Sunday, September 28, 2014

FLOWERS AND FASHIONS


As you may have guessed, we are once again safely home in the Red Cardinal nest...
where the red geraniums on the deck remind us of Italy..


and the rose bushes are happily in bloom -
obviously didn't miss us at all.


Spring has arrived in our absence.


I didn't spend all my time in the Art Museums of Europe, you know:


Padua: shoes, bags, and creamy cupcakes - what's not to love?


I was also out there taking really bad photos of the Fashion Shoppes..
See the Spanish steps in the reflection?



Ah, Valentino..

Apart from the red leather jacket in Florence, it was so hot in Rome I bought a Tee shirt at Desigual:


which reminds me so well of the architecture and the streets of Italy..


Loved Desigual so much, I bought this huge scarf, because I love it,
and because I need another sewing project.
Be warned scarf, you are going to become a dress..

Of course, we were determined to keep the weight of our baggage down,


but earrings don't weight much - gold copies of ancient coins from Rome,
and blue Murano glass from Venice..


Scarves are weightless, and when I saw this near the Ponte Vecchio, I knew it would be happier living in Australia with me..


We loved eating strawberries and cream in Italy;
bought a little ceramic reminder, and this fruity length of tablecloth fabric in Florence - so cheap compared to here.  


I enjoyed visiting the Petty Guggenheim Collection in Venice so much,
I bought this yellow coffee mug as a reminder..

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed a post on Handmade by Carolyn
about the 'Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show'..
a long yellow skirt which has been going around the world from one sewist to another,each one adding their own slight embellishment.
At that point in time, I had never noticed anybody wearing such a skirt -
but then came Rome:


I saw this one in the Roman Forum, standing on the Via Sacra,
and five others in two days.
Wonder if they'll turn up in Australia?



It could work with this indulgence,
found in a foreign airport duty free, a long way from home...

Have a great week

XXXX



31 comments:

  1. I would love to go visit Italy again. I miss it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Italy is very easy to miss, once you have been there. I hope you get to go back.

      Delete
  2. Welcome home, I'm sure your garden is fully of lovely Spring surprises for you! Sounds like you had 'the best' holiday together, with lots of memories and mementoes to hold onto ... J

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Judith, and thank you. The garden was a lovely surprise on our return. The holiday certainly was 'the best', with many happy memories to carry with us.

      Delete
  3. Now I will be watching out for yellow skirts - I may of course have seen some but not realised the implications.
    I am surprised that you weren't charge excess baggage, you certainly seem to have purchased plenty of stuff - the creamy cupcakes cant be real!!! can they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had the same thought, Rosemary. Have I seen the yellow skirts and not actually noticed them? No excess baggage - we were well within the legal limits, and jettisoned things as we went along.
      As for the cupcakes, I think they may have been candles - not sure..

      Delete
  4. I think that your shopping was very restrained!!! At least you didn't bring back several kilos of pasta from Italy like I did!! I am so very glad that you had such a wonderful time, and enjoyed it all, travelled safe both ways and that the flowers were blooming for you on your return. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Amy, you will be surprised to know I only had pasta once during the whole trip! I'm not particularly fond of it, and lived on fish and salads. Thank you for you kind thoughts: it all went according to plan, well most of the time...and I was relieved to arrive safely home, particularly given the current state of the world. The flowers make me very happy! xx

      Delete
  5. Welcome home, I'm glad you are back safely - and that this trip did indeed happen after your ill health misadventures last year. Some lovely little bits and pieces have made their way back too!

    P.S:Your garden is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sarah Liz, It was a wonderful welcome home, to find roses blooming in the garden, and blossoms and orchids all over. I do have some nice souvenirs - just as well I was watching the baggage weight...

      Delete
  6. Being home, being greeting by roses, how nice that must feel. Travel is fun but as Dorothy in her ruby slippers would say "There is no place like home". I like the choice of things you brought home with you and will be anxious to see how you turn that scarf into a dress. Sounds like magic to me.

    Darla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Dorothy was right, Darla. It's good to be home. Let's hope the magic works on that scarf/dress - I will try the pattern on something else first. Glad you like the goodies I found..

      Delete
  7. Welcome home! I'm so happy for you that your trip was such a success. You have so many nice things to remind you of your time away. I'm very impressed you managed to get that little ceramic strawberry piece back without it getting broken. You must have been holding your breath as you unwrapped it when you got home, hoping it wasn't in bits!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kristie, It is nice to have a few reminders, and I try to buy things I will use and enjoy. You have correctly identified the most difficult object for travel, the strawberry dish. It was wrapped in a layer of bubble wrap, but I then rolled a tee shirt into the centre and wrapped the lot in a jumper. It went in the bottom of my cabin bag. I was quite concerned about the pointy corners :)

      Delete
  8. You picked up such lovely things in Italy, Patricia. You will always remember this wonderful trip. I particularly love the fruity tablecloth, it would go well in my kitchen, which is strawberry-themed. Think of me when you're using it. :) Thanks for sharing your travels with us, it has been so enjoyable. Hope you have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jennifer, I really like your kitchen them of strawberries, and I will think of you when we get out the tablecloth. Our kitchen has a little bit of chicken theming; I am sure you could relate to that, too. Happy week to you too.

      Delete
  9. Thank you Val, Let us hope the dress works out; it has two bonus points (a) $40 scarf was much cheaper than their dresses, but it is similar print (b) their dresses were much too figure hugging for moi!
    Thought of you when I saw the reflections, which were inadvertent :) and Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I bet it's good to be home, Patricia. You had an exciting adventure in Italy. I like the shirt that you brought for yourself. I am lovin' all the bold colors in these materials. And the red rose made me smile. Your flowers are blooming so nicely, and I'm sure they missed you more than you know.

    So glad to hear you're back safe and sound. :~) You will have so many memories of this grand place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do have a really good red rose bush, Sheri, which produces lots of huge roses, with lovely perfume. I enjoy it so much.
      Yes, I am glad to be home safely, and enjoy the memories and the photos - we will never forget this trip.

      Delete
  11. you are really advertising my Country, so, thank you very much, really appreciated... :-)
    grazie e saluti from Padova (Padua from the antique Romans)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are welcome Massimo, and grazie for a wonderful time in your beautiful country. Padova was a very attractive little city, and we liked it a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Pretty stuff, Patricia, both in the shops and what you now own! Love the earrings and scarves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Debra, It was great fun to see the new northern winter fashions in the shops, different from what we see in a Brisbane summer. Earrings and scarves are my go-to option to change an outfit!

      Delete
    2. I always wish I could spend the spring and summer here in America, then about this time of the year fly over to Australia for the next 6 months. Never could figure out what job would go along with my plan.:) Oh, what beautiful flowers you are posting!

      Delete
  14. Your purchases are wonderful! What did you have to leave in Europe to make room for them? But seriously, how fun to have such varied reminders of your travels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aha, well there was a neck pillow which was discarded along the way... Yes, bringing home some reminders was a fun part of the experience, and I love the museum shops. Gold earrings are enjoying a hectic social life in Australia!

      Delete
  15. Patricia,
    this rose is something very special. Such a beautiful bloom! Never seen before.
    All my best from Austria and a happy spring
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elizabeth and welcome to my blog. I am glad you enjoy my roses. Thank you for passing by.

      Delete
  16. I saved your post for Friday evening and great: You shared your purchases!
    It must have been s o difficult to choose " something ". Thumbs up for the yellow maxi skirt for yourself! Liking also the last scarf ( with the yellow skirt perhaps?). And to top it all, the coffee mug, also with yellow on it!
    In general, were things priced higher in Europe? Food, hotels..?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mette, I'll look out for a yellow maxi skirt in Australia. Sadly it is too hot to wear the red jacket now, until next winter. To be honest I am not sure about the prices, because of conversion rates, which I try to ignore lest it spoil the holiday. However, the cafes and occasional purchases of toiletry items seemed to be comparable. We had a wide variety of hotel prices, depending on location, and actually the quality often was not reflected in the price. The Venice, Florence and Rome hotels were quite reasonably priced, very helpful and attractive. Others were less so. Hong Kong was by far the most expensive.
      Off to spend the weekend with Little Aussie now :)

      Delete
  17. The fragrance's base notes are the scents that will become more apparent as you wear perfume through the day. If you're really up for being prepared, take a small container of coffee beans with you. Parfum femme pas cher

    ReplyDelete