Friday 19 October 2012

Rome to Florence

So our time in Rome came to an end today.... but what an amazing time it has been....
I have loved it, I can't say my feet, knees and hips have enjoyed it, but I have loved it... cobblestones are definitely not my friend...
So, so much to see and do, definitely not enough time spent there... will have to put it on my wish list to return, but then I did throw a coin into the Trevi, and they say one coin to return to Rome... you never know...
The last couple of days have been so jam packed... we have seen the Colosseum, the Vatican, St Peters Basillica, the Pantheon Church, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast.... It's all just so amazing...

So this morning we boarded the Eurostar train and came to Florence... I taught a scrapping class on the train on the way, such fun...
Florence has a much gentler pace about it... not the hectic rush that Rome seems to have... this afternoon we went for a walk to the Ponte Vecciho... and explored some of the lane ways of the artisan area... tomorrow is another full tour day....so it's bed for me now....will post photo's when I get a chance...
xC

Monday 15 October 2012

Rome

We are having a fantastic time in Rome....
We had a great trip over all the flights were great and half empty so plenty of room...
Our hotel is right near the train terminal, and we have been exploring Rome on the train and buses...
We've discovered the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Vatican City and loads of great places to shop...
Tomorrow we officially start the tour, full day of guided tour.....
Just a couple of pics only as the internet here is dreadful....
xC
Trevi Fountain

Cheryl, Amanda and I

Spanish Steps

Monday 1 October 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, New Zealand has come and gone, what a fantastic trip it was.  Not only was the retreat a truly wonderful experience, but the few days R&R were just what my soul needed.

The teaching was sensational I loved every minute of it, so many ladies eager to learn, and by all reports everyone had a wonderful three days.  Thank you to Adrienne (owner of The Scrappin' Patch) for inviting me to teach, and thank you to all the wonderful ladies who came along.  Also thank you to the wonderful Aussie manufacturers who sponsored my workshops, Darkroom Door, Kaisercraft and WOW, it was fantastic to be able to promote Aussie companies.

The couple of days of R&R that I had were just what I needed, time spent making new friends and growing closer to existing ones.  I was really lucky to be taken down to Mount Cook, and got to play in the snow.  I have to confess I did act like a kid, dancing around and throwing snowballs, such fun.  Another highlight was to see snow fall, it was awesome!  Again there was silliness and strange dancing about, but snow fell all over me,(that's my excuse anyway!) it was an amazing new experience.  A low note was being woken at 5.15am by the noise and shaking of a mild earthquake, 2.8 on the scale, quite shallow only 4kms and centred right in the area I was staying.  Nothing to be concerned about apparently, but wow, I don't know how they cope with the constant quakes and shakes. It was the first quake I've ever felt, and wouldn't want to feel anything bigger.

So now I have been back at it here madly trying to get everything ready for the Italy/Paris retreat.  Only, 10 days to go before we fly!! Busy, busy, busy.  Loads more to do before then, and I haven't even thought about packing yet!

Anyway, I will leave you with some pics from my trip.... xC

captive audience

the end result!! lol!! lots of inky messy fun...

the beautiful views on our way to Mt Cook

fun in the snow at Mt Cook

Mt Cook
the sun setting on the way back from Mt Cook