Hubby & I had a wonderful time away this last week even if it were only overnight but we did get to visit with some of our wonderful friends that we don't see that often now we live so far away. Sadly I forgot to get my camera out to take photos at G & B's place - ohhh so tranquil among the gum trees and those biscuits G. had made were to die for - they called them the $250 biscuits so I must get the recipe and with Macadamia nuts in them ... well do I need to say more ... ha ha. I did remember to get my camera out of my bag at B & N's but I left it on so long to get their wild birds I ran out of battery and would you believe I forgot to take my charger... drrrrrrr I can go anywhere and I take my cell phone charger & camera battery charger but not this time ... ha ha Think I will blame L. as she had so much excitement happen the morning we were leaving we were a little out of it but what can you say when her new little neice was born - she's a little beauty too. Here are some of the wild birds that come to B's place to be fed - they actually believe they follow them around Australia as there are always birds waiting for them wherever they decide to park their van on their travels .... ohh did I forget to tell you that they belong to the Grey Nomads!!! There were lots of rainbow loriketts, pigeons & doves plus two galahs so I'm guessing they are a couple.
These guys look like they are asking to join us for arvo tea ... the larger one it a Magpie and the smaller one is a Butcher bird - we do have a lot of black & white birds here.
Now this is one cheeky butcher bird helping himself to the bowl of mince - you can see how close he is and we were strangers in their enviroment.
We got up the north coast near Sunshine Ariport well before dark so had a bit of a walk on the beach before tea ... we had forgotten how lovely and powdery and soft the sand it along the coastal beaches ... beautiful. We also enjoyed watching some guys playing with their kite board in the surf, a chap doing a spot of surf fishing and a family walking and playing along the water's edge - man they were all having some fun. We were up fairly early next morning and off to Moffat Beach to meet up with my friend M., at a coffee shop we have frequented often over the years and I just knew what I wanted - cameral banana pancakes with 'the lot' ... my it did seem to be a 'lot' more than I remembered, so I really needed a doggie bag but man thinking of it makes my mouth water ... yummm, just as well I don't live up there or I'd have an even bigger weight problem. It was great catching up with M. and what the family are doing - really keeping her on her toes that's for sure. On the way home we called into our youngest daughter's but sadly her littlies were still at school but we didn't want to get caught in the traffic too much, so didn't wait - ohhh famous last words they are ... ha ha We also called into where we used to live and see how many changes had taken place - like always you leave a place you have lived in for many, many years and you go away for what seems like such a short time and there are so many changes - undecided as to if they are good or bad. We got to call into one of our neighbours just for a few minutes and then back on the road again. Call into L. and pick up our Gilly, she was so glad to see us and wasn't letting either of us out of her sight. So that was the end of our little road trip.
Yes it is another birdie one [ really do have these birds on the brain don't I...] but when I was at my daughter's place for Anzac Day she had the latest[here that is] Creating Keepsakes? think that was the name of the scrapbooking mag but ex-pat Emily Falconbridge had an article in this book about painting a bird book so this is how this version of my birds card came about ... Em was covering the bird book with paper towel - of course mine is a much smaller version but I still liked it as one layer of paper towel came off one bird so the birds are a tad different being one negative & the other positive - if you get my drift [OK got pull a piece of paper towel apart & you'll see what I mean ... ha ha] I painted them with pearl white paint & then highlighted them with gold paint - hope they liked it as it was going to be a 30 min card that turned into a 3 hour card - as I always seem to be so good at doing.... talking card making I'm off to my shed now to make another batch of cards today. 
