Anne, from New Zealand, sent these 2 video links to me… The first one is only 1:59 minutes long…
The “Last Post” is a bugle call used at British or Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war. The Last Post symbolizes the duty of the dead is over and they can rest in peace.
“The Rouse” is commonly played following “Last Post”. The bugle call rouses the living back to duty, after having paid respects to the memory of their comrades.
This is 7 minute video of Liam Clancy playing the guitar…and very moving… :o(
Liam Clancy ~ The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Anne took a couple of photos this morning (at 8.30am), in NZ. The first is her little dog, Louis. The second is to show how cold it was this. It was 2C!!! That is frost you can see. Anne said Louis didn’t care how cold it was…he was just happy to be walking. She said he needs a groom but not sure he would appreciate me taking his fur off!
Also Ann made a “private” video of “Phoenix and Phoebe at the Dawn Parade” on YouTube, so you can use the link below but you can’t search for it on YouTube…
Phoenix and Phoebe remember their Grandfather and Great Grandad at the Anzac Dawn Parade. This video is only 40 seconds long but there is speaking so make sure your volume is turned up…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_xYAtimdWw
It worked out perfectly that my May Day post showed Kirsten in a pretty dirndl…because…several of you hoped and wished for a dress for her soon. Well, that post was a lead-in for the next doll dress…and Kirsten is the lucky girl who does get it…
When I make a dirndl, 4 or 5 different fabrics can be used, so I always enjoy mixing and matching and playing around with my zillions of fabrics…
But along with the fabrics, you have to find laces, and trims and buttons and hankies and a pattern…
I’ve made a mess in my sewing room…looking at buttons in boxes, buttons on cards, vintage buttons…
I’ve gotten out charms and laces…
I’ve looked at probably 20-25 vintage hankies, along with 8 or 10 fabrics…
This is what I’ve gotten done so far… I haven’t really had a plan for this one…just making it up as I go along…
Come back tomorrow to see what’s next…
See you then…
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I am jumping on early this morning because I was so late commenting on Saturday. I wanted to thank you so much for celebrating May Day with us! I loved the photos that you posted. There is just something about May 1 that makes me happy!
I am enjoying Ann’s photos. I wonder if Reuben and Louis would be dog pen pals if they could write (laugh).
Kirsten’s outfit is starting out nicely. I love seeing your antique hankies.
I visited a friend today at her house. It was wonderful to get out and move about and feel safe after a year.
Hi Dorothy
I’m glad you are enjoying May already…after all, you wait the whole year for the month of May!! :o)
I think I’ll show some of my prettier hankies soon…I found some beautiful ones at an estate sale this Spring…
I hope you had a wonderful time st your friend’s house!
Thanks Dorothy
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, Anne, for the links to the videos! “Last Post” reminds me a bit of our (USA) “Taps”, while “The Rouse” would probably be comparable to our Reveille.
The song, “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” is very moving. Note: if you scroll down just a tiny bit and click on “SEE MORE”, you can see all the words to the song, and follow them as he sings. I like when they do that. The song really tells quite a story!
I also enjoyed your little “Dawn Parade” video; thanks for including that.
Louis is just adorable!! But…frost! Brrrr!! We are in the middle of spring here, and although our morning started out about 50° F., it got into the high 60s by the time the sun went down.
So Kirsten gets the next spring dress! My Kirsten is definitely my pink-and-blue girl, she seems to love those colors and looks so good in them! I haven’t sewn as much for her as for some of my others, but did use an old Burda doll clothes pattern and made her a dress with a coordinating apron/pinafore to wear over it. I made a similar outfit (different fabrics, but same feel and colors) for my girlfriend’s Kirsten. I wonder who has that doll now; Dee passed away about 7 years ago, and she had Two granddaughters–twins! (Also three grandsons.)
I love seeing your hankies, too. As you may recall, I love and collect hankies, and even have some that I got (or was given) purposely to use in doll clothes, but thus far I haven’t been brave enough to cut into them. I actually USE hankies! I think I have close to 100 of them now, mostly the floral prints.
Hi Charlotte
I couldn’t quit singing Waltzing Matilda in my head last night… and didn’t get to sleep until after 4:30 this morning…ugh!!
Well. If your Kirsten loves pink and blue, she will definitely love this new dirndl…
I don’t know how many hankies I have, but quite a few and I’m going to show some I recently got at an estate sale…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Louis is a cutie! I don’t have time this morning to watch the videos, but if I remember, I will come back tonight and watch them.
I like what you have done with Kirsten’s new dress so far, the pink “blouse” is lovely.
Thank you Carolyn,
I am so glad you like Kirsten’s set so far…wait till you see it tomorrow!
Blessings, Jeanne
I always enjoy your use of vintage hankies, Jeanne. I inherited a large quantity from my mom to add to those I already had. The ribbon braid is perfect on Kirsten’s bodice. The mystery continues…
The wedding we went to yesterday was completely secular. The officiant was “ordained” via the internet. The talk she gave was comedic. No live music. It was all taped or digital. I didn’t recognize the processional. The recessional was a rock number I did recognize but couldn’t say exactly what it was. It was at the fairgrounds in a park with a stage used for musical performances. The couple had a tree on stage that they would plant and they each cracked open a bottle of Culligan drinking water to pour on it to further symbolize Yada Yada Yada. The brides father works for Culligan so there were humorous references to that. The groom is involved with the family well drilling business. More references for laughs. The audience sat on wooden benches. It was interesting. The weather was wonderful. It hit 90 but with virtually no humidity and a lot of wind it was very comfortable. Especially as we found a shady spot!
Loved seeing Anne’s, Louis. What a charmer. Sorry for the frost. His little paws look cold. 🙂 Here in northern CA, I think it will hit 90 today. My unsprouted seeds won’t be happy, and the fire danger will be extreme. I’ll have to watch the videos later when it’s too hot to go outside, but thanks Anne for sharing.
Lucky Kirsten as her new dress begins to take shape. So many lovely things from which to choose. Can’t wait to see what emerges.
Hi Joy
I just showed Kirsten’s dress set to my hubby and he said, “Ummm…it’s looks like a Bavarian dress!” I said, “Very close…it’s Swedish!” He smiled!
We hit 80 today!!
Blessings, Jeanne
Sounds like a very interesting wedding, especially watering the tree with Culligan. 🙂 I’m curious. What did the bride wear? Bridesmaids? Haven’t been to a wedding in years so guess things have changed a lot. 🙂
Hi Julia,
I’m glad you like Kirsten’s dress the way I have it decorated. I bought that trim a long time ago and have it in rose coloured flowers and in purple flowers and it takes just the right pattern to be able to use it. Glad you like it…
My goodness. It sounds like a very interesting and different wedding…I too, want to know what kind of dress the bride wore…
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m so glad I have lived in a more traditional time when weddings were in a church with brides in white and God was part of the ceremony. The wedding Julia told us about is so typical of some current weddings. I’m just too old fashioned although the couple certainly put a lot of thought into it. So what happens if they divorce….does the tree get cut down?
Thanks for telling us about it Julia☺️
Love the start of Kirstens outfit. What is it about pink and blue that is so appealing. It will be adorable 😀🤗
Have a happy Monday!
Thanks Kathie,
I’m with you on the traditional kind of weddings…but I guess that’s the new thing for today…
Thank you for your kind compliments on Kirsten’s new dress. I made a lot of headway today…you’ll see tomorrow…
Blessings, Jeanne
When our daughter got married in 2005 she was determined not to have a traditional wedding. She had a venue wedding at a lovely plantation house near Huntsville where she went to college. The one thing I insisted on was that she have the priest at our church perform the ceremony. She agreed to that. Even though she had been brought up in the church I’m afraid her husband-to-be convinced her it wasn’t the thing to do anymore and she complied.
Anne, Louis is such a cute little dog! He looks perfect to me, what grooming does he need? Thank you for the videos, Anne! Very touching!
I’m so happy we will be seeing Kirsten again, Jeanne! That new dress is going to be very sweet, and oh those hankies! I especially love the one on the upper right, which looks like it could possibly work with what you have started. Did you hear that AG is bringing back the first 6 American Girls for their 35th anniversary? I’m sure it will be for just a short time, not forever.
Hi Linda,
I hadn’t heard AG was bringing back some of their historic girls…I wonder what they’ll look like though…
I am going to show some of my vintage hankies and some I found at an estate sale earlier in the year that are incredible…I’m going to have a hard time cutting them in half…
Thanks Linda
Blessings, Jeanne
Really enjoyed Anne’s video of her girls at the remembrance event. Very touching. It was also nice to hear Anne’s voice IF that was her voice and not another person’s prerecorded voice. Her little dog Louis is adorable. He was probably happy to get inside and out of the cold after his jaunt.
So, Kirsten is the next model. The material you chose, Jeanne is pretty. I like the pink dotted Swiss if that is what the fabric is. It’s a nice start.
Hi Paula
It IS a dotted Swiss I used for the blouse…a vintage piece…I made lots of progress today and hope you’ll like the way it looks tomorrow..
Thank you Paula
Blessings, Jeanne
I watched all the videos and was in tears listening to Liam Clancy sing “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. It was so beautifully done and so sad. I think Phoenix and Phoebe’s video is so sweet. I’m still wondering what the significance of the parade at dawn is and I guess the lantern (which is lovely) is because it’s dark at that time. The ANZAC Day celebration is very moving. Thanks so much, Anne, for sharing all this with us.
Right now our weather here in southeast Texas is moving way too fast toward summer temps. While most others are looking forward to summer, and I remember the days in PA when I did, I’m dreading not only the heat and the humidity but the horribly high electric bills that come with it, especially this year, no matter how much you try to control them. So, Anne, you can keep the winter pictures coming, I’m living vicariously this summer.
May has always been my favorite month, even here. Everything is greening up and flowers are blooming, including the wildflowers still. It’s the last month before summer that we have any hope of getting some fronts through to cool us down. One year we nearly had to shut down our Spring Fling at church because it was so chilly and windy that people gave up and dismantled their booths and went home to sit before the fire. And it was mid-May. One of the booths that stayed open was a “garage sale”. They had a bunch of quilts and blankets. I bought several so I could wrap myself up and keep our booth open.
Well, this has been a joyous day for me. Not only did Siblie Sydney arrive but also a new H4H girl that I ordered from eBay. He name is Zelia and she represents Brazil. She is lovely, but then they are all adorable. I told all the others to tighten up the ranks a little since we have two more family members to squeeze in. Hubby hasn’t a clue about these two yet and I probably ought to not mention them too soon. I ordered several things from Bath and Body Works the other day and told him that was my Mothers’ Day. My next gift getting holidays are not until Christmas and my birthday, both in December. Can I keep it a secret that long? I guess I could always tell him I had serious dolly fever and needed them to make me better, but he doesn’t understand dolly fever all that much.
Kirsten’s dress is looking lovely. I really like the pink fabric. Waiting with anxious anticipation for what is next.
Barbara I googled the question you asked about why Anzac parades are held at dawn. Wikipedia says that “a dawn service was held on the Western Front by an Australian Battalion on the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landing on 25th April 1916 and historians agree that in Australia dawn services spontaneously popped up around the country to commemorate the fallen at Gallipoli in the years after this”
The song was written (and sung) by Ed Bogle but I liked this version better, I found it very moving.
The frost is very early this year, sometimes we don’t get such low temps till June, but we do get lovely days after the morning cold. It is supposed to be 21C today but very cold at the moment. Still very dry though, the fire danger is ‘very high’ which is only one step away from extreme.
Dear Barbara, here are three sure-fire excuses to use to explain new dolls in your house.
1 The universe sent them to me. If I don’t accept them, I will be harming my Karma.
2 They just showed up on my doorstep. I couldn’t turn them away. That would be cruel.
3 They are foreign exchange dolls and just visiting for a little while.
I hope one of these excuses will work for you.
They all work for me. Of course my husband, David, is imaginary so he really doesn’t have too much to say (laugh).
Hi Dorothy
You’ve got the “excuses” down to a science! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks for the excuses I love them all. I’ll pick one and save the rest for later. My non-imaginary husband, David, doesn’t say much either. It’s the look I get when a new addition to the family shows up.
Hi Barbara
I learned a lot from Anne too and enjoyed the videos, although after I listened to Liam singing Waltzing Matilda, I couldn’t get it out of my head…ALL night…and fell asleep sometime after 4:30…
Congrats on Zelia…I always thought she was one of the prettiest H4H girls…and congrats on your Siblie doll…Sydney…I bet you’ve played dolls today…at least I hope you got to!!!
I hope you enjoy Kirsten’s dress tomorrow…
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, Anne, for sharing those videos. They were very moving. I also enjoyed your girls tribute to ANZAC day.
Louis is a sweetheart! He looks absolutely perfect.
How nice to see Kirsten up. As Linda mentioned, the first six dolls, the original PC girls, are returning for the 35th anniversary, so Kirsten may be getting a lot more of your attention in the future. The pink and blue are a lovely springtime combination. Your dirndl choices are a lot of fun to see come together. I love seeing your vintage hankies. I have some of my grandmother’s, but, of course, would never use them on doll clothes.
I’ll need to check out our antique store again fo that.
Hi Laura,
I debated about using blue again for Kirsten, but those eyes ofvhers won me over for blue…with a little pink in the mix… :o)
Wait till you see these last 3 vintage hankies I got at an estate sale a few months ago…they are incredible…
It will be interesting to see the new AG dolls…
Thanks Laura
Blessings, Jeanne
Barbara (again), your story about the Spring Fling reminded me of our first Christmas in NZ. I wanted it to be as traditional as possible. Mum and Dad had joined us earlier in the year and we had two relatives here, Dad’s Auntie Jenny and his cousin Jane. I had a hot soup to start with, then turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes I even managed to find some frozen brussel sprouts, remember this is well into the start of summer. It was 33C! Far too hot for the sort of food I had. Dad said we should have a real NZ Christmas the next year and have a bbq on the beach. Good job I didn’t listen, it was 8C the next year lol. We had to light the fire. They have had a white Christmas long before I got here (about 1947, I think), it was 24C on Christmas Eve, the southerly came through overnight and they woke up to snow!
I compromise these days. We only have turkey if the whole family are here, we actually prefer chicken, I usually buy a few slices of good ham from the deli, we have the stuffing
and the roast potatoes with lots of salad and less hot food. Never had a bbq on the beach though.
Paula, that is me reciting the ‘Ode to the Fallen’. It would have been much better if I had used a recording lol.
Jeanne, I am looking forward to seeing Kirsten’s outfit finished. Your collection of buttons and hankies is impressive.
Love your accent, Anne. My niece and I used the voice of a young Australian man as our car ‘s map guide voice!
Ever since seeing the movie On the Beach 1959, I have found it difficult to listen to Waltzing Matilda. The song is lovely, it is just me.
Hi Anne,
You are just full of so many stories…you have had so many experiences… :o)
I do have lots of buttons and my hankies aren’t dar behind…
Thanks so much
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I always look forward to your posts, since I tripped over the dishwasher and broke my right arm, they are one of the highlights of my day. I enjoy reading about your home and sewing projects and viewing the photos and videos from your readers. Watching your doll designs from a fabric swatch to finished outfit is a delight! I know there will be one in my future. Thanks for sharing.
Debbie
Dear Debra, oh dear. I hope you are on the mend. I hope you have many dollies who can give you hugs.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you so much for your sweet compliments on my blog and my sewing! I appreciate your very kind comments and do hope she day you’ll own one of my dress sets!!
I hope you arm is getting better….just not enough to do “dishes!” :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you for well wishes!
Debbie
The video was very moving, Anne, and so well done. You’re a good production team. I sure didn’t know the history of “Waltzing Matilda.” Thanks for sharing that with us. Cute doggie. I should send along before and after pictures of the two dogs at my son’s house in Texas. They do clean up amazingly after a day at the doggie spa!
Good for Kirsten coming next. I’m not seeing a tie-in with the pink blouse and the print fabric but I know you’ll do your magic with it.
Hi Susette
Well. I’m pretty sure I got the tie-in fabric figured out…hope you like it…
I always like sewing for Kirsten…a chance to be creative to the max!!
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, What do you call this pink fabric that you made Kirsten’s upper dirndl from? It is very pretty with the bumps all over it. I was also wondering what you call the embellishment around her scoop on the bodice? Works perfectly with all these colors in the fabric. I just love dirndls on Kirsten. So precious.