BACK AT LAST

 

Hello from the Red Cardinal nest.  I hope you all are well.

I know, it has been a long break from blogging.

We had the most marvelous trip to Europe in April for the Easter Music Festivals in Salzburg, Munich and Baden Baden.

Our flight from Brisbane to Dubai, over 14 hours, went very smoothly and I managed to sleep for seven hours. 

I then watched the film Conclave, not knowing that in a few weeks a new conclave would be held in Rome, and a new Pope would be appointed.

We spent 24 hours in Dubai to rest and re-set our body clocks.  Our hotel overlooked the famous Dubai Creek where we watched busy little Arab boats come and go.

Palm trees decorated the foyer...

Then it was off to Europe, a much shorter six hour flight to Munich.

It was a great relief to see our pre-arranged driver waiting, with a sign just for us.  We then enjoyed a very comfortable two-hour drive to Salzburg.  The autobahn followed the Alps all the way, the first time we have seen them.  Bright green meadows lined the road, then the snow-capped Alps reared straight up behind the cute little farms.

I loved Salzburg.  Our hotel was situated on the main shopping street, and faced the river at the back.  It was a very historic building, with quaint little inner courtyards, unexpected staircases and large rooms, and it was very comfortable.

A few yards away was a house where Schubert lived...

and a little further, Mozart's childhood home.

Of course, we had to take the horse-and-carriage City Tour..

Mozart: Salzburg's most famous son...

Up on the fort overlooking the city which appears many times in the background of the movie 'The Sound of Music'..

After two days exploring, we were joined by the other members of our Music Tour group, and we enjoyed a welcome dinner at the hotel.  We were a small group of 15 music lovers from Australia, with a tour leader and manager.

Day tours included visiting Mozart's house where we inspected the fascinating original manuscripts of hundreds of his compositions including from childhood.  We also saw his piano and violin, and other memorabilia.  

And then it was time for the concerts to begin:

Here I am in the late afternoon arriving at the Grosses Festspielhaus for our first Opera: Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina. 

I have some other news to tell.

On return from our journey, we have decided to sell our Red Cardinal nest.

Our lovely home has become too difficult for us to look after in our advancing years, and we are looking for another house, closer to amenities and services, on one level and with a much smaller garden.

It will be sad, but we know the time is right.

I have been extremely busy turning out my cupboards, looking at other properties, and generally getting ready to sell.  We will have a big garage sale in a few weeks and will keep only what is necessary and important in our lives, and what brings us joy.

I will try to get around to your blogs whenever I get a little rest time.

Keep well and enjoy the season.

XXXXX

APRIL AWAY

 Happy April, Dear Readers..

This dismal view from our deck is rain, more rain.

No sooner had we got over the shock of the cyclone, and long before the authorities have cleaned up the streets, we have another deluge.

And this, they promise, will be the last for the Summer.

Next week, we Red Cardinals will fly off on our very special trip to Europe.  I am looking forward to less humidity, even a glimpse of snow, and possibly some very cold temperatures.

In case you missed it, our own Australian girl, Queen Mary of Denmark, with her husband King Frederick, has been on a State Visit to Paris.

I am in awe of her beautiful white blouse and fabulous skirt.  Mary is always chic and on trend.

As it happens, I recently bought this white tencel shirt, with gold buttons and full, embroidered sleeves above trumpet cuffs.

I plan to wear it with a black bias cut ankle length linen skirt, and a wide black belt with a jewelled buckle.

You know, we are going to nine operas and concerts, so I have been really working out the combinations of a small number of black and white items. 

Today I finished making a black poplin shirt.  It looks grey, photographed on a very dull day, but rest assured it is a good strong black, and the buttons (sourced from a local Cheap Shop) are bright gold - and all are different!

I love this shirt pattern with its two concealed pockets in the yoke seam.  It is great for travel, and I have made it many times.

It is the Olya Shirt by Paper Theory, and you can buy it online and print it yourself (or at a print shop).

In a last minute sprint, I am almost finished a new pair of black stretch pants, which may be the most worn garment I take.

Before everything goes into the packing cubes, here's a glimpse of what has made the travel list.  Four dresses, from left: Navy broderie, black/cream jersey, a sunny linen for Easter Sunday, black/white spot.  Then black linen separates, and at back my heavy navy wool coat.  On Rt is a green knit top, leopard silk scarf, green and red wool pashmina scarves.  I have a red knit jumper on order, hoping it arrives in time.

Apart from the few new things, old faithful warm pants and tops will go along for daytime tours.

We feel the cold and temperatures in Salzburg next week will be as low as -2c.  I have a puffer jacket also stuffed in my suitcase. 

This is me in Canada two years ago, in my pink cloche from the ByWard Market in Ottawa.  I guess it will be going on another journey.

I hope you are all well, and I will try to keep up with everyone's posts while I travel, but I don't expect to be blogging.

It think we will be too busy.

I will be journalling and using my new instax printer to capture daily images, making a record for my old age.

Hope you are all well, and not too hot, wet or cold.

XXXXX

 

 

THE WEARING OF THE GREEN (AND RED)

 

Life has returned to normal at the Red Cardinal nest.

A light Autumn breeze and slightly cooler days are welcome.

Our roads have been cleared of flood debris, and the sun shines on our gardens.

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and as my name is the feminine version of the great saint's name, I enjoy marking the day.

In my local childhood church was a stained glass window with St. Patrick depicted very similarly to the one above.  I was entranced by the vivid emerald green, and have loved the colour to this day.

Isn't it great to see the Princess of Wales out and about once more.

Gorgeous in green when she visited her Regiment, and look at her fascinating hair design: a version of a Celtic knot...

It is wonderful to see her looking so healthy and happy after her year of treatment..

In fact, she looks better than she has for several years, I think...

And did I wheel out my shamrock earrings and take my shamrock handkerchief out for the day?

You know I did...

A royal bonus last week was Kate's appearance on Commonwealth Day, looking fantastic in a very cheery red coat and hat...

I like a little pillbox hat, a fashion which has apparently returned into favour...

I had a blue one back in the day..

My lovely friend G surprised me with an invitation to join her for the first 2025 Maestro Concert of the Qld Symphony Orchestra.

The highlight for me was the guest artist, Canadian/American violinist James Ehnes.  

He played Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, Op.14, a work unfamiliar to me, and I loved it.  Very romantic, and he really looked the part in his tail coat, and matinee idol good looks...  It was brilliant!

It was a great way to forget about the cyclone, and look forward to our upcoming Musical Tour in Europe, first stop: Salzburg.

Once again, I am sorting out my packing, filling lots of little pouches and bags with essentials, the only way I can keep order in the confines of my suitcase.  I have bags for skin care (I use sample sizes when I can to keep it light), medical supplies (small amounts of essentials), electronic chargers, and a tiny sketch book, pencils & eraser.  And so on.  I am also taking my new Instax mini printer to illustrate my journal with a picture each day.

Munich:  I look forward to exploring the Lenbachhaus art gallery, to enjoy the works of Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and the artists of the Blue Rider movement.  

We will do walking tours of the historic centres of each city.

Have a good week

XXXX

TROPICAL CYCLONE ALFRED

 Outdoor furniture and plants in the kitchen..

This has been how we lived for the past seven days, as Cyclone Alfred came to town...

For two weeks, the tropical cyclone taunted us along the Queensland coast, coming closer, then back out to sea, then tracking slowly, very slowly, West towards Brisbane.

We are a long way South of the Tropic of Capricorn, and it has been rare for a Tropical Cyclone to come this far South.  It turned out to be the biggest, most damaging Cyclone ever seen in our area since records began.

After lashing the islands along our coastline, and causing havoc along the Gold Coast, with high winds, massive waves thrashing the beaches, and record breaking rains, the Cyclone finally crossed onto land on Saturday and Sunday.

Our preparation was to focus on the following:

Very high winds:  we brought all loose objects into the house including all the furniture on three decks and patios.  The howling wind on Saturday night was like a banshee...

Loss of Electricity:  The power went off at 6.00 am Sunday and did not return until Tuesday afternoon.  About 500,000 homes were without power and at least 50,000 are still waiting reconnection.  Falling trees were the main cause of power failure.

Local flooding:  We live on the semi-rural edge of the city, and about 5km from shops and services.  There are two routes we can use to drive there, and both have areas which are known to flood.  The one closest to us floods very regularly, but if we go the other road, we can usually get out.  This time that road remained open.  However our creeks are tidal and there is the risk while the rain keeps pouring down that one can go to the shops and not be able to get home again.

Food:  We stocked up small amounts of necessities over last week, on the basis that we tried not to have too much loss if the power failed.

In the end, I did have to throw out quite a lot of food as the freezer and fridge really defrosted on the third day.  Our average outside temperature was 25-29C so we need power to keep the food fresh.

Lights:  We did not do so well on this matter.  As we are not campers, we have no camping equipment such as good lights.  By the time we realised we needed more than my sewing light (which turned out to be broken) and a couple of small torches, there was nothing left to purchase.  I remembered a pretty battery lamp for the dinner table, which cast a delicate glow for dinner, and that was it.

I am very grateful for our battery operated radio which kept us up to date with events in the wider community and the ongoing weather reports.

Water:  It is not uncommon for water to be cut off, or become tainted during floods.  The stores were stripped of bottled water very quickly but we did get a few bottles plus I filled a lot of my own vessels with water before it began.

We played Scrabble at night, and went to bed early.

Charging our phones became an issue.  We used them very sparingly from day 1, just for checking in with family members.  

On the second day we learnt that our Parish church opened their door for phone charging and also to boil some water for our thermos.  A quick visit, then back home to avoid being caught by rising flood water.

Outdoors is Indoors - garden chairs

 We have a gas barbeque and used it twice with our fresh meat, but had to stand outside in poor shelter to use it.  I tried boiling water in a little metal saucepan but it took a long time, and I don't think it was good for the saucepan either...

As the Cyclone headed West, and the winds dropped, we could go out between showers yesterday to see the flooded creek down our road.  This is on my walking path, where you can see a bit of the bridge rail, the rest of it being inundated.

The creek is very full, and the rushing water dangerous.

The local road bridge, flattened railings when the creek was right over the the road.

We had some water seepage in a store room under our house, and a lot of baling went on to keep it from the living areas.  This was during the worst of the event, and we were up in the middle of the night.

Some lessons were learned, as it will happen again.

Global warming/climate change, whatever we call it, but things are different now.

We need a better light/s and probably better bbq equipment.

I have heard of a small fuel stove which you can use indoors.

We can live on cold food and water, but when it is wet and the wind is howling, something warm is very welcome.

I know some people lived on tinned food, but as I rarely buy it, I was at a loss.

I need to explore what is available to make life easier in this situation.

We were lucky, as many people will be without power for a week or more.

I have been re-reading a old favourite, Little House on the Prairie.  How inspiring it is to read how they lived beautifully, entirely self-sufficiently, back in the day.

Unable to go out, I also got out some fabric and patterns that have been 'in the queue' for over a year, and cut out some black stretch pants, and a nice poplin shirt.  Now that life is getting back to normal, I hope to get them sewn up soon.

It certainly has been an eventful week, and in my long life I have never experienced anything like this.  I did find the three days without power challenging, and was glad when it ended.

I am thankful that we are safe, our family are all safe, and that the house was not damaged.  Hundreds of people have had homes and lives destroyed by this cyclonic event, and it will take a long time for our State to recover.

I hope you are well, and if you have read this far,

Thank you for listening.

XXXXX