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."