Franny Gets Frocked: Thirty-Seven

Finally sharing all of the gorgeous pictures from the first part of my recent birthday celebrations. After having to delay my 2020 festivities due to Covid 19 lockdowns, I was determined to truly savor every single moment of turning thirty-seven with my loved ones in 2021... from a day out in the city, taking a leisurely walk along the new Kurilpa Pedestrian Bridge before surrounding myself with stunning creative works at the Queensland Art Gallery & then heading into Southbank Parklands for lunch at one of our all-time favourites, Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant to a quiet night at home savouring a piece of Condensed Milk Tart in place of birthday cake (at my request) to a delicious family dinner in the funky, relaxed atmosphere of Calfornia Native in Coorparoo... the latter chronicled in my next blog post...

Dress: Lee Mathews via David Jones cotton voile

Slip: Tree of Life rayon

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Bag: H&M woven straw

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Bangle: Vintage, Empire Revival silver

Bracelet with Locket: Vintage, Kellie's Antiques silver

Mask: London Zoo Store cotton/poly

For the occasion, I donned an utterly divine white cotton voile midi-length shirtdress with sweet puff sleeves & pintuck detailing from celebrated Australian designer Lee Mathews via David Jones with a pale lilac rayon bias-cut slip underneath from my local Tree of Life store for a hint of pastel colour when walking, a pair of vintage-inspired lilac vegan leather heels from Kitten D'Amour to add a modicum of height & a natural woven straw handbag from H&M to carry all the essentials. When it came to jewellery, I really went "all out" for the big day with a brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop, upcycled vintage silver fork-turned-bangle from Empire Revival (formerly Paddington Antique Centre) & a chunky silver Victorian bracelet with oversized filigree heart locket & teeny tiny key from Kellie's Antiques, gifted to me by a dearly departed friend many years ago now. The final flourish was an admittedly unwanted addition - a cotton/poly face mask from the London Zoo's online gift shop (it's important to keep supporting these worthy causes/tourist destinations when visitor numbers have dipped due to lockdowns & restrictions) - due to a last-minute mandate regarding a few cases of Covid 19 community transmission but I feel like I made the best of a bad situation with the sweet butterfly print.

Scroll down to see how the rest of the day unfolded...

A cup of coffee with a beautiful view!

This one's a piping hot chai latte from The Library Cafe...

Trying out the Kurilpa Bridge, the world's largest hybrid multi-mast, cable-stay structure based on the principles of tensegrity, producing a synergy between balanced tension & compression components leading to a structure that is lightweight but incredibly strong. Opened in 2009 by then-Premier Anna Bligh, it is 470 metres long with a main span of 128 metres & features two large viewing & relaxation platforms, two rest areas & a continuous all-weather canopy for its entire length. The name reflects the Aboriginal word for South Brisbane & West End & roughly translated means "place for water rats."

Lit

All smiles at the Gallery Courtyard Stepping Stones...

Under the verdant Bougainvillea Arches...

Ambiance of Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant... always a firm favourite

Roasted Eggplant

Oven roasted baby eggplant with house-made slow-cooked tomato salsa, confit garlic, capsicum & onion

Zucchini Fritters

Fried zucchini in batter topped with tomato salsa, dill yoghurt & fresh parsley

Braised Vegetable Casserole

Braised eggplant with vine tomatoes, charcoaled zucchini & onion served with rice

Mixed Skewers

Chicken & Beef Skewers served with rice & house-made cucumber & yoghurt dip

Rose Garden Delight

A fruit shake mocktail made from pomegranate, pineapple, lime & apple juices with a dash of aromatic rosewater & fresh mint, shaken over ice & garnished with dried rose petals