The necessities for a good night's sleep are...

What do you think are the necessities for a good night's sleep?  Of course the first priority is the bed; it must be comfortable.  So that being a given, what are the next necessities for a good night's sleep?  Is it the sheets, the doona, duvet, the blankets, the pillows?   With all this in mind, I like to make sure my sheets are luxurious and feel oh, so comfy!  I go to Abode Living for luxurious, Australian made bedroom products.  Abode Living are located at 331 Camberwell Road, Camberwell...here

                                                                Image - Abode Living


A little background on Abode...After leaving Adair's, Robert Adair set up Abode's first retail store in the illustrious Chapel Street shopping precinct in 1991...the store was to appeal to clientele who were searching for products not available in major department stores.  Abode started to manufacture, paying close attention to the quality and design of the products.  After seven years and much growth, Abode relocated to the current flagship store in Camberwell.  There has been much hard work in achieving the standard of Abode Living...for instance, Robert's son originally started stuffing the pillows by hand until Abode bought its first pillow filling machine in 1998...such was their desire to have a high standard product which they continue to manufacture to this day...here

                                                                   Images - Abode Living

The majority of their products are made on the premises, in fact, made above the shop in Camberwell Road.  The bed linen is designed and created in Australia, by Abode, from the finest Italian and European textiles.   I particularly like their sheets; they are Egyptian cotton and beautifully finished...as are the down pillows, pillow cases, the quilts, duvets and the quilt covers, blankets and bath towels...the quilts are hand selected Hungarian white goose down, which I am told by Tom at Abode, are considered to be the best quality in the world!

                             Images - Abode Living

But for me it's the pillows that are the stand out for a good night's sleep. Could you have a good night's sleep with a lumpy pillow?   What do you think?

I have to say the pillows at Abode are wonderful...it's the wide range of choice that I like.  You can have a small amount of goose down, or a lot.  You can have the pillow extra gentle, gentle, medium, firm or extra firm, whatever you wish.  Take the pillow home and if you think it has too much goose down, or too little, the kind staff at Abode will add or take away the goose down, whichever you prefer.  That's what I call good Australian service!

                                                                  Image - Abode Living

I think that Abode bedroom products, whether they be pillows, bed sheets, doonas etc, are a necessity for a good night's sleep....as an added bonus, the pillows... are on sale at the moment.  You can purchase their products at the Abode showroom in Camberwell or online...here

                                                                 Have a good day.....Wendy

Alpacas cute animals...are they the new wool?

Image - Creswick

Alpacas...aren't these creatures oh so cute? These beautiful animals produce a fleece that can keep us warm and toasty this very cold winter.  I have to say, Melbourne in the last few weeks has been particularly cold and grey, so what better way of keeping the cold out than to snuggle up with a lovely Australian made alpaca throw and a good book.  I have several throws and one of them is manufactured by Creswick Woollen Mills...here

Images -  Creswick

Creswick Woollen Mills have been producing natural fibre products designed in Australia to suit Australian conditions since they were founded in 1947 by Polish migrant, Paul Ryzowy.  Involved in the business today, are his grandson and granddaughter; this has been and still is certainly a family affair.  The home of Creswick Woollen Mills is located in Creswick, a small township approximately 120km from Melbourne, north-east of Ballarat.  Despite the rationalisation of the textile industry in recent times, the privately owned company, I am informed, remains buoyant.  At the mills, products manufactured include alpaca throws, blankets and accessories.  Alpaca fleece is known as 'the fibre of the gods' and offers superior, natural softness and a high level of comfortable warmth.  Compared to wool, alpaca is naturally lighter due to semi-hollow fibres.  Alpaca fibre has unique thermal properties that release heat in warm conditions and trap heat when the weather is cool...a perfect seasonal insulator and a beautiful gift for someone special.  See their website for their stores....here

Another alpaca throw I have is from Candalaraine Alpacas...this is a beautiful throw and like my other throw, this is entirely Australian made and produced locally...here The owner's story is an interesting one..Lorraine and Alan Barnett conceived the idea of Candalaraine Alpacas in 1998 as a direct response to an interview of Kevin Hitchcock, a former Sydney news director.  Kevin had recently become a paraplegic and now farms alpacas.  In due course, Lorraine and Alan purchased one breeding female and one companion male.  They are now deeply committed to breeding fine white alpacas, outsourcing genetics in Australia and more recently, Peru

I am told Candalaraine Alpacas has been rewarded with some of the highest accolades in the show ring, despite being a small farming concern.  In recognition of the unique qualities of this fibre, they were inspired to apply their knowledge of textiles and design to produce a collection that best represents this luxurious product. The Alpaca Products shop was opened in 2003 to display this collection.  They also have a unique 'made to measure' service, which is to be found online...here their garments are durable whilst being lightweight, soft in texture and with that rare silkiness that promotes an elegant drape...here

What is the Baby Alpaca Called? The baby alpaca is called a Cria, a female is called a Hembre, a male a Macho and a twelve month old Alpaca is called a Tui.

Images - Candalaraine

Lorraine and Alan now share their property, located on the outskirts of Neerim South, Victoria, Australia with approximately 30 female alpacas.  Together they enjoy the most magnificent panoramic views of the area and visitors are most welcome, see their website for directions and the address.  I would be interested to hear from anyone who has purchased an alpaca product and what they think...are they all you thought they would be or more?

Image - Candalaraine

Warm wishes...Wendy xx

Creswick Woollen Mills...here

Candalaraine Alpacas...here

Perfect Stranger: A true story...

A little while back I was driving along and happened to tune into Denis Walter doing an interview with a woman named Kay Schubach...I didn't know anything about her or why she was being interviewed as the interview was well under way when I tuned in.  However, the depth of the interview really had me curious as to what had happened to her in a relationship and why she stayed in that relationship for so long.

I immediately bought the book 'Perfect Stranger'....it is a true story and a frightening one...here  Kay is an Australian woman who has published a 'brutally honest cautionary tale of obsession and desire'.  I have to say it was spellbinding...here was a woman to quote the Penguin paperback, '"almost has it all - a great job, a beautiful apartment, a life of champagne and mixing it with Sydney's A-list, and a steady relationship".

This was not a hard book to read, quite the opposite...it is well written and flows very well...I read it in a couple of days.  What I found hard to believe was that here was this intelligent, successful woman with the world at her fingertips and she subjects herself to a most cruel relationship and loses her self esteem when the romance turns sour and violent...and judging by the reviews I've read here, it is apparent a lot of readers agree with me, it is heartbreaking.


As the story outlines goes...''The man in the story, Simon, goes from being charming to controlling, from magnetic to threatening.  By the time Kay uncovers his violent past, Simon has decided he will not let her go - and he's not a man to be argued with...Trapped in a terrifying relationship, isolated from friends and family, Kay must decide what she values most, and fight for it''.

This is a book I believe every woman should read...we can all be vulnerable at times and it is certainly an eye opener for those of us who think we are not vulnerable and it wouldn't happen to us.  Well, it did happen to Kay Schubach and she paid dearly for the mistakes she unfortunately made.  I think it is also a book men should read as well, not just women...there are lessons to be learnt from this book...Kay Schubach certainly was a brave woman to put this into print...particularly in light of the ending!  Have you read it?  Let me know your comments if you have or when you do.

Perfect Stranger by Kay Schubach...here

Good reading...Wendy xx