoo..........

muncing away...........

I take these pics as if I have none of these roos at my place ...............lol...........I have lots and lots of roos roaming around my farm.............this guy decided to get up

I did well..............you can drive, ride a bike or just walk around the zoo..........well I choose to walk around and I did it, I made it, it is 6km without wandering off the track into smaller displays.........I was footsore by the time I got back to the start...............I do think it was easier walking around............heaps of people ride bikes (then have them to hire) and the people that weren't used to riding looked pretty stuff by the end....lol............

Until I can find some more sewing time enjoy the zoo...............

.........take care.............

ta da.............

Well of course it was a bag........I brought the charm pack from a stall at the Stitches and Craft show and they gave me this free pattern for the bag - Maggie Robertson Designs - Carole's Bag

it was fun to make and I have never done prairy thingy's and they were fun and easy..................

caught the chooks in the backgroud when I went to take the pic.........

here are the chooks and the umbrella grass in their yard.......

and I found a flower and umbrella grass.........poor little geranium.......

take care...........

bits and pieces........

Hi girls.............just want to show you my new "BEST FRIEND" I am in love.........this little blower is working a treat on getting the umbrella grass onto the lawn and then dh can mow it.........lots of days work to do but it is improving until the wind blew again and added a little more.........

Now just to prove I am sewing I started this little project this morning and hopefully will show you more progress later but do you know what I am making??????

This is what I started with.........

hopefully back soon..........until then take care............

more farm pics

head over to Jodies blog as she has a few more farm pics from her visit........she has one post up but a couple more to come......

Farm Stuff with visitors.............

With so much happening lately I have not had any time to sew. So you will have to endure a farm - tune out now if you find it boring - badluck. Lots of people enjoy these posts.

Even when Jodie came to visit we didn't get to sew but I did show her some of the farm stuff............we have been making hay and here are some pics from the hay carting which was on when Jodie was here.........

loading the hay trailer......

the girls tried to push one of the bales with no luck........a whirly wind in the distance on some farming country nearby............stacking the hay at home for now..........we will put it in the haystack later.......to many hay fires this year (none for us thankgoodness)

As Jodie and I like taking pics we went over to the dam for sunset...........we had great clouds in the sky for the day but the sunset was very boring - my shilouette of Jodie is about the best....lol....the sad part is we had great sunsets the days before and after............

next post probably more farm stuff............like I said we are busy at the moment...........

.....take care.........

cards and a present.......

here are some more of my cards..........

................the ones in the front flat on the floor are magnets and the

tiny ones are little gift tags...........email me if you are interested in getting some.........

not very long ago I won a prize in The Little Needle Case.............50th post giveaway

Look at the wonderful goodies I got thanks so much I love it all and the chocolate box is empty already.......the card is a Rosalie Quinlan Design - I didn't know she made cards..........very nice.......

...........take care............