u/cjinoz

I never ended up getting a full length dress photo on my actual bday lunch but we have my husband’s 40th with his side of the family today so I’m re-wearing, just with different earrings (2nd photo was my lunch but I had my coat on, so much for the dress lol). Ended up with something a bit less fancy than I was originally thinking but it’s a lot more versatile so that’s a win. And it’s Gorman… they ended up coming up clutch with a new release just in time. Long sleeves, tick… elastic cuffs… even better… colourful, tick… wish there were more like it in stores. But I’m so grateful for all the suggestions because you introduced me to a whole lot of brands I hadn’t heard of and now follow.

Thanks to some help here tonight and a couple of doses of suck it up sweetheart when I had to rebuild the entrance of the cafe and then most of the right hand second floor (photography studio/dentist level since I know countries use different terms) … after sitting staring at my barely wired Assembly Square for a couple of days it’s finally done 🙌🏻 It’s friend the Tudor Square will be up next.

Let’s just say I will never again follow LMB’s instructions to take off multiple supporting/joining higher floor long plates at the same time ever again because yikes. I also added a light to the spire which seemed a massive miss from their design… I will say that having the confidence to diy my own solution there showed me how far I’ve come since I did my first one. I started with the botanic garden which was actually the hardest 😭 (I think that kit really would have benefited from white wires)

In an effort to slow down my building of modular buildings I’m trying to install light kits in the ones I’ve already done… the instructions basically say they’re idiot-friendly but that clearly doesn’t count for people like me who break the whole doorway in the process 🤣🫠 ANYWAY that aside is the awning on this building the most flimsy thing ever? There’s literally nothing on top of the pieces holding them in place and even when I built this the first time I had them fall off so many times…. So much so I initially thought I’d got the instructions wrong but I don’t actually think I had???

Anyway any solidarity from those who have lit their sets will be appreciated, they look amazing when done (I started with the Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden) but the stress in between as well as my brain hating designs where the wires can’t be better hidden because I love the interiors to be pretty too lol definitely makes the in-progress part less fun 🫣

… and if I whisper my wallet might not hear that I have more heading my way 🤣 I’ve basically blown my budget for the rest of the year and by the end of next week’s deliveries I will have the most epic backlog pile of Shopping Street, Boutique Hotel, Jazz Club, Detective’s Office (!) and Brick Bank (!!). I think that will pretty much do it for me for the older ones, I’m more interested in the ones with fun interiors and stories than on completing the full set and I gather that the first few were pretty much just focussed on the outside.

As for the Parisienne Restaurant, mutant chicken turkey aside does anyone else feel sorry for whoever lives in the apartment? For one thing they have no toilet (a common issue I’ve found, but here there isn’t even one downstairs!), and for another, talk about zero privacy with the restaurant terrace right outside. I love the cosy armchair though.

One final comment, when I was looking at reviews for the natural history museum there were a lot of complaints about the olive green colour of the exterior. I didn’t really twig until I opened this one up that the exterior is the same colour, yet I don’t recall any references back to this. Was it more that the walls are so much more prominent in the museum? I definitely feel ready for more colour which is why I bought the Jazz Club.

I’m the artist and was told they’d be maintained for a year and then remain there as long as they were in good condition. I’m not really expecting to hear from them either way but the year was up in March and I’m curious :) thanks!

I thought the minifig-height table lamps in Tudor Corner were bad enough… but this chicken (& to be fair the pie too) are like some sort of steroid-enhanced nightmare lol

Also… shoutout to whoever at LEGO decided to outline the new pieces in red at some point after 2014 because it’s been screwing with my head lol

My third modular (4th if you include the Botanical Garden) in the last month… new to Lego as an adult and have totally fallen down the rabbit hole! Anyway since I have a ton of spare flowers (thanks to my son’s Lego sets + my assorted spares) I decided to mix up the colours a bit more and I love the effect.

My only problem is it has nowhere to live at the moment 😭 Natural History Museum and the garden are on display in our living room but I stole space on my son’s shelves for Assembly Square and he wasn’t impressed 😆 The lack of space is even more of a problem as I already have the Parisian restaurant ready to build, Boutique Hotel on the way and just bought the shopping street for double points.

Design by ZiO Chao. I’m obsessed.

My son has been obsessed with the game since he was 5… a couple of these have been gifts but most he’s actually earned himself from our positive behaviour/helping around the house rewards system. The piles of cards in the bottom right cubby are for the 10+ homemade versions of TTR he has made with my husband! And of course this doesn’t include every version available on the iPad.

The best thing with his hyperfixation has been how his geography knowledge has expanded, all the mental maths he practices and and how his reading and writing (from the homemade games) skills have exploded too.

I don’t know where to begin with how much I loved building this. I’d had it on my want list after I transitioned from building botanicals to bigger builds but it’s hideous expensive in Australia. Fortunately (unfortunately? 😅😆) I just had a milestone birthday so used birthday money to spoil myself. The entire building process was so enjoyable, the dopamine was flowing and I didn’t want it to end. I was listening to the We Have Ways WW2 podcast the whole build and the whole thing was just so relaxing and regulating (yes I’m AuDHD lol)

Have spent the last few days labelling all our (well our 6yo son’s 😅) Akro Mils and adding coloured tiles for an immediate visual cue. Of course I didn’t think about doubles of the coloured ones so need to order more but I’m very happy with how it’s come out. Used the BrickArchitect labels for a lot of them… seeing those actually set me off on this whole project. Still stuck on the nougats and apparently one of the tiles (as per my order list) is warm tan … I’ve given up 🤣

I’ve also spent the day moving out last year’s AuDHD-fuelled hobby (puzzles) to clear some room haha

My dad had had a dachshund as a kid, my mum adamantly didn’t want a dog. He got Dexter (a standard, if it wasn’t obvious) anyway, and brought my brother and I to collect him. We took him over to the neighbours garden overlooked by my deck, when mum got home she calls out “oh they’ve got a new dog!” and I, full of 5 year old sweetness replied with “no it’s OUR dog mummy” 🤣 I have a great photo of them cuddling on the floor a few months later, predictably it didn’t take long for her to fall in love.

We lost him suddenly, he was 14 but seemingly fine until he developed a cough, dad took him to the vet, the vet took him to his own home for observation and he passed overnight. Not getting to say goodbye still hurts 20 years later. He left a large dachshund-shaped hole in my heart, partially filled in when my husband and I got Lenny our black & tan mini in 2016 (Len is spooning me as I write this). The love and loyalty Dexter showed me, and the support he gave me through some really rough years meant that I could only ever consider another long dog (& I have a predictable amount of dachsie decor and gear lol, most gifted some purchased). I didn’t remember that we had any photos of Dex near the end (the last photo would have been about 2 months before we lost him) and it healed something for me finding so many gorgeous photos of him.

You’d be right. I have marvelled over each small detail as I’ve built and my 6 year old thought the ‘banana’ ribs were hilarious (he’s responsible for the standoffish nature of the guardians of the museum lol) but my favourite part so far? The mini map that replicates the Globe 😍 I have no idea where I’m going to put this when I’m finished but I do know that I need more now 🤣

Saw this dress online and was everything I was hoping for… flouncy sleeves, *bright* colours, maxi, luxe vibe so you better believe my disappointment when I did a reverse image search and found it was AliExpress slop 😭. Gahhhhh.

I struggle with the cold and I want a long sleeve dress but apparently most of the clothes retailers here don’t believe it gets cold enough for sleeves in Melbourne in June??? It don’t get it but it’s an annual struggle lol. I usually buy from shops like Proud Poppy and Gorman but PP isn’t fancy enough for my vision and Gorman has a distinct dearth of sleeve options at the moment .

Second photo is me on my actual bday today (lunch is between my husband and my 40ths) so you can get the idea 🌈🦄

I wouldn’t quite say price no object but I’m prepared to pay for something that I love so don’t be shy with suggestions regardless of budget 🫠

I’m visiting my parents in Auckland on a mission to scan all our family photos and digitise mum’s folders of family history notes and I found these gems. The parade just happened to be on my birthday and my parents busted me out of school for it. Amazing memories. I can’t remember if the meet & greet at the squadron was before or after the parade, but I had no idea just how much more special these photos would become in just a few short years. Will never forget waking up and hearing Sir Peter Blake had been killed, just devastating. As for Russell Coutts… well he was considered a traitor in our house for a long time but I have to give him credit for what he’s done with SailGP.

My dad jury rigged a dinghy mast as a flag pole on our balcony for the 2000 and 2003 defences and when 2003 turned turtle he brought our TNZ flag to half mast… somehow the media caught it and my ended up on the news 🫣🫠

Made sure to return and visit the Auld Mug in 2018, she’s a very special piece of silverware.