My buy

 I went to Office works a couple of weeks ago to buy a calendar. I got side tracked looking at office chairs.  I had to go there and buy one about eight years ago as my then current one had snapped in two when I bent over backwards and found myself continuing on to the floor. It was my sewing chair and I had been sewing.

Anyhow I was interested to see the styles and cost that they currently had in stock.

Of course, we did buy one. My old chair had arms and were constantly getting caught when I changed positions from sewing table to sewing machine. Also the "leather" had been peeling off it. Very disconcerting at first to discover black pieces of something on the carpet. An investigation showed that the leather or leather was dropping from under the chair. It vacumned up quite easily but any excuse was good enough reason to buy a new chair.

This one has no arms to catch, a breathable back and a wide seat. It has had a good workout since buying it.

The week after purchase, while doing the groceries, Aldi had car seats for sale, I bought one for the old chair which solved the problem and it has been installed in the computer room.

A Christmas tree

 Out walking Lucy this morning at a neighbouring suburb when she stopped in her tracks and wanted to go into the shopping centre that we were passing.

I do have some interesting conversations, mostly I win as I have the lead.

I looked up at one of the trees to see that if has been decorated for Christmas, it was the only one that was in amongst others.

Further along was a flame tree in full blossom 

Three little pots

 I have been doing a lot of sewing over the last year and some of my sewing pins are being worn̈ and blunt.

Decided to replace them. They also get dropped and end up in the vacuum cleaner.

These are my pots of pins with a cotton reel for comparison. 

When we were first married, first or second Christmas, Warren's company gave their staff a Christmas hamper. I remember there was some cheeses and Christmas puddings, four individual one plus a larger one.  They did have lids. 

I can't remember when I started using these as pin holders but they have been with us for over 50 years. Now one serves on the sewing table ready to pin, the second one is on the side of the sewing machine for when the pins are removed and the third lives where I cut out patterns.

I have tipped them over on occasions but not too often. Wide packing tape goes over the top for moving purposes as they have moved house approx twenty two times. They must be the oldest household item that I have and will continue to use.  

More hats

 These photos are this fortnight's work, another 24 plus I took a couple of days off hats and made some shorts and skirts. 

 Getting known as the hat lady at U4Ks.

I try to m7x the fabric up so that no hat is the same as another.

I had some aboriginal final that I had bought in April Springs on our last visit. Most fabric were already cut and sold in metre square. I bought two, one blue and the other brown. I made a shopping bag with the blue piece and still had the brown. 

It became about four hats with other pieces.

Family park run

 Our son Rob was visiting from Melbourne. He needed a N to be working on his alphabet.  North Lakes park run is not too far so it was decided to go there. Older son rings, he has not been able to do parkrun for some weeks due to having skin cancers off his face. He would join us.

Grandson has just started parkruns and had some friends to join in.

Ended up a party of twelve, ten participants. 

Sheridan, me, Warren, Rob and Jason

At breakfast after, Rob, Sheri, me, Caitlin, DJ, Warren, Berlin, Hermas, Jordan, Chris, Aidan and Jason in the foreground.

A lonely Swan on the lake, the runners did see another Swan with two young.

 

WIPs or UFOs

 Holiday time from crochet group and I decided that I should finish some wips or ufos. "Work in progress or unfinished objects".

I did have three blankets on the go. The pink tartan, I bought the wool while we were on holidays two balls each of white, mauve, pink and bright pink. I stopped too early on it, should have done another couple of colour bands. By doing the fringe, it used all the colours but I only used one ball of white.

The one to the left is quite heavy, I did double strand of cotton so it should wash well but it is much heavier than the wool one over the back.

No more wips except the new blanket that I started, which is just now a V stitch, I did start a pattern but it was taking too long. It is probably the widest blanket I have done, not sure how wide as my tape measure runs out before the end, I thinks it's probably about 80 inches wide. Each row takes around 30 minutes, that's while watching TV, so far its ten inches long. It will be a blanket of many colours as I am using up any odd balls that I have.

Toorbul

 We often go out for lunch on a Friday at a Cafe. Last night we decided that if it was a nice day, fish and chips at the beach would be nice and a change.

We went in Brian, the Ute, and threw in a couple of chairs, that way we could chose where we sat and were not reliant on picnic beaches that maybe in the sun.

Thats a small houseboat out in the water with Bribie Island behind.

Warren got lunch, only fish and a drink. Mine was the smaller and it stretched along my leg to my knee. It was crumbled and I did remove some of coating.

Later we drove down to the other end of the beach, it has been closed off now and made into a bird ranchers.

Hats hats and more hats

 Last time I was at Uniforms for kids,  I picked up a giggle hat pattern and was told that they need hats made. Kids aren't allowed to play outside at school unless they have a hat and are wearing it.

Coming home from holidays, I decided to make some of the hats using scrap fabric that I have/had. As per usual I set myself a challenge of 20 to 24 hats before going back to U4Ks, that was in two weeks.

Each hat is made twice or two hat pieces make one complete hat. Each one consists of a top which is a circle then a head piece then a brim, second one is done and placed inside, sewn together and then turned out and sew the two brims to secure it. I do three rows of stitching around the brim.

They can be worn either way. If there is enough fabric, I prefer both the head piece and the brim to be of the same.

Here are my 24 hats. I have more pieces cut out ready to go

Wharf street

 We are staying at the marina, very small caravan park.

Taken from our site

Early morning rowers go by and fishing pelicans

And an Egret.

Not much shade but we move our chairs around. Today being Saturday, we have the steam train going on the tracks about 6 metres away from the van.

It is an easy walk into the cbd from here.

Went to parkrun this morning, new post and by about a minute.

Maryborough

 Mary Poppins town. P L Travers who wrote it came from Maryborough.

Not unusual to see Mary 9n the side of the street

Decided that I like murals and there are plenty here

Umbrellas

And another

More

Bundaberg

 We got there in time for lunch at the botanical Gardens. Very nice walk through.

Comfy chairs outside the Cafe in the grounds.

A very large lady bug about four times as big as usual.

Scenic train in the grounds

Part of the Chinese gardens

Entrance to the Chinese Gardens, the Japanese Gardens were just across the road

An eel in the lake.

Mt Larcom

 Nice quiet park even though it is on the side of the Bruce Highway. It is built in tiers around the amenities, we were on the third tier.

The only caravan park that I know that has chairs and a table for each side.

I did have a photo but its not showing up.

The next tier down just over the side, a truck and enclosed trailer pulled up. Inside they had a helicopter drove that they put together. It was about four feet long.

Pt Alma

 We have stayed at Mt Larcon park before and it was a short day only 180ks so we took a detour to Port Alma.

No idea what was there but apparently it is a salt mine. Which is ridiculous as salt is not mined but there you are.

Mountains of salt

We stopped at a salt flat because....

There was a cache called  Harold Holt in salt. It stated that the cache was not difficult to find but discovering how to sign the log could take some time.

It was a yellow container tied to a stumpy tree. There were bolts inside that needed to be pushed up hard so the inner container came out.

Clairview and Marlborough

 Leaving Mackay, we missed the servo that we wanted to stop at and continued on to Clairview. Strange little place lots of houses but nothing else except a community centre advertising tea and coffee plus scones jam and cream.

I think it's like an op shop just off the highway, a service road for about five or six kilometres. The community centre was at the end of the service road.

We had coffee and the last of their scones, we were sitting outside with Lucy when one of the workers who brought out our coffees suggested we sit and watch the water.

Sea was a long way out, beautiful colour though and tide was coming in.

Mural on their wall.

Community building.

We continued on to Marlborough, the caravan was right along side of the highway so very noisy until about 10.30pm and traffic got going again about 6am

They had goats and chicken on the edge of the park.

It was a pick your own spot. 

Mackay

 This has been our spot for five nights. I visited the Riverside markets on Thursday afternoon, it was advertised on our caravan park info. The markets run from 3pm to 7pm.

I picked up some dumplings, like in China and some goat meat, that was already frozen so it will go home for a goat curry.

We have been out caching, lots here.

Friday was grocery shopping, yesterday was parkrun through the botanical Gardens and washing day. Today we took Lucy to an off leash beach, she had a ball running through the waves and tearing up the sand. It was a cool day so very few people there.

Had to grab a jumper this afternoon, temps only got to 22 and there was a wind.

Breakwater

Painted water tower

Wall with the towns happenings

Parkrun

Sculpture in the botanical Gardens. Seven frogs and a platypus all made from recycled metal bits.

 

Rockhampton and Yeppoon

 As we couldn't get into Bowen caravan park, I suggested that we have two nights in Rocky. We took the opportunity to spend the day in Yepoon, not sure if it has two p's or only one.

There is a great ad from years ago and the punch line was "and it blew a ruddy great hole in a tarana" d9nt know what the ad was for but most people our age relate to Yepoon by that ad. Tarana being a small Holden car, popular at the time. 

Yepoon was bigger than I expected with nice scenic views.

One of the lookouts we visited

Emu Park just south had a great military avenue

We walked up the board walkK to see the singing ship, no other info on it

Bit errie seeing these dotted around just up from the walkway

The poppies, red for humans and purple for animals in conflict

These were also dotted around in the park.

Monto

 We stayed the night here at a caravan park, first night was at a showgrounds.

Our adventure lab took us to the old railway station, there is still a train once a day and the area did have caravanners staying in the grounds

Had to go to a weir, it was a beautiful spot. Lucky wanted to go down to the water 

And a painted cow, not sure why.

We had coffee at Biloela, pronounced bil o wheels.

Lunch at Mount Morgan boy was that hilly. Understandable with a name like that but either side of the main road was a large hill to climb for other shopping.

Both those places we had not visited before, they are mining towns.