End of our epic Journey, highlights recapped.

The YWith a few days rest in ultimate luxury, it is has given me some time to reflect on how fortunate I am, I feel that with all our  hard work and dedication all, that we have strived and achieved has paid off. DH and I Feel blessed, we have a wonderful marriage, two gorgeous sons, a wonderful daughter in-law and are 

soon to be grandparents. With the end of our seven week sojourn, it is time to step back into reality and get on with everyday life. In reflection of our holiday, a friend asked me to do the highlights of our trip. So with a few hours to spare, what I mention below is what has been most important to me on our trip.

What was so wonderful about travelling to our destinations, was to meet up with old and new friends, met either through travelling or friendships developed when living close and then friends migrate.

So the highlight for me was to meet and greet two friends in particular we met 2 years ago whilst travelling in South America.

In London, Allan Hymers and Jill, loved catching up with you both, a great evening, thank you Allan and Jill for a wonderful evening and your wonderful company.

The Churchill arms, a great night.

The V & A museum. London, Kensington South.

In Lisboa, Portugal, Teresa, great to see you and have you show us Lisboa from your perspective, thank you for a wonderful evening and your hospitality, very much appreciated.

Santini  ice cream.

This was an unfinished embroidery work, with beads and stump work, I could not stop looking at it.
Sintra Royal Palace. I just loved visiting this palace and Sintra is well worth a visit.

Gorgeous tiles in Portugal.

In between our UK tour, Spain, Portugal and Morrocco, we spent a couple of days with our dear friends from Australia, who migrated to Wales in 2010, we had a wonderful few days catching up on old times, sightseeing and washing. Joana knows me very well and tailored what exploring we were going to do, so I felt quite privileged to be taken to a flea market, quaint villages and world heritage sights.

Our enjoyable day in Llangollen.

Bridge with aqueduct.

Aqueduct.

Jo feeding the geese and chickens, faithful dogs following.

Thanks Jo and Allan for an enjoyable few days your generous hospitality and allowing me to do three loads of washing forever grateful. Next when we visit, we are now aware of a few travelling tips.

When in Spain, we visited the Sevilla cathedral with Christopher Columbus coffin, so ornate.

Cathedral Sevilla

Esplasa, Sevilla, amazing tiles and coat of arms for every city in Spain, well worth a visit.

The Scottish highlands was a great place to visit all being cold. just loved the highland cows.

The English countryside. the Cotswold, Bath and Chester in Wales.

Cotswold

Chester.

Bath, Jane Austin country.

Bath and shops over footbridge.

France, visiting Nantes and Paris was enjoyable, using the rail system was excellent 

Meeting authors of quilting books published by Quiltmania was pretty special, also seeing Di Fords Mountmellick quilt in the flesh was wonderful. it is being hand quilted..

Hand quilting Mountmellick.

Overall we had a wonderful time. Morrocco, was a disappointment, I am pleased that I visited, but also pleased to leave. Fez had a little more culture, but again, not a wow factor, my trip to Egypt was way better and more enjoyable. DH and I both enjoyed our cosmos tours, but felt that they were quite large, we had thirty people on our UK trip and fourtyfive on our Spain trip, everyone was punctual and the trips went generally well, but we are both used to doing a smaller group and will continue to do so in the future.

With our stay for three days in Abu Dhabi, we made the decision to rest up and enjoy our six star accomadation, did a little shopping and enjoyed some R & R.

My Surf and Turf meal at Jummeirah.

Some buffalo wings for starters and a ginger mock tail.

Our breakfast room.

Pool area.

Fountain, pool in foyer of hotel.

We finished off our holiday in Abu Dhabi with a little luxury and R & R, we chose not to do any more sightseeing as we were over it,  we took this time to chill,  last day of our holiday, our flight home Is tonight, home to family and friends.  We  finished off with a bit of decadence, high tea on the observation deck of Jumeriah at Etihad Towers.

Until next time....

Hiroshima Peace Park

We travelled for 5 hours to get to Hiroshima, arrived just after lunch, checked into our hotel then visited the Peace park, what a great afternoon, the park, museums and memorials were heart wrenching, such a tradegy, 140,000 lives lost, a huge percentage were children, August 6 th 1945, now 70 years on. "have we learnt our lesson".

Replica of bomb dropped onto Hiroshima, an identical one was dropped on Nagasaki, the Americans dropped the atomic bomb to end the war, it worked.

Inside the museum, buildings from Hiroshima.

Collections of pottery, coins, glass bottles etc from bomb site.

This monument reminds me of a covered wagon.

This is a memorial fountain, inside this building is like a resting place for all lives lost in the bombing of Hiroshima.

A diorama of the bombed site.

A memorial to all the children lost, note all the paper cranes, hanging, these cranes have come from all over the world.

This booth was open, so that you can deposit your paper cranes.

The atomic dome, used to be the council chambers.

More paper cranes.

Our wonderful dinner at Caffe Ponte, some Moët and mulled wine, a great evening with DH!  Chris and Esme.

An interesting pet, a raccoon.

DH's entree, prosciutto from another hanging leg.

My snails.

This was in the toilet, how wonderful was this restroom for sitting and some reelection.

Today we are off to Hiroshima castle.

Road trip to Castlemaine.

At last, the long awaited day, a road trip to Castlemaine to attend an appliqué class with Margaret McDonald and Di Ford. The classes were being held on the 15th & 16th of February. I was lucky enough to get into a class on the Sunday 16 th February. DH and I drove to Wodonga on the thursday and stayed overnight with my brother. Whilst in Wodonga, we visited Carolyn's quilting room and had lots of eye candy to view. Carolyn's quilts are amazing, especially the replica of the V & A sundial quilt. The girls present at the time were working on Di Fords ,"Route 66". I had great delight in showing them my Lucy Boston, "Patchwork of the Crosses", which I might add, has taken 1 month of constant sewing to get all the rows together, I hope to finish soon, as I want my life back!!!!

Friday found us travelling to Barnawartha to stay with friends, Jan and Col. A perfect opportunity to get all the girls together for a sewing day with show and tell. DH left us girls to go on a wine tour with his clients that live in Barnawartha as well. So pleased that he had something to do, as I was not sure how he would have tolerated eight girls, eating, sewing and chatting, what a fantastic day, had by all and to be surrounded by such talented ladies. Valentines day as well was celebrated with heart shapes from watermelon, chocolates and strawberries.

Let me share with you some of the work that the girls have been doing, what inspiration!

Vickii's quilt, hand quilted, her version of an antique quilt.

Vicky's gorgeous appliqué quilt, Below is vickii's own design inspired by Albury, the wording is reversed appliqued, perfect!!!

Jan is doing Di Ford's marriage quilt.

Sue-Anne's Irish circles designed by Karen Cunningham 

1930's challenge

Sue-Anne's Joy of life (Rosalie Quinlan)

Ryland manor by Sue-Anne  ( Megan Carroll)

Helen's Walnut hill farm (Susan Smith)

Marg's Sarah Sampler

We also had a celebrity in our midst with Shelly who recently had her design "Jugs and Dishes, published in Quiltmania no 99. Not to miss an autograph opportunity, when sewing with Shelly, what does one do!!!

Jan 's version of Walnut Hill farm.

Jan's Civil war 2 (Susan Smith)

Jan and Col live in a historical heritage house, that used to belong to a doctor, barns, stables and a carriage house, encompass the 10acres. A gorgeous setting in the Barnawartha area.

Shelly 's "Floral market,

And Shelly's gorgeous bag, patterns are available. http://skellywagsewing.wordpress.com

We left Jan's on Saturday to drive to Castlemaine , when we left it was torrential rain! very much needed moisture! due to the dry conditions, over most of Australia. We arrived into Castlemaine at about 1.30 pm, drove straight to the tourist information centre, with two purposes in mind, visit threadbear patchwork and Shades of Grey. At the Threadbear patchwork shop Petra Prins was making an appearance from 1-3 pm, so armed with her book off I went to get an autograph.

Shades of grey which is a wire sculpture place, and on each occasion we have visited Castlemaine, they have been closed, maybe third time lucky.....next time.

The class was held on Sunday and commenced at 0930 hrs, the room was divided into two areas, and a choice of two teachers, one with Margaret McDonald and the other with Di ford, with a changeover in the afternoon. What a wonderful day with different techniques of appliqué being taught on a quilt with the same centre, and each designer doing their own design on completing the quilt. Di and Margaret were wonderful teachers and had a lot to share.

The goodie bag from Threadbear was very generous as well as being well fed and watered. A good day was had by all.

Margaret's centre of "Charlotte Louise"

Margaret getting ready to share her expertise!

Di teaching us her techniques and her quilt "Sutton Grange"

Di's centre...

Overall it was a great couple of days away, with new techniques being learnt with some retail therapy as well as a few days away with DH. While away DH and I had the pleasure of experiencing some local cuisine as well as the local culture.