I am back...

... after a fabulous week away.

I started last week, with a fantastic 2 day workshop with the Flinders Branch of the Embroiderer's Guild. We had a couple of fabulous days in Laura, South Australia stitching Toadstools & Brambles, chatting, stitching, eating (nothing quite like country catering - thanks ladies for the yummy piles of cakes and sandwiches!), stitching, laughing, stitching and chatting. What better way to spend time with other stitching enthusiast?

Since I was already partway to the Flinders Ranges, Adrian and a couple of our friends drove up to meet me and we continued on to Arkaroola, a Wildlife sanctuary at the northern end of the ranges.


I know camping (ok, we did stay in a very basic cabin) and big, wide, open spaces are not everyone's idea of a good time away, but I love it and this place is breathtakingly beautiful.
We had the most glorious weather, walked in dry creek beds, climbed up and down rocks and went on some amazing (bur for me, pretty nail biting) 4WD tracks (but I am chicken when it comes to that kind of thing.


There were creatures everywhere: echidnas both in the bush and under the cabin we stayed in; had to do a bit of a detour to get around a large brown snake that was still too cold, slow and lazy to get out of the way; spotted a couple of dingos; saw colourful parrots, loads of small birds, hawks and eagles; big and small lizards - mostly on the road, soaking up the spring sun; Emus - lots of them, proud emu dads in groups looking after dozens of little, striped emu chicks. And of course, kangaroos and wallabies (smaller kangaroo-looking creatures). Most importantly loads and loads of Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies...

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby
 www.monartozoo.com.au
These pretty little wallabies with their yellow striped tails are among my favourite animals. Sadly they have been declining in numbers and when we were at Arkaroola almost 20 years ago we only saw two. This time, they were everywhere - I lost count after day one, which was just fabulous. One day when out walking, we disturbed a group of 20 or more and watched them scatter up a steep cliff, almost as agile as a group of monkeys (only no hands!).

We got back home Sunday and I have spent the last two days catching up - finding it a little tricky to get back into the swing of things, but today I am back stitching the goldwork bird...


Best stitches,
Anna X

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