Melbourne

When you are invited to meet royalty, you do not decline.  Well - yes, it was dead royalty, but the invitation was still there to be accepted. 

Melbourne Museum

Early in 2011 my brother bought tickets for himself, us, our daughter and son-in-law to see the Tutankhamun exhibition.  So this month we flew into Melbourne from Sydney and Brisbane for a few days to catch up with each other and to take in the exhibition - not to mention some serious eating and window shopping.

Melbourne skyline from our hotel room

We Fudges stayed in a serviced apartment across the road from the Victoria Markets, a must-see part of the Melbourne culture.

From there it was a brisk walk (a necessity in the Melbourne winter to keep from freezing to the pavement) into the city for a warm breakfast at the Hopetoun Tea Rooms.

Thus fuelled for the morning, we set out for the Melbourne Museum to rendez vous with the family.

Melbourne Museum

I had visited the Cairo Museum way back in the Sixties - our daughter had been inside Tutankhamun's tomb a few years back, and the three male members of the family are all history buffs, so we were quite keen to become reacquainted with this wonderful piece of history.  It did not disappoint and despite the hammy narration by Omar Sharif whispering into our head sets, it was a spectacular experience.  Sadly, no photos were allowed, so I do hope you will be able to get along to see it yourself.

My brother's school rugby team was also in Melbourne, so while he spent the afternoon watching them play, the rest of us visited the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Vienna exhibition.

National Gallery of Victoria

Again, no phoography allowed, but it's a wonderful exhibition and well worth the visit.

What I adore about Melbourne is the little lanes packed with coffee shops, restaurants and boutique shops.

This tiny coffee shop was warm and welcoming and the coffee was beautiful.

Laneway soup ... mmmm ...

There's so much to see in Melbourne and we packed a lot into the time we had.

Refurbished General Post Office

General Post Office upper level shops

Melbourne fashion

That evening our daughter and son-in-law treated us all to the most magnificent banquet at Ginger Boy.

The Son-in-Law Eggs are a MUST.

Looking back, we appear to have spent a great deal of our waking hours eating.  But with so many temptations, who could blame us?

Coffee and cake at Brunetti at Carlton has become a tradition for us.  Need you ask why?

Melbourne right now is a brilliant city to visit.  The cold weather encourages lots of walking, shopping, gallery visits and, of course, lots of eating.  Nice.

BrisStyle Friendships

Brisbane turned on a beautiful, crisp winter's day for my last BrisStyle Indie Designers Market.  The friendships I have built up over the past few years in BrisStyle make it all the harder to leave.

 
I was able to catch up with many friends, including some from Schoolhouse Quilters Kenmore, a group I joined nearly 21 years ago when we first came to Brisbane. 

Photo courtesy of Sandrine Marsh

I was speechless (a rare event!) at the end of the day when our Super Woman market organiser Helen said some lovely words and I was presented with the most beautiful gifts and flowers.  What made it extra special was knowing that all the gifts (apart from the gorgeous flowers,

Brut,

and Botrytis Semillon) ...

... were made by BrisStyle designers.  The neighbours must have wondered what on earth was going on within the walls of Chez Fudge as each new gift was opened.  I would love to show you all the much treasured goodies, many I have lusted after for a long time, but you would only be tempted to come and rob me, so I will save you from a life of crime.

However, I will gladly divulge what was inside that large box with the pink bow ...

... six of the most wicked cupcakes ever created, courtesy of our other brilliant market organiser Bel of Enticing Icing.  Don't bother coming over begging us to share - there are only two left and by the end of tonight only crumbs will remain - maybe not even crumbs.  These works of art are absolutely scrummy.

There's a special atmosphere at BrisStyle markets which is not found at others around town.  The warm friendships shine through and it's a joy to participate in them.  Oh, how I wish I could bundle up BrisStyle and bring it to Sydney with us.  SydStyle just doesn't have the same ring, does it? 

My last BrisStyle Market

After nearly 21 years of living in Brisbane, at the end of the month we Fudges will be moving back to Sydney.  It was not a decision made lightly and there are so many people and things we will miss terribly.
I've been with BrisStyle since its inception, so it will be a nostalgic day for me tomorrow as I set up my stall at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market for the last time.  In typical fashion, I spent last night carrying out last-minute preparations for the market by sewing buttons on these three reversible jumper dresses while watching Master Chef, which is turning into a regular soap opera!

Reversible Jumper Dresses

Reverse Side

The weather tomorrow promises to be crisp and clear - perfect for strolling through the grounds and hall at St Augustine's Church, Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

Hours are between 9.00am and 2.00pm and there will be so much to see and do - truly up-market stalls packed with beautifully designed goodies created by our talented BrisStyle designers, sausage sizzle to feed the body and music to food to feed the soul.  Not to be missed!  

My Hot Fudge stall will be inside the hall, so do come along and say hello.