A trip to Berrinba Wetlands

Yesterday was a fabulous day so Aaron, Brad and I went for a walk through the Berrinba Wetlands. We've actually been there a few times over the past few weeks so the following photos are made up from more than a day's visit.  This beautiful spot is only a four minute drive from our house.

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Surprisingly, the Berrinba Wetlands are man-made and were created by sand and mining operations after World War II.  It has pretty much been left untouched since the 90's although there has been selective work done to make it as natural a habitat as possible.  There is now 80 hectares of natural beauty and it's protected so the wildlife can flourish and enjoy their habitat in safety.

There are picnic and barbecue areas around the outskirts and there is an information centre which has interactive LCD screens.

I was over the moon the first time we visited the wetlands as I discovered there are pelicans living there!!!

I LOVE PELICANS!!

Btw, those are turtles, not rocks, sitting beside the pelicans on the sandbar.

There are concrete walking paths and pedestrian bridges through certain areas.

They also have concrete benches along the walking trails so people can rest and take in the views.

Here, Aaron rests with Jack.

One of my favourite spots at the Wetlands is this stone circle...man-made yes, but it feels magical to me.

We sit and rest here on every visit.

My little Cody monster has a lot of fur and these hot days can take their toll, especially when we go for walks, so he enjoys the rest at the stone circle too.

I was happy to spot some magnificent specimens of Banksias along the way too. I think these may be of the Banksia Roburs variety but not 100% sure.  They look almost black with their seeds still in tact.

We had a great time and it felt good to get out of the house as I haven't felt the best lately.  Unfortunately, I'm still dealing with a lot of head, neck and shoulder pain, however, our trip to the wetlands certainly made me feel much better.

What did you do this weekend? Feel free to share in the comments.

~ Love, light and peace ~

It's Blog Lovin' Time

My darling daughter, Michelle, has been busy preparing for the arrival of her baby girl and, in a recent post, she shares a step-by-step tutorial for making reusable baby wipes. Check it out here. These have to be so much better for baby's bottie than the commercial baby wipes.

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Dawn tempts our tastebuds with a decadent cheesecake recipe - Kahlua Cheesecake w/- Kahlua Fudge Sauce. YUMMO!!

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Years ago, I had some interesting books on craft creations using salt dough but, unfortunately, I had to sell them before our move to the States. I was tickled to see that Anna over at Anna Rosa Designs has made and painted some tags from....you guessed it....salt dough! Check the tags and the recipe out here.

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Do you like homemade pizza right down to the dough? Well, hop on over to Rhonda's blog - Down To Earth - for a step-by-step recipe including a Jam-Roly-Poly recipe. We always loved when Mum made Jam Roly-poly from her left-over apple pie dough. I adore Rhonda's blog! It's all about getting back to living a simple life.

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Perpetual Chocoholic does the most amazing coloured pencil paintings. Be sure to check out this latest work-in-progress. Sandi is an incredible artist and, to think, she had a tantrum recently which involved literally throwing her art out of the window proclaiming that she 'hates art'.  Thankfully, her muse always wins the battle. Read about that here.

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Sorry I haven't posted over the past couple of weeks.  

I've been feeling out of sorts with health issues and life in general.

I'll post soon to let you know what I've been up to.

I hope you all enjoyed a Happy Halloween!

~ Love, light and peace ~

Some wedding pics!!!

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You may remember that we had to move the wedding ceremony from the park to the reception venue at the last moment due to rain.  Below, Michelle, sits in the limo feeling sad after hearing the news ( a few tears were shed), apprehensive at how the wedding will be now that plans had changed and, of course, happy to be soon marrying the man of her dreams.

It was such an honour for me to be walking my beautiful daughter down the aisle.
It wasn't planned for me to make the dress but, due to an unforeseen circumstance, the job landed squarely in my lap. I made the dress in just two weeks...thank heavens, Michelle's style is simple and elegant! Mind you, I had to design and draft patterns plus there were three layers to work with - the lining with black train and a Princess Satin overlaid with Chiffon. The black contrasts including the train were Princess Satin and each pearl bead was hand-sewn into place. Michelle helped with the beads.  Michelle also had a V-cut out with corset style ribbon ties lacing at the back of the dress...it was a lovely touch.

The reception venue set up a nice, little area undercover on very short notice for the ceremony.

The hand-fasting ceremony following Celtic traditions

The bridal party - Melissa (Matron of Honour), Aaron (Ring-bearer), Michelle and Alex, and Josh, Alex's younger brother and Best Man.

The happy couple

Mothers of the Bride and Groom

They took a drive down to Jacobs Well for some wedding pics while their guests remained at the reception for nibblies and drinks.

In the limo

And now we all look forward to the arrival of their baby girl due December 24th!

I'll post more pics over the coming days.

~ Love, light and peace ~