Under colder skies

We’re in Melbourne. And it’s bloody freezing!

We arrived late-ish last night, slightly delayed, after a long day spent either on planes or at airports. It was good to finally bend my back in a different direction and relax in the company of much-missed friends.

We have eaten delicious curry, slept in comfortable beds, shown our handwork to each other, and caught up on reminiscences and gossip. It was wonderful.

And today we made a trip down to Torquay, on Victoria’s Surf Coast. It’s a two hour drive, but pleasant.

The purpose was to have a delightful rootle on the shelves of Amitié Textiles, which had relocated there. Oh, and have lunch.

And rootle we did, after a brief unscheduled stop for a really excellent farmers’ market, where the party purchased locally distilled gin stuffed with Australian botanicals, a very authentic boerewors sausage, a bag of locally grown apples and some extremely luxurious baked cheesecake.

My friend Chippy and I both came away with fabric loot which I’m sure will be featuring on our blogs in the not too distant future. And then there was lunch, which was epic and awesome and warming and filling, and eaten overlooking a dark and blustery Bass Strait. But later, while we were checking out the surf at Bell’s Beach, there was a rainbow, so that was alright.

And then we came home and ate more curry. And tomorrow, there’s going to be a bigger gathering: friends, and family, and a lovely brunch at the Terrace Café at Melbourne Botanic Gardens.

So more on that later.