Celebrations and Blue Skies

Last weekend saw us skipping down to the New South Wales south coast for a family celebration.
We enjoyed ourselves immensely and it is always great to catch up with far flung family members. The weather was perfect if just a little bit windy and chilly.
Just look at our brilliant blue Australian sky...glorious.

In the blink of an eye the weekend was over and it was time to fly home with our memories.

Hope your weekend was lovely too

Annie xx

Fathers Day

Father's Day was celebrated today in Australia. This year it was just Mr red roses, our son and myself, our daughter is overseas. The emphasis was on super casual for lunch so I threw a cloth on the outside table, threw smoked salmon, chicken, Brie cheese and fresh bread on a platter and we then proceeded to wash it all down with cold beer and chilled white wine.
The beloved grandfathers are now in heaven so we raised a glass to them then sat on our deck and listened to birdsong and gazed up into the treetops.

Chocolate dipped strawberries and coffee finished off our fare and now I am dashing off this post before I collapse on the sofa from overindulging in good food and maybe one too many glasses of good wine.

And here is a thought for a wee giggle...hmm yes haven't most women encountered this!

Annie xx

Thank You

Thank you one and all for making my first blog anniversary special.

The lovely comments you posted made my heart sing.

Annie xx

Happy 1st Birthday Red Roses and Crystal Hip Hip Hooray!

Well my dear lovely readers I made it!
Today is exactly one year since my foray into this blogging biz and can I just say..I have learnt stuff I never ever realized I could learn!
Blogging has taught me very valuable skills and brought insight into human nature. The blog love swirling around me is amazing (now if I allowed anon/unmoderated comments it may be different but I don't have the inclination to deal with nasty folk). This is my Happy space.

Blog Love...the friends I've made are exceptional women, both in real life and online and for this I'm truly grateful. Another thing I've learnt is that fellow bloggers/readers 'get it'. They understand the appeal and what keeps us churning out our thoughts in this crazy world of technology. Now I've experienced many thoughts of 'why why why am I writing a blog'? To this day I'm not totally sure and have no idea if this foray is going to be a permanent part of the rest of my life but for now it's a hell of a ride and when I look at my little blog I see something I've created and feel just a tad proud.
On the whole this caper has been a thoroughly enjoyable hoot but I have witnessed the vicious side of blogging when a dear real life blog friend endured cyber bullying over many months. Nasty vile vicious stuff. A valuable life lesson...be mindful of wolves in sheeps clothing.



Now for something especially wonderful, as well as my bloggy birthday this weekend my family celebrated my dear Mum's 84th Birthday. Love my Mum to bits because she is a real trooper and she taught me the meaning of stoicism. My little family spent the morning visiting at her care facility with cake (only one candle, thought 84 might be overdoing it and set off the smoke alarms) and presents.
Family is very precious.

So once again thank you one and all for tuning in to my ramblings.
To my family and blog pals who give me encouragement.. you Rock!
Reaching this milestone has made me Happy.

Hugs
Annie xx

A Bon Voyage Soirée

I had the pleasure of hosting a little gathering of blog friends to raise a glass and farewell our friend A-M who is venturing to New York next week to attend a blog conference and take in the sites of this grand city along with a side trip to the Hampton's...swoon.
So...between myself, Faux Fuchsia, The Distressed Mother and A-M of The House that A-M Built (these beautiful ladies are on my blog roll over yonder) we ate for the nation, sipped mellow French bubbles and chatted and laughed until long after the cows came home.

I love to entertain family and friends in my home. Plus it gives me the chance to serve tasty/naughty delectables. A sure fire winner is Baked Brie served with toasted sourdough bread, quince paste, cranberry sauce and flaked almonds. To die for!

I dashed off a few quick photos on my phone during festivities and here they are. Even my precious little pooch likes to participate and glam up.

A truly lovely evening....

Annie xx

Vive La France!

Bastille Day is drawing to a close in my country but I could not let the day pass without showing my appreciation for all things French.  At the time of writing this post the world clock at the bottom of my blog tells me it is the morning of July 14th in Paris and I imagine the festivities are in full swing in this glorious city.

I give thanks in particular for two of my favourite French beauties.. 

The first goes without saying....

...the second involves bubbles!
(Oh and Mr red roses and darling son give thanks every year for the telecast of the Tour de France)

Vive La France 

A Birthday Celebration

My darling son has celebrated his 25th birthday.
Birthdays are a big deal in my family and cake plays an important role in the celebrations.
Cake is Mandatory.
Complete with candles until one reaches the age when the amount of candles run the risk of burning down the house.

I rehearsed in my mind the post I would dedicate to my boy but truly no words can convey my love for my son. And my daughter.

Why is the number 25 a big deal to me. I can't answer this, it just is.

I love them both more than I could ever convey here.

More than life itself.

Mum xx

High Tea and a Jubilee

Today was spent celebrating the Queens Diamond Jubilee by having a couple of friends over to raise a glass of bubbles and toast the health of Queen Elizabeth.

Cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches, cake and chocolates. Even the precious Royal Albert tea set was hauled out in honour.

Experienced an almost catastrophe when the pineapple upside down cake split when I turned it out. Desperate measures call for what I affectionately call a cake girdle ie. whack a piece of ribbon around the cake and hope for the best.

Here's A-M, yours truly and Faux Fuchsia getting into the good stuff. Darling daughter took the pic.
The pooch is never far from the action.

A lovely day and isn't it nice to celebrate a happy occasion. Now if only I could throw myself on the sofa and the butler bring me a G & T!


Annie xx

Dining Out and Celebrating

Our dining out experience the other night for darling daughter's birthday was lovely. The choice of restaurant was a casual Japanese eatery. Here are a few shots of dinner..

My little family can eat their body weight in Japanese delicacies

The only time I drink beer is when the temperature hits 34C here in Australia or I'm staying in Tokyo during summer. I tell you, in those conditions there is nothing so refreshing as an ice cold beer.
Don't pearls and beer make a nice combo?

Pity the pic is blurry, my sheath dress is the most delicious emerald green linen & cotton by Veronika Maine.

I love this photo I snapped from the back seat of the car...our daughter is driving. Our son is riding shotgun. The birthday girl was the only one who chose a non alcoholic beverage instead of two glasses of Hokkaido, so she drew the short straw to chauffeur us safely home.

The irony was not lost on her parents. How the tables have turned!

Home to our fairy lights runway after a truly wonderful evening celebrating another milestone.
I do believe Mr red roses and I are finally starting to relax after 24 years of parenthood. Our children are forging ahead with their careers and so we are breathing easier.

Annie xx

Are We Ready...

...you bet your life we are!

Or maybe not...whichever the case may be.

Confession time at Red Roses blog. I have not been running around like a headless chook this Christmas, rather I have been quite lazy about the whole shebang. Admittedly this situation arose from re injuring my dodgy foot and being somewhat laid up and unable to rush around looking for tasks as I invariably do each silly season.

Today I am springing into action (not really cause I'm not allowed to spring anywhere) but will sedately and most serenely involve myself in a spot of cooking in the kitchen using ingredients purchased yesterday with the help of Mr redroses and darling daughter. I am fortunate in having a girl who likes to plan menu decisions and organise the delectable offerings at our Christmas Day feast.

My darling son and his lovely girlfriend arrive home tomorrow evening from an overseas jaunt and so will start our family celebrations. 

So before I sign off and hunker down to eat my way through our pantry and watch corny Christmas films here are a few snippets of the lead up to my Christmas.

Lucky lucky little old me received a early present in the acquisition of a beautiful Kitchen Aid mixer. These beauties cost a bomb in Australia so we saved up bank reward points to help offset the cost.
Here she is in all her loveliness dressed up for Christmas and ready for action. Might just pop on a Nigella dvd to set the tone.
Don't fear..I've not lost the plot when I style some of my pics for this blog. If you're a follower you will by now realise my writing is not in the running for a Pulitzer, my love affair is with the visual ie. vamping and styling a photo, hence Miss KA's pretty pink bling. She is sooo worth it!

Another love affair of late is my addiction to anything remotely relating to a cranberry shade. Hair adornments, nail varnish, cushions. 
Very Christmasy don't you agree?

A bowl of fresh produce to whip up delicacies. Grateful beyond words to have healthy food at my table

This bird decoration is a replica of one saved from my childhood which broke several years ago. Upon finding a replacement set in a gift shop last year I literally jumped for joy

 My mother can no longer bake her best ever fruitcake so now the task is mine. I swear this recipe is fabulicious

Rum balls that have obviously ingested far too much of their own rumminess because the pic has fallen on it's side 

Embracing colour for summer festivities. Nearly turned myself inside out attempting this shot

No doubt on Christmas morning I shall be channeling my beloved dahlink Eva dressed in a Christmas frock and pearls and ever so quietly bossing everyone around.



Thank you one and all for sharing my blogging apprenticeship since August, I'm having a ball and learning something new every day.
Best wishes to all my cyber and real life blog pals, may you enjoy a truly wonderful celebration with family and friends.

Annie xx