"Somewhere out there"

"Somewhere out there" takes me to a special song that always brings a tear to my eye from the movie 'An American Tale' that we would watch with our girls when they were young. The lyrics are heart warming and make me ponder the many mysteries of the world that we can't solve or answer.......... 

Isn't it nice to know that "somewhere out there" someone is thinking of a special someone that might be close or far away? Our thoughts have been consumed every single moment these past weeks of a loved one who has been seriously unwell hence my absence from the blog. So the flowers in the garden have been useful for visits to hospital.......

 "Somewhere out there" there are mysteries to be solved, cures to be discovered and futures unknown. For me there is also "someone out there" who nominated me for an Australian of the Year Award that is announced every January 26th - our Australia Day. When I received the email a few days ago I assumed it was a hoax as there is absolutely no reason that I could think of that would even remotely be fitting. So I got Larry to check it and he thought it was legitimate so thankyou from the bottom of my heart to whoever you might be "somewhere out there"!! I have no idea why......maybe for my contribution to promoting tourism to Adelaide to see the William Morris collection??!! I will humbly treasure the letter......

 "Somewhere out there" the planets are not too happy as we are in the middle of a heat wave where it is expected to peak to 44C (111F) in just two days. Our friends in Canada just sent us an email to tell us they are experiencing -26 with a -42 wind chill! So lots of time has been spent indoors with the air-conditioner cooling us while creating new projects for the market. I came across these delightful buttons with faces and spent a few hours deciding what to do with them........bookmarks were the end result.......

 So the bookmarks made an appearance a few days ago on the very last day of the Australian Tour Down Under cycle race. Cycling has been in Larry's blood and he rode for many years with my younger brother, so it is always a highlight for us to go and watch it and this year was an extra bonus as we were participating on the sidelines...... and with a fabulous view.........

 It is always exciting when the first breakaway group come through followed by riders from all around the world.....but how they must have suffered coming from freezing winters to our very hot summer.......

 The village transformed into a visual feast of coloured lycra of professional and amateur cyclists from all around Australia and the rest of the world, and this year they were able to ride the same challenging circuit as the tour teams......

 The race passed us five times with about 45 minutes between each leg so there was time to wander and soak in the atmosphere........

 We even had a huge TV screen close by so we could watch the entire 151km race........

 It was a great day for traders to reap the rewards with some providing entertainment as well........not so busy for the market but we lapped up every single minute.......

 It was amazing to watch the team support crews waiting on the side of the road with snack and drink packs for riders to grab as they sped by...........

 The weekend before we took the older members of the little family to a nearby beach for some fun in the sun...well under the jetty in the shade........

 and "somewhere out there" across that vast ocean are friends far away including Helen of Whitecroft Tours who tells me she has finalised the Yorkshire based 'William Morris meets Beatrix Potter' tour. I will devote my next blog post to that as Helen will have it all on her website soon......

Last weekend we had the wonderful experience of watching a choral music concert in Adelaide's St Peter's Cathedral. It was the 70th Australian Intervarsity Festival Choir Festival with performers from Universities around Australia. When I read the program I jumped at it as they were performing the Australian Premiere of Eriks Esenvalds composition 'Stars'! You can see a performance below from his home country of Latvia......

How they create that sound with glasses of water is beyond me but it was truly hypnotic in the surrounds of St Peter's cathedral and just what we needed. I only had my phone so the photos were not so good but it is a night we will remember for a very long time. They also played works of several Norwegian composers one of whom I am obsessed and play on a daily basis.......Ola Gjeilo and in fact I am playing his album 'Northern Lights' as I type.....

 A couple of weeks ago"somewhere out there", (I think the Czech Republic), I received an email from Daniela with images of her 'Fantasy' quilt and how splendid it is with lots of detailed hand embroidery. Thankyou Daniela for allowing me to share your beautiful quilt on the blog..........

So I hope "somewhere out there" you are safe and enjoying the day.....I will leave you with two quotes from the Dalai Lama from my desktop calendar that have left me hopeful........