Around here lately....

Hello! How have you been? I thought I would round up a few photos and share what has been happening around here lately. It's nothing overly exciting just the usual busy week. There is always something to be done and my "to do" list is endless! Simon was away in Bali surfing last week so I was even busier as I juggled everything myself.  Here are some photos from the past week or so.....

The weather has been lovely and you can feel it starting to warm up. Spring is just around the corner!

We have had lots of sickness in the house this winter with colds and tonsillitis, more than any other year, so hopefully this warmer weather will put an end to it.

We waved Simon off on a week's surfing trip in Bali. They were some of the best waves he's ever had so he was stoked. I feel so tired this week though as I never sleep well when he's away!

Noah's room got a little tidy and freshen up. 

I like to move the bed around every few months just to mix things up a bit ;)

I love this view when I walk in the front door. I'm usually the only one that uses this sitting area so it always stays nice and tidy. Bliss!

We had Book Week this week. We took the easy option with Jasper's costume this year! ;)

He really loves The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Pink tulips are brightening up the dining table this week.

The slowest ever bathroom refresh continues on.....

 Apart from the tiling which was done perfectly by Simon's uncle, everything else has had a delay. There was a crack in the vanity when they put it on the truck so we had to wait another week or so for it to be replaced. The bath facade measurements were wrong and when they went to install it the piece wouldn't fit! Another week went by while we waited for another piece to be remade. We then had the glass for the shower screen measured and when they came the measurements were wrong too! 3 different tradie errors! So frustrating, what is that saying....measure twice, cut once? Anyhoo the bathroom is usable so it hasn't inconvenienced us too much but it will be nice when it's finished.

Hopefully by next week!

I'm looking forward to pushing that champagne button at the end of the week! ;)

How has your week been? What have you been up to lately?

Finn turns 15 - Stills

I can't believe our eldest is 15! 

We celebrated by an afternoon at the footy, then cake and afternoon tea with the family.

On his actual birthday we went to The Grounds for lunch.

A weekend in Melbourne

I'm just back from a weekend in Melbourne with my friend Cill. It was only a quick trip but we managed to pack a lot in! I received some great suggestions on where to go, eat and shop from everyone on Instagram before I went so I thought I would share them all on a post here in case you were interested....

We caught an early morning flight from Sydney on Saturday morning and landed in a windy Melbourne. That plane landing is one I will remember, it felt like a rollercoaster and was a bit scary!

Everyone warned us to dress warmly and we were glad we had our coats on as it was pretty chilly.

We hit the ground running! After catching the Skybus from the airport to Southern Cross Station we had a quick browse around the outlet shops located above the station then caught a tram to our hotel on Flinders St. We stayed at the Double Tree Hilton which was in a great central location.

We walked along the Yarra and had lunch and then jumped on a tram and got lost as we headed out of the city. Those trams are tricky to work out! We found our way back to the CBD and Bourke St where we wandered the shops, checked out the graffiti laneways and marvelled at all of the cute little coffee shops and boutiques in other laneways.

Our hotel lobby - (photo by @cillandruby)

After our early start we were feeling a little bit weary from all of our walking and decided to head back to the hotel for a rest before changing and heading out to dinner.  We found a lovely restaurant on the water "Waterfront" and enjoyed a cocktail and dinner. I can recommend the Lycheetini!

The Melbourne lights were sparkling and the city was looking very pretty :)

The next morning we had a sleep in due to the room's black out curtains and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Check out was 12pm so it was great to be able to have a leisurely start to the morning. We left our bags at the hotel and caught a tram out to St Kilda for a look around. We finally worked the trams out and it was so much easier than the day before! ;)

We browsed the markets, walked along the water and wandered down Acland Street. There were so many amazing cake shops all in a row making it a perfect spot to stop for morning or afternoon tea.

We then caught a tram back into the city and headed for the outlet stores at South Wharf. Lot of bargains to be had there. I stocked up for a teens birthday next week at the Calvin Klein store.

We had a quick bite to eat then it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags and catch the bus to the airport.

(photo by @cillandruby)

It was a whirlwind trip and we didn't get around to doing all that we wanted but I know I'll be back in the future to use some of the wonderful suggestions below....

Restaurants/Cafes

Kettle Black - breakfast

Grain Store

Lucy Liu - modern Asian/great cocktails

Ginger Boy - dinner

Union Electric Bar- drinks

Supernormal - dinner - CBD

Cumulus Inc- brunch or dinner

Chin Chin - lunch or dinner ( go early as it gets super busy)

Hardware Société

Donut and coffee shop - Fitzroy Street

Tonka - CBD

Brunswick Mess Hall

Ichy Ni - Brunswick St

Mr Miyagi - Chapel St

Hawker Hall - Chapel St

Gazi - Greek food

Naked for Satan - drinks - rooftop view + cocktails

Longrain

Cicciolinas- pasta - Acland St

Movida

Magic Mountain

Brunettis - coffee and sweet treats

Humble Rays - Carlton

Higher Ground

Tinker - Northcote- breakfast/lunch

Lygon St - Carlton - pizza, Italian food

Crown Casino

Gradi- pizza

Stokehouse - St Kilda

Mr Wolf -pizza- St Kilda

Top Paddock - Richmond - breakfast

Arbory

Hardware Lane

Beatrix - morning tea

Shops

Emporium - CBD

Chadstone

Chapel St

Gertrude St - Fitzroy

How was your weekend? What's your favourite thing to do / place in Melbourne?