FEBRUARY THOUGHTS

 

Summer is drifting along at the Red Cardinal nest...

 extremely hot and humid one day or heavy rain and flash flooding the next...

Salads are the usual fare, as it is too hot to cook..

We have increased our exercise and walking routines, getting ready for our trip to Europe before Easter.

What will probably be our last European adventure will feature Easter Music Festivals in three cities in Austria and Germany.

There will be three operas, several symphonies, and other concerts.

During the day we will see historic architecture and the art museums.

I have been looking back at a previous Art and Music tour we enjoyed in 2018.  Who knew that a pandemic would stop us in our tracks for quite a few years?  

There certainly are a lot of viruses around these days, and we will be taking masks (and wearing them!).  

`

I have added a few items to my wardrobe, particularly for the nine night events.  My first purchase was an ankle length sheer coat/dress:

 

This can be worn over a black dress or top and pants..

It doesn't photograph easily, but the design features old architectue and creamy roses, a bit like an old photograph.

I like its mysterious appearance...

We will be walking from the hotel to the opera and concert halls, so will I take my white sequin sneakers with the satin bows??

Will there be April Showers in Germany?  Would black boots  be smarter?

Time will tell...

Back into Book Club for 2025, I have just finished 'Migrations' by Charlotte McConaghy.  I enjoyed the beautiful, evocative writing of this surreal story about the challenges we face in preserving and world, especially our wildlife.  The Arctic tern is followed on its migrations across the globe.

I am now reading 'The Dutch House', a family saga by Ann Patchett.  It is the first of her novels I have read, and I love the setting in Philadelphia and New York.  It brings back memories of our visits to these two beautiful cities, back in the early 2000s.

Sadly, three women I loved and admired, all around my age, have recently passed away after tragic ill health.  It has been a bit confronting to realise how quickly things can change in our later years, and to make the most of what we have.

Grateful for our good health, and working hard on our diets and health checks, we celebrated St. Valentine's Day yesterday with dinner at a local tavern.  And an exchange of pretty cards.

Mr. Red Cardinal sent me a little Valentine when we first met at the office, all those years ago.  It was an intriguing way to get my attention, and I guess it worked.....

Happy Valentine's Day to each and every one of you.

Stay well and be safe.

XXXXX

RED CARPET FASHION AND A BIT OF A SHOCK

 

Angela Bassett

It has been a long time since we had a Red Carpet fashion parade -

but behold, the Emmy Awards gave us a burst of much-needed colour in these difficult times...

Here are some who caught my eye:

Michaela Coel

A little bit daring, but elegant and a glorious shade of yellow for we citrus fans...

There must always be a pretty pink princess gown, especially cute with a sparkling red clutch..

Rachel Lindsay

Trains work well on the red carpet - extra points for elegance...

Sarah Paulson

Regal in red - puff sleeves continue their time in fashion favour...

Nicole Byer

Twirling in purple...  This one is fun..

Yara Shahidi

My top pick is this fresh green gown, reminiscent of Dior, c. 1950.

Perfect.

Last week we went for a drive in the country, to the area where we used to take my late father for Sunday picnics..

These mountains mark the border between Queensland and New South Wales.

Today, it might as well be the border of another country.  Strict border restrictions continue along with the pandemic.  

Our twin grandsons in Sydney turned one this month, and sadly we have not seen them for many months. Luckily, we could see them on Zoom for their birthday.

We passed through the town where I grew up, the first time in about two years.

Imagine my surprise to see this:

on the land of my childhood home.  The house has vanished, demolished, obliterated...

There was no sign to say what is being built there, but what a shock.

A family member tells me our old home was still there a few months back, so this is quite a new building site.

All we have now are memories..

Somehow, in these strange times, it just seemed to fit the mood..

Take care, and be safe.

xxxx

RED BIRD NEWS

Today I returned to the Future Beauty Exhibition at GoMA,

with my lovely and talented friend Michelle of Michelle Ridgway Designs,
a super blog where she shares her delightful and original stitchery designs.

And she gave me one to stitch for Christmas:

A red bird - sitting on a holly branch.
The design is for a tote bag, but of course, I could do anything with it.
Expect to begin stitching this one at sewing group this week.
This perfect gift for the Red Cardinal came in a red bird gift bag, with a Christmas card festooned with pretty little red birds.

Michelle and I had a great day studying the Japanese fashions and textiles, followed by lunch at the cafe by the river.  

And the spoiling didn't end there:

Also in that bag was the most intriguing little hand-made box...

An homage to Chanel, adorned with several of her famous quotes:

Inside were a collection of tags...

Thank you Michelle, I love it all...

I wore my new polka dot summer shift dress
 [sometimes I just lapse into the 1960s]

TNT pattern, with purchased piping around neckline and armholes.
And a little secret - lace at the hem of the lining:

I wore a light wool, hand-dyed kimono/jacket over it, as the museum space is very cool to preserve the delicate textiles in the exhibition.

I had a birthday over the weekend, and we went to the Wild Canary for breakfast.  No 2 son came with us, and bought me a geranium, a succulent, and a wooden planter box.  
Be warned, Possums, Do Not Touch..

and in other garden news, every year I have a rather pathetic competition with myself where I attempt to keep pansies flowering until my birthday.
With tropical heatwaves, wild storms and possums, this can be quite the challenge, one I thought I had lost for 2014.
However, this little heart shape, only half regular pansy size, appeared to greet me on my birthday.
Isn't nature wonderful?

xxxx

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