Happy Days, Blackberry Picking

When I was young my neighbour had a chicken farm. Around the huge sheds that housed the chickens most of the land was overgrown with blackberry thickets. Every year when the time came I would ride my horse to the very back of our property, over the creek, and tie him up. Empty ice cream containers and plastic bags under arm I would roll under the fence and stockpile them with fresh blackberries to take home. I came out of the bushes with scratches all over me (and scars to prove it) but the blackberries: they were worth it. I would eat my weight in them and then I'd stand on the side of the road with a sign waving down cars and selling them for $2 a cup. Mum baked them into muffins and freezing them meant we could have them year round.

Knowing now the price of a tiny punnet of blackberries, I could have made my fortune back then. 

Blackberry thickets border The Great Ocean Road for kilometers and kilometers. On Saturday after leaving Lorne it didn't take us long to pull the car off the road and with two kids asleep in the back (and the handbreak on verrrry securely) we went to work. 

We even managed to keep some for pancakes when we got home. I only wish I'd picked more!

Lorne

We didn't arrive in Lorne until sunset on Friday night, so grabbed the crowd pleasing paper wrapped box of fish and chips and walked down to the water to eat in the dark. 

You can tell how fast Hugo is sneaking up on these ducks by the motion blur:

The next morning our early rising bambini had us up and out of the house to check out the beach at sunrise. Hello ocean:

Hugo made a friend:

The clouds didn't look very friendly but kept moving without so much as a drop leaving the sky. We stayed in Lorne for breakfast before packing up and hitting the road again. More on that later, alligator.

The Great Ocean Road. And Chanel.

I've been away all weekend. We drove down The Great Ocean Road and stayed in Lorne. BB had the bright idea and within 25 minutes we were on our way. We are really getting the hang of pseudo retirement aren't we?

Lady Bear The Blog is turning into a history lesson because I am full of useful information at the moment. Did you know that The Great Ocean Road was built by 3000 returned servicemen after World War I, to give them a job and to honour the memory of those that died? It's an incredible road. I imagine a lot of dynamite was used in its creation. Very dangerous and deadly to some, there were no unions and site inspectors around back then. Where was Mick Gatto when they needed him?

I have a funny story too: during the construction a ship carrying a whole lot of grog crashed nearby and the workers grabbed the goods and went on a two week bender. Times they have not-a-changed, isn't this pretty much what the boys out in the mines do? Ha ha: I have my sources. 

I will put some photos up tomorrow or the next day, I need my beauty sleep. In the meantime look at what Anika has been learning to write:



Yep, that says Chanel. 

Pretty Melbourne

It's coming up to 4 years since I moved to Melbourne and I've been thinking a lot about why I love it here so much. Until recently I still felt so new and... a bit out of place. 

But now Anika has gone off to school and I'm meeting other mums and I'm bumping into people I know when I'm shopping or getting a coffee or playing at the park and finally, finally, it feels like home. 

One of the things I love most here are the beautiful streets. Melbourne is so pretty. I can't imagine leaving now.

(A Mr French Mastiff checking out my Miss French Mastiff)

Easy Style with EziBuy

Sponsored post

If you have a mum (or in my case, a Grandma) who loves to shop, you may be familiar with EziBuy catalogues. Over 35 years since they began there are still 40 catalogues going out each year, and a huge online store with low shipping and 30 day returns to boot.

The website is filled with all kinds of style advice beginning with how to dress according to your body shape. Read the full article here.

I've picked out some of my favourite dresses of more than 900 available (including the raved about UK label, Next):

1. Capture Ponti Shift Dress in Charcoal $59.99
2. Next Black And White Dress $63
3. Next Blue Print Dress $75

1. Emerge Sheer Top Lace Fit And Flare Dress in Ivory $39 (on sale)

2. Emerge Summer Dress with Sleeves in Coral $29 (on sale)

3. Next Sequin Dress $53.50 (on sale)

www.ezibuy.com.au

Lygon Street

Yesterday we were north-side of the city so stopped for lunch at Il Gusto on Lygon Street. Thank goodness I went by the smiling faces of the couple sharing a table out front rather than the reviews on Urbanspoon. It was lovely!

Hugo was entertained by the infamous Fernando while we indulged ourselves with spaghetti, wine and tiramisu. All in a days work, people.

We even received Hugo's spaghetti and a plate of olives gratis (so fluent in Italian right now), and my marinara had plenty of seafood so no complaints about value over here. 

The last time we were on Lygon Street for food was almost 4 years ago. Anika was Hugo's age, look how cute she was:

But that face is not the face you want your kid to pull in a restaurant...

My Sister's Wedding

My little sister's wedding was last night. She and my now brother in law (!) were married under a big weeping willow at the edge of a lake at Woodmans Estate in Moorooduc, just down the road from our childhood home. It was a very beautiful wedding and she looked perfect. 

Here we are with my Grandma and Mum:

And here I am in the bathroom mirror:

I was wearing a dress from Kookai. One day I might think about shopping somewhere else.