Montezuma Falls

 We decided to see Tasmania's highest waterfall, Montezuma Falls, just out of Zeehan on the West Coast. The falls are 140 metres tall and there is a 4wdrive track of 19 kms to reach them. According to the guide book it should take 1 hour each way.
   We checked with the local police to see how hard they would be for us with our camper. The policeman assured us that it would be no problem.
   Well it took us 2 and 1/2 hours to go up and there were some challenging corners which tripped the car on very acute angles and I had to guide DH where to place his wheels on the worse parts.

 They were worth the effort but the trip took so long that we needed to stay up there for the night. We didn't sleep very well, anticipating the difficulties for the return journey. Luckily we seemed to have less trouble on the return trip and it only took 2 hours. We were very happy not to sustain any damage to our vehicle and camper.

We probably wouldn't go there again though as there was one part of the track where we feared a roll over. We'll be on more main roads for the next part of the trip, luckily.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

The Edge of the World.

 We crossed to the coast and traveled from Marrawah down to Arthur River and the Edge of the World. The wind was strong as it usually is on the West Coast but the sea views were worth it.

If anyone wants to help with beanies or blankets for New Guinea, I will be happy to accept any beanies, any sizes and the same for blankets, knitted,  or crocheted. Or if you want to send crochet squares,  I use 8ply yarn and 4.5 crochet hook and crochet 10 rounds of Granny Squares. Of course I can join them together into blankets.  I don't have a date yet and won't be home until 18th Feb, so will be able to accept them then.
Many thanks for your interest friends.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

Trowutta Arch in West Tasmania.

 The scenery of the rivers and rainforests has been lovely and we've been anazed at the size of the tree ferns.

 We took a lovely walk to see the Trowutta Arch, formed by the creation of two sinkholes.

 It's been lovely to enjoy some cooler weather after a week of hot days in Melbourne. Although it's peak season here there aren't that many tourists traveling the dirt roads.
Sorry I 'm posting several posts at once but I won't have internet again for a few days and this is the first time we have had it since we arrived.
Hugs, Jan Mac

The Wild West of Tasmania.

 We brought our camper over on the Spirit of Tasmania and had a much calmer crossing than last time. They woke us at 5.15am so we drove a little way out of Devonport for breakfast and a nap. That's the beauty of carrying everything you need in the camper.

 We traveled across to the western coast as we wanted to bush camp in the rain forests. The scenery has been beautiful with not too many tourists and plenty of free camp sites.

 Dip Falls was lovely with plenty of water cascading down the rocks.

Chisholm Lake was pristine too. It's been relaxing to take the dirt roads and enjoy each other's company.
Hugs, Jan Mac 

First UFO Finish for 2018.

Every year I plan, or hope, to finish off UFOs but new projects, or other people's donated UFOs seem to be at the top if the pile. This year, as I endeavour to downsize, I really want to finish up lots of those UFOs that I started with lots of enthusiasm before another project captured my attention. Often I started something to see how it would look, or to use up scraps, and then another quilt with a deadline distracted me.
   As I am planning to donate virtually all of my finished quilts and clear some of my fabric, I really want to get more finished. This one was started a few years ago when Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville,  used a Split 9 patch as her Leader/Ender project. I used up lots of scraps and I like it but think if I make another I will limit my scraps to only a couple of colours. This one will be donated too and it's great to have a finish.
  We're off to Tasmania now so hope to keep my blog updated as we travel. I have packed hand stitching of 2 more UFOs and think I should be able to get at least one finished. My niece, who is currently living in New Guinea while her DH flies medical evacuations, delivering supplies etc, has asked if I could make beanies,  blankets and quilts etc for the villagers as they are in the mountains and it gets quite cold at night. They will use them on medivacs too.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Baby, Baby.

My DD has 3 friends having babies by February and decided to make quilts for them as they are very close friends. We've spent 3 days last week and yesterday, making the quilt tops. The first one is for a friend who is having a boy at the end of February and we just need to add the borders. Then when he has arrived and has a name, I will machine applique his name, quilt and bind it for her to gift. DD also made one for her friend's 3 year old son, but I stashed it away so need to take a photo when it's finished. She's happy that she is making a quilt for him so he won't feel left out when the baby arrives.

This quilt was made by me for my great nephew, Isaac. I just need to quilt and bind it and then make another one for his cousin, George. These are the 5th and 6th babies born in our extended family, and the 2 of the 6 babies born in the last 6 months, and my parent's great grandchildren. Five of the 6 were boys which was a surprise as we had more girls than boys in previous generations.
   This pretty pink quilt is for DD's maid of honour who is having a girl after 2 boys. Again,  once I know the name I will finish the quilt to gift. The blue one below is for DD's sister-in- law and she is having a boy after a girl. She wanted pastel colours too and is due in February.

The last set of blocks are for DD's son, Jake,  as she wanted to make him a quilt too. I am in the process of making one for him too but it's not finished yet so I will need to get it finished soon.
      I have been pressing and cutting the pieces while DD sews them together so we have worked fairly quickly. She now appreciates how much work goes into each quilt and had  only made 3 prior to this,  but she enjoys the time we spend together and being able to nake unique gifts for close friends. She is now trying different block patterns which is making it more fun for her.
        It's always fun to pass on quilting to the next generation as well as playing with fabric and design too. As it's been hot lately I am quilting and then swimming to cool down. I hope you're all enjoying some time stitching as well.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Family Christmas Catch Up.

 We had our Ebbott family Christmas catch up on Saturday and it was a big success and a chance for the extended family to see our new home. There were 6 babies born in the last 6 months so we decided to hold it in January to give the new mums time to recover. the youngest was almost 3 weeks old.
 Trying to take a photo was like herdi8ng cats and I don't plan on becoming a children's photographer anytime soon. LOL.

 There were 13 kids, of which 5 are babies and 8 are under 6 years and we had a very busy but fun time with lots of eating and talking.

 There are 6 kids missing as 3 are in Qld and 3 in new Guinea but we meet twice a year to stay in touch. These are all my parents great grandchildren and they would have loved to see the family connections continue.

They used to hold a family night dinner every Sunday so my children have grown up with that tradition and are very close to their cousins. We are starting that tradition now that we have moved closer and we look forward to many fun times ahead. The following day we had Jake, our grandson, for a 24 hour stay over as his parents were given a gift of an overnight stay in a fancy hotel in the Melbourne CBD. Jake wasn't particularly happy as his new teeth were worrying him but he did sleep all night and we all survived but we did have a quiet day afterwards to make up for a busy weekend. LOL.
Hugs, Jan Mac