queen's birthday jubilee

Well, after almost a year out of the blogisphere, I'm back! I've been pouring a lot of creative energy into my new job and just haven't had much left over for blogging. I've really missed it, so here I am again...


It's been a long weekend in New Zealand, celebrating the Queen's birthday alongside the jubilee celebrations in England. I do have a soft spot for the Queen and royal-themed souvenirs. Here are some of my royal treasures...

 Catherine David "Queen's Head" blackboard 

(from Holly who now lives in London and attended the jubilee celebrations in person!)

 Vintage coronation tin

(from Beth who found it on Great Barrier Island. Who knew such treasures were hidden there?)

 Crafty Union Jack cushion 

(from my sister Meredith who bought it in England for me) 

It's been so much fun to embrace the Queen's birthday and jubilee this weekend. No royal celebrations are complete without freshly baked scones...

Pimms

Union Jacks

tea

and the most amazing "Queenie" jelly made by Beth. Two litres of boysenberry jelly no less. The mould was a gift from my friend Helen who lives in England (and is also aware of my fondness for Queenly jubilee souvenirs).

Here she is before the unmoulding

 Nervous lifting

 Phew! She is set and looking lovely (if not slightly disturbing when she wobbles)

 Delicious! The destruction has begun...

Kiwi royalists

"Happy birthday and jubilee celebrations, Ma'am!"

(Flags and crowns courtesy of Holly)

what I did in my holidays

Now that I'm back teaching I am enjoying all of the good things that it brings..... gorgeous children, weekends (after working Sundays for the last few years) and regular holidays. Thanks to some very lovely friends, I was able to return to Rotorua for a relaxing break. You can read about my last Rotorua holiday here and here.

Beth and Mikey came down for the weekend and we spent our time exploring, eating, op shopping, luging, laughing, eating, drinking, watching a movie, playing board games, drinking, laughing, eating, reading, biking (Mikey), napping (me), eating..... until it was time for them to leave. I waved goodbye and prepared to settle in for the rest of the week.

It was so nice to spend a sustained period of time when I didn't have to do anything, I could just do anything. I spent my time reading two and a half novels, more op shopping, sleeping, walking and crafting. It's been pretty full on starting a new job so I haven't really been crafting - just blobbing out in front of the tv too exhausted to think creatively, let alone make anything. I've known for a really long time that being creative feeds my spirit but when life gets busy it seems to be the first thing to go. As I cut, pinned, sewed, embroidered, knit and generally created I felt energised... and extremely productive!! Here are the fruits of my labour....

 Knitted red wool bracelet and vintage blanket heart decorations

Ipad cover made from a vintage NZ wool blanket, vintage buttons with an airforce badge on the front.... 

.... and an army badge on the back!

Nine vintage NZ wool blanket cushions

As you can tell, I love grey blankets. I particularly love the grey blanket with the red stripe up the middle. (I've only ever found one!)

Vintage blankets and doilies

And then it was time to pack up and head home. I enjoy a good road trip but the road can get monotonous so I like to take regular breaks. I stopped for afternoon tea at this lovely cafe that seems to be from another era....

Homemade apple cake presented beautifully on a Crown Lynn plate

Collections of vintage bottles

Star-glass room dividers

The cafe's chooks

Love it! As I headed back to Auckland I felt like I had experienced a real slice of NZ country hospitality!!

geelong - the sequel

My friends have described Geelong as Hamilton by the sea. I understand the comparison as Hamilton is smaller and slower paced than Auckland and Geelong is smaller and slower paced than Melbourne. The similarities end there! It is still reasonably large. It is the hub of some huge Australian-based brands, such as Cotton On, Emu and Ford. It has so many great places to shop and eat. There are a myriad of antique and vintage markets. It is full of the cutest little villas and gardens, historical buildings and architecture. It's interesting and lively without the pressure of fast city living. It's a great place to live!

Check out the vintage shopping. Oh my goodness! So many treasures! So much I wanted to buy if I lived there.

I loved walking around the streets - taking in all of the gorgeous old houses, gardens and historical buildings. It really is lovely.

Such a nice place to live. Don't you agree?

kitchen tea

Beth and I hosted a kitchen tea for my niece Esther. It has involved months of planning and preparation. We developed everything round a vintage, floral theme. We made a paper pompom chandelier.

We also made linen napkins, appliqued and then embroidered them with blanket stitch. They were our special hostess gift. Everyone had one to use, then take home with them.

We got out our combined stash of Crown Lynn crockery, vintage crystal glasses, linen and doilies. We also used a variety of cake plates and tiered cake stands to display the food. We styled the rooms with vintage books, accessories....

..... and beautiful flowers in glass jars and bottles.

We also cooked up a baking frenzy in the kitchen to produce some delicious home baked goodies, tasty sandwiches and treats. We owe a big thanks to Holly for baking her extremely moreish chocolate chip cookies. One is never enough!!

Everything came together really well. It was everything we hoped for.... elegant, visually beautiful and special for Esther and her family and friends. It was a lovely afternoon. We shared recipes and advice with Esther. Funny and heartfelt! There's something nice that happens when women get together to support and encourage each other. 

Here's the bride-to-be herself and yes, they are discussing her gorgeous engagement ring!!

Photos by Beth Peters (with a couple by me!)