Our Precious Silver Engraving from Church in Cornuda, TV - Italy

From 1989 we still have a lovely 800‰ silver etching from our then Roman Catholic Church in Cornuda, Treviso - Italy.

As pointed out in a previous post about Cornuda, the bell tower is always being constructed separate from the Church building due to the earthquake region.

Such lovely artwork done on an 800‰ silver slab.

With a certificate inside a protective pouch in the back of the frame.

Guerrini is proud to present on the precious metals market a new exclusive technique: "THE GUERRINIENGRAVER" on the 800‰ silver slab. This precious work is handcrafted by valuable silver masters, and you will find it in the best jewellery stores, our dealerships. The work is mounted on a frame expressly designed for this collection. 
Well, we both lived across from said jewellery store, called Becevel...

This is a screenshot, taken from our only video from Italy and this was the view from our balcony down.

See link to video below post 

Becevel
From 1946
Goldsmithing - Watchmaking
Via 30 Aprile, 19 - CORNUDA (TV)

Becevel Jewelry store in Cornuda TV - Italy where we lived across the street... click through for going to their FB Page
Their goldsmithing service created a beautiful 18kt gold frame for my free-stone black opal that I'd being gifted in Australia for my training at the mushroom plant.
Sadly the 18kt chain, with said black opal set in 18kt gold, got brutally ripped off my neck in Santiago City, Chile...

From Becevel I only have their 18kt goldsmithing work of the white opal stones set into earrings.

This is their version with City Hall (Municipio di Cornuda) TV, Italy engraved in silver... click through
Happy to learn that they still exist and are selling their lovely Italian Gold and Silver Jewellery- the BEST design in the entire world!

Related link:

Christmas Eve in Italy our Apartment View and Madonna di Rocca | showing you the video taken from apartment 

THE GUMNUTS from Australia and Other Cute Book

On Friday, September 3, 1993 we went shopping at the QVB after having checked in at the Hilton Sydney, see post below.

Both of us instantly fell in love with the cute GUMNUTS at one of the stores.

So this cute book about Ten Little Gumnuts by author illustrator May Gibbs, came home with us!

Special wrapping paper with GUMNUTS
Author May Gibbs did a lot of good:

Author May Gibbs helping New South Wales Society for Crippled Children (1929-1995) click it

We further purchased:

Sam Vole and his Brothers by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth

Don't think the ones residing in our yard were/are THAT CUTE!

They ATE our tulip bulbs and more...!!!

These are not MOLES but VOLES!

Loved that there were even Mushrooms on the back of its cover... showing that they loved our profession!

Sam Vole wants to go voling all by himself. But wherever he goes, his brothers, Arthur and Henry go too!

Makes for Sweet Story Telling for some Sweet Kids!!!

Related link:
From Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia | previous post by me with shopping at the QVB
Sydney - Vivid Lights Festival at the Botanic Gardens - day 2 PM | post by blogger friend Sami about Snugglepot and Cuddlepot, the May Gibbs' book characters published in 1918

Sister Diny's Rabbit LOVED my Saddlebag from The Bridge Italy

After having been to the Congress in Hong Kong, we continued traveling to Australia for another Congress in Sydney.

Next we flew to Melbourne for a weekend at the Grand Hyatt, using our points.
On Saturday, September 4, 1993 we went to an Italian shop, run by an Italian so I was happy being able to chat with her. In the window we'd already eyed a beautiful tan Saddlebag from The Bridge, Italy.

Now I became its happy owner!

Loved the lock and the stitching around the cording.

So did my sister Diny's pet-rabbit, as it managed to chew a hole in it, while we were visiting her on September 18, 1994... 🐇

Screenshot from video taken at the Gardens of the Alhambra in Spain, with the saddlebag.

We had visited Diny prior to that vacation by bus via France, into Spain and Portugal.

April 20, 1997 at The Spa at Norwich Inn in Connecticut where we stayed at one of their villas during our consulting work.
Wearing my saddlebag (left in picture).

The Spa at Norwich Inn where we stayed in a Villa... click it

From there, we also drove to Logee's for some unique plants

No, I have NO pictures of that favorite bag before the rabbit took a BITE... 🐇

Yep, the Rabbit took a bite right on the leather piping... 🐇

The Bridge Pellettieri in Firenze, Italy

For 1993 pricing Australian $ 119.00

But what to do about the HOLE?

Found THIS: LeatherNu and ordered it... just click link

Well, I have had it for almost 2 years sitting here before using it 'ONE DAY'

Finally I DID!

Starting out with the Leather Repair Compound...

On New Year's Day, I had filled in the RABBIT HOLE for the first time and let it cure... 🐇

On January 6, the RABBIT HOLE looking like this... 🐇

Hitting BINGO with the matching color brown already inside this package and applying a few coats of leather dye.

Got these sponges to apply the dye from the tiny bottle...

Next a few coats with the Clear Leather Sealer...

Result was GOOD! 

And this, after all those years...

Wore my Saddlebag to Church on my Angel Sister's 70th Birthday and feeling happy with it.

Poor Rabbit is long over the Rainbow Bridge... 🐇
It matches well with my Escada jeans and coat.

But I still LOVE my Saddlebag from The Bridge with quite a story attached to it, adventures covering three continents!

Being made in Italy, sold in Australia, taken home to the U.S.A., being bitten in The Netherlands and finally restored in the U.S.A.

Matching also nicely my suede/leather boots from Italy, purchased in 1989 when we lived and worked there. 

Related links:
Our Weekend at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne Regency Club | previous post by me
From Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia | previous post by me

Our Weekend at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne Regency Club

Traveling for work is NOT fun and it means you make long trips and live out of the suitcase a lot.

BUT, it also can have some great rewards!

One such super reward was our FREE weekend at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne!

Yes, for points earned over the years...

Grand Hyatt Melbourne  

123 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000 Victoria, Australia

Grand Hyatt Melbourne 

Where the grace of another era lives in harmony with the modern age.

Cousin Liz had picked us up at the Melbourne airport on Friday, September 3, 1993 and she dropped us off here at the Grand Hyatt.
The sun was so strong that it was nearly impossible to make any good pictures.
Pieter wearing his black leather jacket from Pond's India's Leather Garments Factory.

Yet we were happy with such a bright day!
When we arrived in Sydney a week earlier we had rain...
Still wearing my favorite leather jacket bought in the U.S.A.

We arrived the same day at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, as did the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Mr. Richard von Weizsäcker with his wife Marianne.

Lots of security...
Also Linda Evangelista and Claudia Schiffer were there at the same time.
How lucky we were for having secured our FREE room!

But it worked out well; with only ONE Presidential Suite at $ 2500 at that time...

We did secure our FREE Regency Club room with special elevator key that goes up to the Regency Club level and lounge where you had access to continental breakfast in the morning, tea/coffee service, evening service bar and hors d'oeuvres.

At present it is changed into Grand Club...

Our room 3014...

View of the Yarra River from our room... Again lots of glare, just like in Hong Kong!

 More to the right, again view from the Yarra River.

Melbourne skyline view from the Lounge.

Melbourne skyline with me...

Nearly impossible with so much glare for capturing anything reasonable!

It is on our retina and it makes for fond memories!

Husband Pieter here captured from the lounge as well.

Both of us felt grateful!

Melbourne is a city of memorable buildings.

Left to right St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral rises in

Gothic splendor, the dramatic spire of the 

Victorian Arts-Centre, Flinders Street Station

is a much-loved landmark

On Sunday morning we went to the 11:00 Mass at the cathedral church of Saint Paul, Melbourne.

As I wrote, so much to be grateful for and that brings one close to our Creator!

On Saturday afternoon, cousin Liz came to pick us up for a stroll through Melbourne's Botanical Garden.

Such bad luck with good photos... too harsh light!

Princes Lawn...

One final photo of Liz with me with a lot of glare in the lens...

Liz took us also to her shop and that yielded this signature wooden EASEL!

Her Dad, uncle Louis made them and she gilded them, also adding those ornamental touches.

Ours is used for this pin tray on my antique oak tea cart with English Rose by Royal Doulton china.

We did have some tea/coffee with Liz in the Grand Hyatt's Regency Club lounge and than we had to say our goodbye... Short meeting but intensive!

On Sunday afternoon we got picked up by someone from the Campbell Soup mushroom farm and dropped off at the Eltham Gateway Hotel in a luxury family suite...

We went to work for the mushroom farm on Monday and on Thursday morning they moved us to a regular room at 7:00 before we went to work.

On Friday morning we could sleep in till 8:30 and brace ourselves for the very LONG journey home!

We did have one final meeting with the staff at 11:30 and we had supper at Andy Gulliver's home before he dropped us off at the airport by 20:30 and said his goodbye as he was planning to leave the company...

In 8 hours we flew from Melbourne to Bangkok, Thailand and hung around some at 6:15 in the morning before we did the next stretch of 12 hours to Amsterdam.

With only 1 hour in-between for a quick phone call with Mom, Dad was not inside, we continued the almost 9 hours to Atlanta.

We intended to sleep in but both woke up very early on Sunday morning at 5:30 and got up.

We went to Mass at 11:00 and went outside into the garden....

Thanks for traveling with us to 'Down Under' one final time!

Related links:

From Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia | previous post by me

Darling Harbour Cruise in Sydney for Surprise Birthday Party | previous Australia post by me

Working & Socializing with Staff from Melbourne Mushrooms | previous post by me

Two Cousins from Two Continents in Melbourne, Australia | previous post by me

Visiting Healesville Sanctuary in VIC, Australia | previous post by me

My 2nd Trip to Australia from Atlanta - Dallas - Los Angeles - Sydney - Melbourne | previous post

Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains Australia | previous post by me

With Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours to the BLUE MOUNTAINS Australia | previous post by me

Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House | previous post

Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia  | previous post by me

Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me

My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's 2nd and 3rd Trip to Australia | previous post by me

Trips to Australia | previous post by me

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post by me