THE CARDINAL NEST

 

Greetings from the Red Cardinal nest..

Four months have flown by since we returned from our gorgeous Musical tour in Europe...

Four months during which we made a decision to downsize from our beloved home of 21 years, high on a hill on the Western fringe of Brisbane.

It is a large home, and we have filled every corner of it with our collections of books, art, collectibles, and memories of our lives, our family and our travels.

The 'Garden of Neglect' has always been a particular pleasure and challenge, but the time has come to find a less challenging place.

We have gradually worked our way through every part of our house, and via the usual downsizing methods, have donated, sold, given away or otherwise disposed of a large portion of our possessions.

I have had to cull, then pack, my collections of fabric and general haberdashery, and sold off a couple of sewing machines.  My art and journal supplies and all my sheet music have been edited considerably in size, and are packed in moving boxes.  We still have too many photos, but we are working on that.

About 50 boxes have been packed to come with us, and there will be many more.  

We have worked at it every waking moment that we can, while maintaining our normal commitments in the community.

As well, we have been searching for a suitable new home.

I have taken hardly any photos over the months: too busy!  These views were taken by a professional photographer.

Half of our furniture has now gone into storage, and what remains has been professionally styled for sale.  It no longer looks like our old Red Cardinal nest.  It is chic, but impersonal, as is the requirement for sale these days.

Everything personal has been secreted away...

And this weekend, we had our first Open House as our property went onto the market for sale.

A lot of people came, and we are looking forward to feedback from our agent.

Every day since May I have spent 30-40 minutes going through real estate websites of houses for sale in our preferred areas.  It is a soul-destroying exercise after a few months...

Most weekends we have been to several carefully chosen Open Houses, only to find some insurmountable obstacle when we see them.

Nothing seemed to beckon us as suitable.

But we did eventually find out about a special house, which was being prepared for sale.

Finally, last week, we were able to see it.

It was The One!

Perfect on the important levels, charming and inviting, and within walking distance of my church, local shops, and many friends in the area.  

Reader, we made an offer immediately!

And after a bit of negotiation, our offer was accepted.

Legals have been worked on this week, and all is well.

We just need to find a keen buyer for our lovely old house.

Hope you are all well, and I hope I can get back to more blogging when the pressure is off a bit.

Love from The Red Cardinal

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