My week in a nutshell

This week I have been:

♥ Drinking organic, preservative free red wine, and breathing freely.
♥ Trying out some more vintage recipes.
♥ Painting the kitchen cupboards and furniture.
♥ Meeting veteran Henry Tranter at the ' Rats of Tobruk' ceremony. 

♥ Reading "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" by Agatha Christie (her first novel).
♥ Walking on the beach and making sandcastles with all the family.
♥ Watching Upper Middle Bogan on ABC and laughing a lot.

The family on the beach, Father's Day

I hope all the father's (and father figures) out there had a great Father's day.  This is what my dad got for father's day - 

Just a little cute. For some reason the kid's all want to go and visit the grandparents now.  Shame they live two states away!

♥ Deb

My week in a nutshell

This week I have been:

♥ Walking the dogs and kids on the beach and collecting driftwood
♥ Planning what to do with the lawn now the dog has dug it up
♥ Collecting an egg a day from each of my three black hens
♥ Having drinks at Sorbello's to welcome a new Judge to our town
♥ Buying neon for the kids to wear to the school disco (Ahh the 80s...)
♥ Watching 'Games of Thrones' my new TV obsession
♥ Packing for our family trip to Melbourne
♥ Planning my new website - confusing and exciting!

♥ Deb 

1930s Fashion History & Inspiration - Beach and Lounging Pyjamas

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of orange and blue oriental print dress pyjamas, which I loved, and inspired me to find more, as in my post last Friday.  Today, as it's time for a history post, a little look at how pyjamas, or pajamas, came to be considered fashion.

1926.backless velvet halterneck one piece outfit with embroidered harem pants

During the 1920s Chanel and Vionnet had promoted silky, luxe pyjamas as evening wear to wear in private, and   Paul Poiret promoted then as avant garde dress, known as harem pants.  Only the brave woman would wear them!

By the late 1920's pyjamas appeared outside the bedroom as swimsuit cover-ups on the beaches and boats of the French Riviera, and then on the beaches (and streets)of Britain.

England, 1930s

A Walk on the beach

On our beach walk this morning there were only two other people, and the kids managed to see a whale when they scaled the rocks. I missed it of course.

On this afternoon't walk the beach was also quite empty - much more than usual for the time of day.  I actually wondered if the beach was closed due to a shark or something  and we had just missed the notice, but there were  a few people swimming at the other end of the beach (if you look closely you can see a few people behind my family). I heard on the news when we got home that all beaches long the cost near Rockhampton and Bundaberg are closed because of debri from the recent storms and floods, so that may explain the lack of people - although the water looked pretty clear to us.

Lambert Beach, Mackay

Before the 1960's this area was cattle farms and sugar cane, with  small beach shacks. Samuel Lambert, Mayor of Mackay in 1899 and owner of Lambert's Department store, took his staff to the beach for Company picnics in the early part of the 20th Century - hence the name Lamberts Beach.  It's still popular for picnics, wedding photos and sea turtle and whale watching.  Swimming can be risky however, as we occasionally get sharks and crocodiles, and stingers are in the water from November until May.

Dead shark displayed on a beach, South Australia 1913

Here are some well used beaches, in scenes from 100 years ago.

Clarence Beach, UK 1913

Palm beach, US, 1913

Our local beach has never been crowded like those ones.  It's more like this beach in an autochrome by  Mervyn O'Gorman, taken in 1913. The model is Christina,his daughter.

Add Christina on the Beach, 1913, source

Isn't that a lovely photo.  Here's another wonderful  image by Mr O'Gorman taken in 1913. Many of his works were used on book covers.  

Christina by a boat, 1913

Off the track a bit, but I love those photos.  A beach really is the best place to be on a hot, humid Mackay afternoon!

Lambert's Beach

As usual more images on tumblr.

Deb xxx

Summer at the Beach

Having some technical difficulties today, so instead of my prepared post, just some Summer images.

I have been walking the dogs on the beach each morning and afternoon, as I build up my strength before returning to work.  The afternoons are busy, for here anyway, but in the mornings I am the only human on the beach. Despite the grey clouds, it is very hot, and humid - perfect swimming weather if it weren't for the jelly fish, and possible sharks and crocodiles.

Our busy local beach, Lambert's Beach, Mackay

I love to remember my time in Sydney at the popular Bondi or Manly beaches, or even Melbourne's St Kilda Beach, and compare the amount of people!  Even one hundred years ago Sydney's beaches were crowded - but isn't it a lovely painting.

Manly Beach — Summer Is Here, 1913, by Ethel Carrick Fox. Manly Art Gallery, Sydney.

Here is another Sydney beach scene by Fox.

On Balmoral Beach, 1913, by Ethel Carrick Fox. source

Born in, Sussex in 1872, Ethel Carrick was the daughter of an English draper. She was trained at the Slade School of Art, London, under Henry Tonks (1862-1937) and Frederick Brown (1851-1941) between 1899-1903. Carrick first exhibited her work in London in 1903, and in 1904 commenced exhibiting in Paris, which she continued to do for many years. She married my other favourite artist  Emanuel Phillips Fox, in London in 1905. They travelled extensively, visiting Europe, Africa and Australia.

Mr Fox painted my all time favourite painting in 1909, Bathing hour (L'Heure de Bain), which is thought to depict a beach on France's Channel Coast. Luckily it's owned by the Queensland art gallery, and I am able to visit it every time I go to Brisbane (I do own a small print of it to).

E. Phillips Fox | Australia/France 1865-1915 | Bathing hour (L'Heure de Bain) c.1909 Queensland Art Gallery

So even if it's cold where you are, I hope I brought you some summer cheer!

Deb xxx