Argh, life has been so busy lately! We have just finished school holidays (six weeks). We have celebrated Christmas, New Year, birthdays, visited Tasmania & Tamworth, covered excessive amounts of school books and witnessed our country being consumed by heatwaves, floods and bushfires (the Australian Mother Nature is a crazy vengeful woman).
I’ve just returned from Tamworth – where the town was goin’ crazy with country music. I’m not actually a country music fan but it’s such a fun event it’s almost converting me! Noooooo! The town is packed with crazies and there is something to see or do practically everywhere. Loads of free gigs, buskers, street performers, free concerts, fireworks and more.
Wayne Rogers – check out that outfit! I swear I did not plan that backdrop. Still I giggle…
Troy Cassar Daley’s truck – my girls are on it!! This truck had Troy Cassar-Daley performing, a clothes line, an operating BBQ, a shed and a brolly. It was one of EIGHTY floats in the parade.
The 8 Ball Aiken Girls. Yes, they really are dancing with toy horses with wigs
Australia Day everywhere!
Love camels – cranky, smelly but kinda gorgeous anyway
My brother lives there, so we enjoy the human excesses without excessive accommodation fees (and it has more quilts in it made by me than my house!). The kids love it so much they asked their aunty if they can go up earlier next year and see more! I get that some of you are groaning – and I used to think that about this event too – loosen up a bit and just have a laugh. Life’s too short to be judgemental. Life is much more fun when you just roll with the punches and enjoy the quirky things life throws at you.
I even found some crafty sewing things to snap…
Note to self for 2014: hot pants, wig, croc hat & glitter chaps
Whip Kits – a crafter’s delight!
Carved cattle skulls – just what every home needs
No worries about pattern placement here.
Spotty dress – this one’s for you Scruffy Badger!
I admit I’ve got a soft spot for Tamworth, I spent two years there are boarding school and they really were some of the best years of my school life. I’ve lived all over the place. I was born in Sydney, we moved to Crescent Head (home to one of the best surfing breaks in Australia), then Tamworth, Wollongong, Sydney and finally Port Macquarie. Let me tell you country life is completely different to city life and also very very different to coastal life. I’m fortunate to have lived a little of them all. Tamworth is a pretty country town and I really enjoy my visits there. Country music or no … and I always swore I would never set foot in Tamworth during Country Music Festival – and now it’s an annual highlight in our family calendar.
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- Tamworth Streetscapes
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- Tamworth Streetscapes
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- Tamworth – the post office
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- Tamworth – the old bank
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- Tamworth pub
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- Tamworth pub
I’ve nearly finished knitting Langston for Miss 7’s 8th birthday in March. She’s quite besotted with it and wants to wear it asap – heavens knows why, our summer/autumn weather will mean it’s not required until at least April or May.
Langston from Ravelry
It’s a really delightful little pattern. I’m still having little struggles, more mistakes made from knitting when I am perhaps a little too tired. I’m a shocker at un-doing rows but getting better. Tonight I’m trying my first pick-up and knit for the button bands. I have a very clear idea on what to do (thanks YouTube) but sometimes reality is a little different.
My current WIP, I’m plodding along…
My little town was not consumed by floods, we had some very minor flooding (compared to other parts of the east coast of Australia) however our beaches have copped a pounding – courtesy of flood waters coming out of the river and also huge seas. What to do for blog pictures?? Check out the awesome images here…
The backyard is out for pictures – all the critters are coming out the play with the rain… I found this fellow at my front door on Friday….
Snake! Tree snake – not poisonous but scared me!!
I am so behind in my blog reading and blog posting… so many things to read, sew, write about and more… watch this space.
Sew Busy Lizzy 
Totes love how you have gone into local mode at Tamworth. I was just sorry to see that your WIP did not include glitter chaps- they’re all the rage right now…
Fret not, there’s always 2014. Although I think my years as a back-up dancer maybe over… *sigh*
I lived in Armidale for 10 years (and Wollongong for three; we’ve seen quite a lot of the same countryside, you and I) and managed to avoid Tamworth at That Time of Year. It can be done! That’s not to say it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun if you’re so inclined and I’ve always thought it would be a wonderful place to spot all sorts of fabulous, fun figures. You’ve provided plenty of proof of that.
I can well understand why the Langston is in high demand. It’s beautiful, even in its unfinished state. Lovely work.
Armidale is lovely too. So pretty in the change of seasons!
The festival is rather fun, if you just take it for what it is, a little bit of crazy and fun times. I think we escape the true madness at my brother’s house – which is walking distance to town. Close enough for convenience but far enough away for peace. I don’t know how people camp through it!
That looks like a fun festival and a pretty town. I hope to explore parts of Australia at least once in my lifetime 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
We are a wide and varied country!
I’m not a huge country music fan either but that looks like a blast! Embrace it! It reminds me of the Fourth of July festivals we have in the States. I haven’t gotten to participate in much of that in recent years but eventually I won’t have to worry about naps and my kids will stay up past 8pm!
Absolutely. Once I got over my ‘seriously??’ attitude (and over myself) I have come to love it and all it’s kookiness! It’s not cool but it’s super fun!
“Cool” is no fun. Geek of all kinds unite!
You have been missed,but I’m glad to hear you have been having fun. And I am glad to hear you have not been washed or foamed away. What’s with that foam phenomena? Truth is stranger than fiction
I think the foam is just a messy combination of the flooded river (and all the junk that’s in there) and pounding seas – it churns up a real mess!
I absolutely love to see your pictures and your discripition of your country and all the wonderful goings on. Mother Nature can be very cruel, we in northwest Michigan USA are experiencing some very weird storm warnings this am. Flooding, snow and ice and freezing rain. I think we received the last few tricks Mother Nature had in her bag this week.
I am curious about the foam also.
Ewwww that sounds most unpleasant! While you battle freezing cold natural disasters we endure humid hot ones. No one wins!
And I believe the foam is just a combination of flood water coming out of the river meeting huge pounding seas = big mess
I’m not a fan of country music either (hubby is), but generally you meet some of the nicest people at those kinds of events. 🙂 Glad to hear you’re OK after the freaky weather.
That’s so true! It’s best to be open minded about these things isn’t it?
And I totally need to get my hands on one of those cattle skulls, they would suit my parents decor perfectly!!
I’ve got his business card somewhere, he’s got a website. They were very beautiful in a strange way. I will see if I can find it….
You can find them at http://www.s2k4.com
You HAVE been busy… Your WIP is looking great as is your knitting project. Thanks for sharing all the great festival pics!
Just have to weave in the jumper ends and sew on two buttons! The dress has a way to go – of course I’ve mentally moved onto the next projects!
Wow, looks like a fun festival, although I’m not a huge country music fan either. I’d like to see the dress WIP you have going, it looks really pretty, so far 🙂
Festivals can often be a happy celebration of human kookiness – and where is the harm in that 🙂 the dress is nearly finished. I’m not 100% happy about how the neckline is sitting, I think I need to remake it in slightly lighter fabric.
What kind of fabric did you make it in. I find that fabric choice is usually the make or break part of sewing. I have 2 projects already in the ‘failure’ pile due to fabric choice and not due to the actual sewing.
It’s a crepe just like the patterns specifies. I think it’s slightly thicker than normal which makes the sleeves a bit bulky as they are self lined. It’s also impossible to try on as it is so humid at the moment and it’s lined LOL
Ah ok. Here it is minus 14 Celcius (yes, minus), if that helps. 🙂
It looks like an awesome weekend! So much colour and life!
I’m sorry Mother Nature is having a bit of a hissy fit over Aus at the moment, hopefully calmer times are coming?
I hope so! I’m looking forward to cooler weather. It’s soooo muggy at the moment.
Ok, I giggled the whole time I was reading this because I have been to the country music festival in Tamworth!! I’ve seen it firsthand, glittery chaps and all 😉 I spent my junior year of college as a study abroad student in Newcastle and several of my roommates were from Tamworth. I would go with them when they traveled home. The festival was by far my favorite trip, though. I’m off to see if I can dig up a picture….
I love that! Tamworth & country people certainly know how to socialise & have a good time!
My husband cycled through town over the weekend in the early hours of the morning and apparently there were swags everywhere!
I’m not a big fan of country music but tigerboy discovered it (he’s English) when we moved to Queensland and it’s now his favourite music. Admittedly, there is some that I quite like and other stuff I’ll tolerate but he even likes good ole Slim – I draw the line there. I do acquiesce and accompany him to country music events and I usually enjoy them, I think the Tamworth Country Music Festival is in our future, it’d be a lot of fun.
Have you seen McAllister Kemp? You might like them, contemporary country rock style. I used to catch the school bus with the Kemp part of the band!
Great photos :-). I haven’t been to Tamworth since I was a kid but my current manager and her manager (you know, 6-monthly restructures….) are both from Tamworth, which is making me really curious to see the place again!
It’s changed a lot in recent years, Main Street is greener etc, they have a theatre and it’s growing fast population-wise. It’s a nice country town
Wow, looks like a kooky, fun time! I kinda love strange local events like that. My hometown was known for its annual Popcorn Fest (it’s the birthplace of the hilariously-named Orville Redenbacher, who founded the most well-known brand of American popcorn). They have a big parade every year, and all the floats are made out of popcorn! But my favorite is in a neighboring town– Pierogi Fest! You can feast on pierogies, listen to accordion music, and watch old people polka dancing. 🙂
OMG both those festivals sound like a blast!
OMG! A popcorn festival! You crack me up (he he). I haven’t really experienced any festivals like that (and I don’t think we have parades at all here) – but it’s def on my bucket list to see one!
And Lizzy – I love those pics and am happy that your surroundings weren’t flooded!
Festivals are always fun and often quite kooky! It was a huge street parade – 80 floats/trucks/cars/bands in total!
I used to play a corner in a marching band!
You were in a marching band?! That’s awesome!
I’m a dedicated lifelong weirdo
I am loving that red dress! Glad you’re all ok with that crazy weather right now. Seriously insane.
That is one cute little town, it’s no wonder you make it a holiday destination…ha, never say never! We’ve been watching all the news about the fires and floods, my gosh it’s been really nasty. Sooooo, glittery chaps! Can’t wait to see how those turn out 😉 Good luck with all your projects, I’m a wee bit behind too, I work best under pressure.
I think my future in glittery chaps is limited unless my career as a country music dancer takes off!
Great post. Lovely photos!! Thanks for sharing this amazing event with us. The WIP looks smashing.
I wanted to take more pictures, it’s such a fun event but I was exhausted and ended up sleeping for 3 hours that day!
i am glad the flood was not bad where you are! hope the rest of your family and friends was also unaffected! 🙂 a country music festival sounds fun! I would love to try line dancing and own a cowboy hat! haha!! My parents had a grass snake in england a few months back at the end of the summer. freaked my mum out as she found broken eggs under a bush as well. i hope it does not come back next year.
of course thouhg our critters here arent half as scary as the australian ones! stay safe (or am i overreacting!?)
I’ve never tried line dancing!
Tree snakes are ok, they freak you out a but because they are soooo long but they are harmless and just slither away as you approach. I loathe tiger snakes. They will chase you if you stir them up accidentally. We have lots of snakes in Australia but you don’t see them too often and they usually avoid people.