My Australia Day

 I woke up  late, missing my 5 minutes of news at 8am, and decided I would have a news-free day.  I'm not particularly interested in knowing the Australians of the Year.  Then off to Howrah Beach we went to partake in a perfect summer's day.

Aussie beach girl

We were not alone.  Definitely 'a one and free' atmosphere of doggy rejoicing.

woman and dog swim together

man and dog rest together

So getting home and thinking how to continue this beautiful day

I thought giving one of my wedding dresses an airing could be fun.  I'd just had a week of unacknowledged wedding anniversaries.  I always get married in January.  Admittedly I look like a plump Miss Havisham.  This was only the third time I'd put this dress on.  I consider purple and blue to be the colours of Australia - sea and distance.

Some of you will remember the dress's debut on that very hot day at the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers.

Apparently the current weather's a repeat performance

and Mildura Babes are melting.

I can never wear my first wedding dress again because I cut it up one year for Christmas aerobics.  I went as an angel.  I wanted to show you that dress because I made it myself and I've been doing a bit of sewing again recently.  And in my archives I found this:

My gorgeous Corinne is looking like that because her boyfriend is taking the photo.  I miss her.

note bolero made and embroidered by the bride

I didn't embroider this one, and I didn't do any of the planned sewing.  Just lounged in my 'bijou residence' and read a Miss Fisher mystery cover to cover.  A perfect day was made even more perfect when a bandicoot came wandering in in the evening.  Jill observed with interest.

Sort of a propos nothing, though unsurprisingly, I've been thinking a lot recently that 'fings ain't wot they used t'be'.  I would now be that grandma trying to shock them all / doing the knees up rocknroll.

Last Tuesday lunch at the Village, Dave and Kerry arrived in their treasured Morris.  I remember my Dad telling me as a child that we were getting one of these and I thought it was so stylish with its wood trim. (We got an old Bedford van instead - but Dad decked it  out for camping).  Somehow, while doing the dishes, some of us recalled Knees Up Mother Brown and the Hokey Cokey.  These are my memories from the adults' parties and the wedding receptions we were allowed to attend until bed-time.  What a rollicking good time we had.