Nigella and Sparkly Lights

Nigella's new series started on our screens tonight and I was very excited.

Nigella and I both love sparkly fairy lights and she has even decked out her pantry in sparkles.

I'm hauling out my other two sets of lights and lighting up the house a la Nigella. Even Mr redroses  loves watching Nigella cook her fat-free recipes and we enjoy all her DVDs. This does not mean I can conjure up fabulicious meals like Nigella, I just feel so relaxed and happy while I watch her do her thing. I remember her children as littlies when she first ventured into TV. Well those kids are all grown up now.

We have been buddies for a long time. 

                     One day our television will be mounted on the wall and not propped on a book


Do you get the idea that I love Nigella!

Annie xx

One of Those Days...

...when I was planning to share more holiday photos (and I promise I shall) until I became side-tracked.

Holiday jewellery needed to be put away and this little exercise set me on a road of remembering and reminiscing. I am lucky to possess the only few pieces of jewellery my dear grand-mother owned.

Nana played an incredibly important part in my early years until she passed away at the age of 64 to cancer. I can still remember the day my mother told me that my beloved Nana had gone to heaven. I was 6yrs old and can remember the pain of this news as though it was only yesterday. Marquisette pieces were very popular when Nan was a young woman and among several pieces I have is this gorgeous brooch and clip on earrings. As I have pierced ears I've never worn the earrings but am considering having them remade to allow them a new lease of life. 

My own collection of brooches is minimal.

As I sorted and lovingly placed the pieces away safely I pondered why this task seemed so important to me today. When I think of my Nan I think of my dear Mum. Everyone in my family calls her Nan even I do privately but nowadays when I visit her in her permanent care facility I call her Mum so I that don't confuse her unnecessarily.

You see my gorgeous mother suffers with Dementia and was first diagnosed in 2004. When I started this blog it was with the intention of writing about all the pretty things in my life and avoiding the unhappy so I decided not to bring my mum's story into the mix because while I am grateful for her everyday and she still brings such joy to our lives, well, her life is private and I get quite emotional when I discuss her circumstances. No amount of time erases the sadness, we just have to accept it is what it is.

The thing is I should invite her spirit to this little blog because she is the most remarkable woman I've ever had the pleasure to know. Her life at times has been fraught with tragedy and heartbreak. Yet she is a phenomenon and just keeps on going, fighting off life's adversity at every corner.

So...maybe there was a reason for me getting side-tracked today. It became apparent when I opened twitter to find this message from Alzheimer's Australia and I very much needed to share this information with you, even if you are not an Australian resident you will find this interesting because this dreadful disease which robs and takes our beautiful loved ones from us is a world wide problem and one that we all should be aware of.

campaign.fightdementia.org.au/the-campaign/letter-from-ita-buttrose/

youtu.be/lcFoZFxrsT4

youtu.be/elNEgZpFFlU

Thanks for taking the time to consider this info. Together we can make a difference.

Annie xx

Flowering and Pruning

Happiness is a flowering Agapanthus. Or at least for me as I've never grown them before which is rather daft considering I've lived in the perfect aggie growing climate for many years.

The blooms are not fantastic but they are showing potential!

When the heat ramps up for us southern hemisphere gals and my hair gives me the heebie jeebies I launch into it with my trusty old hairdressing scissors. Goodbye several inches. Now I feel lighter and cooler and if I regret this impetuous decision next week, no problem, hair grows. At least I left enough length to still manage an 'up do'.

Gee it's been hot in my neck of the woods today!


Annie xx

The Great Wall of China

Finding the right words to describe the Great Wall of China is difficult.

On arrival I pinched myself to ensure it wasn't a dream.

These photos are dark, gloomy and eerie due to the mist and this created a very spooky atmosphere. When my husband visited the Badaling section of the Wall several years ago it was spring and swarming with tourists like ants in a sugar bowl whereas we virtually had the place to ourselves for a couple of hours. Autumn is an ideal time to visit Beijing. 

My family are not lovers of tours rather we roam through countries at our own pace but in this case a guide is a sensible consideration. Our private guide was a young lady with reasonably good English, she picked us up in a cab from our hotel. The cab driver possessed hair-raising driving abilities and we embarked on the 70km trip northeast from Beijing. After conducting research beforehand we decided to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall as it's quieter and not as touristy as the Badaling section. Although Mutianyu is further from Beijing my husband thought this section superior. On the return journey our little party stopped at a reputable restaurant for lunch and the meal of various dishes was superb.

Please if you ever get the opportunity to visit Beijing the Great Wall is a must. 

A short gondola ride to the Wall from the village

An experience of a lifetime and one that left me mulling over the man-power and loss of life this extraordinary structure devoured.

Annie xx

I'm Home

Hello Everyone

I'm back home after having a ball in Beijing and Hong Kong.

If you have not yet travelled to these cities then quickly put them on your bucket list because both are wonderful experiences. We've visited HK several times and while Mr red roses has hit the ground running once before on a quick visit to Beijing it was the first visit for me and our daughter.

Of course I took heaps of photos and shall probably bore you all senseless sharing some in the next few posts. 

Now just check out this skyline. The tallest building lit at the very top was behind our hotel in HK (on the island). Our abode is the wee building directly in front and it was about 40 floors high! 

Travelling to China one must participate in a spot of shopping therapy. Remarkably we didn't go overboard. Here's a few trinkets we hunted and gathered.
Several cashmere pashminas and silk scarves were added to my collection along with a few strands of bling from Beijing.

My favourite shoe shop at Stanley Market HK never disappoints when it comes to sourcing Birkenstock and this trip I also gathered a pair of sensible Merrill sandals.
Drastically reduced compared to Aust. prices tags let me tell you.

Duty free perfume was on the list. I took the leap and reignited an old love affair.
With Chanel No 5.
I've enjoyed wearing No 19 for about two decades so figured a change back to my first love was in order. Girls this fragrance is an all time classic and I love it to bits.
Yes I'm a creature of habit with fragrance but you can't beat the old timers in my opinion.

My son discovered a tailor in HK two years ago while he was kicking up his heels in the city.
Dear son had a bespoke suit and shirts made to measure so this trip Mr redroses and I trotted off to the same tailor. Mr red roses got all measured up and a spanking new suit and four shirts winged their way home in his suitcase. Only took two days to sew...unbelievable.
Not one to be left out I carted a favourite frock in my luggage which the very clever tailor copied exactly and voila!... my wardrobe now contains two new summer additions created with the softest cotton in my choice of patterns, lined and with pockets. Teamed with a belt and I'm good to go.
Bliss for a stifling summer.
                                             

Today I was joking with a friend how I craved plain comfort food after nearly two weeks of delectable spicy meals.
So here is tonight's dinner...BBQ chook, mash and lashings of gravy. Hit the spot!

A tad more boring don't you agree than skewered scorpion?

Hmm...do you think I ate these critters?

Travelling restricts the reading of fave blogs and I'm dreadfully behind with every ones shenanigans.
Have you all been having fun?

Annie xx

This Little Frock Was Made For Me

You Are Mine!

Don't you just love it when a garment is On Sale, is designed and made in one's own country, is perfect for travelling, is comfy, wash and wear, non-crease and makes you feel fabulicious!

This little shift dress had my name written all over it and I dare say will be trotted out on high rotation while I'm on holidays.

I'm nowhere near packed but that's normal.

Packing under pressure is how I operate.

Are you a 'down to the wire /last minute packer' club member?


Annie xx

Hair Essentials

When travelling there are hair essentials that must be part of my kit. Tonight a quick check was in order to ensure I'm stocked up for final packing before we up, up and away to China.

The last two years I've been painstakingly growing my hair so I can stick it up in a ponytail or shove a clasp in an up do on those bad hair days.

I do not leave home without Argan oil, dry shampoo to get another day out of the blow dry and a bit of bling in the way of pretty clips.

Of course a leopard print hair band is an essential.

Would you believe I've had this comb (called an Afro comb back in the day) from when I started hairdressing   back in the seventies. Certainly got my moneys worth out of that purchase!
It's a major essential to drive through the bleached bits of my mane after shampooing.

So there you have it, the Red Roses and Crystal essential hair bits and bobs.
I'm not high maintenance.
Am I?

Annie xx

Meandering

Well yes I am being very naughty and procrastinating today. I should be activating little jobs before we up, up and away to Beijing and Hong Kong but no I sit and stare at the fan whirling around on this rather warm day.
Someone take this smart phone away from me please. Of course I love it to bits but the camera component is a major distraction.
Any excuse to avoid what I should be doing.

So out to the garden I go for a meander....

The agapanthas came with the house (first time around for moi with this flower). Can someone tell me when they will bloom?

Starting to think I should have called this blog Yellow Roses as the yellow bush is leaving the red bush for dead. Come on red rose bush get your act together please.

The transplanted frangipani is going great guns!

The duckies are a permanent garden fixture and both have required surgery to reattach a beak and a decapitated head.

So looking forward to the beams being overhauled. Can you guess what the new colour will be, knowing my penchant for a certain shade?


Enough meandering. This little duck needs to get back to business folks.....


Annie xx

Travel Preparations

Introducing my suitcase.

I hauled it down today to start throwing a few items in so I don't feel tempted to wear them before we depart on our latest adventure. The week before we travel I rush around like a woman possessed washing and ironing so I have plenty of options when I pack the day before departure.

Anyway, my suitcase is my pal. Bought only two years ago but it's survived a good few kilometres in those years and has the battle scars to prove it. The day she curls up her roller wheels I will rush out and buy an identical style. See the extendable zips..never commence the trip with the suitcase full or you're in big trouble girls ie. no space for carting home some shopping. Plus it's far less stressful to pack light.

This wool coat is fab because it's lightweight, toasty warm and portable. Probably the best all round coat I had the good sense to buy. The first leg of our trip will be in a major city with coolish temps while the last stretch will be spent in another major city with warmer temps. Yep one of those shebangs requiring flexible options and ever so frustrating to pack for. Layering will be the focus no doubt.

Along with washing everything that stands still I need to alter some trousers for Mr redroses and of course they've been staring at me for weeks but now there is a sense of urgency to haul out my mother's old Singer sewing machine and get those babies hemmed and pressed.

                                
This old girl has outlasted two newer sewing machines. They don't make em like they used to!

                                     
 Hmmm do you think the boarding kennel will tuck her in like this each night? I swear she put her own head on the cushion.


All this activity tires out my darling pooch and she will be less than impressed once she spies the suitcase.
How do animals sense they are not invited on their masters travels?

Annie xx

Thai Curry and Preparations

Thought I'd hit you with my colourful and yummy dinner photo first up before I wax lyrical of the soothing properties of devouring Thai food. Involving coconut cream of course.
Thai is my number one comfort food (even when I don't require comforting).

I will not fib...running low or heaven forbid running out of these basic ingredients results in a mini meltdown. The green curry paste has a zesty bite and helps clear out the old sinuses and the massaman paste is milder and super delish. Topped with snipped home-grown coriander.....mmmmm
Oh and must be consumed with the aid of a Splayd.   Remember those retro utensils? Ours belonged to my parents. Purchased in the seventies.

Dead easy and probably the cheats way to cook Thai food but it will do me.
How about you...do you love love love lashings of coconut cream based recipes?

This is a first for RRC. I'm posting a department store fitting room iPhone photo. It's fun to see other bloggers' sharing fitting room reveals so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Yes I need some practice.
This little number is a cotton Esprit dress come long top over leggings that will come in handy when I go a travelling soon.
More to follow on that...

Do you find when planning a trip all of a sudden there is oodles of everyday stuff to hunt and gather eg. new underwear, toiletries, skincare etc. Mr redroses always reminds me that stuff can be purchased at ports of call but I prefer to be hyper-prepared.

 
                                        Honestly the box was so pretty, forget about the skincare!

Now because I should be a good girl and wear supportive footwear due to an injury I will need to gather a pair of sensible clod hoppers or I will be in a sore and sorry state from walking and sight-seeing. Of course I've bought sensible shoes before but never been terribly happy with my choices so the quest for a orthopedic yet stylish (is it possible?) pair is imminent.

But certainly Not like this pair I spied recently in a thrift shop. Am guessing the same vintage as the Splayds.

Hilarious!!

Annie xx

Stuff

Well Hello everyone.

I've been missing in action this past week due to Stuff.

 You know what I mean folks?

Stuff beyond your control. 

Stuff that makes you cross.

So I needed to exert some organisational energy and decided to set about sorting out my laundry and happily tossing this and that. Such as old shoe polish we've kept for fifteen years and haven't used in fourteen. 

Do you like this quirky container I nabbed for the storage of washing powder?

Of course this little beauty is going to make all the difference to my enjoyment of wash days!

                                                   
                                                                      Isn't it sweet          Isn't she sweet

And I'm throwing in a picture of my idol, dahlink Eva just because I think she is Vunderful.

I wonder if Eva did her own laundry and had to deal with Stuff? If she did I bet she looked fabulicious at all times.

Take care Dahlinks.

Annie xx