Today, we celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox!
Finally, we can all start enjoying the year with new hopes, plans, works, etc., etc.
However, I wish that I could celebrate the way it is traditionally done. I was meant to visit Melbourne and spend the weekend enjoying the city, do my usual city walk tour (this time in Chinatown), and have a great weekend with my husband as we welcome the new year.
However, our weekend celebration must be canceled.
As of this writing 12th of February 2021 – Melbourne including the whole Victoria State will be in 5-day lockdown effective tonight at 11:59PM.
This came up after several cases reported from the hotel quarantine in Melbourne Airport hotel like Holiday Inn.
Definitely not good news, however, I learned not to feel too stressed about it, and see the brighter side of it. We’d done this before. No biggie anymore.
To sum up this 5-days circuit breaker lockdown, Victorians must follow the following:
•Individuals must stay within 5km of their home unless for essential work or to buy essential items
•Schools, universities, TAFEs move to online learning
•All places of worship closed.
•Weddings postposed, and funerals allow a 10-person limit
•Exercise permitted for 2 hours per day.
That means we must stay at home for the next 5-days and continue dreaming of being on a great holiday. Or maybe dreaming of owning an old chateau or ancestral residence.
Escape to the Chateau
Meanwhile, I successfully found ways to enjoy this COVIDSummer thus, aside from the usual crafting and fashion designing, and writing for this blog and my YouTube Channel, and of course, visiting many charity shops, and gardening, watching many travel-related movies and television series are my latest favorites
This time, I will continue bingeing for my recent favorite British TV Show/Documentary, Escape to the Chateau.
Lt. Col. Dick Strawbridge and his partner Angel Adoree, together with their children at the lovely chateau/their home in the background.
Currently, on its 7-seasons, Escape to the Chateau tells the story of a lovely couple who traded their two-bedroom apartment in Essex for a dilapidated 19th-century French chateau and work tirelessly to restore it back to its former glory. With a limited budget to renovate 45 rooms, as well as improve and maintain acres of land, it is a huge task for the couple who want to create a beautiful venue for weddings and events. Dick gets started by installing a complex heating system, while Angel gets creative with the chateau's vintage decor. The couple soon runs into budgeting problems yet persevere, as the deadline to the wedding season and its hundreds of guests draws ever closer.
As I follow their life and renovation journey, I couldn’t help to be inspired by their dedication to bringing back the chateau’s life, especially Angel (who’s a designer) whom I admired as I finished episode to episode about her crafting and upcycling skills.
Gurl, this Angel is now officially my virtual BFF.
Apparently, you don’t need to be royalty to own a chateau. In France alone, there are thousands of chateaux available for sale. This website my-french-house.com features many French chateau and castles up for sale and you can choose from a 6-bedroom chateau to a massive
23-bedroom 19th Century Chateau in Loire Valley with the price relatively close to owning a property in one of the exclusive posh residential in
Gold Coast, Queensland.
It could be a blood-sweat-tears-and-more-money kind of situation but will be totally worth it especially if your goal is to be transformed it into a sustainable property.
Escape to the Chateau Season 1 to 7 is available from Foxtel.
Chateau-Inspired OOTD
I got a little ‘Escape to the Chateau’ kind of moment by dressing-up even just at home and pruning my plants. Wearing my upcycled pink dress (
link here on my previous DIY blog), the kimono that I’ve got recently from the local op shop, along with my fashion jewelry, there should be no reason not to dressed-up even just at home.
Our residential stairs are giving me that ‘rich-lady-in-the-chateau’ kind of feeling especially with this red carpet with a golden Fleur de Lis pattern.
Our current residence is quite huge for us that sometimes it does feel like a chateau. I like the old-style house surrounded by nature which gives me a peaceful outlook on my everyday Australian life.
My calibrachoa plants are crazily blooming and they are not stopping! Pruning and removing old flowers helps them to grow faster and blooms gorgeously.
Living in Gippsland is such a life-changing moment that I feel grateful every single day. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss the city life every now and then but not craving for the life of it. After all, the city is just an hour's drive from my residence here in Warragul.
I’ll just enjoy each moment until we can finally freely travel again overseas and visit the countryside of France and have my own real chateau lifestyle experience.
Maybe one day we are able to own one!
But for now, dreaming is free!
Happy Lunar New Year to all! Let’s make this Year of the Ox the beginning of slowly moving into a better year for all of us.
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Cool to see that you were able to be creative. These lockdowns are tough and I cant wait for them to end
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but we don't know the real deal when it will end. So I just enjoy the best of it.
DeleteI could definitely go for some of that with the family right now! We have been cooped up for so long. SO long.
ReplyDeleteAww hope you still find ways to see the brighter side.
DeleteI need this so bad right now. My family and I have been stuck in our apartment forever, and it's so cold up here in NYC right now.
ReplyDeleteOh wow yeah it is still winter in NYC. Please enjoy the winter as much as possible :)
DeleteLockdown after 19 cases?? Now THAT is how you stop a pandemic. Puts America to shame...
ReplyDeleteHahaha, true! Welcome to Australia!
DeleteChateau such a beautiful place to visit. I really love your pink outfit. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteAww thanks dear!
DeleteI love your outfit! and Chateau looks absolutely marvelous to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty bad you have limits again, I pray year of OX will bring health to our planet and nasty virus goes away.
we celebrated coming of Ox at home as well, my husband cooked a lot and wanted to be praised for his skills with Chinese food (he lived in China so Lunar New Year is big on him)
Wow glad your hubby knows to cook some Chinese foods. My hubby just ordered takeaway and we are surprised that there was a Chinese restaurant open.
DeleteSorry to hear that news but I am glad that you still find a way to enjoy your holiday while in a lockdown days.
ReplyDeleteYes. We gotta do what we gotta do :)
DeleteI hadn't heard of Escape to the Chateau, but now I have to see if I can find it streaming somewhere here in the US. With seven seasons, it sounds like a great show to binge-watch!!
ReplyDeleteOh you must look for it! Totally worth it, and will make you dream of visiting the countryside of France.
DeleteThis looks like the perfect spot for a getaway and love all pf the beautiful pants. Your outfits are on point too and hope you had an amazing time :)
ReplyDeleteThe place looks lovely and your dress is so pretty and you look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you have adorned your house and I love flowers too. You are a creative person and love your dress too. I know you have stitched it yourself.
ReplyDeleteHahaha thank you dear!
DeleteWe were hoping lockdown would be over by now but seem still going for now. Good you got to enjoy it though.
ReplyDeleteyeah, and we realized there is no point on venting too much about the lockdown.
DeleteYou look fabulous!!! I've been trying to dress up more at home too. Being stuck inside, I want to put together styles I'll enjoy later. I love your kimono and shoes!
ReplyDeleteAww thank you dear! It makes me feel good dressing up, which leads to better output on my work, and enjoying more time at home.
DeleteWow, the photos are amazing, and glad to know that you get to visit somewhere and being safe! Please let us know any other places you recommend, too! - Knycx Journeying
ReplyDeleteYes I will! We still can visit many regional places, while we can't travel overseas.
DeleteI have never heard of escape to chateau. I am gonna have to check it out. I would love to own a chateau one day.
ReplyDeleteYes, and hope it is available on your streaming provider.
DeleteI can't wait to travel again! I would love to visit the Chateau as it looks amazng from your pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got opportunity to visit France, we will go for Chateau hunting!
DeleteI completely agree! Safe travel is what we need right now and this Chateau looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame that Australia doesn't have a chateau.
DeleteThe chateau omg!!! The place seems amazing!!! I would love love love to see it in person.
ReplyDeleteI agree! There are thousands of chateau in France up for sale!
DeleteHappy Lunar New Year! I like that you made the best out of the situation you were in and able to share it with us. Your creativeness is amazing and keep up with it especially in these trying times. Hopefully this lockdown will be over sooner than later! Great photos to compliment your post.
ReplyDeleteThank you Candance :)
DeleteThis COVID pandemic puts all of our lives on hold. Glad you found a lovely escape at this picturesque chateau.
ReplyDeleteI am dreaming I live in a grand chateau :)
DeleteThat show sounds so good, I'll have to see if I can find it online somewhere! I love the creativity that you share, it's so inspiring, especially during these Covid days.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you Jocelyn!
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