Hmmm! Not Fair ....

... as I have gone from THIS on the weekend in beautiful Bryon Bay...

... TO THIS MOST OF THE WEEK in Eaglemont!!!!!!

lol!

 Not really complaining, as we had a wonderful time away up North at my friend's son's wedding.

Hopefully, these photos will give you a sense of the fun time we had and the beauty of the area.  It was a special time for us, as not only did we have the joy of being part of a very special occasion - the wedding of a fine young man whom TraderVic and I have known since he was a little boy - but it was also the first time our family had been all together since January LAST year!  It was so wonderful to spend time with our gorgeous young adult children and our DDIL, too.

Clockwise from top left: Byron was full of fun campervans - I couldn't resist taking a photo of this one; my dear friend Linda (mother of the groom) and I at the wedding; our first stop on arriving on Thursday afternoon was to get some kebabs from the famous Bay Kebabs - delicious!; a gorgeous boutique hotel I spied on one of our walks; sharing the love - BB is all about chilling out and spreading the love; the coffee shop at the top of the hill near our apartment - a walk to here each morning became a daily requirement - lol!

A walk to the lighthouse plus the margarita I had to have after walking to the lighthouse - lol!  (In the spirit of full disclosure - I didn't quite make it all the way there, the last bit was just too steep!)

Walking on the beach - do you see the goanna which crossed our path - he was pretty big but luckily took no notice of us!

The wedding!

The wedding was held in a little country church and hall in the tiny town of Federal - it was one of the sweetest weddings I have ever attended!

 Bottom left: DS1 is the groomsman second from the right, just under the stained glass window.

Bottom right: DS2 (on the left) was playing a chasey game with two little cousins of the groom and another wedding guest - it was so funny to watch them, they all four ran around like crazy for about 10 mins and then had to stop for a chicken skewer break! lol!

The next day, DS1, DDIL, TraderVic and I all went back to Federal to have lunch and listen to some blues at the Doma Cafe which is actually a Japanese cafe - go figure!  The food was amazing and the music good.

Some stitching happened while we were chilling out, natch!

 Then, we went to see the fabulous Minyon Falls - 100 m drop to the bottom.

While we were standing on the viewing platform at the top of the falls, surrounded by signs telling us to be careful and not to get to close to the edge, etc., there was a girl who had climbed over the fence and was literally standing at the top of the falls.  The rocks were so slippery, it is a wonder that she didn't fall - DDIL and I couldn't watch but luckily, a local was there who gave her a stern warning and she safely moved away from the edge.  Aren't some people just stupid?  She would not have survived a fall from the top.

The hinterland of the Byron Bay area is just stunning - such rich and lush land.

 We spent a lot of time with another of the groom's cousins and their little baby, Jude - isn't he adorable - doesn't like to wear his hat, though!

Family pics:

Clockwise from top left: It was DS1's birthday while we there - so we celebrated at this local Middle Eastern restaurant, Orgasmic - the food was sensational; DDIL at a Beach cafe; TraderVic and I with a view of the hinterland behind us; DD dancing at the wedding; DDIl at The Top Shop cafe and  DS2, DD and I at the wedding.

Okay, well that is definitely all from me on this topic - lol!  I hope that you enjoyed the pics as much as we enjoyed our time away.  Watch out for my TUSAL report, my very late The Alphabet Club post for "I" - will I get double detention this month? - plus some stitch updates coming up very soon on my blog.

Have a great day, everyone,

hugs, 

Oh Happy Day!

Yesterday, despite some major dramas (one of the bridesmaids being stuck in Taiwan as she couldn't get on the plane as she had forgotten to get a Visa for Australia but luckily my wonderful, niece, Jade stepped in with less than 12 hours notice!) and concerns re the weather - 50mm of rain and a severe storm warning was predicted, neither of which happened, thank goodness, my DS1, Alex, married the love of his life, Joy.

It would have to have been one of the most wonderful days of my life and I know that TraderVic feels the same way.   We had less than two months to pull it all off but somehow we managed it!

So, here are the photos (in no particular order), warning, this is pic heavy!

My dear friend, Lisa was the marriage celebrant - she made it such a special and intimate affair.  We have been friends since our DS1s were at 3 year old kinder together (her DS1 is the groomsman with the Ned Kelly-like beard). Hard to imagine that they used to take baths together!

Amazingly, the girls all bought their dresses separately with the only instructions that they be fuchsia pink and longer rather than shorter. Two were bought in Taiwan and my niece bought hers at 3pm on the day before the wedding!

My nephew, my DS2 (who was Best Man) and my niece.

As Joy's father was too ill to leave Taiwan, TraderVic was proud to give her away.

DD looking proud and gorgeous.

How happy does DS1 look?

See the zombie hand? Maybe I have been watching too much "The Walking Dead"?

Gorgeous cousins.

 My cousins taking to the river.

My DIL's friend, Peter, came from Taiwan to do a reading and later a speech at the wedding.

So, off to get the house back in order (so maybe still no stitching today - so sad!) as we had an After Party here last night, too!  (Yes, we are suckers for punishment!)

hugs, 

P.S. If you want to see more photos, just check me out on FB (link on my sidebar).

Today is the Big Day!

I am so happy!

hugs to you all on this joyous day, 

Dear Shirlee.....

.... thank you for being such a generous and thoughtful exchange partner.

My dear friend, Shirlee did a Christmas exchange this year.  It was fun to do some stitching for her and to pick out some perfect (I hope) presents for her.  And I can tell you, she certainly hit the spot with me.  Do you wanna see?

Silly question, of course, you do!  And, of course, I am going to show you anyway!

Gorgeous porcelain buttons....

A stunning mini pillow - beautifully stitched and finished.

... and a set of thimbles that show the Twelve Days of Christmas!

Thank you again, my very dearest bloggy friend, I love each and every gift.

Shirlee has received my parcel but is waiting to open it, so I can show you what I sent her then.

Last night, I actually put my Christmas Stitching aside and did some more Tudor Tuesday SALing.   I stitched some more on The End Crowneth the Work - I am really starting to see some progress on this piece now.

... and I must say a big thank you to all of my followers who commented on the big booboo I had made with the Ring cushion.  Oh, my goodness - the wrong year but now it is right!  I had even shown it to the bride and groom neither who had noticed my error.  But thanks to all of your eagle eyes, everything is okay now - phew!

Anyway, last (half day only, thank goodness) of work for the year for me!  Hurray!

One more sleep, hugs