Monday 11 January 2010

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

2010 HERE WE COME
Drove to Hervey Bay to see my father over the christmas break. It was 1995 kms (1293 miles) to his house. Quite a drive. My sister and her husband came with us.
My father is 86 years old and the doctors say that his body is slowly shutting down.
He was quite well when we got there which was great to see.
As it is Summer here the weather was supposed to be warm - not so in Queensland.
I think it rained nearly every day we were at my fathers.
We went to Mount Tamborine along the way where there is an area called Gallery Walk.
We went there a few years ago and I was looking forward to showing my sister how good it was. I must say I was a little disappointed this time as there were not as many good Galleries and Craft shops as before. Lots of coffee shops and restaurants so of course we had to have a coffee.

We went to Dundowran Beach where Max and I had a great walk.

Max took this shot - he's getting quite artisitic
Sometimes he is the one to say grab the camera in case we see something for the blog

I took this one looking through the roots of a tree on the foreshore

HIGHLIGHT OF MY TRIP
The highlight of my trip (also the sunniest day)was calling in on our drive home to see Cathy Penton at her and Angela's shop Simple Things Small Joys at 10522 New England Highway Highfields - open Thursday to Sunday 9-00 til 4.30pm
The shop is in a great little craft village called Abbie Lane. The first shop you see is a relocated converted church. Cathy and Angela's shop is in a little group of 5 shops behind the Church.
Anyone heading that way - make sure you call in, believe me you won't be disappointed
Here is a photo of Cathy, her gorgeous daughter Kirstie and I.
Max quickly snapped this one (with Cathy's permission of course)

The shop looks fabulous. Click on the photos to enlarge them and get a better look.

This display table looks great

These HOME charms are in the table above.
Hard to see with the reflection of the overhead light fitting in the shot

I think I could just about live in this shop - it is just sensational

Couldn't leave without adding to my charm collection
Had to get a couple of A's for Alison, a sweet oval You/Me and I just love this bevelled glass beauty
Just check out the glass - love it

This is the reverse side of the charms
Beautiful
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with their family and loved ones.

14 comments:

cathypentonatelier said...

Thanks Alison for taking the time to drop by it was so, so lovely to meet you and your sweet hubby!!!! The photos come up really well.....Love c xxxx

The Pink Poodle said...

dear Alison...
glad you are back blogging as I missed leaving a message on your last few posts..(sorry)!!

your dad looks good..so that is a great relief driving all that way & finding he is going along okay..

love the shop/s you found along the way...(have noted it for future..possible?? reference)..

your hubby does TAKE awesome lovely artistic photos!!

anyway...have a COOL DAY today..cough cough..just checked the temp & it is 44 degrees!!
xx andrea

Gail McCormack said...

Hi Alison

I've been wondering how your trip went.
Your photos won't completely load for me at the moment, must be the hot weather!, a few showing, Cathy's shop looks GORGEOUS!
I've heard Mount Tamborine is beautiful
Glad your Dad was was able to enjoy your visit
I'll pop back over to try the photos again later
Looking forward to seeing them

xo

LiLi M. said...

Hi Alison, thanks for your good wishes! Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy 2010 too! Your father looks great at his age! Be happy he still is around, both my parents died too young.
I love this trip, first the wood on the beach, great photos, please tell that to your husband too. Did I tell you that besides sea glass I almost never find thriftwood at our beaches? Maybe I can win some here ;-)! And the trip to Cathy's shop is so inspiring too, thanks for taking me along. Have a great week!

Deb said...

Hi Alison
Thanks for stopping by, your Dad looks really good. That was certainly a long drive for you.
Cathy and Angela's shop looks fabulous. Must try and get there myself sometime. Your hubby took some beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.
Take Care
Deb x

Sugar Bear said...

Your dad looks great! Love the clean lines of the shop.
Karla

Amy M. said...

Love the beveled charm! So glad you got to spend some time with your family and your father!

-Amy
Crafting by Candlelight

roseroomnz.com said...

Alison, really sorry to hear that about your Dad, it is such a hard thing to see happen to a loved one!

Your trip does sound lovely though, yes I would live in the shop too!!!

Rachaelxo

Alicia ~ Time Worn Style said...

HI Alison, funniest thing, I too popped into Cathys shop whilst up in Qld and guess what I missed you by a few days! Cathy mentioned that you dropped by so there were two Victorian bloggers who visited her lovely shop. I also bought a gorgeous A pendent (with art to the back) and one of those divine cushions. One day you and I might actually meet in person lol!!
Alicia :0)

Unknown said...

Hi Alison, I was so sad to have missed you at the shop but I was out at Chinchilla at the time.It would have been lovely to have seen you in real life!Lol!
It has been such a treat to be setting up the shop with Cathy and creating all the charms with her. So far so good with the shop. Lovely people to meet, lovely people in the other shops....a real small village feel to it. On a Sunday, we can hear the church bells chiming across the way...just LOVE it. Today Cathy and I are having a change around in the shop with an added splash of red for some Valentine touches. Playing in the shop is so much fun and I get to have my daughter, Erica, beside me to help out.

Glad you got to see your Dad while he was feeling a little better.
Happiness to you, Angela.

PS Love the beach photos...superb!

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

What a great shop. Sorry it was not sunny for your visit. That is a long trip!

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

Alison, I'm so glad you made time for the trip to be with your precious dad. I miss my dear daddy every day.

What a wonderful shop to visit, too! Your pictures are all just breath-taking, interior and beach shots, too.

BTW, I'm going to have to start moderating my comments again, too, as there are some nasty weird ones trying to get posted! Ugh....

Happy PS!

Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

Sherry said...

Love all the photo's! The beach is so gorgeous. My mom loved her trip there and I think it is going to be an annual thing. She has made quite a few friends in your country. Love the shop pictures! Very charming! I send my best to your dad...my dad isn't doing to well, so I understand how you feel.

Have a wonderful day!
Sherry

Anna White said...

Hi Alison,Just gorgeous! Isnt it great when you find a store that you could just browse through for hours..beautiful vintage pieces too...thanks for sharing. Anna x