ALL THAT JAZZ !!!!!!!!!

Sunday saw myself and Shady Ray meet up with a group of friends to enjoy the Southport International Jazz Festival.

There was plenty of Pimms consumed and although the weather was over cast the sun did manage to poke it's head out for short periods of time.

 We pitched ourselfs outside the Pimms Tent.....
 sat back and enjoyed the music and of course danced and then danced some more.
                                                                                                                         
Peter & Gillian.                                                        

            

Anthony & Cecillia.

 




Unfortunately there are no photographs of Shady Ray & I dancing which I can reassure you we did.                         
So I have included this one of us taken by one of our daughters before we left.

 

We had an simply spiffing afternoon.

 Toodle Pip.

Hi-de-Hi!

Hi -de - hi  ...... and greetings

As I am sure you all realise going to a holiday camp in the early 1950's was anew and exciting thing to do  and my parents like so many newlyweds spent their honey moon and or first holidays together at one.

I recently found these photos of my parents taken in the early 1950's at a holiday camp on Hayling Island.

                              My parents are the middle couple.

My dad was always sharp I think this came from being  a) being an East End Lad & b) being use to wearing a Merchant Navy uniform and having the luxury of having his suites made in Singapore.

My mum always wore the most up to date fashion and also had most of her cloths made, even her underwear which she made herself.

My mum remembers taking part in this lovely legs competition and still had the delicate hand made garter worn in this picture when I was a small child.

People sure knew how to dress in those days, every woman was a lady and every man a gentleman.

Cheerio x

Bake Do & Lindy Hopping.

What Ho Chaps & Chapettes.

I decided to bake some fairy cakes on Monday afternoon to take to dancing that evening.
This is the first time I have done this others at the class have baked in the past, so I thought in the spirt of ... .... well just that cakes are nice....
                                               I baked and decorated some two dozen plus

Arn't these lovely....

And no a single crumb was left ....

And then we danced some more in a vain attempt to dance of the cakes. 

and yes that is yours truely dancing in the black trousers and green/white jumper.

This video clip was recorded at a class in Febuary

I would like to think that I have inproved a little since then.

Toodle Pip. 

R.I.P. Typewriters

  

What Ho

I read today with great sadness that

Godrej and Boyce - the last company left in the world that was still manufacturing typewriters - has shut down its production plant in Mumbai, India with just a few hundred machines left in stock.
 



The firm began production in the 1950s – when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru described the typewriter as a symbol of India’s emerging independence and industrialisation


The first commercial typewriter was produced in the U.S. in 1867 and by the turn of the century had developed into the  standardised format – including a qwerty’ keyboard – that we know today.  


            Miss Lemon just one of thousands of ladies that earned a respectiable living working as a secatary.  

One has to ask the question ...

What is the world coming to when such beautiful machines are now totally obsolete...

Tallulah May x

                                                                              

Vintage Egyptian.

Greetings

I excited because I am about to share with you the amazing pieces of Egyptian History that I brought home from our recent North African Tour.

Normal shops bore me but I do have a knack of finding the strange and unusual, it comes with my love of all things Vintage.

 This shop was called

Aladdin's Cave.

As you can see from the photo taken of me by my lovely Shady Ray it caught my attention.


"What have you seen" he asked  "I don't know yet, lets go in "I replied.


So in we went................

And what I found were these two little buttons depicting King Farouk & Queen Farida hidden in a cupboard with other bits and pieces.

The picture is paper and the rim and back of the button is mental.

                                          
His Majesty King Farouk , Her Majesty Queen Farida on their wedding day in 1938 looks as if that is what my buttons were produced to celebrate.


                      
His Majesty King Farouk , Her Majesty Queen Farida
and Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal

Egypt's Last Royal Family

Known as "the last of the Pharaohs", Farouk was the last King to rule in the land of the Nile.
The era of monarchy and royalties ended up with him. July 23rd was the last day of the King in Alexandria. On the royal boat "Al Mahroussa", he sails with his family to Capri, and from there, starts his journey into the exile.

I also found this photograph
of this lovely elegant Gal in the cupboard
and just had to buy her.

The buttons and the photograph are now in my What Not Cabinet taking pride of place.                                                  

                                                


 And then what should I find on E bay but this wonderful broach.






Toodle Pip for now.

1942 US Chrysler. I'm in Love.

I recently for the second time had the pleasure of the company of this truly beautiful grand old Dame...

A 1942 US Chrysler, 19 foot long in Regal Maroon, two tons in weight, mohair interior and under the bonnet the same engine as in a Sherman Tank.
A proud survivor of the  Atlantic crossing and London Bombing.
Once a dignitary car, only one of six in existence.

 True Love xx

I consider myself so

fortunate to know and go dancing with the lovely chap who lovely restored and owns this beautiful car.

                                                          

Here it is as it features on page 24 issue 13 of Milk Cow Magazine July 2010.

One Grand Old Dame whose
                                                             company I hope to have again
                                                             very soon.
                                                             
Toodle Pip.

1955 One Piece Culotte Skirt.

What Ho....
I had this one piece Culotte Skirt made from the orginal Simplicity pattern shown below by a lovely dressmaker last year .

Simplicity 1209; ©1955; Misses' and Women's One-Piece Culotte in Two Lengths and Culotte Skirt: Bias underarm insert insures smooth fit and freedom of action. Views 1 and 2 have a convertible collar and button front closing. There are slits at lower edge of short kimono sleeves. Short version is shown in view 2.


And this is me wearing it on my
recent cruise to North Africa

                                   This One-Piece Culotte is really very comfortable and can be dressed up or down, I think I will have another one made in Gingham, as shown in the pattern picture.

Toodle Pip.

Romany Road.

Greetings Chaps & Chapettes.

Whilst on my recent travels in North Africa I had the pleasure to find the time to read this wonderful moving,sometimes sad  but always heart warming book writen by Eva Petulengro about her wonderful Romany childhood.

.

Born into a Romany gypsy family in 1939, Eva Petulengro's childhood seemed to her to be idyllic in every way. She would travel the country with her family in their painted caravan and spend evenings by the fire as they sang and told stories of their past. She didn't go to school or visit a doctor when she was unwell. Instead her family would gather wild herbs to make traditional remedies, hunt game and rabbits, and while the men tended horses to make a living, the young girls would join the women in reading palms. But Eva's perfect world would be turned upside down as the countryside became increasingly hostile to all travellers. Eva describes the wonderful characters in her family, from her grandfather 'Naughty' Petulengro to her four beautiful aunts who entranced everyone they met, as well as the fascinating people they came across on the road. Moving, evocative, romantic and funny, "The Girl in the Painted Caravan" vividly captures a way of life that has now, sadly, all but disappeared.

I remember my grandfather had the greatest respect for the Romany people and said they were the finest horse men.
I was always told he would only ever buy his horses from a Romany.

    

        

Romanies who settled on Hackney Marshes near the end of the 19th century Photo: Hackney Archives

                    

There has long been a cultural affinity between the Romany and the Cockney - the free wheeling barrow boy and market trader, the rag and bone man, the scrap metal merchant  and coal man with his horse and cart. Romany words such as cushti, wonga and chavvy have made their way into the language of the Londoner, just as elements of rhyming slang are heard amongst Travellers.

                                                                     Eva with Babs Winsor.


        
Eva today as beautiful as ever

I highly recommend that you find the time to read this book.

Toodle Pip.

Dotty About Vintage.

On Friday Night after the Royal Tea Dance and the improvised Cocktail Party I was invited to the long awaited opening night of Dotty's Vintage in Morcombe.


Dotty's Vintage is a mother & daughter enterprise and has an amazing section of both men and women's Vintage cloths from the 1930's to the 1980's

The cloths were flying off the rails and yes of course I brought a dress (one) Steph however had the time of her life she brought two lovely dresses and a skirt.

The Label inside reads Paul Brook London .

It has side opening metal zip, original belt, a pocket iether side and fits me like a glove and was just sat there wait for little old me, Oh I'm such a lucky gal.

Toodle Pip.

Royal Tea Dance.

What Ho

I hope you had a great day on Friday The Royal Wedding Day Shady Ray & I attended an Afternoon Tea Dance at the Iconic Art Deco Hotel The Midland Morcombe.
Asolutely spiffing, and tickerty Boo.
The Midland Hotel has long been on my list of Places to visit so Shady Ray & I just could not miss the opportunity to attended a tea dance there, as it sounded and was absolutely spiffing, and tickerty Boo.

Ray is wearing an original Trevira 2000 top.
Trouser Retro.
Shoes. brown / beige Wing Cap Iris Allen Dance Shoes.


I am wearing an original hand made, hand embroidered cotton 1940's dress.
Shoes White Oxford Mesh Iris Allen Dance Shoes.

The hotel was originally opened in July 1933 and played host to many famous people of the day including Coco Chanel,       

During it's Heyday of the 1930's & 1940's Morecombe was THE British holiday destination of the wealthy and famous

Me on the Promenade boy was it bracing..........

We did however manage to embrace the bracing sea air and panoramic view and eat the picnic lunch we had lovingly prepared and so careful stored in my lovely vintage wicker basket.

Tea.

Dancing. 

Boogie Bill & his Bilionaires.   

Steph & Anthony.
http://www.jazzswingdance.co.uk/

And when the Tea Dance was over we decamped to the Sun terrace of the Cocktail Lounge to enjoy Champaigne Cocktails, Pimms & Bumble Bees Cocktails and the music from Anthonys vintage windup  Gramaphone  and his extensive collection of 78 records

Whilst watching the sun set on a Tickerty Boo day spent with spiffingly lovely people.


Chin Chin