A post in orange and brown

I'd didn't really plan to have a colour-themed post, honest but once I'd sorted out my pictures, there it was...

OK, so getting a bit behind in the story of my trip so I'll speedy things up to get up-to-date. Thursday I drove Albury to Melbourne with op shop stops at Albury (aforementioned Red Cross Shop), Wodonga Vinnies (where I got the angora and a pile of vintage Patons patterns for Taph), Wodonga Salvos (huge but the few things that I was interested in were marked with silly prices ( polycotton sheet for $15.75, anyone?) so I once again left empty handed.

I did better in Wangaratta. There's a Salvos right at the beginning of the main street, about three doors down from the Information Centre. They provided me with a slightly out of date Melways map book for $5.75, a pile of vintage girls annuals at an average price of $3 each and a bag of wool from their supermarket trolley full for $4.75 (I suspected a town with a woollen mill in it would provide good op shop wool resources. Oddly enough most of the wool in the bag I bought was made in New Zealand...)

Wangaratta Information Centre has a flyer listing all the op shops in town (bless their hearts) The Vinnies was great (there was a large collection of pyrex JAJ black snowflake plates and casseroles (like this) for $35 but the gold trim put me off and I left them there) I did, however buy this pyrex bowl for $2 to add to Kerry's kitchen while wishing the daisies were black so I could keep it myself: There was more op shopping yesterday with my first ever Savers experience. There's one about 5 minute's stroll up the road so it was the first place I headed yesterday morning. They have these nifty shopping baskets on wheels which are really deep and you can drag them round behind you on a long handle while you shop. Did I remember to take a photo? No, I was too busy excitedly ratting through the manchester rails!

I bought a vintage white candlewick bedspread ($6.99), a 4 metre length of brown and purple cotton fabric ($4.99), more black knitting needles to add to my collection ($3.97 for three pairs) and a couple of books ($6.98).

Speaking of books.... I met a colleague for a coffee meeting in Yarraville. In cafe next to the wonderful art deco Sun Theatre. Which happened to also be right next door to the also wonderful independently owned Sun Bookshop (and across the road from the cleverly named Younger Sun children's bookshop - no web presence for either, unfortunately.)
And somehow, when I wasn't paying attention, these jumped in my bag ready to follow me home:All firmly within the collection development policy (Handmade in Melbourne: beautiful things from 80 creative people, Inventory: on op shops, Pioneers of Modernism: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Australia, and 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses.) and with a 10% "birthday discount" added for good measure. I'm trying to feel guilty but failing miserably!
In the evening Kerry and I went for a random wander around the city and revisted these chaps on the corner of Swanston and Bourke Streets, who were up to no good:
And finally, here's the ubiquitous tourist picture of the shot tower in Melbourne Central: