Special Summers!

Special Summers!

Hello sweeties! It has been too long, and we apologize for it!! But it only makes me more excited to tell all of you about what we have been doing this lovely summer. Now, before you ask me, yes, planning is underway for the next big annual vintage photo shoot! Although unfortunately it will obviously be a bit later on this year than it was last year! Over the next few weeks the new floor is going to be put in place in the VCR Office! On to todays topic. Summer. I hope all you guys had a great one, i know i did!
This summer, the country rose and i did some travelling, we saw many amazing views, and enjoyed experiencing the wonderful traditions of Spain!

As soon as we stepped of the plane into Spain, a whisk of humidity came over us, from that moment on, my body clock would change, my diet would change, my daily routine would change, and these changes were all fascinating to explore.

~Body Clock~
As much as i wish i was, i have to admit i am not, and never really have been a 'morning person'. And i am not going to lie to you, on weekends my day usually starts at 12pm, unless i set my alarm clock before then! But thats okay, i have the whole afternoon to go out , do what i need to do that day, go home, and relax in the evening, that is pretty much how my England summer days go! But not in Spain... In Spain everyone has almost no choice but to be a morning person, because in the afternoon it is simply to hot to be able to function! Especially if you have been living in England all your life, i can tell you. Between 2-5pm Spanish people still continue to have a siesta, this is one of the very many famous aspects of the Spanish culture. In this time people are expected to rest or even sleep, to restore their energy for later on in the evening. After the siesta, people carry on with their life's as normal until it comes to around 11pm, were they dress nice and go to a bar for their tea. The atmosphere on the streets at this time is so friendly and happy, it really puts a smile on your face. Obviously i only speak for the body clock i had on my holiday and the people i met, other people will inevitably have a different one.

~Diet~

Paella , a Spanish delicacy.

Now their isn't much i can say on this category, and i really wish i could, but being a vegetarian limits your options slightly. I have got to say though, by the looks of the dishes the chef's produce, they really do strive to perfection. The cakes were to die for, and although in some cases you couldn't eat them all, due to the huge size of them, you still continue to buy them and love them every single time. Spain has some amazing food for every time of the day, one of my favourites, being 'churros' for breakfast. Churros, could be referred to as the equivalent of fritters, or fried doughnuts. They are often covered in sugar, and dipped in a chocolate sauce, they are the definition of divine!

If you ever travel to Spain this is a must have!!

~Daily Routine~

Our daily routine was pretty dependent on what we had planned to do! Sometimes we soldiered through the hot siesta times, site seeing, or at the beach, other times we rested. But almost every single day, no matter what we had been doing, we went to the pool. Pretty much guaranteed. It was just so refreshing, to jump into the water and just swim, then to relax and dry off in the sun, it was luxury.

And of course not forgetting the obvious beach day, because when you come from England you make the most of being able to jump into the Sea, without running back out again being completely frozen, thats England for you! The Sea was so fresh, and cooled you down without freezing you, the beach was absolutley beautiful as well, and a beach day was one of the nicest type of days out there. You could go swimming, surfing, on pedalos, kayaking. And it isn't really like me to compliment a beach day, as i am really not the biggest fan of sand! 

The Country Rose and i did loads of site seeing, we went everywhere! But despite everything we saw and did in our time away, my favourite time has got to be the Feria! Oh yes, we were fortunate enough to be in Spain during all the Spanish festivals celebrating the end of summer. We danced all night, everyone was so happy and energetic. During the Feria period in Huelva, everyone literally slept all day and partied all night. In the day time , other than the odd few people, it was practically like a ghost town. But during the evening there wasn't a single person asleep. Extreme opposites!

I had a fabulous time in Spain, this summer was completely amazing, and i could go on and on about it for months, BUT i don't want to bore you all to much! I have given you a glimpse into Country rose's and my summer adventures, now we would LOVE to hear all about yours!!

What did you do this Summer?

Accomplish something you are proud of? 

Finished decorating a room perhaps?

Met with friends and family?

Share a glimpse of your summer by:

Commenting below

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Buttercup and The Country Rose 'selfie' before the Feria.

Thank you so much for reading sweeties, and thank you for all your support so far. If you haven't done so already, please Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and tell your Friends and Family all about us. If we have any fellow vintage bloggers, or anyone to do with the vintage world wanting to guessed blog for us, we would be happy to talk to you about it! 

Contact us: VintageCountryRose@gmail.co.uk

Thank you very much again vintage sweethearts. Lots of Love ~Buttercup x

Indian Culture and Traditions!

Hello readers,

Today I'm going to write about different vintage traditions, I'm going to go a little out of my comfort zone and write about vintage traditions from different countries, these type of blogs will be carried out through a series, each blog has a different country! So hold onto your hats readers as I take you on a tour over seas to experience exciting and different vintage traditions! 

First stop is...

India! There's so much I could tell you and write about India, there beautiful traditional fashion, their amazing body hennas, and their fabulous music! 

In India, their type of dress can vary depending on their religion, region, and climate. But this doesn't mean that the clothes they wear are any less amazing or interesting as any others. For women, it's common to wear a Sari (pronounced Sar-ee) this is a strip of un stitched cloth usually ranging from the measurements from four to nine yards. The Sari is worn over the body in many different styles. The word Sari is derived from the word Sanskrit, meaning 'strip of cloth.' The most common style of a Sari is it being wrapped around the waist and the remaining cloth draped over the shoulder. These Sari's are usually a patterned and colourful design. Indian women also wear a special type of make up, one of these are called a 'Bindi.' A Bindi, meaning "small drop, dot." Is traditionally a bright red dot on the forehead, between the eye brows. But now can also be a jewel or sign in the same location. The traditional significance of this is its known to be the sixth seat for wisdom. It is said to retain energy and focus concentration. 

For men, it's traditional to wear a Sherwani, Lungi, Kurta, and Dhoti or Pajama. A Sherwani is a long coat/jacket, the length is usually just below the knee. The Sherwani has a Nehru collar, a collar that stands up. A Sherwani is traditionally worn at a wedding or special occasion. The colour of the Sherwani is normally ivory or cream. A Lungi, also known as a sarong, is a traditional garment of India.

 Now I could go on and on about clothing of India, but that's not all India has to offer us for their culture, lets have a look at their music!

There are many many different styles of music in India, for example: Thumri, Dandra, Ghazal, Qawwali, Chaiti, Kajri, and Sufi. These are the main traditional Indian styles. But with every style of great music comes an award and a festival, there are the Punjabi Music Awards, Sangeet Natack Academi Awards, and the Filmfare Awards. India adores music festivals, and so they sometimes have a whole season dedicated to a certain festival, like the Chennai Music Season. The festivals India holds are very lively and public, and sometimes are even out on the streets! 

So is that all India has to offer? A bunch of clothes and music? Haha no my friend, one of my most favourites of Indian culture is something called a Henna...

Let's start from the very beginning, a Henna is a type of tree, yes that's right readers its not one of those pretty little tattoos... Yet. Henna, also known as Lawsonia Inermis, is a flowering tree. The English name Henna comes from the Arabic word 'Hinna' pronounced Hin-ae, but can be loosely pronounced Hinna. (This will be the part you'll all recognise) The name Henna also refers to a certain type of dye that comes from the Henna tree. The art of temporary tattoos name, Henna, is based on the dye of the Henna tree. Henna dye can be used to tattoo/dye skin, hair, fingernails and fabrics, including wool, leather and cotton. The name Henna can also be used in the different colours of hair or skin dyes, for example, black henna, or neutral henna, neither of which are derived from the Henna plant itself. 

So now what? We've done clothes, little tattoo plant things and music? Surely we're missing something? Ah! I remember...

Food! 

Just like the clothes, Indian food can vary according to the religion and the place of which the people are. I'm going to focus on both of these topics whilst writing. Indian cuisine varies significantly from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, meats, vegetables, and fruits. Indian foods are also heavily influenced by cultural and religious choices, for example, Muslims in India do not eat pork, and many Hindu communities consider beef as a taboo. Since it is believed that cow slaughter can be condemned, many Indian states has banned beef consumption. Despite religious beliefs in India limiting their cuisine, there is also a varied cuisine according to place, for example, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands sea food plays a big part of their cuisine. Since they traditionally had very little contact with the outside world, raw fish, fruits and veg became their staple foods. Immigration in India, however, has given the island a more wider range of foods. 

Well readers that the tour of India, I hope you enjoyed it! And I'll see you next Friday for the next tour, I'll give you some hints to what the next country is... Fiesta. 

See you next time.

Bye for now,

Snowdrop xx

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