Sydney Welcomes Olympic Athletes

Sydney put on a great parade on Monday to welcome home the Olympic athletes. The weather was perfect, a warm sunny winter day. I'm not much interesterd in sport though I did enjoy the opening ceromony but I love parades and I was there for a special reason.

While waiting for the Olympians to come we were entertained by people in blue wigs? Blue wigs were also given to the waiting crowds.

DaughterS was lucky enough to catch one and models it here. I did tell her she looks a sort of cross between Marge Simpson and Ronald McDonald. I refused to wear mine.

One of the athletes proudly showing his gold medal. To my shame I don't know who he is. Will update this post when I know his name.

Police were on duty for crowd control, suitably labelled so they weren't mistaken for athletes.

Here is the real reason I was there. My GRANDSON was in the parade, here he is leading some of the athletes. His highschool drama class was chosen and they wore white shirts and were able to get lots of athlete autographs on their shirts after the parade. I cheered and waved so much you'd have thought he won a medal. I was able to restrain myself from rushing out for a cuddle but I did tell the Chinese tourists standing next to me that my grandson was there. They waved and cheered for him too.

AND the QUEEN was there with 2 of her Corgis and some Guardsmen. She looked amazing after her jump from the helicopter for the games opening ceromony. More waving cheering etc. etc. A bit disapointed grandson didn't get her autograph on his shirt but at least I saw her and I love those corgis. I want a corgi!!!

One of the athletes managed to smuggle a London bus back to Sydney in his luggage. Hope I can have a ride some time.

Last in the parade was this colourful float reminding us we can look forward to the games in Rio in 4 years time.

EdwardVII Embroidered Coronation Sampler

 EdwardVII and Alexandra were crowned 110years ago today 9th August. Edward's Coronation was all set for 26th June when he became ill and was operated on for appendicitis. The coronation went ahead on 9th August but a lot of souvenirs were sold with the original date. Now I am lucky enough to have this sampler with the right date embroidered. Today is also my birthday, nice of Edward to choose my special day for his Coronation, wish I could have been there. But if I was in London in 1902 I would not have been in London in 2012!!

 Hard to show the sampler in one piece because it is very wide. The embroidery is expertly worked. It might have been stitched from an iron on transfer though I can't  see any sign of such a transfer.

 Five panels in total and here are no's 3 and 4. Although the top states' ye goode childes sampler 1902' I think the stitching a bit too fine to be worked by a child. There is a name on the back edge of the sampler but I have yet to decipher it.

 On the last panel we have the magic date 9th August 1902. It's my birthday and I'm excited. This rare sampler is now the oldest one in my collection. Any earlier sampler would be Queen Victoria and I don't think I'll ever find one of those.

 Here is a wall plate with the wrong date 26th June.

 A teapot with the wrong date. Other souvenirs I have for Edward and Alexandra only have the year 1902 so they were playing it safe.

 This little WH Goss miniature shows the Coat of Arms of EdwardVII. It's one of my birthday gifts and on the base it reads Model of the Pilgrim 'leather bottell' in Canterbury Museum. I have some Goss miniatures for GeorgeV but this is the first one for Edward.

Remember my last post when I wrote about hundreds of motor bikes going through the town. I wasn't exaggerating.
This is the article which was in the paper next morning, so now we all know what it was about.

Coronation Year 1937 Sampler and More from the Markets

 

 This is a 1937 sampler with a story to tell . Eileen, a blog follower in America emailed me and told me it was on Craig's List in America which I think might be a bit like Gumtree here. I emailed the seller Sue, who was more than willing to sell to me. Lots of emails later and I had it in my possesion. When I removed the glued on cardboard backing I found the name and address of the stitcher on a piece of tape. Margaret Hood of Springvale rd Ayr Scotland. So this sampler has gone from Scotland to America and now has a happy home with me in Australia. I think Margaret might have stitched this as a school project. The sampler was donated to a church sale, didn't sell and Sue was selling it on Craig's List on behalf of her church. I must say thanks to Margaret, Eileen and Sue for this sampler I now have on my wall.

 Yesterday I went to my local flea market and bought NOTHING! Today I went a bit furthur to a much trendier market in a trendy little town with prices to match. Not much at the market but there is a shop in this town I love and the only place I know apart from ebay where I can buy Laurel Burch bags. Well I really really needed a new bag And now they sell Laurel Burch Scarves too. I admit I lost my head a bit but it is my birthday this week  so I bought both with hardly a glance at price tags.

 Some of the Laurel Burch bags I already have but these are getting a bit shabby and worn, that's why a new bag was a must. I am never seen out without a cat bag of some sort.

 Doll house furniture I bought at the market and cakes are a market must have. In the trendy town in the trendy newsagent I found a magazine I haven't seen before with more Jubilee souvenirs to make.
Best of all, at the same shop where I bought the bag and scarf I bought new scissors. I should have made more of a feature of these. They were expensive and a good made in Italy brand. I ruined all my cheap scissors cutting carpet for the dolls'house. These new ones must only be used for fabric and must be hidden from everyone including me. I tend to grab any scissors available and use in the garden, the kitchen or anywhere then wonder why they are blunt.



  

 The main highway goes right through this trendy little town and today hundreds of motor bikes went through while I was there. The roar of bikes was deafening and wave after wave of bikes kept coming. My photographic skills don't allow me to show more bikes, you will have to take my word that there were hundreds. Fun to watch even if a bit noisey.






 No one was rude to me today Charlotte, everyone at the markets and in the trendy town was out to have a good day in the sun. Even the trendy dogs, and there were a lot of those. But Charlotte will be ready to help me out with tips on how to deal with rude people should the need arise.