geelong - the sequel

My friends have described Geelong as Hamilton by the sea. I understand the comparison as Hamilton is smaller and slower paced than Auckland and Geelong is smaller and slower paced than Melbourne. The similarities end there! It is still reasonably large. It is the hub of some huge Australian-based brands, such as Cotton On, Emu and Ford. It has so many great places to shop and eat. There are a myriad of antique and vintage markets. It is full of the cutest little villas and gardens, historical buildings and architecture. It's interesting and lively without the pressure of fast city living. It's a great place to live!

Check out the vintage shopping. Oh my goodness! So many treasures! So much I wanted to buy if I lived there.

I loved walking around the streets - taking in all of the gorgeous old houses, gardens and historical buildings. It really is lovely.

Such a nice place to live. Don't you agree?

geelong - part one

I recently spent a week in Geelong with my very dear friends - Damon, Tamsin, Josiah and Sophia. Geelong is one hour's drive out of Melbourne and is situated by the sea. It has a lovely relaxed seaside kind of feeling but it is still fairly upmarket with the shops, cafes, galleries and facilities that it has on offer.

Tam and Damo have discovered this amazing cafe/bar/restaurant called Mr Hyde. It is gorgeous. Situated in an old bank, it has a stately feel with beautiful fittings and decor. Everyone there greets us like old friends. I feel welcomed into the Mr Hyde family fold with open arms. The coffee there is delicious and meets Damon's exacting high standards of what constitutes a good coffee. We went there for brunch and endless coffees whenever possible.

Phia's first bubbacino. Fingers in first....

 .....then in the mouth. Mmmmm!

 Breakfast with Dad - Damo & Jojo

Gorgeous ladies - Tam & Phia

Phia is very happy to gather as may accessories as she can!

After brunch we meandered down to the waterfront. Tam and Damo often bike down to the waterfront with the kids strapped on the back of their bikes. They love it!

 Checking out the slide

 This is how you do it

 Yep! I can do it. Here I come!

The waterfront has a peaceful serenity. The harbour views are lovely and there is a lot of art and sculpture for the public to peruse and enjoy.

These painted bollard sculptures are carved from actual wharf bollards. They represent the people, history and aspects of life related to the wharf round Geelong. They do add life to the waterfront.

After some light refreshments we took a ride on the Thomas train that drives along the waterfront.

 Jojo took this photo...

 ....and this one. Did I mention that he is nearly three.... genius!!

 Put your hands up if you're the most awesome boy in the world. Yup!

 Cutest boy in the Geelong

Cutest family in the Geelong

Cutest couple in the Geelong! 

As you can see Tam and Damo are pretty relaxed here and enjoying life! I had so many fun times in Geelong. I'll follow up with some more posts looking at different aspects of Geelong and my holiday, including the houses, historic buildings and vintage shopping!! So much vintage shopping!!

andy & em's wedding

Recently I attended the wedding of my friends - Andy and Emile. They are both extremely talented and gifted in the areas of art, design and music. Their wedding was an inspiring, feast of creativity from start to finish. They hand crafted the smallest details that made their wedding intimate and special. From the paper pompoms and fabric hearts hanging in the trees to the music and the food, their wedding said LOVE. We love each other but we love you too and we want you to celebrate with us and share in all the love!!

Here are some snapshots of the day.... mainly of the little creative details and styling that capture the essence of the couple......

 The beautiful venue - the Brick Bay Vineyard

Mingling after the ceremony (photo by Hadleigh Reid)

Yummy "thank you for sharing our day" lollies

Goodbye. Thanks for the lovely evening!

Words to describe the day - delightful, heartwarming, moving, beautiful.... 

Andy and Em, thanks so much for inviting me to be a part of it!
Love you guys x

And the next day.... the view and breakfast at my B&B....

Sigh! Such a gorgeous weekend.

Merle Mavis McIvor

Today we said goodbye to Merle - John's beautiful Mum, Beth and Holly's precious Nana and my very special mother in law. She died on Friday, at the age of 81, after living a very full life. She was an amazing woman, who took all the joys and sorrows that life handed her in her stride. It was a beautiful day and she would have loved the send off. Her favourite thing was when all the family was together!

It was with much joy that we celebrated her 80th birthday in 2009.

Beth, Holly and I put together what we love about Nana and Merle (with a little bit from Mikey).....

Beth:

Nana was generous and kind….  gentle and positive…..  supportive and encouraging.

She was humble, modest, understatedly talented and clever. She was so creative with her flower arranging, dried flowers, pot pourri and painting.

She inspired me to garden.

I have lots of wonderful, happy memories of the farm and the Mount and the cousins. Nana and Grandad gave us a really special insight into what a big, warm, loving, embracing family is like.

Holly:

When I think of Nana, I think of her laugh. I loved her chuckle.

I love how much she cared about her hair. She was very particular about it and she would get it specially done for all of our significant events.

I loved eating meals at the farm and her house. She prepared dishes that I didn't eat anywhere else but they were special with Nana - like corned beef, boiled cabbage and porridge.

I really admired Nana - she was a strong, confident and independent woman.

Mikey:

I love it how Merle welcomed me into the family and was always so happy to see me.

Stacy:

I also love it how Merle welcomed me into the family with open arms. She was always so hospitable. She made the most amazing, delicious, melt in your mouth, light, fluffy sponge cakes. They were her specialty. They were legendary!

I love it that Merle had a special way of talking to babies and children and they loved it.  John also used that same voice when he talked to babies and small children. They loved it when he did it too! We called it his “Merle” voice!

In the last few months of his life, John drew great strength from his Mum. Her outlook on life and sense of celebration of all that is good, encouraged him and helped him through the dark times.

Family meant everything to Merle. She found great joy in hearing what you were doing and what was happening in your world. She took so much pride in her children and grandchildren.

Whenever I think of Merle, I can see her smiling. I loved the way she scrunched up her shoulders when something delighted her…. and that her laugh was a cross between a chuckle and a giggle. She loved life and had a great sense of fun and adventure.

She gave us the gift of love, life and laughter. We will so miss our delightful, bubbly, extremely lovable Nana and Merle but we’ll always hold her close in our hearts.