Tamworth Country Music Festival 2009

On Thursday 22nd January 2009 my friend Amanda and I headed off on our annual pilgrimage to the Australia's Country Music Mecca Tamworth. When we left home on Thursday morning it was 27c in my lounge room at 5.30am. As we were driving north it was getting cooler and the rain started at Singleton and never stopped until we were the other side of the Great Dividing Range. We stopped in Murrurundi for morning tea then we continued on to Tamworth.

When we go to Tamworth we stay with a lovely home hospitality family, they open their home for us and they are very welcoming.

We had a very busy day planned for Thursday first we were seeing Troy Cassar-Daley at the TREC and the we were seeing "Cash only" at the Longyard Pub.

Troy was fantastic as always and he has a new album coming out in April. I will be saving up for that. I have all his albums and I just love his music.

Troy Cassar-Daley at the TREC

Our Friend Wendy in "Cash Only"

at the Longyard.

"Cash only" was great, the fellow that sung Johnny Cash's part sure did a great job as did Wendy and all the others.

We went back to our accomodation after this show and crashed.

On Friday we had another busy day so we had a early start, Our first Stop was the Big W shopping centre here I was meeting a blogging buddy Tracy from Sunnycorner Farm It was so nice to meet her, Tracy bought us a coffee and we had a lovely chat.

Thanks again Tracy.

Tracie (me) and Tracy

When we left Tracy we went in to Big W to see Adam Brand. Amanda wanted a photo with him and here it is...

Amanda and Adam Brand

We then had to rush down to Peel Street to see Jonah's Road .

Jonah's Road

They are a great group have a listen on you tube they are worth it. They are really nice Blokes. We had lunch with them the next day and then watched them again at this spot in Peel Street

On Friday night we headed to "The Pub" to get a good seat so we could see Travis Collins.

Before seeing Trav we watched the Jazzer Talent Quest. This was just fantastic, there are alot of talented youngsters out there.

Travis Collins

On Saturday morning we went to the cavalcade (street parade). We saw some of our favourite Country Music Stars but most of them weren't there which was very disapointing. The cavalcade wasn't as good as last year.

On Saturday afternoon we went to see Kirsty Lee Akers launch her new album. She is a great little singer and well worth the listen.

Kirsty Lee Akers

We left early on Sunday Morning and we stopped at Murrurundi on the way home for breakfast. this is a yearly stop for us and the brekky is delicous.

A couple of very hot Country Music Fans

I hope I haven't bored you all too much.

Have a great day

Trip to Leura Jan 9th 10th and 11th 2009

I have lots to catch up on.

We went to Leura in early January, I had a lovely relaxing time. Until we got the phone call on Sunday Morning to say Kirby was missing. Kirby is our 11 month old cat and he was staying with some friends while we were away. On Saturday night he had got out of their house and they couldn't find him anywhere, we came home and joined the search party, we searched for hours then we decided it was getting too hot so we would put the search off until it was cooler. We restarted the search in the evening just before dusk thinking that it had quietened down and he might come out to my voice. We decided after a few more hours of searching that we weren't going to find him. We went home. About 1 hour later we got an excited phone call to say he was back and meowing at their front door. One very hungry ginger cat had returned 23 hours after he had gone missing, only he knows where he had been. I tell you there were 5 very pleased to see him humans. We were all over him and I don't think he could quite understand what the fuss was all about. We were so thankful that he had come home, I thought we had lost him forever.

In the weeks since there have been no mad dashes made to get out the back door, I don't know what happened in that 23 hours but we now have one content to stay inside ginger cat.

Our time spent in Leura was very peaceful and relaxing, I walked to the Leura shops but they are very overpriced so I didn't purchase anything. The shops are all lovely to look but they are just tourist traps. I didn't need anything so I didn't buy. Very proud of myself...

I came back from the shops and baked some afternoon tea for everyone. Cupcakes, are their favourites, and I think this was the nicest batch that I have made. Cupcakes with orange icing, they were yum with a nice cuppa. It took a little getting use to the oven but it was great just a little too small but I coped.

I will do more updating later.

Tracie xx

BIrthday

Today I turned 46. Have had a great day, breakfast BBQ this morning, lunch out with my Mum, and a nice BBQ dinner. Lots of pressies etc. My friend Kelly made me a yummy birthday cake, and my phone has been going off all day with birthday wishes.

Tracie xx

We're off for a few days.

Steve and I are off to Leura- Blue Mountains of New South Wales, tomorrow for a couple of well earned days of R and R, I have been looking forward to this for months. It will be so nice to get away from the shop and home and to just relax with a good book. I'm reading "Twlight" and Nourishing Traditions at the moment, two very different books. It is going to be cool enough that the garden should cope. My friend Kelly is coming to stay on Saturday night for a few days, she will feed Lil Pud and water the garden, Kirby has gone to stay with friends he is being spoilt rotten as I write. The cats and the garden are both being taken care of so I don't have to worry.

Will be back too soon...

Tracie xx

Very HOT HOT HOT

I Got over my little vent from yesterday. I just didn't watch the news tonight.

We have had a wonderful eating from the garden season, excuse the grammar...

We have eaten from our garden the following - Tomatoes, approx 15kgs, we haven't finished yet the tomatoes still have about 4-6 weeks in them, we have to pick them green and allow them to ripen off the vine as we have a bit of a fruitfly problem.

We are still harvesting beans, about a handful a day my FIL picks, and for someone who only really likes them raw, this is lots. We have been giving them to friends and eating lots in salads gives an extra crunch and raw food is better for you anyway.

We have eaten zucchinis and cucumbers till they have come out of our ears, with the Zuccs we had a bit of problem with the ends rotting, we have worked out from lots of reading that our soil is a bit acidic and they are lacking calicium. We have rectified this with some calcium rich fertiliser.

My two raspberries that I planted at last count have turned into nine.

We are starting to get strawberries, finally, if the possums would just leave them alone. I hid 2 almost ripe strawberries under some leaves and the next morning when I came to check on them they were gone.

I better go for now.

Tracie xx

Venting

I hate the news, I try not to watch it as it is so depressing, especially tonight with all the Israeli bombing news. It is all so sad. Ok tell us that this is happening but why does it have to be so graphic. Don't the news broadcasters know there are children watching at this time and children don't need to know that other children are dying by the 100s on the otherside of the world. If news media wants to show this type of images then broadcast them at a later time when all children are in bed.

I'm just venting.

Tracie xx