Franny Gets Frocked: Mt Coot tha

Friday 11 May 2018

Mt Coot tha

Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey

Brogues: Wittner leather

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

Tote Bag: Queensland Museum printed calico (shown later)

Hat: Decjuba straw with grosgrain ribbon

Necklace: Gift, Colette by Colette Hayman silver with tassel

Bracelets: Gift, Colette by Colette Hayman silver bead, tassel

Hello Autumn! I am seriously loving these cooler temperatures that are making it so much nicer to head into the great outdoors for some good old fashioned exploration. In fact, I'm actually shocked at how much there is to see & do right on my doorstep that I'd simply never considered. Take the Mt Coot tha Botanic Gardens, for example. Other than cut-too-short birthday breakfast at the cafe a few years ago (long story, don't ask) on an unseasonably warm day in April, I hadn't actually been for years & years. It always kind of struck me as a "school kid" thing to do or perhaps even something for retirees who were obsessed with their gardens? Well, I'm happy to report that this is NOT the case, as although I did see the aforementioned groups, there were also many others of different age ranges enjoying the greenspace in the middle of the bustling cityscape; a fact made plain by the proliferation of brochures targeting different groups of visitors. We picked up a couple of Children's Trail brochures with maps to hidden artworks & things that could be "ticked off" after they were seen, a map of the entire area & a list of coming attractions.

There really was SO much to do & after a morning traversing the varied attractions - Arid Region Plants, Tropical Display Dome, Fern House, Japanese Garden, Bamboo Grove, Hide n Seek Children's Trail & Duck Pond - with my cousin & her two rambunctious munchkins... we still had some areas "left over" to be tackled on our next trip like the Bonsai House & Freedom Wall.

When it came to putting an outfit together, my main focus was sun protection, so I chose a gorgeous, floral printed jersey dress from Anthea Crawford that not only had sleeves but a higher neckline to protect my decolletage & slightly lower hem to protect the back of my knees which are, oddly, prone to sunburn more than the rest of my pale skin. The fact that it also contained a modicum of stretch was useful when bending & moving to keep up with two excitable little boys. Comfortable yet stylish shoes were also a must & these white leather brogues from Wittner fitted the bill, particularly when mixed with a white vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Forever New to keep my hands free & a white straw fedora with black grosgrain ribbon band from Decjuba. Jewellery was bright & cheerful - a silver necklace with blue tassels & matching silver & blue beaded bracelets from Colette by Colette Hayman, a thoughtful birthday gift that I was excited to wear. Not pictured here but shown elsewhere is the handy calico tote bag (great for carrying water bottles, crackers, discarded jumpers) printed with a picture of a fossilised T Rex that I picked up from the Queensland Museum Gift Shop for the princely sum of $5.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...