birthday

It was my birthday on Sunday.

My family and friends celebrated early on the 25th, spoiling me with banana and chocolate cake, brownie, lemon syrup cake, fairy bread, lasagna, and ham sandwiches... Not to mention a mountain of wonderful and unique presents.
Among my beautiful gifts was a linogirl ceramic necklace, a Bengt & Lotta bird necklace, and a ring recycled and transformed from an old baby's spoon by Melbourne Jeweller Greg Mann at the Rose Street market. I was given a set of dry etchings of endangered fish in Australian waters by Clare Whitney, and a handmade doll found at Kallista market {who I named Poppy, as I was given her on ANZAC day}. Through the mail arrived a gorgeous handmade Oskari, by "Themla", and I was fortunate enough to be given a screen printed canvas bag, and an "electric firefly" light globe {which admittedly Chris and I struggled to put together - but who reads instructions, hey?}
Wow, what a list of gifts....I was incredibly lucky. I just love them all so much I had to share them with you.

Chris and I attended a friend's engagement party on Saturday night in Ballarat, so decided to utilise the experience to venture to regions that were until that point neglected by us. We drove along the highway listening to the unfamiliar voice of a satellite guide, but preferring the wails of PJ Harvey's "White Chalk", and rhythmic intonations of Camille's "Music Hole" until we reached Daylesford.
Here we sampled a very much anticipated coffee and warming porridge from the cluttered and cosy "Cliffy's emporium", before strolling up the tree-lined street, littered with leaves of red, orange, and the most vibrant of yellows, towards the Sunday market, where we found beautiful quinces, perfect for poaching. We discovered "A Day on Earth", quite an interesting home wares and furniture store with a definite otherworldly and industrial pull. Within pidgin holes was found beautiful ceramic works with painted bases by Australian artist David Bromley, and rusting old colanders. Amazing glass blown balls and Japanese fishing floats mingled with old prams and Scandinavian sideboards.
We continued to Castlemaine, where we lost ourselves in an enormous shop which had absolutely everything in it, from crockery, to carpenters planes, old tins, vintage toy cars, antique chocolate moulds, baths, bedheads, and cabinets. We then discovered a bookstore, in which I found myself a $2 vintage children's book, "The Triumph book for Girls". Maldon took us to heritage listed ruins and crisp 7 degrees Celsius temperatures, reminding us even more of the crazy misfortune of forgetting our coats and our cameras for the weekend!

It was a lovely birthday.
{Love}