Sunday, April 1, 2012

Melbourne Townhouse Luxe and Girls Doing What Girls Love


Well greetings from Marvellous Melbourne.  I have  been very very spoilt this weekend.  As you know, I attended the Digital Parents Blogging conference on Friday and I decided to make a weekend of it.  It was lovely to meet new friends, but it was even lovelier to catch up with old ones.  This weekend was about leaving my kids for more than one night.  It was about reconnecting with the adult world of work and it was about being Carolyn.  Not someone's mother or someone's wife.  It was about being that fabulous, confident 'can do corporation' of a girl I used to be, before babydom and all the stuff that goes with that set in.


And my wonderful partner in crime was the gorgeous Marie.  We used to be swinging singles in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney.  Funny that we both left that life in the same month, of the same year, to live with our future husbands.  I moved to the Northern Beaches and although I miss her, as luck would have it for me this weekend, she to Melbourne.


Marie is about the sweetest, most generous and kind person on the planet.  She told me she wanted to spoil me this weekend  and she sure did that.  She whisked me away from the airport and raced me across town, back to her gorgeous Melbourne city town house.


And this is what greeted me on arrival.  A stunning home, beautifully decorated by Marie.


She had baked.  Yum!!!!!!


She brewed coffee



And then we cracked open the bubbles.  At this point feeling I had truly arrived, we sat and talked about the stuff girls talk about.


We watched the sun set over Melbourne.


It was relaxing and so totally enjoyable.  I forgot I had kids, a husband and a conference to attend the next day.  It was just me, talking to a great friend, about girly stuff.  No kiddo interruptions, no pressure to be any one or anything other than myself and it felt soooooo good!!!!


So with a some bubbles under my belt, I swanned around shooting Marie and Michaels' lovely home.  


Marie has got such style and elegance.  She has some lovely vignettes throughout the home, that are so interesting.  I loved just snuggling back onto the lounge and taking in her style.


 So take a look around and I'll meet you at the bottom, to fill you in on what happened next.











After a wonderful afternoon of over indulgence and many 'diet starts Monday' kind of moments, I retired to the guest room to change.  We walked across the park to drinks in a quirky Melbourne bar and dinner in a fabulous restaurant.  I am going to do a series on places you wont find as a tourist in Melbourne, so you'll have to come back to see that one.


This is one of the views from the terrace bar we went for an aperitif.  Marie took me here, because it looked  like Paris... So sweet and it made me feel great, cause it really felt like I was there.


And after a fabulous night and a walk home along the Yarra river past all the football fans walking home from the 'G',  a beautiful slumber in stunning white cotton sheets, to awake to this.



Marie spoilt me beyond belief and I am so grateful to her and Michael for allowing me to share with them for the weekend.  It was truly fantastic and I think I've found my new spiritual home in Melbourne.  Thanks so much guys.  It's great to meet new friends, but as I've said on this blog before, there's no friend like an old friend.  And as Mr Darcy said of Mr Wickham, loosely translated.  Making them is one thing, keeping them, is quite another thing altogether.  Well Marie, you're a keeper.


Post Script.  There is more disscussion about the actual conference in the comments if you care to see how I felt about that.


Today I am Partying here

27 comments :

  1. Oh wow!!!! What an amazing house...I love it!!!! I saw the fans from my apartment in Flinders lane...how many were there!???! 3 million!!! Yay Melbourne, thank you for the sunshine too, it was awesome. I just emailed you and saw this blog, so I guess you had a good time....how could you have not. You see why I go away every 6 mths. It is soooo refreshing!

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  2. It was soooooo much fun. Thought about you too. How good was the weather. Hope you had fun with your little community.

    It was ab fab to see you in Sydney last month. The UK sounded great. I was following on Fake Book.

    Hope you get back to Sydney soon Nic as you too are a keeper.

    Best Caz

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  3. What a beautiful home, it looks like you had such a wonderful weekend with the best kind of company, an old friend :) I'm lapping up all this Aussie stuff in case I end up over there soon, Melbourne is another place I really want to visit! xo K

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  4. Wow, Carolyn - your friend has a stunning home. Can I ask where she lives (I see the sun setting on the Melbourne skyline, so am curious). When I lived in Melbourne (many years ago), there was very little city living - there were the fancy condo buildings on St. Kilda Road, but nothing in the CBD; now, I see that a building I used to work in has been changed into residential units, and I imagine that the same is true of a lot of commercial property downtown.

    I know what you mean about old friends being the best friends. :) - it sounds like you had a lovely winner - would love to hear more about the conference itself. From what I was reading on twitter feeds, it sounded like a lot of it was for "mummy bloggers" - do you consider yourself a "mummy blogger"? Just curious, because I always think of mummy bloggers as those people who talk incessantly about their children - I don't have a problem with children or reading about children in blogs, but I don't know of many people who are enamored of someone else's kids as they are of their own, you know what I mean?

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    Replies
    1. Susan you nailed it. I was very much intereted it the business is side of thingsand meeting companies that are interested in partnering with me. It was great to network and meet some lovely people, but you are so right about other people's children. I adore my own of course, but it was great to hand them over for a few days and be me again. Loved that bit soooooooo much. And I certainly didn't really talk about them whilst in Melbourne. I do that enough here. So yes listening to other peoples stories regarding their children was not really why I was there. And the conference was top heavy eith that. I don't regard myself a mummy blogger but I do write about them so perhaps I am. I would rather keep it light hearted and laugh at all the carry on that is motherhood.I guess you have to get your material from somewhere.But I am also into pretty home stuff. One well meant critique, was that there were too many photos on my blog. BUt that's the bit I love so wont be changing that.

      There was a fabulous session on SEOs and how to use long key words to get your posts higher up the page in google searches. I wanted to learn skills. I am a dunce when it comes to social media so something on that would have been great...... but I must say, lots of people there knew how to rock the technology, so they taught me something just by chatting to them.

      All in all it was a good conference.But for me Melbourne and catching up with friends was the highlight.

      Hope this helps
      Carolyn

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    2. Hi, Carolyn:

      Yes, it definitely helps - I appreciate such a detailed response. You mentioned a critique - I like the idea of having my blog critiqued; I'm like you, though - I like looking at pictures on blogs! Okay, some blogs go overboard (do I really need to see 20 pictures showing me how to fry an egg, for example? LOL)

      I've been blogging for close to 8 years, but it's always been for my own enjoyment, and to show off my cross-stitching (my passion!); it's only in the past 2 years that I've been interested in diversifying, and branching out. I've never done advertising, or made any income from it (I don't have enough readers for that!), but it would be something that I would consider in the future. But, I also have a full-time (demanding!) job which definitely pays the bills, so I can't focus on blogging full-time.

      One day, I would like to get together and chat through e-mail with you about your blogging journey if you have the time.

      Appreciate it!
      Susan

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  5. Wow, her townhouse is stunning!! I was going to ask the same question as Susan about the conference being more for 'mummy blogger'. It's good to hear you still got so much out of it. The conference is on my wishlist for next year!

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  6. it looks like you lived it up in melbourne! glad you enjoyed your weekend away. your friends house is very luxurious, a good holiday for you.
    x

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  7. Glad you made it home OK


    It was great to have you here in Melbourne.

    You are always welcome....I know it would have been hard to leave the kids

    and Mr Beach House behind...so we appreciate the effort you made to get here.



    We will always be the best of friends, I knew that the day I met you. ;-)

    It's easy to pick up, no matter how long between drinks.


    Marie

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  8. Marie's comment above brought tears to my eyes. I adore my friends, especially the ones that I have known forever or flatted with! So glad to hear you had such a fantastic break and I take it the kids survived without you? xx

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  9. What a gorgeous home Marienhas and what a beautiful friendship the two of you share. I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend away Hun and I can't wait to catch up on all the goss. Xx

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  10. That was an elegant town house and your friend made it more inviting by being such a charming host. I know it was good for you to get away and re-charge.

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  11. How lucky were you. That home was stunning all the way.Fiona

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  12. A lovely house and a thoughtful hostess. What a beautiful place to live!

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  13. What a wonderful weekend. And that home...oh my goodness...I love her styling & special little touches! GORGEOUS!!!!! x

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  14. Your friend has a beautiful home. Thanks for sharing it and I specially loved the covered porch, how wonderful. You sure had a terrific weekend. I love this kind of meetings with best friends to reminice old time, good times and to catch up! HAPPY EASTER to you and yours.
    FABBY

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  15. Beautiful and fun post!
    I have a French inspiration linky party on Monday. If you have anything to link my readers would love to get to know you.
    I am also your newest follower on GFC and would love a follow back!
    XOXO
    Isabelle

    http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/

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  16. Oh my, this does sound like the most perfect weekend ever. Her home is stunning and she definitely treated you royally. Good for her and for you. Old friends are so dear. Thanks for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  17. Thanks for sharing her beautiful home. Looks like you had a great time.

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  18. What a beautiful home and friend. I am so glad that you two lovely ladies had a fabulous time. Thank you for this wonderful post! I would love it if you would share this at our What’s It Wednesday blog party. Hope to see you there.

    Paula
    ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

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  19. That is a lovely home. I love the mix of the modern elements and architecture with some traditional pieces. I think that's what makes it so cozy feeling. Looks like you gals had a blast :)

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  20. What a wonderful trip! Your friend's home is just beautiful and I so could use a weekend to just be "me" so I fully appreciate that. :-) Thanks so much for sharing it with us at Inspiration Friday!
    Vanessa

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  21. Sounds like you had a fabulous weekend. It's important for us girls to have our weekends away. I try to have GWA's (Girls Weekends Away)as often as I can especially in Melbourne - great food, great bars and great shopping. Looks like you did the same. Marie's house is gorgeous also - a five star hotel for you!!! Ange

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  22. Hi Carolyn! It looks like you had a lovely time with your friend! I love kicking back with my girlfriends too...it's like a break from the usual! Susan's place is gorgeous and your are right..her taste is impeccable! Thanks for sharing your time away. xo wendy

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