Friday, September 18, 2009

How Exciting.....



Ok so I am excited!!
It has arrived, I've been wating for this book since the 4th August, when it hit the shops in the US.  I had ordered it from a bookstore in town and they told me the beginning of September and that came and went and I ended up buying it online. Yes I am impatient.  It's great and hopefully I will be able to jazz up my space here a little bit.  I am reading away and getting some ideas, but honestly the next few days are going to be busy so maybe next week.  This weekend Toowoomba has its Carnival of Flowers.  We have a parade of floral floats through the streets and then for the next week, but mainly over the weekend we have events happening.  Now I haven't been to a parade for a few years now cause honestly they got pretty boring for a while.  But this weekend armed with my camera I will be hitting the park and street for all the action.  Hopefully I'll get a few good shots.  There is a comp running too, with the best carnival shot winning $250 and a heap of free developing of pics, so maybe I'll have a go at it.  See that's the thing isn't it?  I can take a stack of pics and post them here and mostly people are going to be kind and not sledge me.  But when it comes to actually submitting something to be judged, I get butterflies.  I want to do it, I don't want to do it.  I never think any of my shots are that good.  I am posting and writing on a great site Lens us Together and I am getting some really encouraging responses to both my writing and my pics, so I am feeling a little braver.  Actually drop on over and check it out, there are some really talented people around.  Join up if you want it's great to have positive feedback and interaction with people who love photography as well.

Are you wondering what on earth is this?!  Me too.  I went for my morning walk yesterday and found this on the ground.  I think it is some sort of cocoon.  On the back of the leaf there a tiny holes behind each pea.  So I am guessing some sort of insect has spiked the leaf and made a place for its eggs.  They are slowly shrinking and shrivelling so I'll see what happens.  So cute though like little peas in a pod. Which reminds me.......
Do you remember the picture I posted a while back of my seedlings?  Well look at my babies, oohh so sweet..They were too, I ate them before they even got a chance to be cooked.  Delightful sugar snap peas yum.
And even more exciting is that the new tour dates for the Rick Steves tours 2010 has just come out.  Yahoo, We have been waiting to see when they would be starting so that we could try and get a cheap airfare.  This year we flew business class.  Yeah I know how extravagant, but I am getting just to old for all this sitting for hours in airports.  So we splurged big time and got the B class seats.  And what they say is right, once you've flown B class you will never want to go back.  But at the moment the airfares are sooooooo cheap.  We can fly for $7,000 less than earlier this year.  Hopefully the fares will be available next year when we want to go.  So anyway we want to do a Villages & Vineyards of Eastern France tour.  13 days touring France from Reims to Villefranche-sur-Mer.  So as you can image we sip plenty of wine, eat soft, smelly cheeses and just indulge in all that is good and tasty in Eastern France.  Ooh I cannot wait.  The  
photos here are from Photostock and are of the Reims region.  We loved our Rick Steves Tour earlier this year.  The guide was incredible and the 21 days went quickly.  We actually left on the 19th day as I said in an earlier post, because our daughters newborn baby needed a liver tranaplant.  So we never got to France.  We think we will spend a week in Paris on our own that will be interesting.  As travelling partners Adrian and I don't always see eye to eye.  I am very methodical and Adrian less so.  I plan and he just goes.  I like to eat for hours in a wonderful restaurant or park of cafe, drinking in the atmosphere, he will grab a quick bite and keep going.  So like in Sydney we sometimes have conflict when we are making decisions.  And the fact that I am a total control freak doesn't help.  I think I am right all the time, and I am, and Ade hates that.  So the trouble comes when I let things roll along, trying desperately not to take over and we end up starving with no where to eat in site and me cranky, saying (read yelling) I told you so. Hmm a week on our own will be interesting.  But we love each other and after 27 years of marriage actually it will be 28 by then we kind of have it worked out.  So it will be fun.  Then we'll do the tour, so looking forward to that and we are trying to decide if we will go to the Cinque Terre for a few days at the end or go to Nice or the French Riviera.  Any suggestions?  We loved the 21 day tour, but we saw a lot of museums and galleries and to be honest I was a bit over it by the end.  I like having company, new conversation, new people, but as far as spending hours in gallery after gallery and another museum or church, well really I'd rather find the best food and wine and kick back for a few hours with a great view and friends.  Is that silly when you've travelled half way round the world to see these things.  Umm who knows, I guess it's horses for courses. 

7 comments:

  1. The book looks like fun ..:) and I want to know what the little pods are too:)

    Ahh..France..

    I went to Nice , Cannes and VilleFranche~ Sur~ Mer ..Monaco..Menton.. last year..If you love busy you will love that area..:)

    I preferred the smaller towns..Like Tourrettes-Sur~Loup..http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/tourtlou/tourtlou.htm..

    I would go back to Provence..Les Alpes Maritimes..in a heartbeat..You will enjoy it I think..The food the wine..
    I loved Italy too though..

    Lucky you:) Bring your camera of course!


    ..

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  2. we're so glad to have you on LUT!!! it's such a great and caring collaboration, isn't it? so exciting to see what all everyone comes up with.

    I need to check out this book. :)

    and a tour of France? heaven

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  3. I suggest Provence... So lovely, I can't get enough of it personally! :-) We hope to go back to Europe in 2011.

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  4. I'm going to the tulip festival this weekend.

    Your European adventure sounds fabulous. I suggest anywhere that has wonderful street cafe's so you can eat and drink, people watch and make new friends, if this is what you enjoy lap it up, I say.

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  5. Ooo... I had never even heard of that book. You've got me all excited to get a copy for myself. I'd love to hear if you end up really liking it.

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  6. Relyn, the book is really good. Lots of blogs mentioned in it to go searching and some good info on customising your own blog.
    Elise thank you I visited you quickly last nite will go back again to day as I was pushed for time but your blog is so pretty.
    Liss thanks I intend to lap it up big time.
    Sharon you are a Provence devotee thats for sure,
    Monique VilleFranche is where we end our tour so maybe we will spend a little time travelling around there. Excited

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