Celebration Day

Saturday was officially the day for His Travel Romance and I to celebrate my British Citizenship. After visiting a camera shop in Fremantle to discuss entry level SLR's with a lovely English lad, we skipped down to San Churro for churro's and chocolate and Spanish coffee for breakfast!

We had time to run a few little errands before winding our way down to Maylands for high tea at Peninsula Tea Gardens which was simply delightful! Delicious mini sandwiches and quiches, delectable scones with sweet strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream, and cupcakes, eclairs, and many other delights filled out three tiers and later, our bellies.

The Royal Albert bone china was just gorgeous, and had I not plans to leave the country and my house in the next few months, I would have added a set to my little teacup collection. Mind you, I would look rather dapper sipping my tea from a bone china tea cup on my flight to New York...

Even Mr Willy Wag-tail decided to bring his family down for the day to nibble at some Parisian high tea. He said his favourite by far was the scone.

With appetites sated and pots of tea warming our hearts, we sauntered back to the car and came home to rest for a moment before heading back out again to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. After hearing of many negative reviews of this film, I am delighted to announce that the negative reviewers simply have no idea what they're talking about! I found Johnny Depp as delightful as ever, I fell in love with the Cheshire Cat all over again, Matt Lucas was just gorgeous as Twiddle Dum and Twiddle Dee and the entire story was captivating and enchanting and I would suggest that anyone who delights in the imaginary will fall head of heels in love with this movie.

Just as I fell in love with this photo of His Travel Romance - so nerdy, yet so cute!

British Kitsch

Thursday was a fabulous day! Dressed in my lovely new navy blue dress, lips smacking of red and with a white flower headband in my hair, I became a British citizen!

I was congratulated on my accomplishment by one of my dearest friends who, for reasons unknown even to us, refers to me as I refer to her...

I also received a lovely key chain from Mother Romance, in the shape of the Royal Crown. Such a sweet gift.

I celebrated that night with dinner out at the aforementioned Kitsch Bar before dancing, which was just amazing!

The Best Lead and Mr V, who joined me for this gastronomical delight.

My fragrant and very tasty lon of prawns simmered in coconut with rice crackers and poached vegetables. Mr V has decided that the next time he eats here, this will be his dish of choice.

The boys both had duck nam prik ong with iceberg, tomato and pork scratchings. Quite tasty but, in my opinion, not quite as good as the lom.

Comic strips cover the bathroom doors. Very kitsch.

Chocolate sandwich with peanut brittle icecream. This dish may or may not have been used to tease Mr V with, as he had to leave before dessert to go and prep for the dance lessons for the night. Simply put, it was heaven in your mouth.

One of my favourite features of Kitsch - the lamps on the staircase to nowhere.

Today's adventures see the celebrations and the planning continue. First stop, scouting out camera shops for a good, but small SLR for my travels. Second stop, a bike shop to get my wheels valued so I can sell them in order to buy the good, but small SLR for my travels. Third stop, Peninsula Tea Gardens for a celebratory high tea! Fourth stop, the movies, to see Alice in Wonderland! And all in my lovely new skirt. Yay!

Citizenship And A Skirt

So, time was tripping merrily along, getting rather close to stumbling over the two week mark since I last heard about my application for British Citizenship. I will admit that our heroine was starting to get a little antsy about being contacted to attend her citizenship ceremony and was starting to pen polite but enquiring emails to Canberra in her head... Happily however, a friendly little email popped into my hotmail account this morning after I got to work and I joyously danced around in my chair, thrilled with the knowledge that I will be taking the Oath of British Citizenship on Thursday 4 March! Tea and scones anyone?

To celebrate, I tripped merrily along to Wheels & Dollbaby in King Street and splurged a little* on a fabulous new ballet skirt, teeming with layer upon beautiful layer of soft, buttery, french nude tulle.

* ok, maybe I splurged more than a little... But one has to look fabulous to live with the Queen!

Spectacular Spectacular

A very crush-worthy Adam Hall and The Velvet Playboys, Sugar Blue Burlesque dancers, and some Swing It dancers made for a fabulously fun night at the Rhythm Spectacular last night! If only we could have danced too...

This morning I'm listening to my latest purchase - Electro Swing Volume 2 - as I compile an ever growing to-do list in my head. Now that my British Citizenship is almost official, I'm starting to wrap my head around the many, many things that need to be done in order to get me to London successfully. Citizenship ceremony, British passport, update resume, contact temp agencies in London, sell apartment, join Workaway so that I can develop relationships with potential new friends, inspect potential holiday homes for my beautiful kitty. The list just keeps getting longer! ... Lets see what I can do about that.

A Positive

Yesterday was a day for saving lives.

Today was a day for finding out that my application for British citizenship was approved and that my Certificate of Registration as a British Citizen is right now sitting in Canberra! Shortly, it will make it's way to the Perth Consulate, along with whatever other paperwork is necessary, and I shall be booked in to attend a citizenship ceremony - no later than 13 April - which is the final stage in the process. This means, ladies and gentlemen, that I shall be a duel citizen, an Australian Englishwoman, a fair dinkum pommie, before my next birthday!! Oh crikey, I'm jolly excited!

Dueling Urges

At the beginning of December I applied for British citizenship - something I have wanted to do for many, many years.

The whole process is set to cost me just over $1,000 - one of the reasons it's taken me this long to do it. If my father had been the British citizen instead of my mother, or if I had been born just a few years later, I would have been eligible to hold British citizenship from birth as a natural right. However, because I am of a slightly finer vintage, and because my mother is the one with the geographically advantageous heritage, I need to pay for the right to eat peas with my fish and chips.

Ahead of me is a "three to six month" wait to see if the decision makers in Liverpool will allow me to call England home. The excitement of the prospect of living overseas almost overwhelms me every time I see scones with jam and cream on a menu, and I have already begun investigating job and accommodation options in London.

So, I'm making a solid point of enjoying my last Australian summer, and my last few months in Perth (hopefully!) for quite some time. Sub zero Christmas' and weekend trips to Italy, here I come!