Weekend in Sydney

Above :- Quarantine Beach – Sydney Harbour

As the name of this post suggests, Graham and I have just returned from a weekend in Sydney.

This trip, Dear Readers, wasn’t solely for R&R as I have had two weeks sick leave so I could have a cardiac procedure at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.

And before you become alarmed, it was day surgery and it all went well, and I have a 95% chance that I will NEVER have my heart racing again at 250 bpm.

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Anyway…. While we were in Sydney we thought it would be an opportunity to stay some nice places while I recuperate.. (I was told not to exert myself, lift or do housework for 5 days! *Bonus*).

Saturday night we stayed at the Q Station at North Head.

This is now a lovely hotel/ resort.

The complex operated as a quarantine station from 14 August 1832 to 29 February 1984. The idea behind it was that anyone arriving in the colony (as it then was) who might have an infectious disease would be kept in quarantine until it was considered safe to release them.

The station is now home to a hotel, conference centre, and restaurant complex known as Q Station,and remains part of the Sydney Harbour National Park. (Wikipedia)

Above:- what was once the first class dining room is now a guests lounge.

Beautiful weather, really warm for August.

We didn’t get to eat in their apparently amazing restaurant as it was fully booked so we had to make do with a pizza in the bar. Which was a rather nice pizza.

Thanks to the young couple below, who unknowingly made a lovely sunset picture.

Then onto Sunday, which was another glorious day.

…. and we moved location, to the Novotel at Darling Harbour and these pics below I took from the window of our room.

We spent the afternoon at the Powerhouse Museum. It probably will be the last time we visit the Ultimo site as the Powerhouse is being  moved to Parramatta.  (So that the greedy government can sell the Ultimo site to developers, to be made into luxury apartments, that average folks won’t be able to afford to buy …..)

We went to the Sherlock exhibition currently on at the Powerhouse.

All the adults running around with their little notebooks, getting stamps, and making brass rubbings to try and find the clues to solve the mystery! – What a hoot.

Below is two of the pages of my notebook!

Dear Readers! We were jolly hopeless, we got nowhere near the solution!

Below is the view – taken while sitting on the bed….

And tonight we did get a nice meal at the Ternary Restaurant at the Novotel. Highly recommend the chocolate tart with sorbet….

 

… below is a photo of the chocolate tart from trip advisor.

Thanks to the unknown person who took the pic!!!

Quilts For Edith! - The very hungry Caterpillar

As you have probably guessed Dear Readers, having a new baby granddaughter was the perfect excuse to whip up a quilt to welcome her!

In fact I ‘whipped’ up two.  A large one for the wall and a smaller one for the cot, playing on the floor or whatever. I used fabric that was designed from Eric Carle’s famous book – The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Quilt One – Sun

This is the larger of the two quilts. I bought some great fabric panels (on special) – with the sun and moon and based the colours of the quilts around these.

I used a kaleidoscope block for the borders but stretched some of the rows for variety. And the final row is the hungry caterpillar food fabric.

A plain green back and it was quilted all over with caterpillars of course!

Quilt two – Moon

A similar smaller quilt but in darker colours to reflect the night.

With a border of heart blocks in hungry caterpillar heart fabric. That was the stage I was up to when we found out she was to be a she, so I thought a girlie border was in order! (more unintentional rhyming, Dear Readers, please control your mirth)!

Again quilted all over in caterpillars. And for the back of this one I pieced lots of the leftover Hungry Caterpillar fabric as I had heaps leftover.

And surprise!

Here is Edith getting into the spirit of the theme set by her crazy Kimba!

My other quilt projects – I have a lot of finished tops. I have an I spy quilt which I am just completing the binding. Vincent and the Doctor and Mr Blue Sky tops are both  finished and waiting to go to the quilters. I also have a top with African animals, which I am attaching the last border. I must try and get some things completed before we go overseas in November.

First Time Meeting Baby Edith!

Above: Kim & Edie 2017 and Kim & Sean 1984.

First grand daughter and first son

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Well, Dear Readers understand me when I say that these photos are a complete coincidence.

It was when I was looking for baby pic’s, to see what bits of this brown haired, beautiful brown eyed bub looked like Sean,  that I found this old photo and thought… I’M IN THE THE SAME POSE!!!

(Its my blog—it is all about me you know)!!

So compare, Photos 30 (something).. years apart,,,,

Dear Readers, I wish I could go back and give that young lass some reassurance…

Move on, be strong, you will make good decisions,…

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And the blue cardigan in the 1984 photo…Mum knitted that, I loved it and its still in a box in the wardrobe…

We finally got to meet Edie on Mothers day..( I was sick for eight weeks, I think I had two different bouts of viruses,one after another, and coughed  until I broke a rib).

Well there you go, I am now a Grandmother…

Kimba and Opa. we think….

Kimba, the white lion..(1960’s cartoon)

Opa, German for grandpa. 

EDith May Doodson

 

Born 28th April 2017

Born 19:19 hours

4.1kgs 54cms long

She’s here!

Three and a half weeks early, but she needed to get out of there as she had run out of room.

Rosie was going to be induced on Monday the 1st May, but baby Edith decided she wasn’t waiting for that. Rosie’s waters broke on Thursday night and they were off to Tamworth for the birth.

After 12 hours she was delivered by C section.

Both the names are my great aunts. (but I think that may have been a fluke). My Mum’s two aunts, Beryl's sister, May and her father, Gordon’s sister Edith (AKA . Edie).

Dear Readers, I know your heart will be so disappointed for me when I tell you the next bit.

I went home from work on Thursday afternoon feeling wretched and when I got Sean’s text on Friday morning, saying Rosie was in labour, I couldn’t lift my head of the pillow let alone get out of bed.

Gone were all my dreams of meeting my grand daughter for the first time  and presenting her with her quilts, and the other gifts I have.

It was very sad, Dear Readers, and I had a little sob about the unfairness of life. To quote that famous philosopher, Alanis Morissette

“Its Like Rain on your wedding day”

But never mind, many happy marriages start on a wet day. (that’s from the famous philosophy of Kim).

I’m writing this on Sunday the 30th.. and I still am yet to meet Edith and don’t expect I’ll be well enough until next weekend.

So… what grandparents names????

I thought about Nanny Kimmy (sounds like a goat).

What about Nan Kimba and Pa.

I’ll see what she likes, I know she just can’t wait to meet me!

 

 

Of Pending Births and Anniversaries

I must warn you Dear Readers that my blog posts have become slightly out of sync. But this is to prepare the way for the next post which should be (I now know will be) the ‘main event’.

On Sunday 23rd April, we had Sunday lunch at Sean and Rosie's place at Kentucky.

above – is the pigs (can’t remember their names) eating the last of the famous choc chip carrot cake that I baked for Easter Sunday, complete with fondant carrots on the top. (Most ridiculous cake I’ve ever made).

These photos are from Grahams camera due to my missing (now found) battery charger as mentioned in a previous post.

Above is Mavis.. they are running out of cute names for the new little girl, because they give all the cute ones to the animals…

I took most of the food to save Rosie the trouble and we took Grahams Mum (Vi) out there as well.

The 23rd was our 12th wedding anniversary, I was going to post a Kim & Graham Wedding photo but I can’t find them. Probably still packed in a box.

 (I did find Sean and his ex’s wedding photos in the cupboard, but it is probably in bad taste to mention that here….)

I promise Dear Readers that when our photos turn up I’ll post a sentimental blog about our wedding day. Which will excite you or more probably bore you to tears.

I think it may be a hint that its time to clean out the spare room.

Rosie is only 36 weeks! Is she going to make it to term? (NO), Is she going to make it to next Sunday?(NO).

Very exciting – first time grandparents!

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