Bounty Day Celebrations

I have waited 34 years to come to a Bounty day, So a huge Thankyou to Bernie for allowing us to be honourary members of the Christian family for the day.

When we woke up, we told Teddy that it was Bounty day and that we were dressing up for the celebration, he asked if he could dress up like the wolf in the red riding hood story .

(have a look at the spectators on the hillside looking towards the wharf, Bernie said there was only about a quarter of last years crowd for the 150th year) After the heavens opening up and delivering the rain we have asked for, it miraculously stopped as the march began. (Teddy and friend Telani)We met on the Kingston pier and after the re-enactment of the first landing also on a rainy day 151 years ago, we joined the family and other Norfolkers, so proud of their Pitcairn heritage also, by marching to the cenotaph and pausing to remember and singing God save the Queen. Wreaths were left here in remembrance.
It was here that my children ceased to be clean as they discovered the muddy puddles and banks around the edge of the roadside. (Teddy giving a birthday invite to friend, Mirabelle)
The March continued up past the historic Georgian buildings towards the cemetery where we paused again to remember, the children laid flowers on Family graves while the elders started singing their beautiful Pitcairn hymns.
Everyone then walked to Government house where morning tea was served on the lawn, on sunnier days the Children usually roll down the grassy slopes, we hauled ours home for a rest before the bounty feast.
(A very rare photo of Charles smiling, I just had to include)
Charles drove 'the oldies' there in the old tour bus from Pitcairn settlers village, with Kim proudly showing baby William(now 11 weeks) his first Bounty day.
Teddy wanted to walk along the walls as he had watched the big boys doing during the march. Sienna was very content to play with the gravel on the road.

The rains came down again, but the feast that was assembled by everyone at Devon house was amazing, a mix of traditional Tahitian dishes and lots more.
It reminded me of a Christmas feast(Mary said, it's better) with family, minus the commercialism and stress of buying presents that Christmas sometimes has.
The Kids all ate together then enjoyed the size of Devon house for a boys vs girls game of hide and seek which ended in the deepest corners of the roof recesses, luckily without anyone falling through the ceiling which has happened before in this wonderful old house.
They even had a game of cricket in the rain, great simple pleasures.
My two were exhausted at the end of the day, and I don't think that their 'Bounty clothes' will ever be the same again.

Thank you everyone for sharing your anniversary with us, especially to Mary and Bernie Christian-Bailey for including us at Devon house for the Bounty feast and for seconds, the following night.....yum yum.

50!

Happy 50th Mark Warren Piper!
weren't you at my 12th birthday?
Love you buddy! have a great party!

Golden moon

I love watching full moons rise, I just happen to get these photos as I had finished setting up for art in the park(it was dark when I finished) and drove down the road from Mount Pitt.

I love the top of a pine tree silhouetted against the moon.

A creative week

(good time for a family photo)
I haven't done much or anything in the way of painting or craft since I have been here, but I have taken plenty of photos as a substitute as it is quicker and more instant for a busy working Mum.
But, this week presented me with a few challenges that were too good to ignore.
Art in the park is an annual event organized by the community arts society, it is an outdoor exhibition open to the whole community for free.
(Teddy and part of the Banyan park playcentre's maze, made by the kindergarten children.The 1st tree with the monkey in it was the one he made.)When I heard it was at the scenic Captain Cook memorial site, it got the creative juices flowing.
This beautiful cliff top picnic site has a lovely outlook over the cliffs of the far side of the island.
I made 2 displays, but Teddy helped me so much with one of the works, that I had to put his name on it.
My display was a series of butterflies, dragonflies and spiderwebs made from wire, beads and ricepaper all hung in a low pine tree over looking the south pacific.

Teddy's display was a set of plaster feet and hands in various sizes and rainbow colours called follow me, as the feet wound around the base of a small tree and the hands climbed up into the lower branches, where we tied on more plaster bugs and butterflies. We used Teddy's, Sienna's and baby William's feet in graduating colours and sizes.

It has rained all day today, so I dont know how everything is holding up out at the art in the park, but I found some other butterflies that I made, but forgot about that can be taken out there to hang up too.

There were so many other wonderful entries too, such a clever and creative community, very supportive too of anyone who wants to have a go.

You can read more about it on Aunty Mary's blog page http://devonhouse.blogspot.com

Another creative moment I have had at 11pm most nights was to do a series of paintings depicting children and a touch of Norfolk for the local kindergarten where Teddy attends, they want to do a series of stamps for the Norfolk Island philatelic and also a Christmas card for later in the year,
so whether mine get chosen or not, I had a ball getting my paints out for a purpose, even though I haven't had the time this year to do any 'fine' paintings, I loved doing something fun.


P.S. after writing this, I have been out to check on the works, some of my butterflies flitted away with the gale force winds, most were captured in the tree and reattatched. Teddy's footprints have gone from very colourful back to white with flecks of colour in the storm and need another lick of paint, not bad for being so open to the elements that we have had here this week.

Golden Oldies

I can't pretend to understand what is going on with this game, as it is similar enough to rugby league, but then they do something completely different that I then lose track of the game, but at least I can enjoy the view(of Norfolk of course!)
I think the different coloured shorts mean different things eg.purple shorts means that you are over 70 and can't be tackled, but can't run for more than X amont of metres, I am not sure what yellow means, but I do know that you have to be over 35 years to play.
Norfolk's own team, the creaky convicts, with appropriate broad arrow print on their shirts, and black shorts, unfortunately, Brandt only had green shorts, which left a few people scratching their heads as to what they mean.
Anyway another golden oldies team came over from Dannevirke NZ and they had a match which Brandt was the first one to score a try(Except I was feeding the kids and didnt have my camera out) and then set up another try (Except I was giving the kids a drink and missed that one too.)
So here are some other fine photos of the game.
As I said on the mothers day blog, one of the most scenic playing fields in the world.

higher, higher, HIGHER!

Some children dont like swings or the motion, I have seen a few babies really feel motion sickness in a swing, but not mine.
Both Teddy and Sienna have both loved swings every since they were very small always giggling when pushed on one, now in the playground, a chant can always be heard, higher mummy, higher!

I thought that these photos spoke volumes by themselves of my wonderful little man with his gorgeous smile, doing what kids do best, having fun.

I hope they make you smile too.

A Rose and her Flowers

Sienna Rose, not just a pretty name and a pretty girl.(even though my sister Jenni says that the name is just right for an artist, as it is 2 colours, light brown,light pink)

I am Cristina Rose.

Rose is a family name which I proudly share, it is not just a pretty add on to a name, to me it is the name of my lovely Nana's baby sister.
Aunty Rose had polio as a child, but got to live to a ripe old age.
I remember travelling to England and celebrating my 5th birthday there(though I didn't like the balloons popping)at one of the other Aunties townhouses at Sheerness by the sea, and trying to entertain Nana's brothers and sisters(she was one of 7)by grabbing Aunty Rose's cane and doing the Mexican hat dance around a hat in the lounge room, and Rose laughing so hard, I guess at the exuberance of a five year old trying to be the clown. (What a funny memory to have, it was 30 years ago, I may have remembered it differently to what actually happened in case one of my own family corrects me, but like I said, it was an amazing memory for a 5 year old, there is a photo of it at Mum's, I will try to get hold of it next time I am there.)
But enough about me.

I have a predecessor in the making people laugh category, two actually, but this is about my little princess.


There are too many stories to print here about what she is getting up to lets just say that Crayola washable markers are the best invention, but.........

I had to share these photos of my girl.