by Krista | Jun 9, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
It was a gloriously hot and sunshiny afternoon in Australia as my friend and I drove home. We had spent the day visiting friends on their remote property dotted with gum trees the occasional wallaby hopping by. We’d had a grand time taking tractor rides and gabbing for hours on the back porch while sipping cold drinks.
Usually after a long day of visiting and trekking all I want to do is get home so I can crash. But not this day. We were in Australia bush country at sunset and the tiny towns and farms were so beautiful and interesting that I wanted to stop at every one and take a gander.
Thankfully my friend was in a similar frame of mind so we took a meandering route home, stopping where we liked.
We saw picture perfect country homes with white picket fences and perused a barn full of rustic handmade wooden furniture glossy and glowing in the setting sun.
One of my favorite finds was this lovely old church in Leyburn, Queensland.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
Anglican services had been held in Leyburn since the 1840’s under the leadership of one Reverend Benjamin Glennie known as the Apostle of the Downs. The congregation gathered in public houses or the courthouse until 1870 when donations for a church arrived from students of the college of St Augustine in England. Land was purchased in for a whopping £4, and the church was built in 1871.
It’s a beautiful little church with timbered walls and bell-cote and a roof of hand-split hardwood shingles. It was designed by architect Richard George Suter (1827-1894) who also designed at least ten other churches in the area.
Suter caused quite a theological ruckus by deviating from traditional stone with this wood design. Apparently timber was viewed as an unsuitable material to be used in the construction of the houses of God. He got away with it, however, and it is now one of the only surviving examples of timbered, shingle-roofed buildings.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
If you make it to Leyburn one day and have a hankering to wander the church grounds, look for a memorial to one Dan Bray, a gold miner who died in 1901. It is a tribute to all the gold miners of Leyburn’s’ early history who lie in unmarked graves in unknown places.
I’m so glad we decided to stop that day. So glad to learn about men like Mr. Suter who do “wild” things like use timber instead of stone so we have charming buildings like St. Augustine’s to make us pull over in the middle of nowhere for an amble and a think.
Have you ever stopped out of the blue and found something that delighted you?
by Krista | Jun 7, 2011 | Bits 'n' Bobs
What are your travel indulgences? Champagne at night? Hot tea every morning? Perhaps a pedicure or a truffle from a nearby chocolaterie?
When my dear friend Margo from The Travel Belles invited me to join her blog carnival on travel indulgences, I was happy but also momentarily stymied.
I confess I’m not much of a posh traveler. By the time I get somewhere I’ve usually spent most of my money on a plane ticket, hotel, and rental car, and have every other penny budgeted for food and whatnot.
But as I thought about it more I realized that indulgences don’t have to cost a lot of money.
They can be very simple, small, FREE things that delight your heart, please your eye, and charm your stomach.
When I first started traveling, I would always bring a piece of home with me – usually in the form of a tablecloth that I would immediately drape over those ubiquitous small round tables you find in most hotel rooms. It instantly made the place cozier and “mine”. I’d also get up early while most folks were still tucked up in bed and go for long walks to see what I could find. And I love to take naps on hot afternoons when lines are long and streets crammed with folks rushing hither and thither.
Here are a few other indulgences I like to make part of every trip:
Boat rides.
I’m a sucker for boat rides. Whether it’s hiring a creaky old fishing boat for a jaunt around Alcatraz or catching a high speed ferry to Capri, I’m in!! I love being out on the water, the wind tossing my hair, sun browning my shoulders. All the stresses of travel melt away as I bob along. If you split the cost with an obliging friend or three, the trips are downright cheap. I’ve paid about $5 to be rowed across a turquoise lake in Slovenia, $2 for an ocean trek in Greece and about $7 to board a fishing vessel for an island tour in Croatia.
Good food
I rarely spend money on expensive souvenirs, but I’ll happily plunk down money for a memorable meal with lovely folks. My brother Ryan taught me long ago not to rely on guidebooks or hotel pamphlets for restaurant choices, but instead to turn to locals for recommendations. I ask them where they’d go for a special dinner or date night and I’ve never been steered wrong. If I can’t find someone to ask, or I don’t speak the language, I start my search around lunch time. I look for places that are filled with locals – a sure sign of good eating – and make sure to arrive early enough that night to get a table for dinner.
Scarves.
I adore scarves. The brighter the better. I don’t have a house full of cuckoo clocks from Germany or statues from Rome, but I have $2-$10 scarves from Ireland to Bosnia and they make me happy. They’re cheap, small and easy to pack, and gorgeous yet practical. I wear them year round and drape them over lamps or spread them along tabletops, and each time I see one I smile inside and remember the people, the country, the food and memories of that trip.
And how about you? What indulgences do you have that make your travels extra special?
For more ideas and inspiration visit The Travel Belles.
by Krista | Jun 7, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
by Krista | Jun 5, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Hello dear folks! How are you doing this Monday morning?
After the coldest spring in recorded HISTORY, Washington finally got summer this weekend!!! WOOHOOHOO!!! I’m still basking in the bliss of going barefoot and getting a sunburned nose from snoozing in the backyard.
I wasn’t well this weekend, but I got to rest, really rest, and I’m so grateful for it.
I napped on the grass and in the house.
Read cookbooks and listened to Jeeves and Wooster.
Ate blueberries and buttery toast.
I loved it.
And then, when migraines eased up a bit, I strolled about the backyard capturing photos of cheery blossoms and humming bees and waddling puppies and snowball trees and delicate ferns. It’s amazing how much beauty can be found in one back yard with a blazing sun to highlight each detail.
I’m so glad I have these pictures to cheer me when the rains return.
What are your favorite memories from your weekend?
xo
by Krista | Jun 3, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs. 🙂
I have missed you SO much! My poor computer has been at death’s door since last weekend so I haven’t been able to post a thing, but my dear friend Darren fiddled with it until all hours last night and managed to bring it back from the brink. Hooray!
How are YOU doing? I can’t wait to get back to your lovely emails and blog posts and status updates and get all caught up on your lives. 🙂
I’m doing better each day since my awful encounter with The Bad Man. Doing One Brave Thing a day has helped tremendously in building my courage and taking back the peace of mind he snatched from me. This week we were finally able to get some information on him and I’ll be talking with the police again today to see what the next step is.
I get scared and overwhelmed often, but I’m bouncing back quicker and that makes me glad. I’m not so good with crowds yet, but I’ve worked up from hiding in my room to one-on-one to going out in public to going out in public BY MYSELF – to small groups, and I think that’s something to celebrate. 🙂
During my bad moments I remember a scene from an episode of Bones I watched a few months ago. Brennan had gone through an awful day, a wretched day filled with trauma and pain, and as she came back to the office that night, she ran into the night watch man, a kindly older fellow.
He asked how she was doing and she stopped, thought a moment and replied, “I’m sad.”
He smiled gently then said, “Mmm, that’s so much better than being dead.”
I wanted to hug him. 🙂
So I’m celebrating LIFE. I may be scared and uncertain and uprooted and shaken, but I’m alive. The Bad Man may have taken away my sense of peace and security for a while, he may have instilled fear in me for a time, but he did not take my Life or my Soul or my Hope.
And that is good. 🙂
Despite all the hard stuff, there have been some wonderful moments this week:
- My cooking club friends helped me get all moved out of my old place
- my friend Kat read aloud to me from a hilarious book that had us in stitches
- dinner and British TV with dear friends
- gummi bears and movie night
- comfort food: grilled cheese sandwiches and barbequed hot dogs with mustard
- Jeeves and Wooster audio books
I’m also excited because I’ve started doing photo shoots! Like a yarn one for my dear friend Marie – a wonder-knitter who is starting her own fabulous knitting blog Knitting the Moment.
Today I get to do a chess photo shoot for my boss at Chess House. I’m having such a grand time and learning all sorts of things. 🙂
What are some good things in your life today?
Thank you so much for your emails, hugs, prayers, good thoughts, love, and care you’ve showered on me. You mean the world to me.
xo
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