the long weekend

today I (hopefully) did the final exam for my MBA. I am a little unsure how well I will have done, not much study has been done in the last few weeks, and although I had a long weekend starting Friday last week and including Monday this week to study, not a great deal got done during this time either. The final bit of effort I had planned with a long weekend eluded me.

Douglas & Hope

A few dramas this weekend so a post I prepared earlier......

Douglas & Hope

Probably my most favourite shop in Melbourne, Douglas & Hope now apparently have three stores but still no website. I have only managed to visit the brunswick st store and this one in The Block Arcade in Melbourne CBD. This one is handy to the hotel I stay in, being less than 5 minutes by foot up the road. It is also open to 6pm which means I am generally able to drop in at some stage whilst attending my workshop. I made a couple of small purdhases, all Mozi designs. A teatowel, a card with a bird ornament, and a ham bag (I liked the design and with Christmas coming up, I thought B might find this useful). One day I will treat myself to one of D & H's cushions, if not one of their quilts. But for now I will have to satisfy myself with photos of their work.

Douglas & Hope window closeup

Douglas & Hope bags on display

Douglas & Hope Owl Accessory

Riverfest

Riverfest

Glowing Balls
this time last week we were at Riverfest, in Parramatta. It was not such a great day for this event, being wet and kind of cold. B and I had dinner at Wagamama's although if we had gone for a walk around the festival first we might have had dinner at the noodle market.

Riverfest noodle market

Looking towards Lennox Bridge

CH2

CH2

CH2 again
I am home today, studying for (hopefully) my last exam. I quite enjoy the view from my study desk looking out of the tiny window in our attic. I look down on the goings on in our street, admire our garden, and on a clear day like today, can see Centrepoint Tower. At work, my team moved office space. I have a bigger desk and can see outside, I can see trees and have an indication of the weather. I am hoping that I will feel less tired, as the lack of sunlight was becoming quite depressing.

Last week, I had the pleasure of experiencing the new office space of Melbourne City Council, CH2. It was a pretty funky looking building, nearly all glass with timber louvres that move to provide shading.

The offices are open plan with even Managers inhabiting a workstation.

office space
The building is green star rated to six stars, and I can attest that with a rotten cold that was getting worse in the airconditioning at the hotel was improved with the fresh air of this building. You could really feel the difference.

I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the building with the workshop I was participating in. There was so much information about the features of the building. How is this for a roof garden space in the CBD though?

roof garden

This is a model of the old/original council building. It is a really beautiful building and this model made of wire is great, it got me thinking whether I could make something like this of our house?

model of the original council building

Fifteen Melbourne

Fifteen Melbourne

I love tuning in on a Thursday for the latest developments at the Fifteen Melbourne restaurant. This is as close as I got to eating there. I planned to have dinner there on my first night but at $90 a head and bookings being taken for March 2007 at this time there was no chance.

Gotta go, with Jamie's Kitchen Australia about to start, I will make do with a virtual experience.

visiting amitie

amitie window display

I was fortunate enough to have enough time on the Wednesday I arrived in Melbourne to catch the train to bentleigh for a visit to the fabric and quilting store 'amitie'. It was a fairly straightforward trip, about 30 minutes from Flinders St (where I was staying) and no changing of trains.

amitie window display in closeup
I had encountered the ladies of amitie at the Darling Harbour Quilt Show earlier this year and hoped then to get to their store on my next visit to Melbourne. I was pleased I managed it this time although I was not tempted to buy any of the fabrics. I am not very good at putting fabrics together and there wasn't much in the way of fabric packs already made up. I also didn't really have any projects in mind. Probably just as well, as I have about a dozen fabric packs from a previous trip to Melbourne and the Darling Harbour Craft Show a couple of years back, which I couldn't resist at the time but haven't got around to making up. I couldn't leave without a purchase though, so came away with a new pink rotary cutter (breast cancer fundraising edition), linen thread (it looked kind of vintage, I have no idea what I will use it for at this stage) and a bird door knocker, not what you expect to be purchasing from a quilt store but I couldn't resist. There was to be a real bird theme over the next couple of days. More on that in posts to follow.

And in reply to B's post, while I was supposed to be sleeping, I was actually running a fever, and spent hours trying to get to sleep, and waking at 3am achey, hot and with a sore throat, no fun in an airconditioned hotel room without even a panadol.

husband flashes virgin

plane. I had to laugh when I understood the reason B insisted I have a window seat on my recent trip to Melbourne, and that I look towards the flight tower as the plane took off. My husband is soooo cute, he had parked near the flight tower and waited till my plane was taking off, at which point he flashed the headlights on the car.

In the same way that he sent me off to Melbourne, he welcomed me back, although I am suprised he didn't attract the attention of the authorities, as he was unsure exactly which plane I was on and flashed more than one virgin.

view from my hotel window
The purpose for the flight to Melbourne last week was a work trip however, I did manage to get to a couple of my most favourite shops and also a new one. I will hopefully post some of the photos in the next few days, and if not then next week, as I will be on annual leave to study for my final exam.

Whilst you were sleeping...

Sound familiar?

Well 'L', whilst you were sleeping (lucky you), I am yet to get to sleep!
I have been unable to get off to sleep with L in Melb today until Fri. You see, I am off with my recurring bad back, and I am just not at all comfortable at the moment. And, this is compounded with no one to the right! Last night, we tried swapping sides of the bed, but somebody forgot to tell Jasmine the cat. At around 3.30am, she jumped up onto the bed (expecting to see L I think and was suitable horrified when it was me. After the licking (and why is it cats have rough tounge?) and then a bite or two, I gave her the heave hoe and off the bed you go.
So, since Sunday night, I think I have had the grand total of around 10 hours sleep!!
Best be off to (try) sleeping now...

change the world ~ no 26

for a while now I have been after this book. It used to be sold by the people who sell The Big Issue, but as I don't work in Sydney CBD I was not able to purchase it when it was first launched. I had actually given up on ever seeing it however, a trip to Borders last Tuesday, I came across it on display and naturally secured a copy.

It is a great little book, I read it from cover to cover before bed and was truly inspired, so much so that I had to have an (over the counter) sleeping tablet to switch my mind off. This was not such a great idea as I felt terrible the next day and when I finally got to work fate had provided me with the opportunity to get started on saving the world in action 26 'Give Blood'.

As a socially responsible corporate, my workplace organises a regular bus trip to the blood bank. I have not participated in the past, but there were a few unfilled seats and apparently Sydney was down to half a days supply, also I had committed to saving the world the night before, and fate had provided me this opportunity so how could I refuse. A few mental calculations, I had eaten breakfast, and could squeeze in a couple of glasses of water before 12.30 no problem.

In addition, No 26 stated

"The medical side-effects of giving blood.

1. Slight Euphoria
2. Puffed up chest
3. Broad smile

One in three Australians will need blood in their lifetime, yet only one in thirty currently donates.

Who would have thought that something so easy to do could have such profound effects? Your one donation could help to save up to three people's lives.

Bloody fantastic."

Well a week later I can confirm that it is a very worthwhile experience, although for other first timers, I advise to prepare yourself properly, don't go on a whim and if you do, drink, eat and drink some more. Don't have an over the counter sleeping tablet the night before, and if you feel in any way strange let the staff know. Otherwise you will faint, be at the blood bank for 2 1/2 hours and even then you may not be able to leave (unless you have a friend to accompany you, thank you C), and feel a bit deflated about saving the world.

Getting back on track, and with other avenues to save the world, I have formally signed up to do more, and will even give blood donoring another go.

new layout

I know it has been a while since I last made a post....
But, do you like our new layout?
Tell us what you think, ok!!