Toowoomba in Bloom

I mentioned over on my personal blog, that last weekend I attended the wedding of a long-time friend in Toowoomba. Instead of a simple quick trip up for just the wedding, my parents and I decided to make the trip a little bit more. We travelled up on Friday afternoon after I got off work (The main reason being that I need to be at the bride’s house at 9am to do the makeup) and checked into our hotel: The Comfort Inn on Margaret Street. We found it listed on What If, the discount accommodation booking website, and chose it mainly because of its proximity to both the wedding and the reception venue, as well as the cost. We booked a room that gave us all a lot of space – a room for my parents and a separate one for me to hide in away from the snoring. It was rather nice and perfectly clean. I was happy that it came with free wifi in the room allowing me to keep up with my online presence over the weekend. And, they offer in-room service for breakfast, which we took up on Sunday morning before we headed back to Brissie.

Friday night, we decided to try the restaurant that is attached to the apartments. I was very impressed. Not only do you not have to worry about drinking and driving home after your meal, the food was fantastic. I would recommend just going there regardless of staying at the hotel. I dined on a very delicious grilled salmon with hollandaise and vegetables and topped it off with chocolate mousse for dessert. I felt like rolling back to the hotel room, I was so full.

Saturday, the day of the wedding, we were up and ready to go quite early. But first things first, breakfast. We stopped in at The Parkhouse Café on Margaret Street. The place was quite busy with a large crowd of cyclists (which generally denotes a good breakie spot), but we found a table to sit down at and put in our order. Before we knew it, our drinks had arrived and shortly after the food turned up. I have to give this place an A+ for efficiency. The wait staff certainly didn’t make you wait for your food. I chose a breakfast of Eggs Benedict with Salmon and a Gingerbread Hot Chocolate to go with. The eggs benedict was lovely, but they could certainly do with some sharper cutlery – mine didn’t want to go through the toast. The Hot Chocolate on the other hand was divine. As a non-coffee drink, I am a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to Hot Chocolates, my coffee shop beverage of choice. This one was not too sweet, nor too rich and had a lovely gingery sweetness through it.

We then tripped out to the house where the bridal party were preparing for the day at Glenvale. It’s not much of a drive, but if you are prone to travel sickness like me, make sure you sit in the front seat, or even better don’t be a passenger. The makeup went off without a hitch, as did the wedding and reception later in the day. I was very happy to be able to share Jessica’s special day. Being the party animal that I am *snorfle*, I was back at the hotel and in bed before midnight. I think the most pathetic part is that a group of us “young ones” left long before the older family members. I swear, I am a nanna at heart.

Sunday morning, we were up an about early, packing up what’s left of our belongings for checking out. We dined on breakfast in our room, which proved quite delicious, before heading out on our touristy morning in Toowoomba. If you have not heard it before, each year, Toowoomba hosts a carnival of flowers in September. However, for the first week in October, a good number of the flowers are still out in full bloom. Others unfortunately have been fried by the heat and sun that we have had in Queensland of late. At any rate, we decided to do a bit of a tour around a couple of gardens.

The first, Queen’s Botanic Gardens. We took the main entrance off Campbell Street into the gardens and were treated to a colourful display of nature. I have always adored snap dragon flowers, so was delirious to see so many in flower just begging to be snapped by my fingers. While my Dad enjoyed the Pansies and my Mum oohed over the Roses. It was also lovely to see such a large display of sweet peas – a flower that I used to get given every year for my Birthday. Now, they are much harder to come by. I will let the flowers speak for themselves though.

It’s a lovely display, and I can only imagine how colourful and busy it would be during the opening of the festival.

The next garden on our list was to see the Japanese Gardens at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba Campus. They have a great reputation for being one of the best in Australia, so we thought we would have a look-see. It’s a lovely garden to see, and quite a good representation of Japanese Gardens. I haven’t really seen many in Australia, but Toowoomba at least gets cold enough for the Sakura blossoms to flower. The lagoon area surrounds island mounds connected by Japanese style bridges. The area is scattered with lanterns a great selection of traditional plants. It would be wonderful to see Koi swimming in the lagoon, but they are considered a noxious fish in Queensland and there a quite high fines for having them.

Overall though, I got some lovely shots of the gardens, and enjoyed the opportunity to play with my camera and take some different photos of the Sakura than the ones I took in Japan.

That concluded our trip to Toowoomba, and we made the drive back home. All in all, if you get to see the Carnival of flowers, I think it’s wonderful. There are so many more gardens open for viewing in Toowoomba, but we were limited by time. And of course, it is the perfect backdrop for a wedding.

Back in Adelaide

Back from an exhausting weekend away in Adelaide. The purpose for my trip, the annual Australian Costumers Guild Ball. This year, was my fourth trip. In the past I have traveled down with a number of my fellow costumers, but this year, I was on my own. I left work early on Friday and jumped on an afternoon flight to make it into town by 6pm. The unfortunate side effect of seeing the PINK concert the night before had left me so tired that I don’t even remember the plane taking off – I had crashed. But, I did get a couple of shots on my camera as we approached. The sky was lovely and clear as the sun was setting over Adelaide.

I arrived in town and checked into my accommodation for the weekend at the Picadilly Apartments – 190 Gover Street, North Adelaide. The place is just a short walk to where the ball is held and the price is perfect. At just under $100 per night, it is affordable (especially with a group). In the past I have stayed in a room with a number of my fellow inter-state travellers, and while the accommodation is dated (1970s) it is functional. This year, I was put in a newly renovated room. Apparently the whole property is undergoing an update under their new ownership. It's just a matter of time before all the rooms are done over. I took a few photos of my room as it now is, and I have to say, it was lovely. Everything was very clean and had all new fit-out. I was incredibly impressed.

I spent Saturday, doing the fabric shopping thing. In Adelaide, there are a couple of really good fabric stores within the city space. The first that I went to was DK Fabrics at 105 Port Road, Hindmarsh. I considered taking a bus, but was looking at a 30 minute trip. Instead a taxi took about 7 minutes from where I was staying. The store opens at 9am, and I was there shortly after. The main different with DK Fabrics over other stores is that you don’t collect the fabric that you want and take it to the front counter, but instead it is cut on spot. If you are planning to shop for a lot of fabric, I suggest taking a pen and paper to jot down some notes on what you are after, so you know what you are going back to. I picked up a number of lovely pieces of fabric for future projects. As you can see from my photos, there is an amazing selection of fabrics available, and all at good prices.

I then made my way to Eastern Silk. A quick tram trip down the line (only two stops, and within the free travel zone) saw me arrive. The address, for those looking to travel to it is 7 James Congdon Drive, Mile End. I shop online at Eastern Silk quite a bit as they offer free standard postage within Australia. And while their fabrics are standard prices, the quality is much higher than the silk available at Spotlight or Lincraft, and they offer a wider range of colours. But shopping at Eastern Silk is another thing entirely. The shop is a converted old house that still manages to maintain its charm; and it encompasses not only the fabric side of the business but the home furnishings and accessories as well. This time, I didn’t actually buy any fabric for myself, but did grab a couple of beautiful scarves on sale.

I then made my way back to North Adelaide to pick up some food before heading off to rehearsal for the Ball. I had decided to enter into both the Parade and Workmanship competitions this year. For the Parade, I wore my Charlotte La Bouff costume and performed a simple display with lip synching to a 45 second snippet of sound taken from the film. In workmanship, I entered my I Dream of Jeannie costume. Workmanship, is where your seams and construction are examined and judged. Trust me, it is rather daunting. The second image is partway through De-princessing for the evening.

Later that night, came the ball itself. It was great to catch up with so many of my fellow costume friends from Adelaide. Most, it is the only time of year that I see them in person. I unfortunately didn’t get as many photos as I wold have liked, I was too busy having a good time, but they are up on my costuming blog. And while I didn't win in my category in the parade part of the competition, I did win a workmanship award for my I Dream of Jeannie costume. It's a huge compliment and it makes me feel justified in the amount of effort that I put into it. I think though, it's an inspiration and helps me stay motivated to do a good job on the next costume, both inside and outside. It's well worth the effort.

It wasn't until well after midnight that I shuffled the couple of minutes’ walk back to my room, where I proceeded to fall into bed. It had been a very long day and I was still running on Brisbane time (a half hour ahead).

I woke up Sunday morning, to pack my suitcase and check out of my hotel before meeting up with a couple of the ACG members for brunch. Unfortunately there were many who couldn’t make it (Father’s Day falling in the way). Afterwards, I spent the day catching up with a close friend of mine before heading to airport to make the trip home. I had a wonderful weekend, and am already trying to decide what I will wear next year. 'Cause if I can swing it, I will definitely travel for the ball again. And who knows maybe one year, I will spend some time actually seeing a bit more of Adelaide. Just driving around, it is a beautiful city with a lot of heritage. I am very envious of those that live in such lovely surrounds. I can imagine getting dolled up in historical a lot if I lived there.