Send Us Your Christmas Swap 2016

It's that time of the year again (for me that is zero space left in brain, stressed to the max and wanting the holidays to be here now!) - the


                                               Send us Your Christmas Swap


 The rules:

The items must be in a one litre container (eg., icecream/margarine/Sistema container).

They can be some of your favourite things and some of your partner's favourite things.

Something handmade (decoration/bag/dishcloth/zippered pouch etc), tea, stationery ,craft goodies, Christmas things, food items etc - the choices are endless.

Try and put at least 2 Christmas based items in the swap.

Include a Christmas recipe - maybe a family favourite and a decoration (one which is representative of your own country would be fab).

There is no limit to the number of items sent - it all just needs to fit inside a one litre container.

Sign up by commenting below - sign ups close November 13 and parcels must be sent off by December 5 at the latest.

This is open worldwide - if you only want to swap within your own country, please state where you live too and I will do my best.

I will list the partners a few days after on the blog - it is up to you to get in contact with your partner and switch details.

Any questions/comments, let me know. Have fun!

Brighton Beach Huts

This used to be one of my favourite places to visit when we lived in Melbourne. It was only about a 10 minute drive from our old house.

We had all of about 10 minutes to visit and try and remind a kid of what it looked like, before we had to return our rental car.

It is still a beautiful place with it being easy to take a billion photos.

It was a bitterly cold day (and the next day was 25 degrees - so typical of Melbourne!).

You can read a bit here about this fabulous place!

Woolly (yarny) goodness

Totally impulse buying - a week ago I bought a woolly (yarny) Opal sock Advent Calendar from The Wool Warehouse in England. It arrived at school today. It was a bit of a total splurge and I do think was a tad over-priced for what it really is. I did regret my impulse purchase, until it arrived at school today and I thought "yippee" - this will be exciting!
I think after finishing my last 2 essays this past Friday (12 written in 10 weeks!!) and an exam in 2.5 weeks, I'll need a bit of daily cheer come December 1. My life is going to be totally manic until the beginning of December - mainly due to study and work - we are doing a 50th jubilee, a gala and a book fair all in the same week at school and then - somehow, yes really - I'm supposed to be stocktaking 40,000 items, returning 4500 of them and then shelving all the returns.... to say I might go a bit mad is an understatement. The last 3 weeks of the school - all of this to do! It is totally crazy, but I'll never be bored and it will be fun at least! I really do like doing the stocktake.


I couldn't think of  better thing to have an advent calendar for either!

The State Library of Victoria

I just cannot believe that I have never ever stepped foot inside the State Library of Victoria before! When we lived in Melbourne, I guess it is something I just used to walk past and with little children, I probably had no reason to go in there! Oh to even discover Readings Bookshop in the building many years ago alone would have been a treasure.

The teenage boys were more than happy to puttle through here with me - they too were blown away by the grandeur.

The entire chess room. A room with only chess books and table after table of chess players. That was pretty cool.

The library itself was completed in 1856 under the direction of the library's founder , Sir Redmond Barry, who was also the judge who sentenced the notorious Ned Kelly to hang in the Old Melbourne Gaol.

Ned Kelly's original armour is kept at the library too, much to the boys' glee and delight at finding it (and not knowing it was here!)

The dome and the Reading Room were not finished until 1913.

Such an incredible place and so, so quiet too with many studiously studying/researching away.

A real delight of my trip to Melbourne this time!