Australian Quilting Magazines are wonderful~ full of gorgeous quilts and stitchery patterns…LOVE them! But do you know how hard it is to find a shop that sells them where I live? Very difficult… I usually go to Bollen Books in Victoria and they only get a few in so you have to go often before they are all gone!! Well… look what I scored at a Thrift Shop in Victoria!! For the price of two magazines I was able to score…
…a total of 11 magazines!!
I did a happy dance right out of the store…
This weeks Day Trip took us to Youbou…a little town on the Cowichan Lake. I grew up on this lake…or rather IN this lake! I would get up early… sometimes before 7 am. to attend Swimming Lessons here at Arbutus Park. I would walk the railroad tracks from my house to here..and it usually took about 10 minutes…the railroad tracks are GONE but the park is EXACTLY the same!!
This is one of the reasons why I love swimming so much. I LIVED in the water! Cowichan Lake is huge~ over 30 km. long and is crystal clear…one of the largest fresh water lakes on Vancouver Island.
Arbutus trees are growing all around the park, hence the name Arbutus Park. Look at the initials carved in this tree..wonder how many years they’ve been there? I wonder if R.M. will return to check on his/her initials?
Don’t you just love returning to your childhood haunts – seeing how some things have changed…and other things have remained exactly the same…or are completely GONE! 
The Arbutus tree is the only native broadleaf evergreen tree in Canada…with a unique bark that splits and peels leaving a smooth orangey trunk…and broad, rich looking, waxy leaves. Being evergreen these trees are always green but they do loose their leaves…they are like a shedding dog…if you know what I mean! They have white flowers that eventually forms berries that the birds love to eat.
Arbutus trees are gorgeous to look at but can be messy in your yard ..what with the bark peeling, the leaves shedding and then the berries dropping…you would be always raking BUT I think it would be worth it! They are magnificent trees!
Wish I could show you more…but I want to keep the ‘good parts’ a surprise!!
Have a frisky Friday and Happy Quilting/Stitching!~P
Lovely place to grow up in! Is the swimming season long there? We used to swim in our lake from early June until end of August, when we moved back to town. By then the water was already cold too.
ReplyDeleteI love a great find like that-doing the happy dance with ya-lol Love that penny rug too
ReplyDeleteNice finds, I love it when I hit the thrifts after a quilter has dropped things off;) Love that park, so peaceful looking. I was a water rat too. When I was three, my mother spent more time changing my clothes at the camp, since I kept jumping in, with my clothes on, lol.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Lucky you with the mags! Thanks for sharing about the tree, never heard of it. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful save....enjoy your magazines.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tree.
What a beautiful posting.
ReplyDeleteHappy memories. :-) x x x
I love the US magazines but if you can get them here, they are so expensive. The park and lake are gorgeous and I was trying to imagine a little you running around. Your stitching is looking very, very nice.
ReplyDeleteI love swimming just like you Paulette because I would have preferred to grow up in the lake, but now I have my lake every day.
ReplyDeleteYour penny rug progress is so beautiful! She should just love it.
Gosh what a great score - I'd love to find something like that!
ReplyDeleteThat park looks wonderful. I grew up summering on a private beach on Lake Huron, and have wonderful memories of my time there. I think it's why I love the water and beach so much. And the amazing birch forests right on the water....like a fairyland!
Lovely memories! I can tell they make you very happy just by what you wrote.
ReplyDeleteOne just has to love the thrift shops and the wonderful treasures we find. I am so happy you found a treasure.
Your stitchery looks awesome. Can't wait until you can show the finished product.
I am picking up my quilt from quilter today. Excited and nervous is how feel right now. Why nervous? I don't know. Can't wait.
Have a lovely week end.
That was a great thrift find - you've got loads of reading to do now. Our charity shops never have anything like that in them.
ReplyDeleteThe tree is beautiful, I love the bark, and the scenery is stunning.
I am worried about the wooly stitchery though - you told me there was a monster with big fat yellow fingers, and I can't see him. Have you cut off his hands and just put those in? (teehee)
that pool looks so nice! i love outdoor swimming but dont get much chance around here.
ReplyDeletegreat score! i've discovered the Leaders and Enders book isn't readily avalible in the uk, even on amazon, which is a shame, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed for a random finding at a quilt shop!