A BIRTHDAY AND A BALL

Happy 90th Birthday to Queen Elizabeth II.

What a composed and confident little girl she was way back then.

And now, looking fresh as a daisy, beautiful in the jewel bright colours she favours.  Her reign has been remarkable.  I never imagined when I was a fascinated little girl myself, that she would still be Queen to this day.

Well done, Ma'am.

Aren't these birthday portraits by Annie Leibovitz wonderful?

Surrounded by her two youngest grandchildren and the five great-grandies..

Awwww.....

So proud of my Mother....

1982, Civic Reception in Brisbane, with Lord May Roy Harvey.

I have been stricken with the dreaded flu lurgy this week.

Too dopey and lethargic to do anything at all strenuous, I have been 'researching', and found this photo taken the day I got myself closest to H.M.

That diamond brooch was the most amazing piece of jewellery I have ever seen - fabulous!

Giving some thought to our next visit to London, later in the year.

Would Mr C be up to visiting Buckingham Palace, I wonder.

And maybe Windsor as well?

Oh, and Kensington Palace too?

Well, might have to do some by myself.

Last time I bought these plates..

Maybe I could get this:

We went to a lovely Charity Ball last week, raising funds for equipment for children with mobility needs.

The theme was 'Casino Royale'...

There were wandering cardsharps magicians..

and a little bag of treats...

Eventually my flu caught up with me, and we had to leave while the music still played..

I love this piece of public art in Gray Street..

it incorporates a picture of our city..

Isn't that clever?

Stay healthy..

XXXXX

COLOURFUL CREATIONS

Hello

I bought these heavily discounted items on the Red Phoenix Emporium's fabulous Instagram Auction.

It seems I am having an orange moment these days.

Indian Folk Art, Untitled, 1999 by Sonabai

William and Kate arrived in Bhutan today.

Here they go, off to meet the King and Queen.

Her outfit is inspired by Bhutan traditional costume, the skirt made in London from a textile woven by a lady from Bhutan.

Bhutan is cold, up there near Mt Everest - and Kate is warm in a wool cape embroidered in India.

Did you enjoy Kate's India outfits?

She goes to great lengths to be appropriate, to acknowledge the host country and culture, and provide royal style and dignity.

Her bush safari shirt is by R M Williams, an Australian brand.

That was nice.

There have been many different styles, new looks for Kate.
The this last one is definitely my favourite:

Art Deco elegance.  Wouldn't that look good in New York?

I went to see my father today.
He had this butterfly creation in his room.
Dad always loved butterflies - and his lovely carers have helped him make his artwork from butterfly stickers.

He hardly speaks now, and we took him outside for a while to read some poetry.
He nodded and listened, then suddenly found his voice:
'Time we got going' he declared.

He wanted to go for a drive.  Obviously is feeling brighter these days...

and off we went...

At last, a touch of cold air outside tonight.
Could it be the missing Autumn??

XXXX

LIFE IN THE TROPICS

I made a Freida cushion the other day.

You can't have too much tropical cheer when Summer drags into Autumn....

and remains generally five degrees above average.

Thank you for your kind comments on my last post.

It is wonderful to have a host of supportive online friends out there...

I love you all.

After choir rehearsal today, I popped in to the Paddington Antique Centre:

I have to ask:

Where have all the swans come from?

There was a time when having a swan ornament was a bit, well, kitschy...

possibly still is...

These tiny guys don't care - they are Together Always..

Did I buy a nice retro swan?

No, I did not.

I have this little one inherited from my mother.

European, c. 1974.

And a rather large wooden one, much loved by Little Aussie when he was a toddler.

A pity they can't take a few turns around our pool, seen here late today.

It has been empty for about three weeks, while a new vinyl liner was made to measure, the only way we can stop that crack from reappearing every few years.  Did you know they use a surveyor to measure it with complete accuracy?

It took him several hours, standing in there in boiling heat with his instruments.

The liner looks awfully garish in colour, but I am assured it will look fine when the water is balanced with salt and chemicals.

Quite murky when filled, but should be fine by Monday.

I am a bit sad to lose the nice tile trim which went around the top, but in the interests of Mr C's sanity, we had to go with the only reasonable solution to our cracking pool problem.  All set for the grandchildren.

Have a wonderful weekend.

XXXX