A Rest Day

Well, Wren's Nest Studio had a bit of a holiday yesterday. I left our parched brown landscape and headed north to the Southern Highlands and the beautiful little town of Berrima to meet up with my Mum and Dad and Mum's cousin Janet, who is visiting from Auckland New Zealand.

I went via Goulbourn to see if I could find the craft shop there - I will go back as I didn't leave enough time I'm afraid. I had forgotten what an interesting and beautiful town Goulbourn is. Full of the most incredible and interesting architecture. Here is a photo of a building in one of the side streets.

It was then on to Berrima, a town which, like Goulbourn, was by-passed when the expressway was built some years ago. It was green and luscious and out of another world and time. I began by looking in a wonderful shop - The Art of Bookbinding. http://www.artofbookbinding.com.au/ding.com.au/. It is hard to take a complete day off work when I enter a shop like this one. It is an absolute joy to go into a shop where you can find unique and beautiful objects. It is virtual lolly shop of wonderful papers which I never see anywhere else but here. I found some real treasures. So you know I'll be making up for my day off today when I head up to "the shed" to make some more paper quilt creations.

We had a delicious lunch at the famous Magpie Cafe http://www.magpiecafe.com.au/afe.com.au/ where you feel as

though you are in a lovely home surrounded by cakes on pretty cake stands covered by glass domes. With drawings and paintings on the walls and ornaments and displays of white coral and shells on the side boards. Next door you will find The Cottage full of beautiful clothing, antiques, fabric, ribbon and surprises. This is a picture of one of the locals ready to serve me at the front counter.

On the way home, after a hour of looking around more shops and galleries, I stopped at one of the rest areas on the side of Lake George - still empty of any water. It is hard to believe that it was possible to sail on the lake once. Now the only white caps are those of the grazing sheep. The controversial wind farm looks as though it is nearing completion now. There will be 63 wind turbines in all and I just can't wait to see them turning in the wind.

The Handmade Market at Albert Hall

It may have been the hottest day of the year, but that didn’t stop the 2nd Handmade Market at Albert Hall in Canberra being a huge success. We had a wonderful day beginning set up at 8am before literally hundreds of people poured into the hall looking for beautiful handmade products just before 10am.

I have put a link in the side bar to show you a fabulous photo/video montage put together by photographer, Andrew Taylor who did a great job capturing the day. I am looking a bit weary in the shot he took of me but – that’s the heat for you. I felt like a melting red ice cream a couple of times.