HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas Eve was beautiful...

a very large crowd filled our church, overflowing onto the lawns outside.

We enjoyed the Carol singing, so fervent and heartfelt.

Old friends were greeted, and glad tidings abounded...

As always, the Manger was there for all to see...

Now that our children have fled the nest, 

only two gifts sit by the tree..

Mr. Red Cardinal gave me a stunning, small gold handbag.

It will no doubt find itself having quite a busy social life in the New Year...

We visited our older son, and his four children later on Christmas morning, and had a wonderful few hours watching the little ones opening and playing with gifts.  Our first grandson, formerly known as Little Aussie, was there playing his guitar.  How they do grow up!!

I made Little Miss 2 a pink 'ballerina' skirt.

She thought it was delightful, and wore it for hours...

Mimosas: Champagne and Orange Juice, a family favourite...

In the evening, we watched the King's Christmas Message, as well as the Royal Family at Church at Sandringham..

They all looked happy and well, after a difficult year for some..

Christmas Green was the popular fashion choice.

I though Catherine, Princess of Wales, looked absolutely beautiful.

How wonderful that she appears to have recovered from her illness.

Our weather continues to alternate a few very hot days, with a period of heavy storms and rain, often with flash flooding.

But we are in the sub-tropical Northern part of Australia.

Our vast land also has the Australian Alps, where this week it snowed at Charlotte Pass.  We visited there in November 2023...

and saw Australia's highest peak, Mt. Kosciusko, capped with snow in mid-Summer.

Because we recently had a little Wallaby visit us at night, I thought you might like to see one in a very different environment:

Google image

Yes, even in Australia we have animals which survive in the snow.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year from the Red Cardinal Blog.

xxxx

 

CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA

 

It is the night before Christmas Eve,

 and we are about as ready as we can be...

I have been printing out the Latin words for all four verses of Adeste Fideles, ready to sing with the church choir tomorrow night.

It is always an absolute treat to sing these beautiful carols and hymns on the most precious of nights..

We are looking forward with great anticipation, to spending a few hours with the grandchildren on Christmas morning.  What a blessing they are in our lives.

Last week we attended a stage version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'.  It was beautifully done, very atmospheric, but with a few laughs for the many young people in the audience.

Still trying to teach myself to do Junk Journaling, I recorded the night in my December 2024 Diary.

The front and back covers look like this:

I used a padded mail envelope for the cover, and collaged with fabric.

The pages I stitched in are a mix of coffee died papers, and some purchased Christmas themed paper.  Then I play around with pages of old music, and odd bits of ephemera from my collections.

My new little quick photo printer is very useful and fun.

Yesterday, I had a strange and unusual visitor in our garden.

I could hear rustling in the leaves below my sewing room window.

Looking down, I saw a very large Goanna (Australian lizard), about one metre long.

He climbed up over a rock, as I quickly grabbed my phone to get a picture. 

Unfortunately its head had already gone under the leaves in this first picture: 

It then emerged a bit further away, and I got another shot (greatly magnified):

I have never seen these creatures in a suburban garden before.  It may have become disoriented during yet another flood event last week, and is trying to find its way back to the bush.

It had very unusual banded markings.  I googled it, and I think it is a Lace Monitor goanna.  I found this photo on Google:

Not exactly the same, but similar.

I think 'our' goanna had more picturesque markings!

It did not stay around for long, and has now gone on its way.

In 2018 we enjoyed a wonderful Art and Music cruise on the River Elbe, from Berlin to Prague.

We floated along from Potsdam, then spent a pleasant day at the picturesque city of Magdaburg..greeted by this pretty pink statue near the waterfront..

I took lots of pictures of a fabulous pink citadel ...

What fun to live in this building..

We enjoyed coffee in a little cafe on the ground floor...

We also visited their ancient and beautiful Cathedral...

When researching family, Mr Cardinal later discovered his Grand+ forebears were married here.

Sadly, we have seen this week the tragic event which unfolded in the Christmas markets nearby.  Poor Magdaburg.  We pray for their citizens whose Christmas has been interrupted so shockingly.

Poppies pictured in a Monastery courtyard at Magdaburg.

Wishing all the Readers of the Red Cardinal blog a Safe, Happy and Merry Christmas, and a bright New Year in 2025.

Thank you for popping by, I do cherish your friendship and thank you for reading my ramblings.

Joy and Peace

XXXXX

DECEMBER DOINGS

 Celebrations continue at the Red Cardinal nest, as we sail through the 'Most Wonderful Time of the Year', to quote the old song.

Yesterday was our Wedding Anniversary, and Mr. C surprised me with a potted Poinsettia plant, perfect for Christmas theming.

We went out for dinner and celebrated 53 years together... it seems an astonishing length of time, but we still feel young at heart and have lots of living to look forward to...

including a trip to Europe in 2025.

I had a birthday, not a milestone one, but happily enjoyed lunch with family or friends on not one, but three consecutive days.

Mr. C gave me this fun hand-held printer for instant photo prints to use in journaling.  I have always written travel diaries, often including sketches or small watercolours.  Now I can try something different, including a little photo with each day's diary notes.

Our son and his Irish wife recently took our small grandchildren to Ireland to meet their kinfolk.  They brought me these beautiful hand-crafted shamrock earrings, and sweet linen handkerchief.  Thank you so much...

Our lunch together was somewhat interrupted by a very heavy tropical storm, and to our amazement a flash flood occurred right outside the restaurant:

The water rose about knee deep in 20 minutes, such was the intensity of the rainfall.  The drains could not cope with the flow.  Several cars had to be quickly driven to higher ground.

Unsurprising, the two four-year-olds, wanted to go play in the water, bless them.  They had never seen a flood before.

This however, is out of the question.  The motto in Queensland is 'If it's flooded, forget it'... 

The rain stopped after about 40 minutes, and we were able to leave by the back entrance and walk back to our cars.

The staff were amazing, keeping everyone safe as the water surged into the restaurant whenever a car tried to drive past. 

I thanked them for the most exciting lunch I had had for quite some time...

Today I went into the city and the beautiful Brisbane Arcade, for lunch with my Sewing Sisters.  We have been meeting monthly for nearly 20 years to stitch and chat, seen each other through good times and bad, weddings, grandchildren, and loss of parents.

Old and good friends are so important.

Our dear friend D. brings a sweet tree and tiny Nativity to our Christmas lunch.  Always remember, the Reason for the Season...

There were Secret Santa gifts, cards, and special treats..

D. gave me the sweetest and most charming pink and bejewelled Fairy Christmas Owl.  Thank you so much, I love it!

Every year we remember our dear friend R. who made and gifted me the golden Angel hanging in our window.  She left us to join the Angels in Heaven just after Christmas seven years ago.  Never forgotten..

(Edited to add:  As requested by Kay G. below, here are two closeups of the golden Angel.  R. was a talented artist and enjoyed paper crafts.  The angel is collaged onto heavy card, and there are two fine wire wings over the paper lace ones.)

  Last year's Christmas Journal on the coffee table...

I have started another this year..

Le Giang, Vietnam. 'Majestic Mountains and Expansive Rivers'. Gemstone on acrylic.

 This work draws attention to illegal gem mining which ravages the landscape by open extraction mining.

The 11th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art has opened this month at GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art) in Brisbane.

I work as a volunteer guide here every two weeks.

These are two highlights.  The exhibition continues until April 2025.

Kawita Vatanajyankur, Thailand. 'Shuttle' from 'Performing Textiles'

Interested in labour exploitation and infringements on human rights, Kawita presents videos of herself performing as part of the act of labour of women in the textile and agricultural industries.  She passes back and forth as a shuttle, a spinning wheel, and as a knitting needle.  The bright pretty colours are disarming .. and then you realise what is going on...

 I think we have now finished all our end-of-year Christmas gatherings for our various clubs and organisations.
It is time for the Summer holidays, which go until the end of January.
And I really do need to finish the Christmas shopping for the family...

Hope you are all well, and that your preparations are more advanced than mine...

XXXXX