Amazing Aprons exhibition at Exeter Village Hall

This Saturday my Mum and I amused ourselves with a visit to the Amazing Aprons exhibition put on by the Exeter CWA (Country Women's Association).

The Village Hall is a tiny but very cute community hall.  They turned on a great display.

Pinnies on Parade

 A nautical theme

 I loved this hand embroidered apron with its little heart pocket.

 I have never seen anything like this diagonal striped apron with crocheted top.

 Ned Kelly style apron.

These frothy little aprons were so sweet, definitely for serving not cooking in!

Early autumn in the Southern Highlands

Its early autumn in the Southern Highlands. Autumn and Spring are by far the best seasons here. I had a day off work today so went for a drive in the country. The roads were quiet so I could stop for photos. I set off from Robertson and drove down country lanes.

Giant tea pots advertise a tea house.

Which way? I chose Bundanoon. Today this cute village was very quiet. In less than a month I'll be back there along with 10 000 or more others for Brigadoon the Highland Gathering.

Benny and Harry outside the Bike Shop Cafe where we had brunch. Life is slow here and the natives are friendly.

Loved the bicycle themed furniture inside.

Bundanoon has a lovely little wool and bric a brac shop. I'd love to know what these green and pink things are for! I was seriously tempted by the blue bakelite canister and the groovy vase but resisted. I just don't know why I didn't get them.

One of the walls sported this fabulous wall paper.

More vintage buttons. I can't resist their shapes and textures. New buttons are so horribly boring. I bought some gems which will turn up in my sewing projects before long.

Bundanoon is a quant picket fence kind of town.

Sculpture on the verandah of the local garden centre.

Memorial to World War One. Most towns around here have a School of Arts but Bundanoon has a different take on it with the Soldiers Memorial Hall. 

Nearby Exeter.

A storybook cottage that needs a thatched roof but they don't exist here.

The first evidence of autumn.

Picnic at Bradman Oval, Bowral

Howard and I took a day out today, from home, the garden, housework. It was a public holiday and a stunningly beautiful day. Not one cloud, relatively warm. It is now officially winter so you should take these days when you find them. It is so rare for us to just keep the day for ourselves.

We have two MG cars. I have had one for a long time, close to 20 years. She is an 1968 roadster. Her name is Queenie after Queen Elizabeth in the British TV show Blackadder. We are huge Blackadder fans. Howard recently bought a 1975 hatchback version, called George. Also from Blackadder. As it was a lovely day we packed a picnic, grabbed Harry and headed out. In both cars. On convoy.

We drove down country lanes, stopped outside the quaint little railway station at Exeter and picniced at Bradman Oval in Bowral. The picnic was superb. Frittatas, cheese and crackers, cheesecake and lime cordial of course. We took photos all along the way. Of the cars from this angle, that angle. I took a few extras just for fun, especially fence posts and trees. I love the texture of worn wood.

Tonight we registered both cars with a model agency for cars. We have been thinking about this for a while. My beautiful Queenie has cost me a pretty penny over the years so we thought it must be time for her to earn a little money. Hopefully some photographer or film maker will think she is beautiful as I do and book her. And George too, of course. According to the agent the owners often get to accompany their cars on the shoot. What fun that could be!

So there is another big tick on my to do list for the past week. This is yet another way we are looking at diversifying our income. Not having all our eggs in one basket. So hopefully, I am another step closer to working from home and having more of the homespun life.