Down the road to Bruny Island....

After our stay in Hobart, we headed down to Kettering to catch the ferry to Bruny Island. What a pretty place it is. We explored it from north....


To south.


We found local producers and bought yummy food for our dinner.
Smoked ocean trout from the fabulous Bruny Island Smokehouse...


Cheeses from the Cheese Company...and chocolate from the Providore....mmmm!


There was also wine and oysters on offer, but the Berry Company had no berries as yet due to recent inclement weather.


We walked....


And walked..


stayed in amazing accommodation called 43 degrees...


Climbed the lookout at the neck...can you tell by the hair and jacket how windy it was! It was wild!


And went on a cruise...lots of fun!


We saw seals...


Blowholes...


And amazing rock walls.


Lots of fun, it was great having two nights here...even saw dolphins and a Bruny Island White wallaby...who "clapped" his hands in glee when SB stalled the car!


Here we are tired, semi frozen after our cruise.


New Norfolk here we come!
Cardygirl xx
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Our last night in Hobart we wandered around gorgeous Battery Point, until we found our destination, Da Angelo Ristorante....home of the most amazing spinach gnocchi, made by the owners 84 year old mother daily. And it was amazing. Do not miss it if you are in Hobart.


The houses are beautiful in this area...lovely to see.


A slow walk back to the hotel, past the docks...


Beautiful at dusk.


Today we travelled south to catch the ferry to Bruny Island.


We slowly made our way to our accommodation...


buying food for our dinner at the Smokehouse, Cheese Factory, and chocolate shop....mmmm!


We are staying at the beautiful 43 Degrees...lovely.


The area is so peaceful...we have walked along the beach...and just wandered about.


Tomorrow we are heading out on a boat to see the wildlife....seals, penguins and maybe a whale if we are lucky. We also intend to climb the lookout on the isthmus.
Wish me luck!
Cardygirl xx


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Location:Moving south...

Hobart...the patchwork edition!

We have had lots of lovely sightseeing time in Hobart. It is such a beautiful city, and quite easy to get around. The buildings are lovely and the people are friendly and helpful. It is a nice place to visit.


But, as we all do, we wonder, what sewing shops are there?


My poor long suffering, but very kind husband has ferried me around in pursuit of "the" ultimate fabric find! So here we go...


Frangipani Fabrics, Sandy Bay. A really cute little shop, light, bright and airy...clear, fresh fabrics, contemporary and modern...very nice with lots of screen printed panels and their own patterns. The staff were really friendly and helpful too. If I lived here I would be a regular!


The Quilted Crow, New Town. Crow Central is in a sweet sandstone church with easy parking. The crow girls were in the US when I visited, but their stand in was lovely. A great shop for wools and repros...their own patterns and book. Well worth a look as it is so nicely done.


Wafu, Kingston Beach. A cute little shop a short drive south. The lovely owner has a great range of Japanese silks and kimono pieces along with great buckles, braids and buttons. Great supplies for crazy patchwork. So much potential in here!


A Stitching Time, Sandy Bay. Fabulous little embroidery shop with a good range of threads, linens and cross stitch patterns. Nice to see a good embroidery shop as they are quite hard to find nowadays.
Possum Place, Hobart. More of a sewing shop with a reasonable general range of fabrics.
The Needlewoman, Hobart. An elegant patchwork and embroidery shop. Nice range of fabrics, predominantly pretty and conservative. No photos allowed here.
We are still to see Patchwork Cafe, New Norfolk, but I have been hearing good things about it. Looking forward to seeing it.
These are my thoughts, but if you are down this way, it might help.

Cardygirl xx



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Greetings from the snowfields...

Or, if you don't like the weather in Hobart, wait twenty minutes and it will be totally different! Well, there was snow overnight on Mt Wellington and there has been a definite chill in the air today. One minute it has been raining, then sunny, then super windy, then raining again. But we have actually loved the weather, and loved seeing the snow too.


The morning started with a ferry ride to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art. It is amazing and well worth a visit. Photos are not allowed to be shared, but I am sure they will have a good website.


After lunch we headed south to see the worlds only remaining circular sandstone shot tower at Taroona, and up we climbed. The 200 or so stairs were pretty rickety, but we managed!


Then we headed south to beautiful Kingston beach, and had a lovely walk. We stood on the beach admiring the snow on the mountain. Not something I have experienced before!


And, here I am chatting to dear Chookyblue who called to check that we didn't have frostbite...and look at what was leaving port!


Here is what I purchased yesterday, as I left the pic off my last blog.


Cardygirl xx


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A day in Hobart....

Has been quite fun. It started like this....
Then I visited The Needlewoman...where I purchased some nice linens.
Then off to historic Richmond. A really pretty town where we saw the old stone bridge...


And visited the gaol. I wonder if SB was tempted to lock me in???


From there we headed to the Cascade Female Factory where they had a metal interpretation of the Rajah Quilt.


Walked through Cascade Gardens and the looked at the Cascade Brewery...which I thought looked a bit like an insane asylum! That is what beer will do to you!


We headed up Mt Wellington, but the temperature plummeted to 9C and the rain started! Chilly, chilly, chilly! But the views we caught were great.


From there it was off to New Town and The Quilted Crow. A lovely shop in an old church.


Then back into the city to watch the rain come in.


Cardygirl xx




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Fun in the Apple Isle!

Headed off bright and early to Tasmania....we have never been here before and were really excited about our visit. A short flight from Sydney and there we were....no jet lag, not enough time to get wriggly in our seats, but enough time for me to read a small book ( I am a fast reader at the best of times!). Picked up the hire car and made it straight to our hotel...more out of good luck than clever navigating!


Lunch at Salamanca Place, then an afternoon wandering around the city and docks area...such a pretty city! Dinner at The Drunken Admiral and then another wander around the docks. SB thought I could sit in the cauldron ( a fitting place for me???), but I declined! All that fresh air....might have an early night I think!


Looking forward to exploring tomorrow,


Cardygirl xx
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Leaving the heat....

It remains hot and horrible here, so many are affected by fires.

The beautiful Blue Mountains are ablaze, hopefully there will be respite soon.

Not a lot of sewing here as we prepare to head off on a little trip.

A towel for a sweet baby girl called Ivy.

Here I am, packing the essentials of any trip away from home.

Where am I going?

There were terrible fires there last summer, but now it is cool and quite wet even though the flight is only a couple of hours...had to pack my warm clothes on this very hot day! 

Where could it be?

 A quilt made by a friend...isn't it great...clever Cathy!

Here was where we stitched last weekend..Two Rivers Vineyard...

 with some of the girls I miss stitching with...they are the best!

Cardygirl xx