Satisfaction

A few hours together

at last to call my own ...

and the satisfaction of getting

my craft room tidy again.

Lovely with the winter sun

shining in ...

Scarf Weather

The weather has turned cool

and it's scarf weather.

Time for wearing a scarf

or for crocheting one.

Using Heirloom 8ply Cotton

 Something to look forward to on cool nights 

while watching Gilmore Girls 

for the fourth or fifth time ...

... and something to remind me

of all the rainbows we saw 

in Tasmania. 

Chalk Paints!

After many months of waiting,

I discovered that Annie Sloan Chalk Paints

are now sold in Australia!

I ordered a beginner's bundle

from here on Friday,

And look at what just arrived on my doorstep!

Woohoo!

Much faster than I expected.

I can't wait to start painting.

These are the main candidates

for a chalk paint makeover:

our dresser by the dining table,

currently a honey pine colour,

still in good condition but 

I think a painted piece would 

make for a calmer living room.

This will be painted in Old White.

I'm planning to get some pewter knobs

and distress it a little.

The hutch in my craft room

was always going to be painted.

I've just been waiting for the paint!

This was an ebay purchase

with help from Linda.

I think this will be painted in Duck Egg Blue

and I have some fun knobs already to use on this.

First we need to work on the little 

doors at the top, they are a bit tight

and need to be cut down a little.

*

The bundle above cost a small fortune,

as do all craft supplies here in Australia.

  

But from all I read, it's worth it

in the savings on time and products

normally used for preparation,

not to mention in the quality

of the finished job.

I'm looking forward to getting started

on these two projects that I've been 

dreaming about for so long.

In the meantime, I have a few little 

projects to do first

to try out the paints.

Stay tuned!

Tasmania - Beaconsfield & Beauty Point

On the second day of our Tasmania trip

we woke up in our cottage to more lovely sunny weather.

Penfold Cottage in Launceston 

was clean and impressive,

newly-renovated, but not so cosy.

I never realised how much 

a lack of soft furnishings

makes for a noisy, unfriendly space.

It was well-priced, though, being in an industrial area.

We talk a walk down the street to Kings Wharf.

Next we headed up the Tamar River to Beaconsfield.

Beaconsfield is a mining town

and the scene of the Beaconsfield mine rescue in 2006.

We loved visiting the Mine and Heritage Centre,

which focuses on both local and mine history,

and has an exhibit featuring the rescue, also.

It was good to recall some of my high school geology,

learning about how mining is, and was, carried out.

These buildings were built to go over the mine shafts.

Now they are eerily empty.

We loved that the exhibits were so "hands on"

We girls got to try writing the old-fashioned way

with pen and ink.  

We played an organ and made some of the old mine equipment work.

We saw miles of scarves knitted by women 

all over the world after the mine rescue.

The girls were fascinated with the telephone history exhibit.

Laura's first time in a phone box?

Oh how things have changed.

It's a great museum, well worth the drive from Launceston.

After a picnic lunch in the nearby park 

we drove north to Beauty Point

and visited Seahorse World.

It was fascinating to learn about seahorses

and to see them at their different stages.

When we came out the weather was growing cold and windy

so we headed back, stopping again at Beaconsfield

where I put a piece of agate at a gemstone shop.

That night we ate out at a Thai restaurant at Launceston.

Yum.

Tasmania - Launceston

First in a series from our Tasmanian trip.

In which I will probably record 

more than you want to know,

just for our own record.

*

We left Sydney on an overcast day,

but the clouds cleared over Bass Strait and we flew

over Tasmania in brilliant sunshine,

low enough to see the details,

I could even almost pick out our accommodation

in Launceston.

We picked up our rental car and headed for the city,

where we were amazed by the 

Victorian architecture everywhere.

We just couldn't believe we were

finally on holiday

and in Tasmania!

Launceston is a beautiful city.

Although I have to confess that we got lost

every time we headed out in the car.

Those one-way streets were too much for us,

we spent much time driving round and round 

trying to reach our destinations.

One of our favourite destinations was the City Park.

We visited in the late afternoon

and had the whole park almost to ourselves.

We loved the open spaces, 

the variety of trees and ornaments

and the cool autumn sunshine.

A beautiful way to start our holiday.

 Because we visited the park

so late that day

we missed seeing the monkeys,

so we visited again before leaving Launceston: