Sunday 10 July 2016

Road Trip to Roma....

... Well, TraderVic and I are now up here in Outback Queensland in Roma, visiting DS1 and our DDIL.  It is quite a long trip from down south, Melbourne, Victoria.  Would you like to come on it with me?


Yesterday, we were up at 5 am to leave for the airport at 6 for a 7.30 flight from Tullamarine. Well, what a saga - first of all, we left ten minutes late and then seemed to get a lot of red lights along the way! Which slowed us down, of course, then we had a lot of trouble with the automated baggage check in, with little or no help from the so-called Help staff standing around - so annoying.

Then, of course, we were boarding at Gate 52!  52????? Final call!!!!!!! Heaven help me - DS1 and TraderVic took off at a great rate, leaving me huffing and puffing behind. DS1 got there first, with the flight attendant telling him, don't worry, we won't let you fly without your Mum and Dad - lol! Then TraderVic got there, with me bringing up the rear - feeling so embarrassed to be THAT person - the last one on the plane!!!!!!!

Anyway, finally all settled for the two hour flight to Brisbane and yay!  Stitching time!  I have packed heaps of stitching, as we are here for a week, DS1 will be at work (teaching all week) and there is very little to see or do in Roma, except teach my DDIL to cross stitch and work on lots of projects, myself.

So, I started with my Hallowe'en Ornie SAL piece for this month's theme, Witches' accessories.


It is Hallowe'en Cat by JBW designs
JCS Halloween Ornie Mag 2015

By the end of the flight I was here:


After we picked up our car from the hire place, we were starving (by this time it was 11.30 am and we had been up since 5 without food or drink!).  So, we checked out a nearby cafe for brunch.  We lucked upon a very cool place- Dandelion and Driftwood  (do check out the link, the website is very sweet).

Boy, did I need this delicious latte!


... and we all had the same delicious breakfast... "Twin Rivers of Gold" (essentially Eggs Benedict).


Even the bathroom was sweet!


Then it was on the road for us - six or seven hours of driving westward to Roma, at the start of the Australian outback.

Of course, we had to make a few stops - to stretch our legs, grab a coffee and a toilet break.  First stop  was at Maidenwell.  Where I made friends with this sweet kitty cat.








About two or three hours into the trip, I finished my little Halloween Cat.


... and so, of course, I started my Christmas Ornie SAL piece, this month is free choice.  This is a small Prairie Schooler Ornament from Book #150 December


Our second and last stop on the way was a Nut stop in Chinchilla.


Then, we hit the Warrego Highway or as TraderVic and DS1 called it, Mad Max highway.  Apparently, George Miller filmed part of one of his Mad Max movies along this stretch of road.


 The view from the car as the sun sets.







and then, finally after 13 hours of travelling - we arrived in Roma (sorry, very blurry photo but I was pretty tired by then).


... and once there we were welcomed by another furry friend, Nobu.



and this is how far I stitched on my PS piece whilst on the road.



Okay, that is all for me for now.

hugs, 


P.S. Updated:  I meant to put this Mad Max clip into the post, as well!










15 comments:

KimM said...

Wow! Trip started out stressful, but after the starting speed bump, things settled in nicely. Love your stitched cat...and had to smile at the picture of the bathroom 😃
xxx

Margaret said...

Hope you enjoy your visit. Hate those stressful times, but you made it! Great that you're stitching all the way!

gracie said...

Now that you arrived...take a deep breath and relax...

Vickie said...

I am impressed with your post Kaye. Have a great visit!

Mini said...

You achieved quite a lot of stitching on your long journey. Enjoy your stay.

Crazee4books said...

Hello traveler!

Wow!! What an odyssey you and your DH were on
just to spend a week with your DS1 and DDIL. The
plane ride is one thing but then seven hours on the
road as well!! And on the Mad Max road at that!

Sometimes it's hard to wrap one's mind around the
size of our respective countries.

Your Halloween cat turned out great. I have him on
a needle minder that someone made for me years ago.
Perfect for those of us who are cat crazy.

Bet you saw a lot of interesting scenery so did not
get as much stitching done as you might otherwise
have done. Can you stitch in the car? I cannot.
That subtle movement just throws me right off and
I'm more likely to stab my finger then I am the fabric.

Lovely to make more kitty friends during a holiday.
Hope you have a fabulous time!

Cheers!

Tiffstitch said...

I'm glad you made it safely, especially traveling on the Mad Max highway. ;) Great finish on the cat!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

What a long day! I cannot stitch in a car or on a coach at all. Trains, no problem!
The JBW cat is lovely, I've stitched him 13 times now.
Have a lovely relaxing week.

Daniela Bencúrová said...

Really like reading stories from your life!
It's interesting and different :-)
Do you have a great country, you need to travel a lot. Our country is small :-)))
Your xxxx admire when traveling it's hard!

Linda said...

Enjoyed traveling with you Kaye. Congrats on the cute finish and start.

Linda

Barb said...

Kaye, this was a great post. I bet I enjoyed the trip as well as you did.(Especially the latte). I'm impressed with the amount of stitching you got done. Have a terrific week visiting with your family.

Bea said...

Not an auspicious start, but it all turned out well. And what interesting surroundings you drove through. Enjoy your week!

Great stitching - love the cat and a good start to the Christmas piece.

Julie said...

A post filled to the brim with lovely things, have a great adventure.

Heather said...

Wow lots of tripping (trip taking...trip going either works ;)). Have fun!

Brigitte said...

Now, this was a long trip, and to me it somehow sounds like an adventure. Of course not like the adventure it certainly was 100 years ago when someone made this trip, lol.
Now on to your next posts to see what you have been up to.

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