Black and White Florals to Welcome 2019

Happy New Year everyone, may 2019 be filled with wonder and joy. My first post of 2019 celebrates my love of wearing black and white and visiting local gardens.The garden is at a National Trust property, Franklin House, on the outskirts of Launceston. I visited here  in Autumn a couple of years ago and promised to come back to see the Summer garden.

There are several of these scarecrows around the garden , someone had a lot of fun making and dressing these guys.

I am not sure what joys a new year will bring but I am open and ready to embrace whatever comes my way. One of the challenges I have set for myself is to explore my creative side and see where this leads me. I have always enjoyed photography and plan to expand my skills further.
Another thing I plan to do this year is to write a journal on a daily basis , so far I have bought the journal but not written a thing, time to start.
As far as my blog goes I plan to finally change to Wordpress and update my layout, keep posted this hopefully will happen soon.
Starting this week I will re-introduce Postcard Wednesday , to show some of my favourites from our travels. My first post will be the Loire Valley in France and the magnificent chateau we visited.

The hair colour is slowly growing out and as much as I find this frustrating I plan to continue as I rather like the touches of silver coming through.
On the clothing front I have committed to buy little, either new or recycled, and then only if it is something I truly love and will wear for many years to come.
I came across this quote recently , " Always dress like it's the best day of your life". This resonated with me and I plan to practice on a daily basis.

Joining Patti for Visible Monday

Jess for Turning Heads Tuesday

Judith at Style Crone for Hat Attack

Catherine At Not Dressed as Lamb

Nancy at Fashion Friday Linkup

Relaxed Summer Holiday Style

 

 Relaxed Summer holiday style was in order for today . The weather is pleasantly warm and sunny, just perfect in fact to end 2018 and usher in 2019.

I do hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed spending time with family and friends. We certainly enjoyed our small and relaxed family gathering. 

The weather gods were kind this year and we enjoyed Christmas lunch outside in the garden. John and I were joined by our sons Zac and Callum , our daughter-in-law Sarah ,my sister Lyn and of course baby Harry, who slept soundly for a good part of the day.

 

I had to include this shot I took of Harry and his proud parents under the rose arch on Christmas Day.

Now that Christmas is done and dusted it is time to focus on the coming year, not that I do New Year Resolutions, always a waste of time in my book. Merely a time to reflect on what is important to me and what areas may need a rethink .

One of these areas is to brush up on my easy casual style - not one of my strong suits. I am one to overdress rather than underdress. Summer here in Australia is always a casual affair , mostly shorts , tee shirts and rubber thongs, not me at all. Today's outfit is my version based on items I have had and worn for a few Summers just not together- the top and pants are Moyuru , so light and comfy , a black Paula Ryan tee shirt under the top , beads and bangle stack, charity shop finds and silver Ara sandals, bought retail locally at a bargain price as they have a flaw.

So excited , this book arrived today, the newly released  Advanced Love by Ari Seth  Cohen . So far I have really only had a quick peek but the photographs and stories are just wonderful. This was a Christmas present from John - quite apt as we have been together for 45 years. I never ceased to be amazed at the speed of things , the book was released on Christmas Eve in the U.S. and arrived here today, now that's quicker than I can get a book from elsewhere in Australia.

Wishing all my kind readers a healthy and happy New Year. 

Joining Patti for Visible Monday, Jess for Turning Heads Tuesday and Nancy for Fashion Friday Linkup.

Revisiting Portugal With Accessories

Today's outfit consists of many old favourites that have appeared on the blog in various combinations but it is some of my accessories that have me revisiting my trips to Portugal.The shoes by Fly London and made in Portugal were purchased on my previous trip in 2016 . They have a beaded front panel that reminds me of the famous Portuguese azulejo ceramic tiles we saw on our travels.

 Both my earrings and the brooch (pin) are made from cork by local artisans . I purchased these on my recent trip in a small shop in Porto in Northern Portugal.I just couldn't resist the brooch and know she will be worn on repeat. Looking at her sleek bob makes me think it is time for a shorter cut again.

 I am still in the process of sorting and editing my many hundreds of trip photos but do plan on a few special trip highlight posts in the New Year. Meanwhile these are just a small glimpse , the first shot is Porto and the following are taken in Lisbon.

Today's outfit details - pants Moyuru, black and white top Paula Ryan, vest M. Dainty, coat Saquenna,black boater Fillen Broken Street, sunnies Sunday Somewhere.

Joining Patti for Visible Monday, Jess for Turning Heads Tuesday, Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb and Nancy for Fancy Friday Link Up.

Floral Abundance

 Florals were in abundance this week , not just the pretty little climbing rose named Cherub that covers a rose arch at my front gate but also on my cotton jacket. I have had this Asian inspired jacket for a while and it has made a previous appearance on the blog. I bought it at a local recycled shop and was drawn to the pretty floral and its hot pink lining.

 I paired the jacket with a straw platter style hat that I purchased from a local retailer last Summer.I liked the style of the hat but not the decorative finishes, a bit too tizzy for my taste. I had good intentions of removing them and making the hat more me but as you can see that is a project yet to happen. That said it worked perfectly with this outfit that I wore for a garden visit with my sister.

 Kaydale Lodge Gardens are a family obsession that first began from a bare farm paddock in 1979.It is a real family affair , parents Kay and Robert designed and planted the original garden and today their daughters Amarlie and Leslie are adding their favourite plants and ideas. The garden was a joy to behold with the peonies coming into bloom , we were told that peonies have now replaced roses in the garden as wallabies don't eat them , a problem for many country Australian gardeners.

 A few of the many peonies in bloom , the salmon colour was stunning. We were given a posy of peonies to take home including a couple of these beauties. The girls gave us a tip for extending the vase life of the blooms, add a couple of ice cubes daily and it works they are still looking beautiful.

 Oriental poppies have long been a favourite of mine and I have several in my garden. I think this raspberry pink is glorious and a must to add to my collection.

Today's outfit consists of the cotton Asian style jacket from a local recycle store, white Mela Purdie top , white Obi wide pants , both many Summers old, white daisy vintage clip-ons, straw hat from a local retailer, Preen sunnies, vintage pink Charles Jourdan bag , a recycle find.

Joining Patti for Visible Monday, Judith at Style Crone for Hat Attack, Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for Turning Heads Tuesday, Nancy for Fashion Friday Link Up.

Home Again

 We arrived home about a week ago and have been busy catching up with friends and family.
I also have been rather busy in my garden , not only have the roses grown furiously while we were away but so have the weeds.

 On the hair front I am rather liking the silvery grey that is coming through, this is three months growth. I visited my hairdresser this morning and he cut a few layers in my hair to break up the regrowth, although looking at these pics perhaps he was a little on the cautious side.

On November 6th. , we had a little addition to our family, our first grandchild Harry John James.
Needless to say a trip down to Hobart to meet him and congratulate his proud parents was first on our agenda when we came home. He is one beautiful baby boy but I am a little biased.

Celebrating my 65th. birthday in Paris was pretty special and I was spoiled rotten. John had as a surprise booked us in for afternoon tea in the Salon Proust at the Ritz. The opulence of the surroundings and exceptional service is something I will remember forever.

 I must admit to feeling like a Queen for a day , drinking a glass of the most expensive champagne I have ever had, it was exceptional and drinking tea from some of the finest china . Then there was the food, a French afternoon tea consists only of sweet treats, the most decadent cakes and biscuits you can imagine beautifully presented on a tiered cake stand.

 After a very pleasant couple of hours luxuriating in the surroundings it was time to leave and we were presented with the leftovers in an elegant white box and a small canister of tea in Ritz packaging, a souvenir I will cherish for the memories.

This was taken on my birthday morning in the Palais Royale, one of my favourite Paris places.
Apologies for not blogging and keeping up with everyone while I was travelling, I set off with my laptop and good intentions but I soon discovered time was my enemy. I had places to explore and experience that I may never see again and that became my focus .

Joining Patti for Visible Monday, Jess for Turning Heads Tuesday, Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb and Nancy for Fancy Friday Link Up.