MY NEW LAPTOP HAS ARRIVED !!!!

YAY - my laptop arrived this morning. Can't wait to start loading all my bits and pieces onto it. It took me a while to make a decision.....think my son was getting sick of me showing him this one and that one and asking his opinion. However I finally chose one which I think will be fast enough for my needs with a reasonable sized HDD without going over budget so it really does pay to shop around and compare.

My Digital Layouts for March

I managed to complete a few of the challenges from Cottage Scrapbooks this month.

This one was for Scrapping Counts where only 2 papers and 4 elements were used:-
Scrap my favourite was the theme for this one and we had to scrap our favourite flower. I have quite a few flowers which I love but Daylillies would be one of my favourites. I love the variety of colours and shapes of the flowers.
The Impromptu Challenge this month was to use green in the layout including green alpha. This is one of my cycads which is seeding for the first time ever.
For the Hybrid Challenge we were to use a supplied kit and do a cover for a journal. I always love hybrid challenges as mixing both traditional and digital interests me.
We were given a family tree template for the Heritage Challenge this month so I based my entry on our son's.
With the Give & Take Challenge the layout is to be done using papers and elements from the month's Blog Party at Cottage Scrapbooks.
For the Flavour On The Month challenge I chose to scrap a photo of my niece taken whilst on holidays in Melbourne. We are given specific colours and a kit to use from for this challenge. We didn't have to use this kit or if we preferred could make up our own kit using the colours given however I chose to use the kit which was supplied.
I loved the Fantastic Font Challenge for March. These photos of my niece on her Zoingo Boingo seemed to fit in perfectly with the theme of the font.
This layout was for the Cottage Well Challenge. A mini kit is supplied and you have to use all of that kit plus more can be added if you want. However I found that the mini kit was enough for my layout.
Then the final layout I did was for Chronicle of Days. It is part of an on-going challenge to document this current year. It doesn't matter how many layouts you do in the month although unfortunately I only managed the one this time.
If you want to get into digital scrapping I can recomment this group. The members are so lovely and supportive and more than happy to answer any questions.

Well I managed One Traditional Layout

It's terrible - I'm just not motivated to do any traditional scrapping at the moment. Think it's because I am just so tired and totally unmotivated. Plus I can't sit for any length of time to craft and when I have ideas I need to keep working while the ideas are flowing. I am also a very messy scrapper and at present can't seem to deal with a lot of clutter around me. However I did manage this layout. It was for a challenge at Craft & Scrap - actually one for Valentine's Day 0nly we weren't allowed to use Pink or Red but it had to be about something that is lovely.

I used mainly doodling and some lace and paper flowers as elements - although the doodling isn't very visible on the photo.

My Laptop Has Died

Well the prognosis from Phil (DS) regarding my laptop isn't good. It has definitely given up the ghost. When we thought about it though - the poor old thing is over 5 years old and has done a lot of work. DS bought it when he started uni and for 3 years it constantly travelled back & forth to Brisbane with him on the train and bus and was used all day at uni. It was his only computer for the time he lived in Brisbane as his good PC was left here at home and now I have used it for 12 months.

ARGHH - now to look for a new one. Think I will have to leave that to DS as I don't know that much about them. I know when he bought the old one it was one of the best you could get at that time but I don't need anything that up-market - just something to take outside when I sit out there with my breakfast in the morning to read my emails and to take away on holidays with us so I can edit photos and do scrapbooking etc....

HOME

Well my laptop died last night. Went to check my emails and noting ........ not a spark of life apart from a green light on the front. Wouldn't even turn on. At least it was at the end of our holidays and not the beginning and fortunately I had saved nearly everything on my EHD. Just had a couple of digital layouts and a few designs that I had done that day that hadn't been transferred. Will have our son look at it tomorrow night when he comes over for tea.

Had a good trip home - it took just over 3 hours driving time as there wasn't much traffic. We did have a stop half-way though to stretch our legs and have a coffee. Sitting really plays havoc with my back & legs.

My February Digital Layouts.

These are the layouts which I did for the Cottage Scrapbook challenges for February. Fortunately these ones weren't lost when my lappie crashed as I had transferred most of the data to my EHD.

Today we visited Maryborough and did the "Tourist Thing" - LoL. First off a visit to the Town Hall and Information Centre where we booked our tickets for a mini bus tour of the town. It was excellent .... our guide was very knowledgable and we saw lots of beautifully restored old homes and learnt quite a bit about the town itself. Then we were off to the markets to have a browse and some lunch before catching a ferry for a cruise on the "Muddy" Mary River in the afternoon.

This beautiful old tree is in the park between the main shopping area and the yacht club.
This photo was taken in the same park. It is so well kept with lots of lovely grassy areas and seating.
The ferry coming to pick us up.
Heading down the river .................
The story we were told about this home is if you look carefully you can see another brick building tucked in behind.

Apparently that home had been there for years and had a terrific river view. The opportunity came a few years ago for the owner to purchase the block of land in front for a very reasonable price - however he decided that no-one could possibly build on that bit of land and block his view so declined.

Well .......... guess what .......... I hate to think of what his wife says to him every day when they look out from their front patio...LoL.

I am sooooo tired and wiped out tonight. It was a good day but honestly sometimes I wonder whether going away is worth it. Feeling fluey again but I know that's only the Chronic Fatigue. Tomorrow we can have a slow start in the morning before meeting Margaret, Keith (& Rosie) for fish and chips at lunchtime down on the beach front. Then at night having tea with Bill & Leanne in a lovely open air restaurant / cafe which is nearby.

Having a terrific time catching up with friends.

It's been wonderful to be able to catch up with so many of our friends. We went to visit Leanne & Bill last night. It's been a few years since we have actually met up bit it seemed just like yesterday. We have known them for over 20 years and have watched each other's children grow up into wonderful young adults.

Then today for lunch we visited Margaret & Keith (and Rosie....their gorgeous Jack Russell Terrier). These lovely folk we met when we did our trip to Cape York aboard the cargo ship 18 months ago and have kept in touch since.

Here is a photo of their dear little dog.

Just a few more holiday snaps - LoL.

All along the beach-front where the council has landscaped there are these wonderful sculptures and other art works. This one is just as you walk onto the Urangan Pier.
Then a bit further up at Torquay is this sea monster.
Our little visitor who came to share lunch with us and have a drink.
Hubby on a smaller jetty at Torquay.
Late afternoon taken from the Urangan Pier.

Botanic Gardens & Urangan Pier - Hervey Bay

Yesterday we drove to a town just north of Maryborough called Aldershot to have lunch with other friends whom we hadn't seen for a while. Then this morning we had a sleep-in and after a late breakfast went for a walk around the botanic gardens which are right next door to the caravan park we are staying in. The weather so far has been perfect - a bit warm but there is a beautiful breeze coming in off the ocean.

Me on the bridge which leads to an island in the middle of a lagoon where they have a stage.
One of the cycads with a big knot of new growth in the centre of it.
Kindy nap time for one of the ducks....LoL....they are so quiet that we were able to walk right up to them and they totally ignored us.

Well now I am going to bore you with orchid photos. In they orchid house I just couldn't resist taking photos. Everywhere you looked there were more orchids. Tiny little native ones which were hiding and ones that cascaded down. Some had the most beautiful perfume. These are just a few of them.

Then in the afternoon we went for a walk along the Urangan Pier. This pier is over 860 metres in length. It used to me much longer when the ships berthed there but over the years the last 200 or so metres has been demolished and it is now used mainly by walkers and fishermen.

This pelican was hanging around near all the fisherman just hoping that something might fall his way.
Walking back towards Urangan.