The things you miss when you have a cold ...

The Attack of the Cold Virus struck with a vengeance last Thursday.  Not your common variety, but one of those nasty superior ones.  I guess on the cusp of winter it's to be expected, but it caused me to miss visiting the BrisStyle Twilight Market on Friday evening.

Images courtesy of Bec Hollis

Doesn't it look enchanting? What a difference a month makes.

This is what it looked like last month when we had to contend with a couple of wild storm fronts and a royal wedding thrown in for good measure.  Despite all the odds thrown against us, we did attract the crowds, but the weather left a lot to be desired.

 

Fast forward to last Friday.  This time from all reports it was perfect, with large and appreciative crowds snapping up hand-made goodness.

Wonder Woman market organiser Helen Berthold at Red Revival's store

Not a drop of rain in sight

However, I am busily stocking up for the next BrisStyle market on 9 July at St Augustine's church grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

 

In the meantime I've had a very busy week, with 10 dress orders coming in, including this little number which a client is giving as a first birthday gift.  Time to get back to the machine.

Market Fever

If by chance you are the proud parents of twin girls aged between six and twelve months, and they happen to have sisters aged one, two and three, have I got a deal for you.

They are available in my Etsy shop and I'll also be selling them at the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market at King George Square, Brisbane on 29 April.  Of course, if you are only blessed with one little girl, you don't have to buy the lot!

The Twilight Market is shaping up to be nothing short of brilliant, as you can see from just a few of the participants:

Kimono Reincarnate

Strat Designs

Mary Jade Made

Retro Bird

Sybella Boutique

Meggy Green

Spun Mud

Moose and Bird

Enticing Icing

It's time to indulge yourself, so start putting away some extra cash in readiness for market fever.

Put on a happy face

We had been warned, but at the back of our minds we didn't think it would happen.  The Brisbane Summer Mega Storm.  It happened.  Big time.

Early on, it wasn't too bad - just a lot of rain accompanied by lightning and the usual thunder.  The back looked a little water-logged, so we thought we ought to check the front.

Hmmm ... but not too bad.

Five minutes later - eek!



Then it became a tad dark and windy.

I was in the midst of preparing for our market tomorrow evening, but had to turn off the computer, iron, sewing machine, washing machine and dryer.   I was particularly upset that I couldn't continue ironing.












At least I had earlier finished the last of the Christmas Tree garlands.

No matter what the weather the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market will take place, so don't let a little rain, wind or lightning deter you.  This will be the most wonderful market this year.  Promise.

Does anyone have the Drought Whisperer's mobile number?

Four more Twilights

That's how many twilights are left before the Big T - the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market and I'm at the breathing into a paper bag stage.  So many things to do ... so little time.  However, some things have been accomplished, thanks to a very willing and hard-working husband.

The wreath is on the door

The tree is up and lit

 


The Christmas Tree Angel has adorned the top of our tree for the past 35 years - wish I could hold my age as well as she has!



 













The house is ready for the invasion of the Fudge grandchildren next weekend.  All that is needed now is to finish off the Christmas Tree Garlands for sale at my stall at the Twilight Market on Friday evening. 

Now where's that paper bag?

Fridays are the best

Why can't every day be Friday?  To be more specific, why can't every day be like yesterday?  The mid-winter weather took flight to be replaced by a day that could have been mistaken for mid summer.

We headed for the city in the afternoon to take in the Ron Mueck Exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), as it finishes on Sunday.  This London based Australian sculptor produces the most extraordinary work, and none if it life sized - it's either much larger than life or in miniature, as is the case with the gossiping women seen below.
  

The queues waiting to see the exhibition have been so long that they have meandered out of the Gallery and down towards the river.  Being clever folk (well, old age has to have some benefits) we left it until nearly four in the afternoon to make our presence felt - at the wrong gallery, the Queensland Art Gallery.  With fear in our eyes and with encouraging shouts behind us, we fled through the Art Gallery, across the concourse and into GoMA, just before the ticket booth closed.  How clever was that?  Visiting the exhibition with a small crowd AND heart-pumping exercise at the same time.

This new-born baby girl was huge, and the details were breath-taking.

On the other hand, the man in the boat was a small sculpture.

The Wild Man sat on a pedestal, towering over the viewers below.

Mask II had everyone intrigued ...

The detail was staggering ...

... and he was a bit of an air-head!

Coffee was calling, so we strolled across the new foot bridge to the city,

taking in the glorious warm late afternoon sun.

The coffee was good, as was the lemon tea cake.  Couldn't work out if the text in chocolate sauce was for my benefit or the waitress.  Either way, at least there was no mistaking what I had ordered.

As the sun set, it was time to head for the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Markets. 

People were leaving their offices, school students and families were there as well and before long it seemed that the whole of Brisbane was mingling, taking in the markets.

 

Note the classy sales assistant to the left at the Hungry Designs stall, decked out in her 'Forties gear!

Samantha of Jetta's Nest was kept busy all evening.

Melanie's Kimono Reincarnate was another very popular haunt.

These adorable elephants at Nan's Garden sold like hot cakes.

As darkness set in the band arrived to add to the atmosphere and it was time for us Fudges to head home.

Why can't every day be a Friday?

From the Heart

It was Grandparents' Day at our grandchildren's school this morning.  Mr Fudge and I scrubbed up pretty well and arrived in plenty of time for the children's Mass.  Our little Prep School redhead was all smiles when she saw that we were in attendance, along with her mother and two little sisters.  Her big brother was busy in Grade 1 and her daddy was busy teaching at another school.

Afterwards we were proudly shown her classroom - a childhood heaven filled with coloured pencils, art paper, books, artwork, and no sign of nasty textbooks.  Why can't every year be a Prep year?  Little Miss Fudgelette wasn't interested in any of the delicious goodies laid out to tempt us for morning tea, preferring instead to improve her colouring-in techniques. 

She then presented us with this heart, with accompanying hugs.  Gosh.

On the way back to our car, we spied our grandson busily working away with a glue stick in his classroom.  When he looked up and caught sight of us, his face broke into the most delightful and surprised smile which made my heart turn to jelly.

A few days back we received an important looking letter in the mail, all the way from Sydney.  We opened it to discover this:

We will be staying with the Sydney branch of the family for a few days shortly and Miss Emily (also in Prep) was so excited she took pencil to paper and worked slavishly on this masterpiece.  Obviously that's Mr Fudge on the left with the grey hair, me in the middle with my miraculously natural brown hair, and the artist herself to the right.  Don't ask me what the black stuff is extruding from our mouths ...  

We immediately sent emails to her expressing our joyful thanks, and her mother tells us that she was  "beaming and preening herself in delight at the reception her picture received".

 Our rogue's gallery is running out of wall space.   

We are so lucky.  There are seven little Australians who think the sun shines out of us, and we'll lap it up for all it's worth.

Speaking of sun, when it goes down on Friday it will be time to join in the fun at the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market.  It's mid-winter in Brisbane, but this will be the HOTtest spot in town - don't miss it!