December already!!!!!

How can it be possible that it's December tomorrow???? The year has come full circle....just wanted to say hi...I haven't been neglecting you all - have been regularly checking in to see what you've all been up to! I'm sitting at the computer and WAY behind on an essay due in at the end of the week so.......as I'm struggling for inspiration thought I would say hello to all you inspirational lovely blogging buddies instead....What a rollercoaster it's been since I saw you all last....the course is 'full on' as they would say in Aus and in addition, we are on placement all the way up to Christmas. The life of this particular student is well and truly full! I truly cannot believe that the end of the year is in sight and once again, the logs are stacked and the woodburner lit...where does the time go???

At this time of year I'm usually in 'Christmas prep' mode but this year, things are a little different! I think I will be lucky to even get a tree organised! The closest I've come to even thinking about the festive season is ticking the turkey or fish box on the office Christmas lunch menu.... My GG will be arriving from Sydney next week and her 'to do' list is filling up fast! First thing on the list is 'assist Mum with essay writing' - never again will I tell her that being a uni student is an easy life!

We did fit in a little frivolity last weekend with a flying visit to London, a macaron-fest at Laduree and a whistle stop tour of all our favourite places. Then, it was back to reality....and to the keyboard...

I can't quite get the taste of those magnificent macarons out of my mind - the rose and ginger or the salted caramel? Mmmmm.....will have to go back just so I can decide for sure..

Now about that essay.....HOW many words??? Oh dear, back to work I go....happy, happy December to you all.........s

Autumn morning...

I can't quite believe it's half-term here in the UK next week! There's been a lot happening in the English countryside lately...the tractors have been out in force ploughing after the harvest and making the local landscape a patchwork of colour.....

I love the look of a newly ploughed field - I can't drive past one without remarking on it's loveliness (I'm sure anyone who drives with me regularly thinks I'm completely mad). It seems to me to signify a rebirth, a renewal...no matter if the harvest was good or bad, the soil is deeply dug, turned over and shows a new face to the world, virginal and ready to begin a new cycle of life. Maybe it's also a reminder that nothing stays the same, seasons come and go, sowing and harvesting according to the weather and in rotation...sunshine and showers working in harmony with the soil and next year there will be wheat instead of corn. Maybe it also makes me think of our own sowing and harvesting, choices and decisions, results and consequences....

Bare soil offers all sorts of possibilities - seeds sown, nurtured under ground until the weather warms up again and a new season's crop comes to fruition.

As I drove through the countryside this morning, en route to the final day of my course placement, the bare fields were glistening with frost, leaves swirling gently to the ground alongside the car window and Nigel Kennedy was playing Vivaldi's Autumn from the Four Seasons on the radio.....perfection....hope your week is perfect too........s

An end....and a beginning....

We returned home from France on Friday to a distinct chill in the air...a definite feeling of autumn and an end to the carefree days of summer, children back at school...families back from holidays near and far getting organised for the new school year. I thought I would post a few holiday snaps - we based ourselves this time near Uzes, just over the border from Provence in the Gard departement. We stumbled across this beautiful little town last year when we were travelling in the area and wanted to become more familiar with it. We had a lovely week enjoying great food...






Interesting architecture - I'm just in love with French shutters....

Fabulous markets - the LAB is in serious trouble as I had picked out the perfect bag at this stall..he persuaded me that I didn't need to buy it there and then & maybe would find one I preferred later...needless to say I didn't find another I wanted to buy and we weren't there long enough for the bag seller to make another appearance!

Gorgeous & picturesque town squares with bubbling fountains...

And charming places to stay....

I'm not sure when we shall have the opportunity for another sojourn in the sun as tomorrow I begin a new venture...a three year commitment to a Bachelor of Science degree...am I completely crazy I ask myself? It all seems a bit 'other worldly' as I sit here on a lazy Sunday afternoon (don't think there will be too many of those for the forseeable future!) Anyway, I shall keep you posted - wish me luck & I hope to find the time to come over and catch up with all your news soon...not sure how much time I shall have so if you're wondering where I've gone, it's just to a comfy sofa with a pile of reading material! Whatever your plans for the autumn (or Spring if you're in the southern hemisphere) enjoy!.........s

A visit to Granny's house......

I thought I was exhausted when my GG returned to uni in Sydney...I thought I couldn't be any more tired - wrong! This week my son and daughter in law have been visiting with my two gorgeous grandchildren....I think I have forgotten just how exhausting small children are....early starts and full days...I am full of admiration for my D I L - she copes admirably with a very lively two and a half year old and extremely mobile ten month old...meanwhile, the LAB and I are barely managing to conceal our tiredness....our 'normal' lives are on hold whilst we marvel at the way these two devote themselves to their two gorgeous babies. Nothing we do in the course of a day seems remotely taxing in comparison....









Outings are a military operation complete with snacks, lunch, drinks, potties, clean clothes, clean shoes etc. A walk up the lane becomes an adventure...the smallest diversion in the day is a memory to be treasured and talked about for a long time....these small people are a constant reminder to stop, look and listen - life is all about the here and now - smell the roses and celebrate the everyday.
After a last walk to pick blackberries and feed ducks on the canal, we have waved them off wedged into the car between bags of nappies, travelling highchairs & travel cots.....having enjoyed their visit immensely but secretly thanking our lucky stars that we are off to France tomorrow a deux with no necessity to take along any other parapheranlia apart from our own clothes, shoes, reading materials and a camera......ah yes, the joys of (grand)motherhood........s

Surprises at West Wittering..

Dash - you were on the money & gilliecoco - well done, you spotted that we were at West Wittering on the West Sussex coast...on the southern side of Chichester Harbour. I grew up close by but strangely, don't recall going there! I know that as a small girl our family picnic'd regularly here but like many things in my 'pre Australia' life, I wasn't paying attention...








We nestled into the sandy dunes and watched yachts racing in the harbour with Spinnaker Tower glistening in the background and far reaching views beyond to the Isle of Wight...

As the afternoon became early evening, we made our way back along the sandy path to the car, marvelling at the diversity on this small island. When we moved here from Australia, I was determined not to take anything for granted and really look at my surroundings, appreciating the seasonal changes and history which oozes from every nook and cranny....something I don't think I ever did when I lived here before.

We wound up the day stopping at http://www.thefishhouse.co.uk/ for oysters and champagne...a perfect end to a perfect day........s

Birthday at the beach...

As it was my birthday on Monday, the LAB and I decided to make a weekend of it after the wedding celebrations. After a wonderful brunch cooked by my son and new daughter-in-law we headed for Uppark in the South Downs of West Sussex - more on that later. The day was glorious, even though autumn is waiting in the wings.... I was craving salty air and sand between my toes (basically our Sydney life!) Teaser for Thursday - at which exotic beach destination do you think I took this? (We didn't get on any planes & don't forget we live in England!)





White powdery sand, sun drenched beach grasses and bleached to pale gorgeousness beach huts.......answer tomorrow!..........s

Let them eat cake....

I'm returning to the wedding theme JUST ONE MORE TIME! On Saturday night, my son and his new wife held an 'event' for all the friends and family who weren't with them in Vegas (namely US!!!!) It was held at Spinnaker Tower, Gunwharf in Portsmouth. As you can see below, the views are spectacular and luckily, the rain stopped, the sun shone and it was a fabulous view of the Solent, Isle of Wight and surrounding areas as the sun went down.

A few weeks ago, they asked me if I would organise a cake for the night - I readily agreed and then started thinking about how I was going to produce a cake suitable for a wedding in the AGA! As I have told you before, the AGA is brilliant for lots of things but I haven't had a lot of success with cakes. There are two ovens - one permanently at 220 - 250 degrees and the other 120 - 150 (not good when you need 180 for a good cake outcome!) This project has caused me one or two sleepless nights and quite a few fretful hours recently...after a few trial runs (and much consumption of chocolate mud cake by whoever would agree to be a tester) I finally found one I was happy with. I wasn't game enough to take a chance on the cupcakes though - the temperature in the AGA varies depending on how much it's being used; therefore, the first batch may cook perfectly and by the time you get to the 4th or 5th, they may not as the heat will have dropped....! Not ideal when you need nearly 100 cupcakes, all perfectly the same size and height!
I found a place in south London called Crumbs and Doilies and they came to my rescue with dozens of beautifully decorated indulgent cakes (two sizes - diet and don't care..) On Saturday morning, we set off early for London, complete with topcake, ribbons etc., collected the cupcakes and zipped down the A3 to Petersfield to the Real Flower Company to collect some of their magnificent scented garden roses to decorate the finished cake. We were lucky enough to find they had some 'chocolate' coloured roses in stock - hard to see from the photo, they are a burnished pinky chocolate colour. Off we went, now laden with buckets of roses, be-ribboned boxes of cakes, bags of ribbon and a fragile iced topcake. The tower doesn't close to the public until 6.00 p.m. and it was about 6.20 p.m before we managed to get everything into the fast lift which whisks you to the top - 30 minutes before the guests were arriving & a seven tier confection to assemble! It was finished with literally moments to spare and I slipped on my high heels as the first drinks were being poured! Talk about stress! This is the end result - I think they liked it - there wasn't a crumb left at the end of the night so I'm presuming they did! I'm crossing Wedding Cake Supplier off my list of potential business ventures as I type this......

Happy week.........s

Life is the Occasion...

L.K. Bennett in the U.K are currently running a new season campaign entitled 'Life is the Occasion'. It features some of their customers (wearing LK Bennett clothes of course) photographed in the environment in which they work..

Lydia Gifford is photographed at Giffords' Circus - you can read more about Giffords' Circus in a post Sarah at http://www.semiexpat.blogspot.com/ did a while back. I love these photos - you can almost forget they are trying to sell you something! You can see more about the idea behind the photos at http://www.lkbennett.com/life%20is%20the%20occasion.

Have a great week & don't forget - Life IS the occasion....enjoy it........s

Wedding Photography....but not as we know it..

OK - I confess that I wasn't too keen on the idea of a Vegas wedding but I have to admit right here that if they hadn't gone to Vegas, there's one thing they would have missed out on big time - the awesome talent of this lady:





Her name is Olga Wilson and she has a business in Vegas called Dott Photography - She puts a small selection of her work on the blog part of her website and it was there I have to say I saw the best wedding photography I think I have ever seen. Today, she posted some of the brilliant shots she took of Neil and Sam's wedding last week - I truly think they are the most innovative, clever and inspirational photos - she has captured the fun loving spirit of both the bride and the groom and given them a series of images of their special day so beautiful and original.....
Do you remember the days when wedding photography meant taking photos of the bride getting ready, the groom shaking hands with the best man, the happy couple standing in the doorway of the venue and some photos of all the relatives looking bored? (That was if you could round them all up at the same time and get them to stand still for long enough!) The result was usually an album filled with photos of wooden looking couples, nervous looking bridesmaids and startled guests which then gathered dust in a cupboard....not any more!
I sent the link to my GG in Sydney and got a reply to the effect that no matter where her wedding takes place, she is going to fly this talented girl to take her photos! (she must be good!)
Take a look & let me know what you think! http://www.dottphotography.com/

It WAS a nice day for a white wedding...!

Just married!

Now you see what I meant about the dress!

Scarlett O'Hara eat your heart out!

Nice day for a white wedding.....

When I used to daydream about my children's wedding days, this wasn't in the dream:

Or this:

I imagined English church bells ringing, bridesmaids with summer flowers in their hair and posies with ribbons dangling, big hats and small family squabbles - maybe that's also what my son and his fiancee imagined when they were making wedding plans and announced that it would take place here.....

Today, 11th August, on the terrace of the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas, my handsome boy will marry his fiancee and girlfriend of 11 years...

I met a lady last week who told me that she has four sons and has warned them all that if they decide to 'run away' and deprive her of the whole experience, she won't speak to them for a very long time! I did have that thought also when we first heard of the plan - today I'm not sure...I have mixed feelings - my easy going fun-loving son and his fiancee are having a ball, surrounded by a few of their closest friends (but stangely no family!!) They view the whole thing as an opportunity to have a great party, in a place devoted to fun and indulgence - as far as I can tell, devoid of any traditional trappings....

It's sort of bizarre really - for me, it's a normal day filled with normal household routines. As my son buttons up his waistcoat and the bride slips into her Louboutins, I shall probably be at Waitrose, shopping for groceries....

Underlying all of this is a desire for their happiness, fulfilment of their dream and a long and wonderful marriage - but still I think I hear those bells chiming faintly in the distance...........s

Travellers' Tales....

I think I have the task of packing a suitcase down to a fine art....this comes with years of practice - schlepping my wardrobe & personal possessions from one side of the world to the other at a moment's notice! I realised this week that I haven't passed the skill on to my children (or at least if I tried, they weren't paying attention!)

Firstly, my darling baby girl was packing her case to return to Sydney uni for the start of the new semester - we have tried (unsuccessfully) to convince her to travel light (I couldn't quite work out what she could possibly be bringing with her when she arrived here as her chest of drawers in her bedroom was completely stuffed full of her clothes, along with the one in the guest room). Nevertheless, after a 'massive clearout' when she was feeling up to it and the glandular had subsided a bit, when the inevitable day of packing bags for the return trip dawned, this was the scene:

A couple of years ago, we invested in some luggage scales and what a great investment they turned out to be - I'm sure they have saved hundreds in over-weight baggage charges......when they were pressed into action, I breathed a sigh of relief.....she proclaimed her bags to be well within the allowed weight and off we went to Heathrow (yet again.....)

On arrival at the check-in desk, we duly loaded the bags onto the luggage scale and noted the solemn look on the face of the girl checking her in...she pronounced that the bags were 'at least six kilos over' - I looked at my GG and she responded with a puzzled expression...pressed further, she explained that she had only weighed the large one! We never actually got to the bottom of why she thought the other one was either weightless or would be disregarded by the airline! Oh, the innocence of youthful naivete! This girl has obviously never had to stand in a very long queue and hand over a very large sum of money because she couldn't bear to be parted from a large section of her wardrobe....

After some sweet-talking from the LAB (whose sales and negotiating skills come in very handy on such occasions) and the removal of a large coat from the bag - which she carried over her arm but still went onto the aircraft (not in the bag admittedly....)??!! she was on her way....

Another journey to Heathrow early this morning (not by me this time!).....my son and his fiancee were flying to Las Vegas to be married on the 11th August....the main topic of conversation for the last few weeks has been........no, not the venue, flowers, food, guests or accommodation.......but the troublesome problem of how this diminutive girl was going to transport her HUGE dress from here to there....

(This is a model wearing a very similar dress from the collection by the same designer)

I visited them last week and also pondered the mission ahead....THE DRESS had to be moved so that I could sleep in their guest bedroom (it actually took up most of the space in the room!) I took with me suitcases of varying sizes and we all put our heads together to solve this mathematical problem - one VERY large dress + one VERY small girl + a possibly tight squeeze in the storage locker in the aircraft cabin = a BIG headache; or, alternatively:

one VERY large dress inside a VERY large suitcase checked into the hold + an inattentive baggage handler = an even BIGGER headache...

Eventually, it was decided that the best course was not to let THE DRESS out of sight, resulting in son, girlfriend and dress all boarding a flight to Vegas this morning - at last contact, all were happily ensconced at the pointy end of the plane (frequent flyers saved for a long while specially for the occasion) and the champagne was flowing......happy days........s

Down the garden path....

Who can resist a pathway meandering through beds of lavender or clipped box hedges to an unseen hideaway up ahead, out of sight? The path is inviting "Come on - follow me, you never know what you might find'....






Maybe a painted white wooden bench, perfect for a sit down and a few minutes in the shady scent of some climbing roses before exploring more.....

As for an open gate! No matter how hot and tired my aching feet might be, I just cannot resist having a peek (and taking a photo!)

These are just a few of the magical gardens we have been visiting over the glorious summer we are enjoying here in the U.K. Absolutely fabulous - lush, scented and exactly how you would expect an English country garden to look...

The lavender has been at its best in the last few weeks....we have certainly been getting our money's worth from our National Trust membership! Gorgeous, gorgeous English gardens...I take my hat off to the army of dedicated gardeners who keep these gardens looking like this...they work tirelessly to bring their gardens to the peak of perfection during the summer months & perfect they certainly are.....

What a fantastic summer - who said it rains all the time in England??

Hope you are all enjoying a little piece of paradise whether it's winter or summer where you are.....x

It's been way too long....

since I let you all know the latest goings-on at the M.H. Sorry for the long absence - things have been a bit stressful of late....more later....First up, can I just say thank you so much for all your suggestions and messages of goodwill re: the glandular fever...GG is much better after a few weeks of R & R a la mother come handmaiden & seems well on the road to recovery. The route to wellness has been paved with much vitamin swallowing and a strict juicing regime which I am totally convinced has aided said recovery more than anything else. So, the end result is that GG will be winging her way back to Sydney for the start of semester at the end of July. I shall be a sad mother/handmaiden once again...
Meanwhile, the BF has arrived and the M.H has become tourist central with mother/handmaiden now also undertaking the role of tour guide....resulting in lots of driving to destinations near and far. Boyfriend and GG are ensconced with her brother in Hampshire this weekend so mother/handmaiden/tour guide gets five minutes to update you all!

We enjoyed what was probably the hottest day of the year so far at Hampton Court yesterday:



The day before - a visit to Mottisfont Abbey, a National Trust property in the Test Valley in Hampshire. The walled garden is magnificent and the property is situated right on the river Test with it's clear cool water and abundance of trout...just beautiful; if you get the chance, do go. (Note - This is probably one for mother/handmaiden and her friends....I got the feeling that Aussie boyfriend and GG weren't quite as appreciative.....)

As lovely as all this summer bounty is, there has been an underlying sense of melancholy this past week. I mentioned in a previous post that my dear friend in Sydney had received bad news at Christmas time. She had been on a revolutionary treatment and we were all hopeful for a good outcome. I spent some happy time with her recently in Sydney and we joked that when we used to talk about our upcoming 50th birthdays (we were only 3 months apart in age), spending it in Sydney's RPA hospital wasn't part of the plan...A week ago on Friday I got the call from her husband I had hoped I would never receive....she died early on Friday morning and her funeral was held on Tuesday....I am so, so sad that I will never again enjoy a laugh over morning coffee with her or have our usual late afternoon chat about what's on the menu for dinner. Her daughters are the same age as mine and my heart breaks for them....

So - as I prepare for another outing and pack another picnic (and fleetingly wish I was staying home) I shall remember & be thankful that I have the opportunity for another day out with my GG (appreciative or not....)

Be happy, make the most of every day and count every blessing.....hope you are all having a beautiful weekend wherever you are.....s

A Hammock in the shade of a palm tree....

is where I would quite like to be right now...yes I know I just got back from Sydney and I did stop en route for a day of total 'me' time but as all you busy Mums out there know, it doesn't take long before it feels as if you have never been away!



It's been ages since I managed to update you with my news so here I am...back in the depths of the countryside and happy to be home. However, I'm not so happy that my GG has had to finish the university semester early and join me because she has been suffering (badly) from the after effects of glandular fever. It's truly debilitating and is really taking it's toll on her health. It was wonderful spending a few weeks in Sydney and having the opportunity to see her perform brilliantly well in the College play but I don't really know how she managed it - the effects of glandular are well documented and can take literally months (with lots of TLC) to dissipate.

The recommendation from all the medics is 'take it easy' - all the rest in the world doesn't seem to be making a whole lot of difference so homeopathy here we come.....(thanks Jeanne, I think it's the only option when you're exhausted from all the Doctor's visits)

Any suggestions gladly received! Meanwhile, I shall continue to languish in my imaginary hammock whilst running up and down three flights of stairs with quantities of vitamins, bowls of fruit and juice and hope for a speedy recovery! Hope all is well with all of you - I have been checking in to see what you've all been up to - apologies for the lack of news from the M.H - will try to do better!

Birds at Balmoral...

Today my GG and I took a little trip to Balmoral and had lunch at the Bathers Pavilion, an iconic Sydney spot...at this time of the year, it's not crowded, parking isn't too difficult and the views are fabulous...As we were walking in, I spotted several of these sulphur crested cockatoos making light work of a whole section of the garden outside the restaurant. I know they are destructive & noisy creatures, wreak havoc in gardens and are unwelcome visitors in lots of places but I can't help having a soft spot for them. I remember when we first moved to Sydney and I saw these for the first time in their natural habitat....it was amazing...their raucous cry is a familiar Sydney sound and one which is so at odds with the soft sounds of the birds in an English garden.






This was the view out towards Sydney heads - the water looked so inviting and I was reminded of so many picnics on this beach..fish and chips from the 'Bottom of the Harbour' accompanied by a bottle of icy cold bubbly....

My time in Sydney is coming to an end and the familiar feelings of uncertainty are beginning to stir in my mind - I am going home but leaving a place which is just as much home to me and where I could happily stay a while longer. I am reminded of a wonderful post by Vicki Archer at French Essence when she returned to France after a visit to her native Australia...I think it may have been called 'Home & Away' and totally sums up my feelings at the moment. It seemed impossible to me today, looking out on the still clear water of Balmoral Beach that this was not my home; I wouldn't be driving up the highway and in through the familiar gates but instead, the task of getting organised for another long flight back to an old Mill House in the heart of England's countryside awaited........s

An Australian Anomaly...

I just spent a couple of days with the Camerons - no, not David and Samantha, Duncan & Sandy, at their property in Scone, the horse capital of Australia...this is the view from the back of their house - out to the ranges, the wild, dry Australian landscape like nowhere else on earth....

Within the boundary of their property they grow these: Magnificent roses, white and profuse - to me, the two don't go together....rose gardens mean lush, green, damp.....don't they? Another anomaly which is Australia....

I had lunch with an old friend today and then we drove into town - coming back across the Sydney harbour bridge I felt a surge of love for this brown land, where roses grow in a dusty landscape and cars go nose to tail for miles up the Pacific Highway on a Friday afternoon, out of the city and up the coast...Australia, home to my family for many years, ancient land of anomalies and surprises, I love you still...you will always be here and I will always come back.......happy weekend everyone.........s

A Mother and Daughter Picnic..

On a glorious Sydney autumn day, we headed to our favourite picnic spot - Apple Tree Bay in the Ku-Ring-Gai chase national park. After loading up with paper plates and blankets we headed for the Australian institution - the chicken shop - to collect the obligatory b-b-q chook and salads! At the top of the hill we nearly turned tail and headed back...there was a long line of cars and a ranger imparting gloomy information about the parking situation down at the bay...we took the chance and were happy we did....it wasn't nearly as bad as we feared and we were able to find a sunny spot near the water and soak up the autumn sunshine. It was a bonus to spend Mothers' Day in Australia with my GG, by the water, under a beautiful blue sky, having a picnic.....Happy Mothers' Day Aussie Mums!.........s

Tags, Bags & Jetlag!

Just wanted you two lovely ladies (Sarah at Semi Expat and Jeanne at Collage of Life) to know that I haven't forgotten your photo tags!!

In my dazed jetlagged state it's been an effort to even remember which bag the laptop was located in! What is that thing with jetlag? I don't find it's the tiredness per se which gets you - it's that dazed state where you are going through the motions, but not really there....odd and scary for me...I always think that if I drink more water/stay longer somewhere on the way over/take more vitamins etc. etc. maybe it won't be so bad, but it always is!

If any of you have a miracle cure, please pass it on!

Meanwhile I shall step into a hot shower, have another cup of tea and hope I manage to get to the uni this morning without losing consciousness behind the wheel!

If only I could just get all this cotton wool out of my head, I'd be fine.....have a happy (hopefully cotton wool free) day...........s

A (big) surprise for my GG...

In case you've been wondering why things at the M.H have been a bit quiet of late I can now reveal that's because I was busy making plans and travelling here:




to surprise my G.G for her birthday on Thursday & boy, was she surprised! I hadn't told her I was coming and after arriving in Sydney on Sunday afternoon I thought I would send her a casual text on Monday morning and ask where she was....she said she was in her room at Sydney Uni so I hastily drove over, parked up and made my way to her room, knocked on the door and......well, I can tell you it wasn't me she was expecting to see when she opened it. Tears all round, lots of hugs and a wonderful reunion was had by all. She will be 20 on Thursday so I have made a reservation at one of Sydney's best restaurants and all I need to do now is get over the jetlag enough to enjoy it. Yesterday I was running on adrenalin but today the zombie like state has kicked in and I'm not quite sure if it's breakfast time or time for bed...but never mind, I'm so happy to be here and able to celebrate her birthday, watch her perform in the College play and, as a small bonus, it's Mothers Day here on Sunday! Will keep you posted!..........s

THE birthday card...

There's nothing quite like a reminder of how others see you to bring you quicksmart to reality....This was the birthday card a friend sent to the LAB recently.....after my last post about our Saturday post-shopping ritual, it seems appropriate!

Hmmmm..........now I've never made a secret of my love of shopping but still..........s

Up, up and away....

As this is about the only form of travel by air available at the moment, it seems an appropriate time to tell you about our Saturday afternoon 'habit'!! As soon as the skies above Bath turn from wintery grey to springtime blue and the winter winds abate, the balloons take to the air in force....






They take off (do balloons take off? Or do they lift off? Or float off?.....whatever) from an area close by to the Royal Crescent Hotel....fortuitously this happens at about the same time the LAB has had enough of trailing from shop to shop with me (apparently the most difficult shopper according to various sources so I can't blame him really)...

The usual pattern is that with each shop visited, he progressively moves further and further away from the 'action' (read rails of clothes & changing rooms) and towards the door....until, eventually, he can stand no more and announces that he will meet me at the Royal Crescent....I
agree that this is an excellent idea and that he should order me a G & T, glass of bubbly or whatever the tipple of the day might be and that I shall be 'along in a few minutes'.

About (on average) an hour later I join him at one of these tables in the garden of this magnificent hotel and we enjoy a post-stressful shopping aperitif whilst admiring the balloons by now climbing high above us.

By the time we get home, they are usually en masse above the villages and the trauma of 'the shopping trip' is forgotten as we speculate about whether any of them will descend suddenly into one of the surrounding fields (usually populated by sheep, cows and their associated by-products at this time of year!) This is the bit which has always put me off hot air ballooning...the thought of landing in a muddy field with nothing more between me and the cow pats than a wicker basket....although even this seems preferable at the moment to being stranded at the docks in Spain hoping the Navy will take pity and transport you home in a big grey warship intended for soldiers who can't fly back from Afghanistan, or forking out 2,000 euros in France for a hire car to get to the closest ferry port where you will probably be told in any event that there are no tickets available until a week on Thursday.....

Ah yes, the joys of air travel............s

A wonderful white weekend (and I'm not referring to the ash...)

I was so surprised and delighted when the LAB arrived home with these: they were wrapped absolutely beautifully in tissue and cellophane with a bubble of water and yards of ribbon! Sorry, I had ripped it off before thinking to capture the wonderful image!

He is very well trained - white only thank you! This was so special because every single stem was absolutely at the peak of perfection, fresh and tightly in bud....white lilies, an assortment of other white beauties whose names I have no idea of and a clutch of creamy white stocks.

Receiving the lilies and stocks together in the same bunch brought back so many lovely memories...when we were 'courting' (do people actually do that any more???) I was living in an apartment in Sydney which had a lobby where visitors could ring the bell and be let in by the occupant of the apartment. Beyond the lobby was a glass door, where you would meet your visitors. We had a very good 'quid pro quo' arrangement when it came to dinner - he would book tables in Sydney's best restaurants and I would reciprocate with home cooking! I thought I had the better part of the bargain but if you asked him, I think he'd disagree (as he was living in a bachelor pad at the time devoid of any domestic paraphernalia).

I can't remember a time he came over when I didn't find him at the glass door with a massive bunch of white lilies in one hand and an expensive bottle of bubbly in the other - sheer out and out spoiling (or was it wooing?? Do they still do that as well???) Anyway, I'm still here....and he still brings the lilies - oh joy!

As for the stocks - when I had my gorgeous girl - twenty years ago next week - it was still considered that a new mother should be rewarded with a week of relaxation after the hard work of labour (not like today where they send you home in time to cook dinner). I spent a week in what seemed at the time to be a cross between a five star hotel and a spa....breakfast, lunch & dinner at civilised times, babies removed to the nursery and visitors strictly rationed. The weather was very similar to the weather we have been having in the UK this week; a sudden onset of the most glorious spring, mild, warm and sunny with blue skies and perfect for a holiday! The husband of one of the other 'inmates' had brought her a huge bunch of cream stocks to celebrate their new arrival and the scent of them wafted through the whole place. Spring had sprung, we all had beautiful new babies and the air was scented with the most delicious perfume I think I had ever experienced.

As I walk past the table in the hall the combination of the two fills me with nostalgia......hope you all had a beautiful weekend, volcanic ash permitting.......s

Victoria & Albert - Art & Love....

I spent a happy few hours here yesterday: The sun was shining, the sky was blue, London was awash with tourists but no, matter.....I had a wonderful afternoon!

The Queen's Gallery is hosting the first ever exhibition to focus on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's shared enthusiasm for art. There are more than 400 items on display from the Royal Collection including this portrait of Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter and commissioned by her as a secret birthday present for Albert and given to him on his birthday 26th August 1843. She looks quite different to the way we always think of her - hair down in a Rapunzel fashion and almost seductive?

This portrait of Albert was done by Charles Brocky and again, commissioned by Victoria, in 1841. These are the two portraits used on the brochures and advertising posters for the current exhibition.

This painting 'Florinda' by Winterhalter was given by Victoria to Albert again, as a birthday present in 1852. It depicts the beautiful Spanish maiden Florinda and her companions preparing to bathe in the grounds of her castle in Toledo. They are unaware that King Rodrigo is watching them secretly from the bushes (left towards top of painting). The 16th century ballad 'La Cava' tells how Rodrigo's subsequent seduction of Florinda ultimately led to the Arab invasion of Spain. The painting apparently hung between Victoria and Albert's personal writing desks in the sitting room of their house on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House. I love it and it shows Victoria's appreciation of the nude in art, again at odds with our usual image of her in tightly laced up Victorian corseted clothing and as a bit of a curmudgeonly prude.

This photo of the Queen with Prince Albert was taken by Roger Fenton - the couple are in court dress, having just attended a 'Drawingroom' - an occasion at St. James's Palace where people were presented to the Queen.

This dress of silk, lace, gold braid and seed pearls was designed for Victoria by Eugene Lami and is thought to be the most glamorous of the surviving clothes made for her. It was for the Stuart Ball in 1851 and inspired by the Court of Charles II. The couple were apparently fond of costume balls and hosted and attended many. In the coronation year of 1838 she attended the theatre or opera 36 times and gave a whole series of balls at Buckingham Palace, nine of which featured Johann Strauss the elder and his orchestra! By the time she wore this dress, she had already had seven of her nine children....look at the size of the waist!

I learned so much I didn't know and saw a whole new side to Victoria...it has definitely re-awakened my interest in her and the elements of her character which maybe became suffocated by the overwhelming grief which overtook her when her beloved Albert succumbed to typhoid fever at the tender age of 42 on 14th December 1861 at Windsor Castle. I thought I might not bother to go and see this - it looked a bit 'same old, same old' but I'm really glad I did. Go if you get the chance and if not, have a look at it in more detail at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/.

A Blue Sky Birthday...

We are so lucky to have a number of beautiful English 'country house' hotels nearby & to celebrate the LAB's birthday yesterday, decided to visit Lucknam Park, a luxurious property & a member of the Relais & Chateaux group of hotels, for lunch. They have a michelin starred restaurant 'The Park' but unfortunately it's not open on Sundays so we had to 'slum' it in the Brasserie instead!!! The grounds are magnificent - how about this garden room, complete with wicker furniture and a working fireplace?

The main part of the building is traditional:

Glorious gardens, bursting into life:

Statuary aplenty:

Sweeping driveway:

Attached to the brasserie (where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of local pork, sorry no photo, I was ravenous by the time it arrived and demolished it before even thinking to record the food!) is the Spa...a place of tranquil luxury where I wouldn't mind spending a day or five....you can buy a membership which enables you to use the 'facilities' including the gym, pool, steam room etc. for a mere 2,475 GBP a year (excluding treatments!). After your spa session, you can have your hair done by the resident (very popular, book 6 weeks ahead) hairdresser and meet a friend for lunch in the Brasserie - or book in at the equestrian centre for an afternoon of riding! What a gorgeous place....check it out at www.lucknampark.co.uk.