In addition to my stitching goals I have been making some other fun goals for each month. You can read about September's here.
Let's see how I went.
1. READ A BOOK
Having headed off for a little holiday gave me the perfect opportunity to do some reading........at the expense of the stitching I had planned to do.
When we travel, we enjoy popping into op shops and craft shops and keep our eye out for street libraries and book exchanges. All of these came from those sources. They are a real lucky dip. You get some great reads and some shockers.
The first book I read wasn't a novel, but the Historic Australia Quilts book that I bought at Coolah. It was fascinating reading. Some of it I already knew, but you always learn something. Of course, the quilts were nice eye candy too.
Next I read "The Wrong Boy" which was about a Jewish girl in a concentration camp. We both read this and enjoyed it. The author is Australian.
Finally, Five Quarters of the Orange. This has been out for some years, but I had never read it. It was an enjoyable read too.
2. TRY A NEW RECIPE
This only happened last week. I found a recipe for "Blueberry Granola Breakfast Bars". This was a slice with a base, a layer of jam and blueberries and then a crumble topping. It was a failure, as the base was way too crumbly. The recipe just didn't have nearly enough butter in it. However, it wasn't wasted. Served warm in a bowl with either ice cream or custard for dessert was delicious.
I have rewritten the recipe using the same base as for the raspberry coconut slice and it would be fine. Also, the crumble was yummy, so would work well on an apple or rhubarb crumble. Therefore, it wasn't a complete loss.
3. GO FOR WALKS
This happened while we were travelling, but not so much at home. I will blame the weather for some of it, but, really, there is no other excuse.
4. GO FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE
No, this did not happen. We were away for a couple of weeks and then on weekends the weather was mainly wet. Hopefully, we will get out next month.
5. GO AWAY IN OUR CARAVAN.
This earned a very big tick. We were away for eleven days and had a wonderful time. We mainly free camped, which worked well. Caravanning is a great way to travel.
6. HAVE A FRIDAY FUN DAY
Well, we were away for two Fridays and they were fun, which doesn't really count.
We actually had a Sunday Fun Day last weekend.
Remember we rode the old motorcycle out to Chifley Dam in August to see the dam looking nearly full.
Well, the dam started flowing over the spill way a couple of weeks ago, so we had to go out again to have a look see.
We weren't the only ones with that idea. Lots of people were walking out for a look.
It was wonderful to see the water cascading over the spillway. The dam wall was raised in the early 1990s. If you look carefully, you will see a line around the right hand wall and the end wall about half way up. That is the height of the earlier spillway. Thank goodness our local Council had the foresight to raise the wall when they did. There are now talks of raising it again to future proof our water supply as Bathurst continues to grow quickly.
The Campbells River was looking lovely, with everything looking so green.
The dam was looking lovely too. At the other side of the dam there was an open day for the rowing club. It had gone into recess over the last couple of years and they are planning on reviving it. There was apparently enough interest to get it going again, which was great news for those involved.
So, there you go. Most goals achieved, but not fully. That is fine, as we can't do everything every month.
Now I will have to put my thinking cap on to see what we will get up to next month.
It's always good to have a plan, or even, just take life as it comes. The thing to do is enjoy your time together, I think.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful time was had. Looks a good read, the History of Australian Quilts, always like that type of book. Christine
ReplyDeleteYou found some good books. Not all plans come to fruition but it is good you make them who knows what might happen. So good to see the dam full and everything so green.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a lot of ticks there. Big tick getting the spillway raised we really need to take care of precious water supplies. Loved the photos xx
ReplyDeleteYou achieved a lot there even if there were a couple of misses.
ReplyDeleteGood to see so much water.
You did tick a lot of the list and it's great to see some much water...
ReplyDeleteLots of goals reached and surpassed. Lovely to see all that water. The countryside looks lovely and green.
ReplyDeleteYou've been happily busy, Janice. And so productive. Australian designers are amazing and I love the embroiderers too so it is quite a history. I love desserts that include fruit not just because I love it but I feel a little less guilty. You call them slice and where I come from, we called them squares. We are fortunate to have an abundance of water here in Ontario and I was so happy to read about the increase of water levels for you folks there. Pretty photos too.
ReplyDeleteGlad the dam is full, water makes such a difference to the countryside, your photos are so clear. Thanks again for taking me on your travels.
ReplyDeletea full dam is a great sight to behold!...anywhere in this country.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about the dam and a good excuse for a visit.
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