frayed at the edge

G'bye!

We're sitting relaxing in the First Class Lounge at Sydney Airport!  From the window, we have a last view of Sydney .... we have had the most wonderful holiday ..... but now we are looking forward to Singapore.  I love the hustle and bustle of Singapore - and as for the shopping!!  But don't worry - most of my shopping in Singapore is window shopping - those wonderful designer shops, where they have one beautifully spotlit dress/suit/handbag in the window and the sales staff all look very superior (do you remember the scene from 'Pretty Woman' when the snooty sales woman refuses to serve Julia Roberts.....)

We have taken so many photos over the past three and a half weeks, that I could fill the blog from now until Christmas!!  Don't worry, I'm not going to show you all the photos ..... I think perhaps Tuesday Treasures can have a little holiday, and I will do a collage of our Australian Adventures (yes, I absolutely adore alliteration!!)

Here are just a few picked at random ....

I spotted this little beauty in Darling Harbour!

you can go on a course to learn how to decorate coffee!

if only I could win the Lottery, then I would buy a house like this!

this photo has it all - food, funny wooden gate and shadows!!

 

Ah well, must end now - my glass of wine is waiting for me!  I hope to do a post later in the week from Singapore, so g'bye (I made that word up!)  ..... love, Anne

A man and his barbecue!

We're just back from a wonderful trip to the Hunter Valley.  An amazing contrast to last week's scenery in the Blue Mountains!  Of course wine drinking was involved - including a visit to the famous Lindeman's winery.  The cottage we stayed in was on a small organic winery - it was lovely to sit on the verandah for breakfast with views over the vines to the hills beyond

 

Of course, we had to use the barbecue for dinner - wonderful steaks, washed down with a nice glass of red wine oh dear - I've lost the photo - it will have to wait.  Must go, as we are off to catch the ferry for another day's sighseeing ...

Love, Anne

 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

Good morning again from Sydney!  The sun is still shining, so lots of lovely shadows.....  After doing my shadows, I will be adding on some holiday stuff for family and friends to see, but I hope you shadow-shotters might read that as well.  But now for the shadows .... during the week we went up into the Blue Mountains.  Regular readers know that I don't like heights (anything higher than standing on a chair qualifies as a height!!), so only for you, dear readers would I have endured these heights.....

 

shadow of clouds on the trees, way, way below us

 

shadows on the Three Sisters

 

painting on the rough wooden wall in the quirky place we had dinner in Katoomba

 

On Friday, we took the ferry over to Manly, to meet Lee, who has recently become a 'blog friend'  It was lovely to meet her and spend time talking about all things blog!!  Malcolm had wisely gone off and left us to chat, but when he returned, he took this photo of us - and it's a shadow shot!!

  

Lee has posted pics on her blog too!

 

Malcolm spotted this lovely crisp shadow on the ferry

 

Yesterday, we took the ferry to Circular Quay, and again the sun was lovely and bright ....

 

they might be bad for the planet, but patio heaters provided these shadows!!

 

the sun reflecting off the Opera House

As ever, pop over to Hey Harriet for more shadows .... and thanks to everyone for their comments last week, sorry I can't reply to you all individually!

 

And now to pick up the story of our magnificent lunch in Cafe Sydney, and the photo of us with our food ...

 

yes, we had a glass of wine too!

 

waiting for pudding, with the Bridge behind us

 

We had a wonderful stay in the Blue Mountains - although it was decidedly chilly compared to Sydney.  We visited Scenis World .... but I decided I didn't want to go on the cable car ...

 

when I saw it vanish over the edge .....

 

However, I was brave enough to stand on top of the mountain (after a long drive up a very steep dirt road!) for Malcolm to take this photo

 

not a safety rail in sight!!

 

Of course, you can't come to Sydney without taking photos of the Bridge and the Opera House - when we get home I will do a collage, but I'll finish today with these two 

 

 

We're heading off tomorrow to the Hunter Valley - wine drinking may be involved!!

With lots of love, from Anne and Malcolm xx

Sensational scenery and fabulous food!

We had a busy morning on Monday, sightseeing in Sydney - we even went into the State Parliament ... and were allowed to take photos - I'll show you thosw once we're back home.  Then Malcolm suggested going to Cafe Sydney, up on the roof of the old Customs Building.  We stepped out of the lift ...  to see lots of well dressed business men - while we were in our comfy sightseeing clothes (I was wearing my trainers!)  However closer inspection showed other tourists as well. We were able to get a table out on the Terrace, with a wonderful view of the Bridge.  Our waiter was extremely nice, and offered to take photos of us ... the first one also included the food ...

Oh no - I've had to abandon putting in photos, as this is a very slow Internet connection!! 

After we had finished our main course and before the puddings arrived, the business men at the table across from us left, so our lovely waiter cleared their table, so that we could move over and have an even better view of the Bridge - and he took more photos!  As the restaurant was much less busy by then, he chatted for a while and suggested places for us to visit.

On Tuesday. we headed up into the Blue Mountains - and I mean UP - we are at an altitude of a thousand metres!!  The scenery here is absolutely spectacular - as soon as I get a fast connection, I have lots of photos to show you!

I have been spending some of my carefully saved up holiday money - I've bought lots of p&q magazines, patterns and a kit.  I had trouble finding an Australian knitting magazine, but finally found one ... and issue one of a felting magazine.  I've also been to several wool shops and have bought a super pattern book and some lovely Australian wool - and some gorgeous stuff for felting .... I'm going to be very busy when I get back home!!

We're heading back down into Sydney today, and I'm all excited, as tomorrow (Friday) we are taking the ferry over to Manly, to meet Lee, of Just Like Martha - if you haven't seen her blog, do have a look - she posts the most wonderful photos.

Hope to be back on Sunday with some spectacular Shadow Shots!

 

 

I will never complain again ...

.... about all the time that Malcolm spent travelling all over the place for the last five years he worked for BP (except maybe about the six weeks he spent in Houston, coming home two days before Christmas!!)  Why won't I complain?  Because he earned so many wonderful airmiles that we were able to traverl here First Class!!  Oh - it's another world - one of comfort and elegance and good service ...

 

reaxing in the 1st Class Lounge in Singapore

 

a little appetiser on the plane

 

the most wonderful chocolate pudding

 

freshened up with my complimentary toiletries ....

 

then off to bed with a proper duvet and pillow!!

 

the Bridge and Opera House, seen from the Botanic Gardens

 

It's Malcolm's birthday today, so we are off out for another day of sightseeing, then I am taking him to a Thai restaurant for dinner.  (He got his pressies before we left - including a posh new coffee machine!)

Hope to do a post on Sunday with a superb Shadow Shot!!

G'day!!

Ok - so it's a corny title, but what else did you expect.  Just a quick post, before my internet time runs out!!  We had a reasonable journey out - just a bit tiring and also a bit discombubulating, as we seemed to lose Friday somewhere along the way!!  Our apartment is well situated for shops and ferries - we have already been to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House - it's just as well I got my legs in training!  Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos next time.

Wish you could be here with us, sitting on the cafe balcony in the sun ......

The cutting room floor

Since I started my blog, I have taken hundreds of photos, and of course I have used quite a lot of them.  But there are some photos which are still languishing unseen in my folders ... perhaps they are a bit blurred, or the moment for that story passed, or something better cropped up later in the day to change the plans for that day's post .... and there are also all the photos from before blogging! However,  unlike bit-part actors, whose moment of glory ended up on the cutting room floor, some of these photos are finally getting their moment in the spotlight!

We'll start with cute animals .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

then a bit of falling down fence

 

 

my latest pillar box

 

 

a bit of sewing

 

 

a bit of knitting

 

 

there has to be Scotland's (other) national drink

 

 

a little bit of (a previous) garden

 

 

a (holiday) sunset

 

 

swallows getting ready to fly off to sunnier climes

 

I hope you have enjoyed my trawl through the archives ... and now I have a present for you ..... a little bouquet of flowers and grasses which I picked from the hedgerow this morning, when I went out for my last three mile walk - I certainly have got my legs fit for the holidays!!

 

No doubt while we're away we will have the occasional glass of wine .... and as always I'll raise my glass and think of family and friends and say

 

cheers!!

A bit of silliness

When we were on holiday, Malcolm couldn't understand why I took a photo of this sign

 

There were two reasons -

1: I'm surprised that the 'Toon Army' hasn't told the locals how to spell 'Geordie'  (if you don't understand that, leave me a comment and I'll send you the explanation!!)

 

2: This is not my idea of a torrent !!

Oh dear, I don't blame you for groaning, those were terrible 'jokes'!!

Hard work rewarded!

I have mentioned (just once or twice!) that I don't like heights and stairs, so when, on holiday, I was confronted with these ....

 

and even more of these .....

 

I did the sensible thing and sat at the bottom in the sun reading the paper, and sent Malcolm up the stairs, armed with the camera.

At the top is the Church of Calvari

and these stunning views

 

 

Of course, having climbed all the way to the top,  Malcolm then had to come all the way back down!

 

However, he was rewarded when he tucked into this for dinner ....

 

.... the meat was tender and succulent - and the chips were pretty good too!

What did I have - I succumbed to a rather posh burger .....

I love how they put a little bit salad on the plate, as if that makes it healthy!!

Not a lot of people know this ......

..... but I am the proud possessor of O Level Spanish!  When I was in 6th year at Airdrie Academy, I was allowed to compile my own timetable.  This was easily done with the few subjects I was going to sit exams in, plus lots of 'free' periods - which we had to spend 'studying' in the school library supervised by a teacher.  I was on the way to the office to hand my timetable in, when I met the Rector.  Now, he probably wouldn't have spoken to any other 6th year pupil, but unfortunately, he knew me - he had taught my Dad (one of my Latin teachers had also taught my Dad), my sister has been at the Academy before me, and my brother was there, 4 years behind me.  On finding out why I was wandering the corridors, he had a look at my timetable - and declared that I would have to take another subject.  He suggested that I went to see one of the other Latin teachers and ask to join his O Level Spanish Class.  Now, I was not at all pleased about this, mostly because I did not want to learn Spanish, but also because I had previously been taught by this teacher - he was best known throughout the school for putting his hand in his trouser pocket and scratching!!

However, I did study Spanish for a year and somehow managed to pass the exams.  But I didn't actually learn to speak Spanish (apart from the minimal amount for the oral exam) - I merely learned to read and translate it.

I have long since forgotten it all, but that didn't prevent me from buying these two wonderful magazines on holiday

 

and this wonderful knitting book

 

but even if I could still remember any Spanish, it wouldn't help me with this magazine .....

 

...... which is Italian!  I had only looked at the wonderful photos of the needlework projects - it was Malcolm who actually looked at the text, didn't think it looked like Spanish, then saw that the adverts were for Italian products and shops!