I feel so sanctimonious - I am now into my SECOND month of blogging...
And just a quick thingie cos I dont want to go two days without an entry (after only two days of writing as it is, ha ha).

Friday night we went out to a wonderful dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Flinders Lane (right in the centre of Melbourne) with a million Gorgeous Young Things flocking around and lining up to go partying in Meat Markets (primarily Spice Market), and then climbed to the top of The Athaneum in Collins St to a Comedy Club show. Very very funny, very worth going to. Our friend Jaquie got super cheap tickets and we went with her bloke, and two previously Pommy friends of theirs (who just became naturalised on Australia Day). The compere took off all his clothes at one stage and flapped his floppy bits at us. After that he got dressed again and there was a sense of anticlimax about the place so I yelled out "Take your clothes off". My, how we laughed.
I thought it amazingly brave of him to take his clothes off. He had a Mummy Tummy and he hadn't even had a baby...

Then yesterday after faffing around dragging ourselves out of a lovely sleep-in I went off down to help Nada who owns the quilt shop in Sunbury. She has organised some quilt-ins to make quilts from donated orphan blocks, UFOs and even completed tops. Got given a pile of pretty blue cobblestones and I am making a little pile more and about 30 red cobblestones to go with them. Sewed for a few hours in a church hall with lovely generous women. There were four of us Scquilters there - Wendy, Louise, Nada and I and we had a couple of in-house discussions which amazed a few of the older (non-Scquilter) women there ("You mean you haven't ever met before????" and "You know each other from (shudder) The Internet????"!!!).

Today we were up at the very crack of dawn (or even before) and after a quick shower and HALF A CUPPA TEA we went off to Camberwell Market in The Little Red Car. There isnt very much room in The Little Red Car so we decided on the way that there was no point in even looking at chairs, or large paintings, hat stands etc.
Looked at lots of lovely vintage frocks and bought a pure silk skirt for me, and a gorgeous gorgeous ball gown for Moo to wear in a few years - all cream lace bodice all hand beaded and a full skirt of silk chiffon over satin with satin ribbon bands ($15). Needs a new zip, but I can do that. Easily.
Because it was a bit chilly and I hadn't brought a jacket I acquired a stunning raspberry Japanese coat (what are those short ones called?) - double breasted with buttons and a pocket hidden in the side(ish) seam but with kimono sleeves (another $15).
A great 6m length of shibori blue on white silk which I folded around my head to keep my hair in place (that was exxy at $45!).

Doesn't this look gorgeous with the red flowering thing on the left? The shibori is wrapped around my head a few times. The Sweetheart kept calling me "Queen Evangeline" cos I looked so regal (well I hope that was why). Evangeline was my paternal Grandmother's name (Evangeline Letitia - how is THAT for regal???)

The same stall holder had astounding Wedding Kimonos, silk embroidered and re-embroidered with great padded hems - the dearest ones were $700. Wish I had $700. He said they were $5,000 to $10,000 originally (but now they were 'used' so would rarely be used as wedding kimono again). Stunning.






This is one of the kimonos - with detail of the exquisite embroidery (right) - notice how they have joined the seam with the pattern exactly matched. Fabulous!




And a bundle of blue patchwork material to make some more cobblestones - about 2.5m for $5.

Towards the end we ran into my dear friend Campbell The Swaggie who performs at festivals all over the country, lives on his busking and also supports charities such as Fred Hollows Foundation, and Starlight Foundation, and sponsors a couple of kids through World Vision etc.
Bought him a cappuccino and a pie'n'sauce and listened to his wonderful oratory for a while - another customer came up and said "The last time I saw you was in Darwin, never expected to see you here!"! You should always expect to see Campbell!! And if you do meet him on the road give him a lift, and do give him a couple of bob if you hear him performing. He is on his way to Port Fairy Folk Festival via the Bush Fire fundraiser with Midnight Oil and Hunters and Collectors etc, having just come south from a festival at Cobargo. And then he will be at Canberra at the National over Easter (as I will be too, hooray!).




This couple was bringing home a coffee table on the back of their little scooter. I cheekily asked them where the chairs were and she said "We took them home already"!!!


I shall add some photos to this posting tomorrow, but now bed is calling me in a soft snorey sort of voice.
Goodnight - and thank you for listening (tomorrow I may also well learn how to write and add a clever signature...).
xxxx