Singular Scene

This is a handmade decoration, completed partly from a need to get creative with a small project and partly from a dearth of decorations with Christian significance. Even the angel on the top of my tree owes much more to pop culture [of its Victorian time] than it does to Scripture, it’s a girl for a start!

Anyway, in the years before I was expending all my creative energy in cyberspace I was a [not so] closet cross stitcher. Partly because its creativity is a paint by numbers kind and at the time that suited me a lot better than having to come up with the goods and partly because, well I liked the stuff.

So in the bottom drawer of my dresser there sits a number of beautiful cross stitch pictures in need of frames and in the cupboard above my wardrobe there sits a big box of threads and fabric awaiting the desire to strike again (I’m not optimistic of that happening…).

Hearking back to those days, I guess I had a lot of time on my hands. I was a nanny by trade at the time and had young children in my care. They’d sleep, I’d stitch. I also was living as a lodger in peoples homes and didn’t have a tv of my own and needed to entertain myself without it!!

The stitching projects were varied. At Christmas time they’d usually be small gifts like the decoration above 3 of which (over a 3 year period) I gave to my nanny agent at the time, she who shall be called Dingle.

Dingle was a great chick and was a bit fond of me which was a good thing, it meant I got a good bit of work out of her. I think it was her that set me up (after 6 months on the dole) with my first full time nanny job in NZ. However until that time I’d do the odd ad hoc job here and there as a casual.

The most memorable was for an actor whose name you will recognize, however, rather than confess straight up I’ll just say that he was in NZ(where he has home) to film a certain movie that would go on to win Oscars for a young NZ girl, its director and leading actress (3 out of 8 nominations).

I got the call early in the am.

“Dee quick, are you busy today?”

“mumble… mmmf, Dingle?”

“yes” Get up, I need you to go to the [insert hotel name] at once; [insert celeb’s name] needs a baby sitter for today and tomorrow.”

“I’ll try, I haven’t got a car”

“Figure it out and call me back”

“Scoozi?”

“ok, but don’t break it”

And off I went. To the then nicest hotel in Auckland for breakfast with him and his girls.

Me, and Sam, and the 2 girls.

Having breakfast.

2 days running…

Of course, he spent most of his time with his nose in a book/script…. But still… I was this far away from him!!

The job was a breeze but for the boredom that comes from trying to entertain children in a hotel. The novelty of pay tv and room service soon wears off. However, the mileage I have got out of the story (and still get) every time you see his face on tv has been worth it.

Even worth the embarassment of rocking up to [insert hotel name] in the oldest dodgiest red Ford hatchback and asking the valet to park it.

There were 6 of us girls, Me (duh..), Perry, Humble, Scoozi, Jane, and Linz. Scoozi and I had been friends since I was 12 and when I moved to the big smoke to find work she introduced me to her friends and happily I became part of the ‘whanau!' (a Maori word meaning family). Coming home from the UK was traumatic, the folks were living apart and close to divorce, the economy was very depressed at the time and I was unemployed for some months before I landed a nanny job. Having the girls around made life bearable when things weren’t going so great.

Some of the more memorable times were had playing Family Business (which we had to give up because it got too nasty) and hanging out at Ballarat Street or Ladies Mile. I still keep in touch with Scoozi (who lives in Kasakstan nowdays!) and Perry, we're the single ones… the others are long since married and bringing up families… Times change, that’s for sure! Anyway, that was the background, the story behind the decoration is this.

In Christmas of 1993 (I think…) I came across a book filled with Victorian Christmas decorations and tips for producing an authentic Victorian Christmas. It was captivating, and there was something so gorgeous about the whole design of them that I decided to create the experience for me and the whanau. The book had napkin rings, table centrepieces, the whole kit and caboodle! However, there were no recipes so a trip to the library was in order to plan the menu.

I honestly can’t remember what we cooked beyond the turkey, which I’d never done before and the whole business of stuffing both ends of the bird proved a bit of a challenge in its initial stages!!! Still, I recall that we achieved it! The table was set with new bottle green table trimmings, a checked table cloth and green napkins (in their Victorian Napkin Rings no less!!) and the scene [and table] was set for a great evening.

We served up the dinner, exchanged the [small] gifts and the whole event marked the beginning of an annual tradition that, as far as I know, continues till today!!! Not bad going considering 2 of us live overseas these days.

The decorations are clearly still in my collection and for me there’s nothing that feels quite so traditionally Christmassy than these decorations. After 2 years in the UK I have very fond memories of Dickensian and Victorian Christmas themed events over there, crisp air, mulled wine, figgy puddings with hidden cash, and warm winter clothing and winter fires.

How weird is that/ I’ve only ever had 3 winter Christmases and they feel more like Christmas than the prawns on the BBQs Down Under!