Heading down south with my brother and folks. First stop, Fleurtys Cafe, set in the beautiful rolling south hills at Birchs Bay.
Great food, reasonably priced food, great place for lunch.
Bracken. Wikipedia says "Evolutionarily, bracken may be considered to be one of the most successful ferns. It is also one of the oldest, with fossil records of over 55 million years old having been found. As ferns, brackens do not have seeds or fruits, but the immature fronds, known as fiddleheads, are edible. The word bracken is of Old Norse origin, related to the Swedish word bräken, meaning fern."
Madam Zoe love the drive down there.
on the way back we stopped off at Peppermint Bay restaurant for drink and for baby Zoe to have a cooling swim. Lovely setting.
Driving back home, about to go into Kingston, Mount Wellington in the distance.
Happy Australia Day! And what better post than this - a beautiful book I came across when home: Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things. A celebration of Australian illustrated children's books by Juliet O'Conor. I was so happy to find this book. It's just beautiful. Featuring, among others... 
Louisa Anne Meredith, Loved and Lost! The True Story of a Short Life; Told in Gossip Verse, p 69. Londom, Day & Son, 1860.
From The Young Australian's Alphabet. Melbourne, William Calvert, 1871.
Louise Anne Meredith, Tasmanian Friends and Foes, feathered, Furred and Finned: A Family Chornicle of Country Life, Natural History and Vertiable Adventure, plate II. London, Marcus Ward & Co., 1880.
Detail from Dot and the Kangaroo. Ethel Pedley, illustrated by Frank P Mahony, p 32. London, Thomas Burleigh, 1900.
The Australian ABC, Melbourne, Valentine & Sons, c. 1915.
May Gibbs, Gumnut Babies, detail. Sydney, Angus & Roberston, 1916.
Hough McCrae, illustrated by Norman Carter, The Australian Alphabet. Front cover by Melbourne, Angus & Robertson, c. 1920.
Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding: Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum, and His Friends Bill Barncle and Sam Sawnoff, front cover, Angus & Robertson, 1936.
Hal Missingham, Australian Alphabet. Front cover by Sydney, Consolidated Press, 1942.
The Vain Red Fox, front cover above and detail below. Franklin Moss, illustrated by Elaine Haxton. Sydney, John Sands, 1947.
Dick Roughsey (Goobalathaldin) The Rainbow Serpent. Sydney, Collins, 1975.
Possum Magic, Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas. Adelaide, Omnibus, 1983.
Graeme Base, Animalia. Melbourne, Viking Kestrel, 1986. 
Jeannie Baker, Where the Forest Meets the Sea. Sydney, Julia MacRae Books, 1987.
Shaun Tan, The Arrival, front cover. South Melbourne, Lothian, 2006.
I really don't know where to begin with this post. I was aware of the Hermitage opening in Amsterdam, but for some reason never ventured over to it. My Lord, I'm cursing myself for not going earlier. I've missed one exhibition, but luckily just caught the current one: At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century, by the skin of my teeth. It's incredible. Really. If you like fashion especially, you'll think you've died and gone to heaven there. I did.
The photos above is of one of the main halls with about 25 clothing exhibits, but there were side halls which had even more. From ceremonial, to ball, to fancy dress, military uniforms, children's attire, it's all incredible.
I can't begin to describe the decadence of the dresses and uniforms on display in particular. Gold metal-coated thread, lace, pearl beading, the embroidery, the designs, all just exquisite.
Aside form the excellent almost perfectly preserved clothing were wonderful oil paintings, with really interesting perspectives and lighting.... 
Watercolours that appear to emit light...
Beautiful portraits of the Tsars and Tsarinas, the royal family, and military heads.
A wonderful room of games.
And some stunning jewels.
Salamanca market happens every Saturday at Sullivans Cove. All sorts of treasure to be found here.
Like awesome tea towels.
The best fruit and veggies.
Pies.
Heading down Sandy Bay road, heading home.
Kingston beach. And chips from the corner store.
View from my bedroom window. NICE.
One of my favourite houses growing up on Churchill Ave. I give you 'the telephone house'. Don't ask me why...
But it is a gorgeous 50's style house. I would love to have a house like this.
Cat and Fiddle arcade. Every house on the hour the song play and then you see a cow jump over the moon, and the dish run away with a spoon. Totally rad. I love it. I'm glad it's still there.
My bird - Floyd.
