Wednesday Wanderings

All seasoned travellers expect the unexpected and so it goes with our wanderings this Wednesday.

I had planned a different destination, the draft was completed with only a few minor adjustments to the itinerary and we're ready for take-off. Alas the travel Gods had different ideas this morning and the photo I chose will not load. Never mind there are other beautiful destinations to visit and as travellers we can cope with any situation.

So today we shall head over to Macau (a former Portuguese colony) which is situated 60kms southwest of Hong Kong. The highlight of our afternoon exploring Macau was visiting the stone facade ruins of the 17th century St Paul's cathedral. 

The ruins are one of Macau's famous landmarks and is a popular destination for tourists. I can recommend a day trip by ferry from Hong Kong.

I was positively captivated by these ruins. Pretty spectacular don't you agree?

Macau 2006

Annie xx

Wednesday Wanderings

 The Bund Shanghai    
 2006                         

Travelling is a passion my husband and I share and this passion I'm happy to say we have passed onto our children.

Our photo collection is filed in a somewhat ramshackle order and we're attempting to rectify this situation and catalogue them properly. Last weekend we indulged ourselves in a spot of reminiscing whilst sorting the photos and this gave me an idea.

On Wednesdays I will feature a photo from our collection. Considering we possess hundreds this segment could stretch for years!

I hope you enjoy sharing my memories and if you have visited any location I publish please pop in, leave a comment and share your adventures.

Annie xx

Dragons and Rats

One of my favourite nail varnishes is Chanel and I love this shade of blood red called Dragon.

Very fitting this being the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.

Lately I've been considering trialling shellac nails but I'm sure I would be absolute rubbish when it comes to maintaining appointments every couple of weeks for regular maintenance. Maybe I could do a course and learn how to apply this wonder product myself?  

Then again I get tired of things so quickly I would be wishing to change the colour after a week!

Recently I was perusing the manicure section at the pharmacy and happened upon this product. I have used different potions from this brand before and been satisfied so thought I would give it a try.
Supposedly a layer of this top coat will extend one's mani up to 10 days. I must admit my nails do feel super strong and the sheen is quite glossy. Even the packaging is super glossy.
Plus it contains an exclusive micro-diamond formula so what's not to love about that!
I am aware some of you girls are converts to gel/acrylic/shellac nails and I would love to hear your opinions on the pros and cons.

Here are my nails rifling through Nigella's Kitchen cookbook looking for dinner inspiration and hello..a nice photo of red velvet cake to match my nails.
Oh dear don't my fingers look chubby. Actually they are more on the slender side so I figure the phone camera adds weight like a TV camera does. Please say yes, it's the cameras fault!
My mother adhered to the nightly ritual of slathering hand cream on at bedtime and I have tried valiantly to follow her advice.
My hands have suffered because I let this regime slide last year while renovating the house and my mother's words are ringing in my ears..'You can always tell a woman's age by her hands'.
Do you agree?

So..getting back to the Year of the Dragon. A quick scout around my house and we have a few dragon-ish items in this abode.

I was born in the year of the Rat. A quick research on the net informs me of certain characteristics I definitely was aware of but a wow moment occurred upon reading the following gem,
'Routine halts their creativity so Rats need flexibility'.
So so true, I have never been a lover of routine, most of my life I've railed against it and flexibility is my middle name.

 So maybe I can blame this trait on the fact I would be hopeless at maintaining nail appointments?
xx

Random Scenes of Beijing

The following photos are a random selection of scenes from our recent stay in Beijing. 

Thank you for allowing me to share our holiday. If you ever get the opportunity to visit China...don't hesitate. The history awaiting every turn is positively breathtaking!

Wangfujing street

Food glorious food

High fashion

Street art

Dancing in the Temple of Heaven

My gorgeous daughter and her serious camera

Temple of Heaven

Tiananmen Square

The Summer Palace

The Marble Boat / Summer Palace. I was truly entranced by this structure 

Summer Palace. A serene experience

Busy intersection from hotel window. 

Tiananmen Square guards. Another pinching myself experience standing in this square and remembering it's history.


Do you also look at holiday photos and wish to step back in time and experience the wonderment all over again?


Annie xx

The Forbidden City

Ever since viewing the film The Last Emperor in 1987 I have been fascinated with the Forbidden City. Without a doubt this was a major highlight of my trip to Beijing. I'd rather not try to document the history of this formidable city here because it's complex so please refer to the link for a summary. Yes I was blown away to finally realise this dream and I soaked up every facet of this wondrous place and it's history.

The photos are a small selection of the many I took on the gloomy day we ventured through the enormous gates.

Oh yes, another jaw dropping, pinching myself experience!

                                                         Magnificent door

One evening after our return home we sat through The Last Emperor for probably the sixth time and recalled different locations from the palace and spent the best part of two hours yelling out 'been there'!
Truly this is a must see during a visit to Beijing and I hope these photos give some reflection of the fascinating history of the incredible Forbidden City.

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