"Sandie's Fantabulous Pottery Tour (w/lunch)- The Sequel".

What can I say, it was an amazing trip! It doesn't get any better than going out to Stoke-on-Trent with ones girlfriends! I can't begin to tell you how much we laughed. The places we went, the thing we saw and ooooh the things we bought!

For me, it was magical! I'm all about the girly stuff, you all know that. The colors, textures and various patterns of the pottery was intoxicating! To describe the euphoria I felt ...for me the analogy would be as if I was an alcoholic and I was swimming in wine. Yes, it was THAT good. You've got to be there when the doors open at the Wedgwood outlet- I learned this from my very first trip out there. If you go in the afternoon the shelves will be picked bare! We arrived at 9 am (just as I planned) and I set my girlfriends loose in the Wedgwood outlet! The selections were fantastic and extra discounts were being given to us- life is good! We were all dizzy when we left, we were all swimming in the wine so to speak. But a few minutes back out in the cold British air and we were on our way to the next place!

Next stop Burleigh- it's my own personal little slice of heaven! One of the things on my list- and yes I had made a list of things that I wanted to buy was a lamp. Not any old lamp would do either, I wanted a blue and white lamp as I'm trying to put together a "look" for my formal living room in my next house. I had dreamed about buying a Portmeirion Botanical Blue lamp until I saw the one at Burleigh. Bluebird is the patterns name and it's a rare pattern at that! Once I saw it I knew that it was the lamp for me! There were a few other items that I picked up while at Burleigh, some really cool items at that! They had these beautiful Christmas themed 8" plates for a whopping 50p each- I bought 12. They will go great with my Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware! There were tons of great deals to be had!

Now on to Cauldon Ceramics, home of the Original Brown Betty Teapot! Sure it's a small business, but inside that blue door was a magical place full of brown earthenware pottery! All 4 of us bought teapots galore, and ordered more to be delivered to us this week. Me? Well, I've got a covered sugar bowl and a creamer coming to me this week ;-) There's something about the Brown Betty that I simply LOVE! It's simple everyday look makes me feel as if I've come.

Now over to Portmeirion- This place (for me) is like walking into a British Flower Garden in full bloom! It's overwhelming in the sense of the selections and intoxicating! Since I already own quite a bit of Botanic Garden tableware, I was looking to get a few more serving pieces. I found that my pattern was on sale for an extra 30% off- yeah momma! I came out with bowls and platters and was very pleased that I didn't spend as much as I thought I would.

Now for those that don't know- Portmeirion also owns Spode- Oh yeah! Life IS indeed GOOD! Tons of Spode products in stock and I was looking around with big eyes. It finally happened...I found the pieces that I've been wanting for years for my Christmas Tree service. The last pieces to fall into my lap are the Teapot and the Sauce Boat with stand. The store had them on sale at an extra 50% off, I could not resist! For years I refused to buy those pieces because they were so costly and suddenly they were in front of me saying "look at me". I was like a kid in a candy store! I even bought some of the cutlery items. I came out of there one happy woman!

Last Stop, Ainsley China- I came here because I wanted to get a couple more Belleek China pieces. Belleek is made in Ireland and I blame my addiction to it on my mother-in-law as it all started with a cup and saucer. I now have a handful of pieces and I cherish them all!

I know that I will never be able to buy any kind of British or Irish made pottery at these wonderfully low bargain prices like I've been able to while living here in England. I'm going to have such wonderful memories wash over me every time I use any of my place settings and serving pieces. At times I feel as if I've been on a treasure hunt and found the most exquisite gem stones and pearls.

So the best part was being on a treasure hunt with my girlfriends and seeing them find treasures of their own. We all came away happy and content. Okay so that gourmet picnic lunch that I made for all of us helped too.

Oh do be Serious!

I'm beginning to think that some of the folks that have Portmeirion items listed for sale on e-Bay USA are either delusional or are on crack. I'm hoping the former and not the latter. Are people actually willing to spend $150 on a retired Portmeirion rolling pin? $350 or more on a soup tureen? IN this economy? Oh do be serious! I keep telling our US military folks to buy the British pottery here, now while you can and while it's CHEAP! I love going to Stoke on Trent! I've been able to buy things here that I know I wouldn't be able to get back is the USA- not for the prices I've paid for here!



I'm getting excited about my trip on Saturday! It's not as if I "need" any more pottery, but I would like to pick up a few more pieces of Portmeirion Botanic Garden and maybe even some more Burleigh Pottery...who knows what I'll come home with ;-)

German Christmas Market

I love Christmas Time! Here in England they have this wonderful Christmas Market thing that is set up various cities throughout the country. Today I am off to embark on an adventure to visit one such city's German Christmas market. When I get back I hope to be able to go into detail about where we went, what we saw (and bought) all with pictures!

SNOW

So here it is, another snow day here in Bicester, England. If we were back in the USA we'd be driving on the roads and carrying on business like usual-but we're not. Everything here has come to a complete and total standstill. There are no snow plows to plow the roads and neighborhoods, heck most of the people on our street don't own a snow shovel. Take our newest neighbor- he doesn't own any kind of a shovel. He thought that it didn't snow here- he now realizes the errors of his ways, LOL! Through the kindness of others he will have his driveway and walkway cleared of ice and snow. We've gotten over 8 inches of this fluffy white stuff and it's going to be a while before we can be mobile again.

I love hearing the laughter of children and trust me with our big yard, it's full of children! I've been watching them playing in the snow, having snowball fights and of course it wouldn't be complete without a few snowmen being made and snow angels too!

For the most part, I enjoy snow days. Reminds me of when we lived in the Midwest when we would get 20 inches of snow or more and we'd but stuck inside for a few days. We've got board games, books, DVDs and the snow to entertain us. I feel sorry for our son's girlfriend because she came so far to see England and what she's seen is the airport, the drive home on the highway (at night) and our house.

This snow bound kind of weather brings out the baker in me. We've had scones, sticky buns and many other delights all because of the snow. Today I think that I will encourage our son and his girlfriend to make some chocolate chip cookies from scratch. To get them involved in something fun and mildly entertaining. To take their minds off of being "snow bound".

Confessions of a British Pottery Addict

So what is it with me and British pottery? I can't seem to get enough of it! But I'm picky you see, I'm one of those purists...I refuse to buy a piece under the guise of "it was designed in Britain" (it's something that my girlfriends don't seem to understand).
Take Spode's Christmas Tree and Royal Albert's Old Country Roses patterns for example; all now being made in Indonesia and China but the companies are charging the same prices as if they were made in Britain. These patterns are those companies top sellers and they're being made where? The fact is that it's not the same- well it's not the same to me anyway. Even when shopping for my beloved Portmeirion Botanic Garden pieces I have to turn the item over and look where it was made. I have made the mistake of thinking that all of it was still made here in the UK- which is not true. I have 3 pieces that were made in China (no joke) they are the pierced cake plate, the set of 4 measuring cups and the multi purpose jar. I had bought these before I had realized that not all Portmeirion pieces are made here in Britain. Alas, as it is, this is something that seems to only matter to me. But with so many things that have been made in China these days that are recalled because of lead content makes me wonder how some of the world's finest pottery companies are turning to the "Made in China" label on their pottery pieces.

What can I say, I'm a purist. I want my British Pottery and Bone China to be made in Britain and I make no apologies for it. I've gone to the extreme to get my "Made in England" pieces, spending many hours sifting through dusty antique stores, browsing crowded charity shops and every now and then I go to eBay UK. I'm happy with what I've bought and the great memories of my "treasure hunting" experiences will be with me for a lifetime!

making room for the tree

My lovely British military house was not designed in the modern era that's for sure! Even with the 10 month renovation it underwent last year, it's still the same size -okay so a laundry room/mud room was added on, that still doesn't add anything to the areas of this house that need to be larger. Basically the rooms of my British house are small in comparison to American rooms. Trying to fit a Christmas tree in the living room is like trying to put on a pair of shoes that are one size too small- you can do it but it doesn't feel good and you're not going to wear them for very long. That's pretty much sums up how I feel about cramming a Christmas tree into this living room.

So here I am, I'm taking a break from moving our furniture here and there. I've had to put a couple of pieces of furniture in the formal dining room that were in the living room- all because I want to have a Christmas tree. Now both rooms are packed with wall to wall furniture. Oh there's nothing quite like that claustrophobic feeling of furniture closing in on you for Christmas, LOL!

On a lighter note, my husband did get the Christmas lights strung on the house before the temperature dipped into the teens last night. Brrrr, it sure is nippy out there today! We're expecting some snow tonight!

American Football

My husband and daughter LOVE Halloween but this year they were torn to be here OR to go to an American Football game that was being held at Wembley Stadium. You can all guess where they were, yup they went to the see the San Francisco 49ers (my home team) play against the Denver Bronco's. I handed out candy to the scads of kids and parents that came to my front door and they watched men running around in the cold with a pigskin. They both had a terrific time and said they'd do it all over again!

some of my other antique shop finds...

I confess, I am a hopeless Pottery Addict! Living here in England has enabled me to find a wider selection, better prices and better quality pottery!

Take this Portmeirion Basin and Ewer in the Christmas Rose pattern- I could only dream about owning something like this. But living here in England has given me the opportunity to be able to own such fine pieces as a fraction of what it would cost me back in the states. Now to replace them if they were to break during the move- now that would cost a mint!


Now who can resist a covered casserole dish? This was calling out to me, a brand NEW Portmeirion casserole dish that someone received as a wedding gift and they didn't like it. Left abandoned and on it's own to find someone who would love it...then I came along! I paid a third of what full retail is on this lovely piece of British made pottery! I will treasure it for many years to come!

These platters are so seriously cool to look at! The style is called "Flow" as it has to do with how glaze is applied before the firing process. Believe it or not but the Turkey Platter is in mint condish and I got it for the whopping price of...£5.00, no joke! It dates to the early 1900's and has clearly only ever been on display. Apparently turkey platters aren't much in demand out here.

The Fleur di Lis platter is supposed to be late 1800's and did cost me a little more than the Turkey Platter, but look at it, it's seriously cool!

Now as for being "collectible", apparently it's the Asian or Oriental designs are the ones that are highly prized and sought after by collectors. Me, I don't much care for the Oriental designs, I'd much rather have a nice pretty floral pattern or something else that strikes my fancy than Blue Willow.

AAhhhh, more great finds in Portmeirion. This is a retired floral pattern and it's one heavy bowl! It's lovely! It will be well used in my home!

This lovely little vintage piece is made by Portmeirion, it's from the 1970's and I do not know what the pattern is called but it's pretty none the less! The piece is a Sandwich tray, but it's great for serving all kinds of yummy treats!

The little bowls you see are made by Burleigh and are small sugar bowls- which are great for serving wonton soup, salsa or ice cream!

Here's my best deal yet on Burleigh Pottery- the large Chinese bowl which retails for £54.50, I paid £15.00. There's no way on this planet that I would ever find a deal like this back in the states...no way no how! I felt as if I had won the lottery that day!

There are also the Unusual finds- take this Portmeirion Halloween Bowl. Since Halloween isn't all that "big" out here in England like it is back in the States one would never expect to find something like this.

As you see, it fits in perfectly in my kitchen table in the breakfast room filled with Halloween treats!

With only 6 more months to go out here, I look forward to seeing what other great deals I'll come across and discover. One never really knows where the next bargain is lurking.

My Antique Shop Treasures

I saw (it's been many months ago now) in a magazine, a sitting room decorated in a manner that has stuck with me and has been in my head for quite some time. I'll have to wait until we get state side once again to find some wing back chairs, I've got the Turkish Rug and maybe I'll get lucky find a small table while here. Okay lets get back on topic- Then a little while back on the internet (HGTV to be exact) I saw a formal dining room decorated in a manner that I thought quite pleasing. Elegant yet not too formal to make ones guests feel uncomfortable. Then I saw a some more photo's of this persons house and loved what she had done with her Blue and white Staffordshire pottery collection. I knew that I wanted to recreate a similar look for my own home with my collection of blue and white pieces. Here's the link to Tetbury's photo's over on HGTV's website. Now here's the look I've recreated...

Actually it's 2 of the looks combined into one. My British house alas has narrow poky hallways and compartmentalized rooms. The picture you see here is in my breakfast room. But once I get back to New England I'll be able to have a larger house (hopefully one with an actual entry way like I had in my last house). I've found these items in various Antique shops here in the UK, on e-bay UK , the RAF Croughton gift shop and of course at the Burleigh Company factory shop in Stoke on Trent. Now if you'd like to catch up on the lovely person who created those wonderful rooms over on HGTV, well here's a link to her Blog Antiqueaholic, it's well worth checking out!

My British Goodies!

I have loved Royal Albert's Old Country Roses China since before I was married. My mother-in-law has this pattern and when I saw it I knew that THIS was the china pattern for me! Did I get this as my wedding china? No. Would I have liked this as my wedding china? You know it! So I made up for lost time and bought this pieces a little at a time on e-bay UK. There's no way I would pay the awful high prices back in the states for something made in Malaysia when all I want is the real deal that was made in England! I found a couple of pieces (cups and saucers) in antique shops but I was wanting more than teacups and saucers, I was in want of a dinner service! I bought a little here and there and now I have the china service of my dreams! Granted the only so called extra pieces I have are the teapot, creamer and sugar bowl and a cake/sandwich plate- but I'm fine with that. Platters and bowls- well I have plenty of those in other patterns!

Here we go with other things...Lilliput Lane houses. I got my first one back in 1992 the year our son was born. My husband was on tdy (an acronym for military business trip) to England. He brought my back "Penny Sweets". I was in love! Over the years he would bring me back one whenever he went to England. The rest I've managed to find here and there in Antique shops, Charity shops or have bought at the BX at RAF Lakenheath.

Now the Curio cabinet- we bought this yesterday at our favorite Antique Shop, The Brackley Antique Cellar. We've been looking for a curio cabinet for years, never found one that we really liked. So we've waited. I saw this on Friday and hoped and prayed that it would still be there on Sunday when I could take my husband in to see it (and check it over). It's got claw and ball feet and a skeleton key that lock it closed, how cool is that?!! We plan on add lighting to the cabinet once we get state side.

Burleigh Pottery- I thought that I was immune to the Blue & White pottery phenomenon that is after all, a very British thing to collect and display and I was for the most part since I'm not into the Asiatic Pheasant or the Oriental Blue Willow designs (and that's what seems to be most prevalent out here). Then I went to the Burleigh factory and saw all of the blue and white (and other colors too) that were all out on display before me and then I knew...THIS is the Blue & White pottery for Me! I'm standing there looking at all of the different flower prints and I could not make up my mind, I liked them all- okay I liked most of them (dark blue and red). The pale blue prints aren't really for me, it was dark blue that really caught my eye! I started small, only a few teacups and dessert plates and I worked my way up from there. The cow creamers are adorable! Seriously, who can resist buying at least one? I don't have it all out on display, I have some more pieces tucked away in my sideboard. I even own a piece of green Burleigh (a serving bowl in the retired pomegranate print- which is apparently a pretty rare piece). I've got pitchers, soups bowls, cake plates, a sandwich tray and my cool little canister that holds my loose tea. The Burleigh teapots are awesome because they don't dribble, not at all!

My new to me Sideboard was a stumble upon find at the antique store yesterday. As my husband and I were poking around in what I call "spooky corner" (it's the part of the store where there's so much furniture china and stuff piled up that if it fell on you, you'd never be found alive). Well... as were in spooky corner waiting for the sales staff to dig out a path to take the Curio cabinet up to the check out desk were looking around at "things" and as I see my spouse looking at stuff it's then that I realize that I'm standing right in front of a really neat Sideboard. We start looking at it and I of course look at the price tag, I couldn't believe my eyes- the price was seriously reasonable, so much so that I first thought that it must have been a misprint because other Sideboards in this place were priced MUCH higher, at least £100 or more higher! I also felt the same way with the Curio cabinet. The spouse and I check the Sideboard over from top to bottom, it's in great shape minus a little ding or scratch from normal wear. He looks at me I look at him and we know that we've got another great find! I would have been stupid not to get this piece. I've been looking for a sideboard ever since we got here and I've never found one at this price! It's in great condition and it's the size that I wanted!

All this happened as I was about to give up hope that we would ever find a piece of Antique British-Made furniture to take back with us when we move state side. Many of my friends have found furniture pieces that they like and enjoy and all I've found up to this point were books, shoes, clothes and of course pottery. Now I have real conversation pieces!

Scrapbooking the "every day things"

I'm a scrapbooker who is also a military wife. We move around every few years and that means a new to you house with a new view out the windows. Currently I am living in England. There are everyday kinds of things about my life here that I want to document...things like the light switches which are something we take for granted or my tiny microwave that I named Tivo simply because it looks like the Tivo character to Ken and Barbie- my very small but efficient washer and dryer. It's the little things that we take for granted that we tend to forget. There's the ever so small fireplace in the living room or as the British call it "the Lounge"- that would never fit a full sized log, you can even forget getting a half of a log in there. There's the entry way that is only a couple of inches wider than the front door and the fact that some of the walls are about 18 inches or more thick or the back door that opens outward. I want to document the flower beds that we worked so hard, we started with nothing but dirt and have turned them into something beautiful to look at.

Some scrapbookers feel as if they should only be scrapbooking major events such as birthday, Halloween and Christmas. Not me, I've always wanted to take notice of the little things. How we really lived, what we really did and what we were really like. I hope to be able to capture this is some of the photographs that I take.

Visiting my favorite place in England

Everyone has a favorite place that they enjoy visiting, mine hands down has to be Jane Hathaway's house in Stratford upon Avon. The flower gardens there are impeccable! I based my English flower garden in South Dakota off of hers! It was full of flowers in bloom and the Sweet Peas were delightful! Many different colors of them all on display for our enjoyment :-) The tour of the house was the same as it was 4 years ago- charming and delightful! For me, it's the gardens that captured my heart! From the willow hut (which I want to recreate in our own backyard) to the lovely flower beds full of color! I want to be able to bring a bit of Shakespeare's Britain home with me. The weather was perfect! It was in the lower 80's with a slight breeze, which is just fine for me!




Here's my Hannah being a goof as I was attempting to take a picture of the house.
A picture of me with my children...of the 10 attempts at a decent photo, this one turned out the best. The rest was a series of us laughing or looking in other directions.

LOVE this Willow Hut! Talk about simply too cool! We'll make one of these in our backyard when we retire. It's going to take a while (years perhaps) for the plants to cover. This is something that our future grandchildren will enjoy.

Sunshine in England

I know that it's some sort of running joke that it rains all of the time in England but I have to say that it's simply not true! we have had the most enjoyable weather lately. Yesterday my entire family and myself managed to get a sunburn! Today it's supposed to get up to 80º, how delightful! Now for the not so delightful part- homes here do not have central air conditioning. We bought a portable air conditioning unit last summer- it saved us when it got so hot in the house that we couldn't breathe. Here where we are is much like where we lived in Maine- it doesn't get really hot for longer than a couple of weeks each year. BUT when it does get hot, you are truly miserable!

Portmeirion, Burleigh & everything else good and wonderful

It's a fact, I'm in love with British pottery! I simply don't seem to be able to get enough of it! All of my Homer Laughlin solid colored Fiesta pottery ties in with it all! This is the best of both of my worlds- solid colored pottery from the USA and the lovely floral potteries from England- I'm in heaven! Throw in some Polish pottery to go with my Burleigh pottery and I'm sooo there!

In case you're wondering what I'm going to do with all of this pottery that I've been buying up like a crazy woman...Do I ever use it? Oh yeah! Tonight it's a casual dinner for 15 or at least it was at the last RSVP count, there's always those that don't RSVP and just show up and I'm okay with that! I bet that you're wondering -what's up with this dinner? Believe it or not, but I'm in a cooking club. I giggle with the mere mention of it!

As for the Cooking Club- we limited it to being neighbors (we want to keep it small and within walking distance). We set our own themes and work from there. The theme that I set for tonight is "salad". Now lets think outside of the box for a minute...not all salads are lettuce based. I wanted to challenge people with this one...I make the main dishes and everyone else brings smaller items to go with the theme...desserts included. I'm anxious to see what others come up with. Another great by-product is that my family also gets to partake of this huge feast!

Now for me to prepare my formal dining room for the the buffet. The table leaf needs to be inserted, tablecloth needs to be pressed, plates set out, glasses set out along with napkins and flatware. OOh I'm sooo in for this!!!

A rainy day in England

I'll say it, I'm an American who gets to live in England through the USAF/MOD and am LOVING IT! There are so many historic places to see/visit out here but one of my most favorite towns (besides Stoke on Trent- purely for shopping reasons) is Stratford-upon-Avon- home to William Shakespeare. The tour of homes and gardens connected with Mr.Shakespeare are amazing. I myself had made my own English flower garden after our trip to England in 2006- I did this in my backyard of the house we own in South Dakota (I wonder how it looks now). I know that we will recreate another garden like that with our next home as well. Currently we're planting flowers in the flower beds here in my true English garden, I'm so happy to have areas in which I can plant flowers.

The sad thing about being out here as with living anywhere is that so many of the locals haven't been to the places that I have. How can you not want/desire to go see these historic homes that are in books and period piece movies? The same thing applies to those that can eat off of dishes that are made in China. Why aren't you using that wonderful made in England, Ireland or Scotland pottery? Savor your history, support your pottery companies that still produce their wares in your country before they go off and start having it made in china (ugh).

It might be raining today but it IS gorgeous outside! Everything is bright green from the grassy lawn to the new leaves growing on the trees and shrubs. Living here is like a little slice of heaven to me!

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour- the details

It's the little things that one does for ones friends that end up being the really big things. On this trip there were 4 women, 1 Honda Odyssey minivan and an ice chest full of treats! We were driving down the road by 7 am -yes, we really were!

♥ Our first stop was the Wedgwood factory Shop and we were there by 8:45 am! This time around we were able to take our dear sweet time shopping as the shelves were fully stocked and for the first 30 minutes were were the only customers! everyone found something that they liked, and we found some prizes for our bingo event for the spouses club.

♥Next stop was the Burleigh factory Shop Oh my word were we ever to find some great items in there! I found a few rare pieces done in retired colors. Oh I think we all found a little something something at Burleigh! I bought an entire place setting in the Dark Blue Felicity pattern now that makes 8 place settings and I'm done! Okay not done as in done buying any more Burleigh period, more like done with buying place settings.

♥Onward James to the next stop...Portmeirion! Holy Catfish did the others go wild in that shop! Granted I came with a list and an idea of what I was interested in buying. I have to say that I was VERY pleased with what I came home with :-) I was able to get the 50th anniversary Parrot Tulip Teapot , to be honest,that was the #1 thing on my list! I was able to pick up the Spode dinner plates for a friend (she's now on her way back from Texas after being stuck there for a little over a week). More Bingo Prizes from here too!

♥We were trying to get to Churchill pottery but after driving around in circles for 40 minutes we figured out that this outlet was no longer in business at this location so we decided to go to Aynsley China and along the way we stopped at yet another Portmeirion outlet shop. Every place carries different items and here was no different! I was able to find the ever elusive Portmeirion measuring cups (they're new) and a 2 cup measuring pitcher (another hard to find item) and this one had American measuring lines as well as metric!

♥Number 5 on our tour Aynsley China what a lovely shop! I read up a bit on Aynsley and knew that they were acquired by Belleek China (Irish bone china) back in 1997. We all found a little something here! I came out with a Belleek bread plate and a Belleek Templemore Vase at a price that I couldn't resist! Needless to say, I left there doing the happy dance!

♥Last but not least on our Fabulous Pottery tour we found Churchill China! We were not disappointed in this shop in any way shape or form! We all found more goodies to bring home. I'm in love with Churchill's Eden pattern and bought a few serving trays. Nothing like having serving trays to help you bring loads of clean or dirty dishes to and from the kitchen! And after months of searching, I was able to find a Brown Betty Teapot HERE for my Mom! I also bought one for our Bingo event and will pair it up with some PG Tips Tea (that would make a sweet prize).

For lunch- Well I packed a gourmet picnic basket. There was Flock of Geese Chicken salad, marinated Italian Pasta Salad, Caprese Salad, Babybel Cheeses, croissants, baguettes, yummy herbed olives, mini almond poppy seed muffins, Ghirardelli Chocolate brownies and mini New York Cheesecakes! Evian bottled water was the drink of choice! We never touched the bag of kettle chips- probably too full of the other stuff to worry about it, LOL!

I'm assured by my girlfriends that they've never had a picnic lunch like that before. I'm glad that I was able to give them a happy shopping and dining experience :-)

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour (with lunch)

I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, I try to laugh daily and today is a day that I hope to be laughing nearly every minute of the hour!

In about an hour we're setting off to go to Stoke-on-Trent. Oh as it is, I'm the one driving. Distance wise it's not that far but the crazy road system here in England makes it a 2 hour adventure (one way). Off we go!

Tea Anyone?

Today's adventure is...
Going out with group of friends for High Tea. I've tried on at least 6 different outfits and I THINK that I've stumbled upon THE outfit that I want to wear. Keep in mind that "think" is the key word here. I'm between 2 blouses and 2 different skirts- same shoes though (wink wink). To wear pantyhose or not...that is the other big question. I feel as if my legs are rather pale and I think that wearing hose lends to an overall more finished "look" per say than not wearing hose. Oh the choices I have- then we're on to the choice of handbags, I've got the accessories (aka jewelry) picked out, that's not a problem. Oh to wrangle a pair of pantyhose. Other things to contend with- full makeup or simply eyeliner and mascara? Hmmmm. I dare say I better get back upstairs and check out my magic mirror and see what it says to me ;-)

All things Jane

Yesterday was spent reminiscing of the great time I had with my husband visiting the historic country estates. I talked with friends about the trip and have sent e-mails to friends with the post codes of the places we visited so they can plan their own trips. I think that I found the hidden romantic in many of my girlfriends here in the UK and back in America.

I love the Jane Austen Centre that is in located in Bath, it sells All Things Jane! I adore this shop and am on their e-mail list (yes, imagine that). There is a woman who makes up counted cross stitch kits with quotes from Jane Austen's novels- I have many of them on my wish list! The Sampler Girl You MUST go check out her stuff...I dare say it's seriously cool!

I'm filling my home with things that will remind me and my family of the wonderful years we've spent living here in England. Be it in the dining room with my lovely England dishes or the artwork and books that will be throughout my home. No matter where you look, you see bits and pieces of what makes a house a home. Things one has collected from their travels.

How could one live here for any amount of time and not have one (or more) teapots (of which are made in England of course). The most elusive teapot is of course the Brown Betty. Why on earth this is so hard to find is beyond me! I've found places on line where I can get them but no one local sells them! I'm going to look on line and see if someplace in Stoke on Trent sells them. I want to introduce my friends here to the lovely art of drinking tea and tea time.

Picture it- a Tea Party and everyone must dress up in costume from Jane Austen's time. What fun we could all have!

How to tell if you are a Janeite-

Pride and Prejudice- Hands down this is my favorite book of all time! I've read the book countless times, have more than one copy of it and have many stories/book that are spin-offs from Jane Austen's novel by various authors. I also have modern day versions of the 200 year old Classic. I've read numerous biographies of her life, my 2nd favorite of her novels is a toss up between Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion,

Those things I just listed- well those are clear indications that if I am not a Janeite, then I am well on my way to being one! Well that and the fact that I recently went on a trip with my husband to see the grand country estates that were in the film versions of Pride and Prejudice. Oh my word they were breathtakingly beautiful homes. I've got way more pictures that what I posted here...they will go in my on line photo album over at webshots. Now for me to start working on uploading to that website. Enjoy!








This is a french inspired garden , the flowers were remarkable! We actually did get closer to the garden but this was by far the best view of it! This Garden being at the house that was from the 1995 BBC versions of P&P
The back side of Pemberley- or more over where the carriages would bring you. There's a courtyard in the middle through the arch where you would actually enter the home.

Here we are on the side of Pemberley, the side that faces the lake, stream and of course the beautiful gardens. This place was AMAZING! IN the green house is a Camellia plant that is 185 years old and is still blooming like crazy!

This is where the interior scenes were filmed for the movie- this is the back side of the home- facing the lake.

Here I am...loving every minute of this tour!

Netherfield Park- okay it's not the real name of this house but it was place that was filmed as being Bigley's country estate. I was surprised to find out how close I actually live to this place. I'm not going to spill the beans about where it is because it's an actual private home with people living in it.