Weekend Flowers - a firm favourite

This photograph was sent to me by my sister (the one that got married a couple of months ago - click HERE if you like for the post all about her happy Wedding day).

She is delighted as the poppy plant in her garden is flowering profusely this year and she knows that they are one of my favourite flowers. Well, with a daughter named Poppy I couldn't really have any other favourite flower!....

Enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend everyone.

New Happenings

Hello Melbourne !

This welcome above is from a very well known American store opening its first branch in Australia right here in my adopted home City of Melbourne next month!! Behind that poster above there is a hive of activity and great excitement as GAP is arriving at Chadstone shopping centre!! Hooray - lovely cotton basics and good khaki trousers as recommended by That's Not My Age. In fact, I will admit that she told ME first that GAP was opening in Australia way before I knew and she lives on the other side of the world in London - she definitely has her finger on the world- wide fashion pulse! Since she gave me the nod about GAP I have been keeping my ear to the ground and checking out the Internet and today saw for myself where they are to be. I will keep you posted about the opening in due course.



Talking of other bloggers, I met a fellow Mebourne blogger today at Chadstone (where this photograph was taken) for a coffee at Capital Kitchen - a great cafe and homewares/lifestyle shop I've posted about earlier (click HERE) as has the very charming and lovely Claire Jackson of the wonderful blog Haven Home and Style... We had a great chat and an hour and a half just whizzed by - it was great to meet her and we had lots in common enjoying so many of the same things. Such a nice morning - how lucky we are that within our blogging community we are able to meet new people and have loads to talk about. Really, a complete joy.



In the same sort of vein I also have another blog to tell you all about ... a new one - Peony Melbourne. As regular readers know I have blogged about Peony (boutique perfumery) several times and now Jill Timms, owner of Peony has begun her own blog...... So, if you want to be kept in the loop about all things beautiful and fragranced be sure to become one of her followers. Her last post tells of the new jewellery she has in store too - including THE necklace that SJP wears in the film SATC2 - hop on over to her blog to take a quick peek.


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend whatever you may be doing and wherever you are in this wonderful blogging world...

New shoes and another new/older purchase

Last week I purchased these ballet shoes above..... They are black suede and the most comfortable shoes I have tried on in a long, long time.....It was an immediate decision - "Yes, I'll take them please" - and I almost thought about buying a second pair exactly the same (isn't that what fashion savvy professionals tell us to do?!!) Okay, I know - another pair of plain black ballet shoes, but the thing that makes these stand out from so many others (apart from the comfort factor) is.........

The small (very small - undetectable when looking at the shoe from the front) little wedge which automatically lengthens the leg - and I am sure, unless you are 6ft nothing with legs that go on forever this is a Good Thing....! ('She Wore it Well' (great blog btw) would not need the extra wedge to lengthen hers - lucky girl!!)

Anyway, I digress...These lovely shoes came from The Ark shop near me and also they were very good value too for a pair of handmade shoes (with their own little cotton drawstring bag too) - $89.00. Amazing. www.theark.com.au

Secondly, this purchase - made about 3 months ago at the place advertised above..... A pair of classic wool straight leg black trousers at a discounted price.... About a third of their original cost.
Lovely quality, great fit and for me a good shape with a flat front and a side zip - perfect... Only trouble is I have to take them to be shortened... I still have not done so - I MUST this week....Apparently Armani trousers are never supplied hemmed - that part you have to do yourself !!

Ah well, you can't win 'em all, all the time!!

Going Batty

On Sunday we went out to see the huge bats (or Flying Foxes) roosting in their thousands in trees on the banks of the River Yarra in Melbourne. Each night at dusk they take off over the city in a dark cloud of flapping wings - rather like something out of 'Twilight'.

I have to say they never cease to amaze me - they look like large money bags all hooked up on the branches.
This one above has quite a cute face actually!

Look at their huge wingspan!

Here were are - my daughter and I taking them all in...

The last time I posted about these incredible bats was the day before my Mother in Law was leaving Melbourne after a stay here!! See HERE.

(All photography by Mr SE)

Something old, something new = a great mix

Something old - well not that old but I have had it since the Summer of 2005 (or was it Summer 2006?) no matter, all I know is that I have used it many, many times. So, on a cost per wear/use basis my lovely, squishy leather orange Anya Hindmarch bag has been an extremely good purchase. It's great at this time of the year (Autumn here remember, in the Southern Hemisphere) - I could even blend in with the foliage if I so wished (!) and equally good for the Summer months when I wear white linen trousers for example and tan leather sandals. It's a great shot of colour with neutrals and a good mood enhancing hue.

Now, this photograph above shows my new scarf - a fabulous leopard print with orange and tan stripes at each end and even nicer is that it was a present from my darling girl so it is extra special. She has excellent taste (I have tried to teach her well!) and knows that I am very partial to a little bit of leopard.

So you can imagine that this pairing of the old and the new .....

is very satisfying to me.
Hope everyone is having a very happy weekend wherever you are or whatever you may be doing....

I am a little preoccupied but hugely excited

Well, at last my girl has stopped flitting round the small islands in Indonesia and is about to flit to this large island of Australia and I could not be more happy!! Especially as it is going to be for longer than a 'flit' and she is staying with us till August.... Happy, happy, happy Semi Expat!

Below photograph shows a souvenir she brought back from her travels ..... However, she did have the good grace (!) to let me know before she sent me the photo that it is a henna one.... Otherwise she knows that I would probably have had a mild heart attack.

Oh to be young again!

So, you'll know where I'll be tonight - at Melbourne Airport (with a quick visit first to the Qantas lounge for a restorative and celebratory glass of champagne).