Day tripping 2

In York we took several trips across the suspension bridge. This brought back memories for me from the period when we lived near the central coast of NSW and we had to cross a suspension bridge to get to school. Mr W was initially wary about crossing and freaked out just a bit when his Dad started bouncing the platform with his big stamps across the platform. Mr W soon go over it because he ran back and forwards over the bridge several time more.

There is also a neat selection of little stores full of books and handicrafts which are made by locals in the surrounding districts. My favourite was the handmade soap store Monet Natural Soaps which is located in a mall that runs off the main street. I can't find a website link to this lovely little store, but it is run by a really lovely lady who hand makes the soaps. The front soap is minty deliciousness, the soap on the left is rose geranium soap which is a scent I just can't resist and the right soap smells divine but I can't recall the name of it. They are made as an olive oil cold process (CP) soap and we had a good chat about soap making and how much we both loved it.

There was a band called Slim and Jim playing outside this store (in the garden of the adjacent pub) which was so loud (and not too nice to listen to in my opinion anyway) we could hear it when we arrived in town and believe it or not we could also hear it droning all the way to the Mt Brown lookout. Can you see the arrow pointing to the area of the pub? It was about a kilometre from where this photo was taken.

The countryside will be green and lush soon (if we EVER get any rain that is) but right now it is suffering the effects of an extended hot, summer... everything is crisped to within an inch of life. Mr W's favourite store was the old-fashioned sweets shop... he made three visits there during the day. He also purchased a book from the Book Lady's store.

I also made a small purchase at the sweet shop. They were on special for about $3.00 as the chocolate inside was out of date. I tossed out the candy inside because I just wanted the boxes. They are the perfect size for small projects on the go.

I was just going to buy the Reece's tin but I was worried it wouldn't be large enough... I was right, it didn't fit my bias tape. I'm glad I picked up the Hershey's box too, I think I'll use the small tin for Kanzashi flower projects in process which are currently being stored in a small Tupperware container.

Day tripping to York

On Sunday we took a trip out to the Avon Valley. Usually if we are visiting this area we go to Northam and  meet up with a family friend who operates a hot air ballooning business called Windward Balloon Adventures, but on this occasion we travelled about 97 kilometres east of Perth and spent the day in York.

York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia and was settled on September 16th 1831. York is  one of the most popular Avon Valley day trip destinations. The many restored heritage buildings from the Victorian and Federation era which reflect the charm and character of the town. There is an Old Post Office building and the Court House, the York Residency Museum which exhibits include local Noongar* culture, convict history, ceramics and Chinese market gardeners. The York Motor Museum is fun to visit as it houses an international collection of vintage vehicles.


York is the Avon Valley events central and hosts many events throughout the calendar year, many of which utilise the lovely Town Hall. Events at the Town Hall include old time dancing, boot-scooting, weddings, art exhibitions and concerts too. Something I discovered was the fact that the York Town Hall has the largest regional dance floor in Western Australia. The signature event is the ‘York Jazz and Soul Festival’, which attracts international and domestic musicians for a full weekend of live entertainment. Other highlights are the Spring Garden Festival; Gourmet Food and Wine Festival; Antique and Collectors Fair; Healing Fayre and the monthly Peace Park Markets.

There is also a weekend market held at The York Mill. This is the Mill above. This chutney below is what my DH purchased. He sampled it at the market and when we got home he ferreted it away in a cupboard... I wonder if he will share??! We got some nice fresh fruity hot cross buns too which made for a delicious morning tea.

There is also a really lovely gallery next door to the market, it contains some of the most beautiful wooden furniture I've every seen. Of course Mr W needed to make a pit stop so when they got back from the bathroom DH told me about the amazing benches in the bathroom. 'You should have seen it' he tells me...  yes but it was in the little boys room so I sent him back to take a photo seeing as I didn't think I'd be welcome in there.

So here is a pic from his phone. He was right it is awesome, the entire bench was crafted from a single piece of wood. I wonder how long it took to carve out the bowls and how often they have to re-varnish it to keep it from swelling? The bench was really long with several basins carved along its' length. I quite like the look of the miniorb aluminium used to back the bench and as inserts in the doors.

I'll share some more about this day trip soon...

*Noongar is name of the aboriginal tribe and traditional owners of South Western WA.

So cute I couldn't stop clicking

Here is another post about recent shopping I've done on line. This time from Iszle which is also on Madeit (the site that host our temari store).

They had a promotion a short time ago and I think I went a little nuts. But I just couldn't work out how to narrow down my choices.

 I got these 3 scrabble tile pendants.


http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=3800

 These 3 purse mirrors.



http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=3800

 and  these sets of 6 magnets.



http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=3800


I have an idea who will be receiving some of these goodies, but some I may not be able to part with. Click on any of the photo links to visit Iszle's store.