Those frivolous flappers — Kandy Shepherd

This past weekend, I stepped back in time to the 1920s to a Roaring 20s Festival and had the most fun I’ve had in ages. Along with a group of friends, we dressed up in 20s inspired outfits, listened to live jazz, watched a parade of exquisite vintage clothing from a private collection and even tried a few steps of the Charleston.

With author friend Cathleen Ross (left)

The  “long lunch” was held at the glorious Hydro Majestic Hotel in Medlow Bath in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. The Hydro opened in 1904 as Australia’s first health retreat but many of the current buildings were built later in the Art Deco style when it became known as a party hotel for the well heeled.

We knew we were in the right place when we saw the car!

The Hydro has had its ups and downs over the years, but was recently magnificently restored and has become an entertainment hub for residents of the mountains and visitors from Sydney—about an hour and half drive or rail ride away—and beyond. The hotel is sited on an escarpment with breathtaking views to the Megalong Valley below and the surrounding mountains. The Hydro is known for its restaurants too. The lunch was fabulous, showcasing food from the Blue Mountains region.

Blue Mountain cheeses

Afterwards, I found myself wondering why I enjoyed myself so much and realised it was because I whole-heartedly joined in the fun. Usually when it comes to a themed party, I don’t bother getting dressed up in costume. Too old, too heavy, too past that kind of thing I mutter.

Elegant vintage outfit from the 1920s

This time I ordered online a glittery flapper style dress from a company that was advertising on social media. It came in plenty of time for the event but a size smaller than I had ordered. With the aid of some industrial strength control underwear I managed to squeeze into it! My friend, author Cathleen Ross (Harlequin Escape; Entangled) organised our table for the 20s event—thank you Cathleen. Without realising it, we ordered the same dresses, she in silver me in gold which made it all the more fun.

The same dress - one in silver and the other in gold!

All our party dressed up and so did nearly every other guest at the lunch—several hundred by our count. Everyone made the effort and I was so glad I had too, even though at first I felt a tad self-conscious in a squeezed-like-a-sausage into a too-small dress kind of way. I even sashayed down the catwalk when all guests who had dressed up were invited to parade.

I won a door prize of local jams

Everyone laughed and admired each other’s fabulous costumes and chatted to strangers about where they got their headdress or their suit or their ropes of fake pearls. The men were dressed with as much aplomb as the women and totally entered into the spirit of the event. The experience wouldn’t have been the same if I hadn’t overcome my inhibitions and dressed up. The only down side was the most unflattering headband I wore that kept sliding down over my forehead with a wayward pearl button dangling into my eye. No wonder they went out of fashion!

Do you throw yourself into the spirit of  costume party or prefer to fade into the scenery like I usually do? What’s the most memorable costume you’ve ever dressed up in? What’s the most fun dress up party you’ve been to?  Any dress up disasters to share? I’d love to see your comments!

Nostalgia Is A Bitch

When I was a kid we lived for six years in a small Queensland town about 300 kms west of Rockhampton, where I was born. We had a lot of family in Rocky though and we visited often - sometimes by car, sometimes by train because my dad was a railway man and one of the perks was cheap train travel.

When we drove - and remember, this was back in the days before we had aircon in cars let alone DVD players in the backs of seats or iPads!! -  my mother would host sing-a-longs. Its the reason why I know every WW2 song in existence - I can belt out Pack Up Your Troubles, The White Cliffs of Dover and It's A Long Way to Tipperary as if it was yesterday. In the back of that sweltering Kingswood she also taught us Waltzing Matilda, Click Go The Shears and ALL the versus of Two Little Boys. My mother had 4 children in a car that should legally (by today's standards) only have sat 3 and did I mention no aircon??? so she had a job to keep us all amused when the grand adventure soon turned to "he's touching me" and "she had the window seat last time!"
 
There were two markers we always looked out for on that trip. The water tower in Blackwater - we'd all compete for who was the first to see it towering in the shimmering distant haze - and Mt Archer which is the mountain that stands sentinel over Rockhampton.

I realise now, looking back, how quiet my mother would become as soon as she said, "Look kids, Mt Archer." At the time, some part of me recognised it too, that stillness. I would see it come over her profile from my seat in the back but I didn't understand it for what is was. Not like I do now. Even without her being around for me to ask, I know my mother was swamped with the same kind of gut wrenching nostalgia that grips me when I return to my hometown and know she's not going to be there to greet me.

My mother grew up in Rocky and lost her mother at the age of 14 (after losing her 18 year old sister two years prior). I can't even begin to imagine the overwhelming grief of that. I lost my mother at the age of 41 and it was, and still is almost 6 years later, the most devastating thing I've ever experienced.  I've driven home so many times over the years with a sense of peace and homecoming but its different since my Mum died. As soon as I see Mt Archer, I am struck with the deepest sadness, like my heart is being pulled from my chest all over again, knowing that when I get out at that end of that journey she wont be there smiling her funny downturned smile which I inherited, a fridge full of the grandkids (and my) favourite food and her soft hands with the skin that crinkled over her knuckles.

The Cold Chisel song, Flame Trees, plays on repeat through my head as Mt Archer suddenly looms ahead -

"We share some history, this town and I
And I can't stop that long forgotten feeling of her".

"There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around."

I stopped thinking about my Mum every single day a few years back but for long agonising moments as I roll in past Yeppen crossing, I am as gutted and lost as the day I kissed her goodbye forever.

Yeppen Crossing

Which all leads me to, nostalgia is a bitch ..... 😒

What gets you nostaligic?

That 70's Show!

The other evening Twin Two was flicking through the cable channels. She started out DVRing something she wanted to watch the next day, then she bought a movie on Apple TV, and finally pushed pause while she made a hot chocolate.

While she was in the kitchen expertly frothing milk at the coffee machine (in my days it was bitter old cocoa with no fact fluffy milk...) she said,  "So Mum, what did you watch when you were little? What was it like in the olden days?"

"Well," I said (after threatening to cancel her pocket money if she ever called it the olden days again). "For starters, until I was twelve we only had a black and white T.V . And only one channel until I was about 10."

Her eyes did that funny bug-out sort of thing and she dropped her voice to a horrified whisper. "ONE channel! O.M.G!! How did you survive? And what did you watch?"

And suddenly I came over all nostalgic. I remembered Sunday nights with the whole family watching a movie in front of the fire, Friday nights eating fish and chips while we watched the farming programme, and the incredible sight of the channel actually closing down for the night at 11pm!

Looking back, many of my favourite T.V shows were very similar to the books I write now - real people with everyday problems.

But because there wasn't much choice in what we watched, I also came to love a bit of fantasy....

 

and even a touch of the paranormal!

How about you? What T.V programmes did you love to watch when you were little, and do you watch the same sort of shows now?