The Grampians

I know this isn't the Alphabet Blogging format I started last post, but I just wanted to share with you some photos of our trip to the Grampians that we just returned from. We had a great time, the weather was (mostly) wonderful, and it is such an amazing place.

I have uploaded around 40 photos for you to have a look at. Blogger takes too long to upload photos, in my opinion, so this is the link where you can (hopefully) view these photos ... here. Please let me know if this link doesn't work.

Here's a brief outline of what we got up to during the week ...

Day 1 ... just a lazy one, walked into town, back to the campground, spent the afternoon chatting and eating and drinking ... then it rained !!

Day 2 ... a busy, energetic one !!! Firstly we went to Silverband Falls ... a leisurely stroll through the bush, to a beautiful waterfall that just disappears into the rocks. Then we went to Boroka Lookout, with magnificent views over the valley. Then to Lake Wartook ... a water reservoir, which I think provides some drinking / irrigation water for the district. Then off to McKenzie Falls ... last time we were there, we just took the upper walk to the lookout. This time, I was talked into taking the scenic route to the bottom of the falls. OMG ... the stairs ... around 260 of them, and they are steep ... boy are they steep !! Going down was OK, bit scary !! But ... coming up ... OMG, was that hard work, I thought I was going to die !!! My legs were shaky, and my chest was heaving (I think it's time I got myself fit !!). However, the hard work was worth it (I think !!) ... the falls are amazing, and I feel like I really achieved something (apart from nearly killing myself!!). Next, off to Reids Lookout ... not much walking there, but another stunning view !! Then back to the campground to rest and recouperate !!

Day 3 ... We decided to take it easy, and just do some driving around. Firstly the Gap Winery (we sampled and bought some wine ... yummy), then the Halls Gap Wildlife Park, then a Lavendar Farm. We took a dirt track back to the main road, then went to the Halls Gap pub for lunch. Afterward we decided we needed to walk off lunch, and headed up to Venus Baths ... oops, my mother slipped and fell in !! No damage done, other than to her ego (I'm sure she must be sore, but won't admit it) !!

Day 4 ... Another lazy one (for the girls, at least!!) ... the men played 9 holes of golf, and we ladies stayed back at camp ... drinking and relaxing. When the guys returned, we played footy, darts, and all manner of other stuff ... a fun day !!

Day 5 ... Back to Reids Lookout, and then off to The Balconies ... a leisurely walk to an amazing lookout, and interesting rock formations. Then we headed off to Zumsteins Historical Reserve for a bit of a look-see. Then the Heatherlie Quarry, where much of the bluestone type rock was mined, and still is for a few important city buildings. Lots of historical stuff here ... very interesting. Then we went to town, had some lunch and icecreams. Nice finish to a lovely day.

Day 6 ... A brief drive into Halls Gap, to the Information Centre and Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Then back to camp to watch the AFL Grand Final ... yay, my footy team won ... Go Hawks. Overnight the weather turned ultra-windy, and a bit of rain ... oh well.

Day 7 ... that's today ... packed up and came home. A great week's holiday ... we are already booked in for the same time next year ... can't wait.

Anyway, we are off again the day after tomorrow, for a week at Bonnie Doon. I will post more soon.

See ya ....

Take care,

Alphabet Blogging - A Is For ....

Hi There,

Thought I might try a bit of Themed Blogging. I've seen something similar on a couple of blogs, as I was blog surfing today, but they were posted as weekly memes. This Theme I want to use each time I blog (I hope) !!

Ok, so what I thought I might do is what I am calling "Alphabet Blogging". Each post, whether it is daily, weekly, or whenever I get around to it (LOL) will be under the title ... Alphabet Blogging - A Is For .... (or what ever letter I happen to be up to). The post will be about one or more items using the particular letter. I aim to post about things pertaining to me, my life, my life, my loves ... simply something about my world.

Have a read, and please comment (if you wish to) and tell me what you think about this idea. If you like it, please feel free to use the idea, too.

So, here we go ....

A is for .... AUSTRALIA ...

Australia is the country I was born in, the country I live in, the country I love.

According to Wikipedia ...

"Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.N4 Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. Australia is the only single country to occupy an entire continent.
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by indigenous Australians.[4] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,[5] the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The population is just over 21.3 million, with approximately 60% of the population concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide."

This is the Australian Flag ... note the beautiful Southern Cross depicted thereon.

This is a map of Australia ...

A is for ... ADVENTURES ...

My family and I love heading out into this gorgeous country of ours, travelling and exploring, on what we call our Adventures. We have had a few already, the longest one being for just over 7 weeks, exploring Far North Queensland's Cape York Peninsula.

A is for ... ANNIVERSARY ...

Hubby and I will be celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary on December 4th ... whoo-hoo.

A is for ... ATTITUDE ...

Something my 14 year old daughter has plenty of !!!

A is for ... ALL DONE FOR NOW ...

So, what do you think of the idea ... it seems workable ... hopefully I can come up with something more interesting than what I wrote this time around !!! Oh well, trial and error !!

Anyway (hey, that's another A !!), I had better sign off now. We are heading off in the morning for a week's camping. Can't wait. We are pretty much sorted and packed ... just got to put the last few things in the car in the morning (food and clothes and toiletries). It has been raining and windy most of today, hopefully it will clear up tomorrow ... fingers crossed.

Have a great week everyone, and I will try and drop back to post and visit during the week.

Be good, and take care,

Swap Cards

Back when I was a kid (seems like a lifetime ago), we collected, and traded/swapped what we called "Swap Cards" ... these were usually the size of standard playing cards, and very often had the markings on the reverse of these playing cards (maybe they were part of a pack, who knows). Often, though, they were produced solely as swap cards, and had blank backs. It was a fun past-time, and I remember spending many a lunch or recess comparing and swapping cards with my friends.

I used to have heaps of cards ... I recently discovered what was left of my collection. Thanks to Gina, who revived my interest in my swapcards, I decided to scan them all in and share them on this blog. Please enjoy viewing the swap cards that gave me so much enjoyment when I was a kid.

Hope you enjoyed viewing these cards.

I am off on Sunday for a week's camping in The Grampians, in Western Victoria. The Grampians are a rocky mountain range, with some beautiful walks and views. I hope to return with new muscles in my legs !!! and plenty of photos. When we return, we will only be home for a couple of days, then we are off to Bonnie Doon for about 5 days, enjoying the remainder of the school holidays.

SO, in case I don't get back on here for awhile, hope you have a great weekend, and a wonderful couple of weeks.

Catch you when I get back ...

Take care,

400th Post ... No, not this one ... the previous one !!!

Yay, Me !!! My previous post was Number 400 !!! Whoo-hoo !!!

Take care,

Friends

A dear friend of mine is working her way over some pretty huge obstacles at the moment (she is going through chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer, whilst continuing to care for her two disabled children ... who need 24/7 care). Fortunately, she has a loving, supportive, extremely helpful husband and 13 year old son, and a massive support system of friends and family.

What amazes me about her, is her constant positivity. I am sure she has her moments, but on the whole, she remains the most positive person I have ever met. I know that if anyone can beat this horrible disease ... she can.

Each week (and often during the week, also), she sends out a newsletter/email to her huge network of email friends ... at the bottom of the email she always includes something extra, what she calls "Mush". I just received this week's email, and at the bottom of it, she added this little bit of "Mush" ...

Happiness keeps you Sweet,

Trials keep you Strong,

Sorrows keep you Human,

Failures keep you Humble,

Success keeps you Glowing ,

But Only Friends Keep You Going!

I just thought the words were wonderful, and had to share them.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

Just wanted to wish everyone a great Friday,

and hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Take care,

It was Father's Day here in Australia on Sunday ... we had a lovely day.

We picked up my parents and drove out to Yea, about 50 minutes from home, for lunch at the Peppercorn Hotel. It was a lovely meal, and the place is just gorgeous ... a renovated old hotel, with exposed, rough, brick walls and old wooden floors. There were open fireplaces, and a generally old-time atmosphere. The food, however, was far from old-fashioned ... it was modern, and lovely.

After lunch we went for a drive around the area, showing my parents some places we had discovered whilst going down various dirt roads in our 4 wheel drive. They drive a "normal" car, and don't go exploring like we do. We showed them the old rail tunnel, which I have showed in photographs in the past, which is now a dirt/gravel road that cars can use. Fascinating.

It was great fun ... I always enjoy spending time with my parents ... as a matter of fact, we are going camping to the Grampians with them in 2 weeks ... they'll be in their caravan, us in our tent.

On Monday, Hubby and I went for another drive ... we needed to collect some things from our van at Bonnie Doon, to take on our camping trip. On the way we passed an old shed which, for the past few years, I had been wanting to photograph (don't ask why, I just did !!). So, we stopped and I took this photograph ...

I was really happy with the photo, as the colours of the freshly budding trees matched nicely with the colors of the rust and old-ness of the shed. Not bad, huh !?!

Anyway, I had better finish here ... gotta go to work !!

Hope to catch up again soon.

Take care,

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Well, it's Father's Day here in Australia ... not sure about the rest of the world ... it seems to be different everywhere !!

I just wanted to do a quick post to wish all the fathers and grandfathers out there a wonderful day ... hope your families lavish you with love and attention.

Enjoy !!

Take care,

Hi There !!

Just a little post from me, to let you know that I AM still alive !!! Life continues to be busy, but very enjoyable.

I spent a weekend recently at Phillip Island, on a scrapbooking retreat. It was great fun, got lots of pages finished in the album I am working on, and enjoyed the company of around 90 other women who were doing the very same thing. I plan on going again next year. It was actually quite strange ... I had never been away for a weekend before, without my Hubby and Chicky. They were left at home, alone with each other, to fend for themselves. It seems they coped OK !!!

I am still working 2 or 3 days a week. Still enjoying it ... at least I enjoy the company of my fellow workmates (the work is a bit boring, but you can't have everything, can you !?!?)

I usually spend Thursdays with my Mum ... we go shopping, have lunch, and do mum & daughter stuff. It is lovely, and we get along so well. Dad (who is retired) usually takes this opportunity to go and have a game of golf with a mate !!

Ummm ... what else ??? Bambi is well, still a naughty kitty (but then, what kitty isn't naughty !!). Chicky is enjoying Year 8 at school . She is quite popular, with both the boys and girls, and forever has parties to go to and friends visiting, or her visiting friends. It's great to see. She is still playing netball (they won their grand final recently), and dancing. The concert this year should be a good one. Hubby is well, also. Still doing the shit work, and fiddling around with his four wheel drive. He is obsessed with that car !!! But I love him dearly.

So, that's about it for me. Best get myself ready for work this morning. Should be a busy day.

Hope to drop by and visit your blogs soon.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Until next time ...

Take care,