Men At Arms

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Dress: Mossman spotted mesh

Ankle Boots: Wittner patent leather

Bag: Nine West textured vinyl

Rings: Thousand Island Paddington silver

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Those who know me will already know that I'm not necessarily one to read quintessential "fantasy" novels or delve into those imaginary lands full of dragons, unicorns & the like... to the chagrin of a few dear friends, I still haven't cracked the spine on a single Harry Potter tome or watched a single, solitary minute of Game of Thrones... but I must admit that I was intrigued by an invitation to attend a Brisbane Arts Theatre performance of Men At Arms, set in author Sir Terry Pratchett's fabled "Discworld" & billed as a murder-mystery to be solved by the Ankh-Morpork Nightwatch. Now, I am a complete sucker for a juicy murder mystery & spend hours transporting myself to mid-century England to assist the inestimable Hercule Poirot's "little grey cells" or traversing bloodsoaked Midsomer County to discover "whodunnit" before Detective Inspector Barnaby, so I think it's safe to say exactly which words piqued my interest... & I wasn't disappointed. The set was atmospheric, the performances were admirable & as possible THE ONLY person in the entire theatre on Petrie Terrace who hadn't read the book, the twist was awesome! I'm actually thinking of attending another Pratchett-themed play next year.

But I digress.

For the occasion (a cooler evening) I took the opportunity to wear one of my favourite winter dresses one last time this year - a stunning navy spotted mesh mini dress with voluminous sleeves, deep v-neckline & tiered hem from Mossman - with a pair of shiny navy patent heeled ankle boots from Wittner to elongate my frame & a silver textured vinyl shoulder bag with chain strap from Nine West that was ideal for carrying all the essentials without becoming cumbersome. To complete the look, I loaded up a selection of silver & mother-of-pearl rings from Thousand Island Dressing for a little bit of a boho twist.

Bellingham Maze

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Dress: Maiocchi cotton

T-shirt: Seed Heritage cotton

Sandals: Birkenstocks leather

Bag: Homestore Ashgrove cane, leather

Bracelet: Oxfam beads

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Finally sharing all the gorgeous pictures of a day spent exploring the family owned Bellingham Maze on Queensland's Sunshine Coast with a dear friend & her inquisitive little munchkin. After entering through a "magical" waterfall, over a fairytale bridge & through lush rainforest gardens, there's so much to do: an 80m x 80m living lilly pilly hedge maze where you can search for all of Snow White's seven dwarves, timber panel maze, mind bending puzzles & activies for all ages, 18 hole mini golf courses & a windmill... although I would caution that these activities are probably best completed on a day that was a little more temperate than the 30+ degree day that we visited... I'm thinking middle of winter & under a cloudy sky, to be honest... Regardless, it was a lovely day out in great company, the customer service from the lovely new owners, the Cheshire family, was second to none & the improvements planned for the venue will make it an exciting place to return to in years to come.

For the occasion, I chose an outfit that was casual yet stylish & most importantly, SUN SMART. This gorgeous spotted cotton midi dress-turned-pinafore from Maiocchi was the ideal choice for a retro-style tourist attraction, particularly when paired with the slightly-edgier-than-pure-white grey marle cotton t-shirt from Seed Heritage to ward off the sun's biting rays. Comfortable footwear was obviously a must & it seemed that Jenny & I both got the "white leather Birkenstocks" memo, providing stability on the sometimes unstable terrain. As usual, I wore a crossbody bag to ensure that my hands were free for both exploration & child-wrangling... this one a gorgeous & summery white cane circular little number that I picked up from Homestore Ashgrove that is fast becoming a warm-weather staple. Finally, a pair of handmade, blue beaded bracelets from Oxfam completed the look.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Getting lost... or seeing a little brown snake... either one elicits this face...

Surveying it all...

Devising an escape route...

Rope Course

Snow White

Sheltering from the sun under a giant mushroom, feeling a little bit like Alice in Wonderland, to be honest...

Snow White's Cottage 

(after the hail damage... or the Wicked Queen, you know, whichever)

Relaxing & replenishing after a morning in the sunshine with tapas & smoothies from Lemon & Thyme Cafe at Mooloolaba. If you're in the area, it's seriously good!

Ice Cream for dessert!

Gotta love that beach vista!

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Sunday Brunching at Hub Cafe Kitchen at Ashgrove after a big Saturday getting "lost" in the Bellingham Maze wearing a gorgeous summery cotton frock from Anthea Crawford that will be on high rotation with the heatwave conditions expected over the next few months. 

Smashed Avo meets Bruschetta

Smoothie Fiend