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.

Orange

Just thinking of the colour orange in the middle of winter gives me a warm glow, which is more than can be said of our newly replaced hot water service.

Making this applique denim jumper dress for the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market on 9 July helped a little, but I needed more.  Time to go shopping.

Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, this delightful creation by Aardvark is first on my shopping list.

I would be ready to face the world wearing this yummy resin necklace by the lovely Sophie of Strat Designs.

I'd feel like a million dollars wearing this gorgeous ring by Jewelry By Emmy.

I would come home to a warm bowl of pumpkin soup and admire my latest print purchased from Hey Harriet.

Lastly, I would take in the beauty of this stunning glass bowl by Corporan Glass.

Sigh.

For more Let's Go Shopping ideas, take a look at what BrisStyle has selected this week.

When is coconut ice dangerous?

He was the most marvellous melodramatic villain any stage could hope to be trampled over.  He was also something of a legend in Sydney back in the early 1960s for being the eternal law student at Sydney University.  Martyn Corbett was a presence not to be ignored - larger than life and a genuine bon vivant. 

Boo! Hiss!

The Genesian Theatre presented the melodrama Only an Orphan Girl and I was DESPERATE to play the part of the Orphan Girl's mother (such anomalies are acceptable in melodramas). 

Dang ... if only I still had that dress!

I don't think I slept for a week after I won the role, particularly as my best friend Penny was to play the Orphan Girl.  The Villain's Moll was Judi Farr who was beginning to make a name for herself in the acting world. 

The Sydney critics loved it, as did the audiences and the season was a sell-out.  We had the Snow scene when the Orphan Girl was thrown out of the house, the Saw Mill scene when the Villain did dastardly things to the Orphan Girl, and in between all these scenes of mayhem and pathos the audience were entertained by a Barber Shop Quartet and various other side acts. 

So why is coconut ice dangerous?

The patrons were sold packets of peanuts in their shells and coconut ice before the show.  They were encouraged to throw the peanuts at the villain and to eat the coconut ice.  One hot and muggy evening the coconut ice virtually melted into a soggy, hardened mess - unfortunately it was the same night that a mob of university students came to see the show.  I was standing next to the Villain when he threatened that if the mortgage wasn't paid by midnight (and the clock was dinging away the hour in the background) we would all be thrown out into the snow.  A good time to throw a few peanuts.  However, the uni students found the rock-hard coconut ice inedible and decided that they would make excellent missiles to launch at the Villain.  The Villain I was standing next to.  I felt like a duck in a shooting gallery.  By popular demand the coconut ice was withdrawn from sale until the weather improved.

A few months after the end of the production Martyn sailed to Europe and the following year my best friend (and Orphan Girl) and I left for a year in London.  We were walking along Earls Court one evening after work when who should be coming towards us but Martyn Corbett, who greeted us warmly and ushered us into the nearest coffee shop.  When he discovered we were about to leave for two months in Europe he swept us out of the coffee shop (without paying - he was caught up in the moment and the poor proprietor looked too stunned to stop us) and took us home to lend us some books on Rome, which he knew we could not survive without. 

Over the years we often wondered what happened to Martyn.  I googled his name a few times but could not find anything past the 1970s.  Then late last month Penny rang to advise that he had died.  I felt sad and filled with pangs of nostalgia, but was pleased that he had rated a half page obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald.

I wasn't at all surprised to read that he had become a teacher and that he had mentored and encouraged one of his students, Alfred Molina, who wrote this homage to him in 2009.

Alfred Molina in Spiderman

The last time I saw Alfred Molina he was playing a villain - so my story has come the full circle.

Vale Martyn Corbett

 

Local Handmade Goodness

Have you ever had to scramble to buy a last-minute gift?  It's my own fault - I knew a celebration lunch was coming up for a good friend's 60th birthday, but I thought it was a week away instead of a day.  I was at a quilt meeting at our local library when the bombshell was dropped, but fortunately the library is situated in a shopping centre.  The bad news was that I didn't have a clue what to buy.

I slipped out early from the meeting and arrived wild-eyed at my favourite gift shop in the centre.  I should have known that all would be well.  There waiting patiently for me was the perfect gift.

Thea & Sami

This beautiful hand-printed linen tea towel by Brisbane designer Thea Samios of Thea & Sami simply jumped into my hands. The hardest part was gift wrapping it because I really wanted to keep it for myself. 

Thea and I had both participated in this exhibition organised by Melanie Gray Augustin back in April, so I knew first-hand what a wonderful designer she is and I knew my creative friend would really appreciate this gift.

Of course, in my haste I forgot all about wrapping paper and card, so that evening I hastily designed some paper and a card.

Not too subtle, do you think?

The lunch the next day was delightful and my friend loved her newly acquired tea towel, although I doubt it will ever dry a dish - too good for such a mundane chore.

I guess the moral is support our artisans - buy local and buy often!

My First Century

I've just turned 100 - Etsy sales, that is.  I realise it's not Crack Open the Champagne stuff, but it's a milestone, something to tick off the 1,000 things I must do before I die list.

100th Etsy Sale

 
And where is global warming when you need it?  Brisbane is experiencing a winter worthy of our southern cousins Sydney and Melbourne.  In subtropical Brisbane we expect our winters to be civilised, with the nights a little chilly, but with mild, sunny days.  Not this winter - we have had temperatures plummeting to the coldest June temperatures on record.  So we ran away to Sydney for a few days.

We don't have many deciduous trees in  Brisbane, so it was something of a novelty to walk under large trees which allow the sky to peep through.

Gloriously coloured leaves ...

... make walking such a pleasure.

After a brisk walk, it's time to do a little reading.  Of course, I realise that when Grandad is around, this little four-year-old has eyes for no one else.  They are soul mates and have been from the day they first laid eyes on each other.  It's so heartening to see in this modern age that grandchildren and grandparents still have this amazing bond that no electronic games can replace.

All too soon we flew back to Brisbane where we have spent the last few days vying for heater space.  Today we had been looking forward so much to catching up with our Brisbane grandchildren and their parents, but poor Mr Fudge came down with a particularly nasty bout of 'flu and we reluctantly postponed the lunch until next week.

I had made two chicken and corn pies (fresh corn - none of your frozen or canned variety), enough to feed an army.  I was able to freeze one while we two frozen ice blocks made a reasonable attempt to polish off the other.

Lemon Meringue Cakes

   
As a special treat for the children, I made these muffin-sized cup cakes.  The middle is hollowed out and filled with lemon curd (yes, freshly home-made) and topped with meringue.  There were 12.  There are now 8.  What a shame.  Sorry kids.  Promise I'll make some more for next weekend!