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!

sock

All I'm doing now is exam study. The weather is incredible too - bah hum bug!
And along with that study is a lot of sock knitting - I'm now making pairs for people at school.
This one was going to be for someone, but I rather like how the Bendigo Woollen Mills sock wool is knitting up. I've had this ball sitting around for a few year...

I have finished a yellow/brown/green/blue pair, which is going to someone at school - not keen on how this Bendigo wool knitted up. I think I might use some of it for the next pair and make different colour ankles/heels/toes with this plain blue.


Study, study, knit, knit :)

They want it moved...

My lounge floor at the moment.... Just as well my family barely watch tv or even really use the room!
Essay readings. - the easiest ways for me to find a particular reading!! A few more days and I will have submitted my final essay for the semester.
Three weeks to go and my exam will be over too.
Yippee. (this really is about as exciting my life has been and this essay has driven me insane!!!).

Best City in the World

We are all just back from a total impulse trip to the best city in the world - Melbourne, Australia.

Every time I go I wonder why on earth we moved back to New Zealand 12 years ago...

I still totally adore the place. We ran around for 4 days, with the youngest two gobsmacked at the busyness and all the food vendors, the history, the volume of shops (ha!) etc etc.

Lots more pics to come.

I've two essays to finish from draft copies and exam study to get stuck into.

It has been the best hols and Melbourne was just what I needed.