M.I.A.

Thank you to everyone who has posted lovely comments on my blog...I really appreciate every one and try to respond to all of them but.....as a learner blogger (and I think I'll be using this excuse for a while yet!!) I haven't exactly found the best way to respond to them....so generally.....THANK YOU!!

I have been asked about the photo on my header......being the extraordinary photographer that I am.....
*hu hummmm* !!!... I can actually claim credit for this one, believe it or not!!  We live opposite a cane paddock and this was their burn last year....I took numerous photos and this one stood out the best to me ... shows just what our district's about!  And yes, it does get a bit hot when the fire is roaring, but it's only for about 10-15 minutes once a year and I sometimes wonder whether I'm a closet pyromaniac 'cause I love 'em!!!

Just like everyone else, I've taken some photos showing the dust from our place in North Queensland.  My photos don't do it justice.

The first one shows an afternoon shot on Friday, about 5pm and the other, a morning shot on Saturday....shows the cane paddock from our driveway better than the dust!!!! (The cane hasn't been burned yet!)

We went for a drive today down to Bowen to have lunch with friends and just generally 'have a bit of a life' outside of work, work, work!  Yes, I am on hol's but my poor hubby is working 12-14 hour days, six days a week and only has Sunday off.....a good marriage saver...no time to argue!!!!  (hehehe)....but  I have been missing him a bit.

I took my trusty digital with us so I could share our rare experience with you and I was horrified by the dryness of the countryside!  (and the dust here too!)

When we got there, we took a drive to Mt Dangar to the strawberry farm.....yummmmmm...we got to pick our own and the car smelt like strawberries, and the strawberries actually tasted like strawberries...how rare is that????  (Guess what I had for dinner tonight??)

We had lunch up at the cafe at Flagstaff Hill...the view was minimal due to the duststorms which had begun to return due to the shift of wind direction. 

And it's that time of the year when the coral is spawning and if you've never experienced it....it smells really bad!!!.....It smells like a bag of prawn (shrimp) shells that has been left in the sun for a few days.....a bit off-putting but......it was a lovely day, nonetheless!

Prior to our little venture out into the 'real' world.....I locked myself away in my sewing room and was MIA for a few days with one aim in mind.....to organise my room so that I knew what I had and could find it when I wanted it!!!  I've had the unpleasant experience of looking for my bias makers and I really, really needed them and couldn't find them anywhere...nor could I remember where I had put them... (I know I have two of them...in different sizes....I bought them....I did!!!!) 

I set to and would not leave until I had it in a user-friendly state.....and here it is - my totally organised, user-friendly sewing room that I really enjoy being in now:

My magnificent library of craft mags took me ages to organise ( I can't bear to throw any away....they're priceless!!) and I had bought the drawers to organise all my fat quarters......it was like the loaves and fishes.......every time I touched them, they seemed to grow!!!!  I never thought I would finish...but now they're all colour coordinated, a colour for each drawer ( I think you can see the different colours in the second photo!).  I put my table up on bricks which made it just the right height for the drawers and a perfect height for cutting....no more sore backs!!! 

And do you know something??.....I never did find those bias makers!!!!.....must put them on my shopping list!

I did actually sneak some sewing in too....remember, Leanne's Christmas Sampler???

I've actually sewn quite a bit more than this now.....I'll have to show you more when I've finished.

I've also been reading....quite a rarity for me - I usually only extend myself to magazines (coz they're quick and I can get back to sewing!!).  My friend, Gloria (blogless at the moment but almost converted!!) lent me her entire series of The Elm Creek Quilters.  I had read the first one and was sucked in.....I'm now into the second one and enjoying it immensely - it's a bit like blogging....totally addictive!!!

And I thought I'd finish with this poster that I found in the dark depths of my craft cupboard and had to laminate and attach to the cupboard door.....in case we ever forget!!!!! (highly unlikely)

I hope you had a lovely weekend too!

;o) Wendy B