QUEEN VICTORIA

From the drawing rooms of London to the far flung corners of the British Empire and even in the saloons and log cabins of the Old West, (where, of course, she never reigned) the later half of the nineteenth century is simply termed Victorian. As you will know, if you've read any of my previous posts, I love the Victorian era

Map of the British Empire, 1886.

Almost everything I've written has been set in this era. There is just something about it that draws me in. I easily dream up characters and plots anchored in this time period. Early New Zealand settlers, bush rangers, Western outlaws, ranchers, English society ladies, Scottish sheep farmers, gold miners or maids.   

I love the fashions: pocket watches, waist coats, bustles and petticoats.

The blossoming of technology as we know it: telegraph, telephone, steam ships and trains.

This is very similar to the S.S.Iconic - the ship that Amelia travelled on to Dunedin.

In Dunedin, Queen Victoria is immortalized by this wonderful statue perched on the edge of Queen's Gardens: a small park in the city's centre.  Not surprisingly it's one of my most loved statues.

The orb in her hand is the subject of much hilarity in our family. When my sons were younger, every time we drove passed the statue they would point out her 'holy hand grenade'!

I can almost hear her reply: "We are not amused."

NEW FANGLED INVENTIONS

What would our ancestors, or even our parents, make of today's technology?

I vaguely remember a time before 24 hour tv and multiple channels. I recall oohing and aahing over the new Commodore computer - green writing on a black screen. As a 12 year old I played Pacman at the local fish and chip shop, and I remember the first mobiles were as big as the average handbag!

It really doesn't seem that long ago that I wrote on an old Olivetti typewriter. Then there were the electronic typewriters, followed soon with the inclusion of word processors. Now I just love my new sparkly white Mac notebook and with a Broadband connection, the world is at my fingertips.

I could discuss forever the pros and cons of such advancements; there are valid arguments on both sides of that debate. But earlier this week we lost our internet connection to some elusive fault, and I was surprised by what I missed the most.

I thought the loss of the ability to google - to fill in any gaps in my research as I wrote - would be the greatest loss. It wasn't. The ability to e-mail my friends, to join in the discussions on Facebook and catch up with fellow bloggers were what I missed the most.

I'm a bit old-fashioned at times and mostly I'm disdainful of this high tech world of ours, but at the end of the day it's still all about people. And that makes me happy.