One of the problems with having to have a bit of a clear out before moving is that I keep finding things that I'd forgotten I own and then spend ages looking and playing with them. Tonight's find were these old handkerchiefs that I think belonged to my Gran. I fully admit that the white one on the left is a tad dusty and could do with a good wash, but despite the grey sheen it's beautiful all the same. The embroidery on the middle one adds a lovely splash of colour to an otherwise plain household item that many women like my Gran would have always had in their pocket. ... read more
Archives for June 2009
Part of the Furniture – Mary Wesley
After my previous Mary Wesley experience I felt a little flutter of concern as I pulled Part of the Furniture out of my bag whilst undertaking our long journey home from Tallinn. I think my fears were a little unfounded though.In 1941 the wonderfully named Juno Marlowe accompanied two of her childhood friends to Euston station as they went off to serve with the forces. As she then tried to cross central London on foot she finds herself caught up in an air raid. I kind local man takes pity on her and brings her into his home to shelter from the ... read more
Countdown
If all goes according to plan Mr C and I should be moving house a month tomorrow.I'm anxious and excited in equal measure at the moment. Anxious as I've suddenly realised that the next month is going to be full of packing boxes, writing lists, remembering things that need to be done and notifying people of a change of address, and in between all this I also need to go to work every day. Exciting because in just over a month Mr C and I will have our first proper family home, complete with a garden and enough space to do all the things that we want to do. The next thirty days are ... read more
An Imaginative Experience – Mary Wesley
I'm pretty sure that I read some Mary Wesley several years ago, but unfortunately I'm completely unable to remember which books, or much more about them than the cover style from the mid 90s. An Imaginative Experience starts off quite strangely with a woman halting an InterCity train so that she can run into a nearby field to right a sheep that was laying on its back. What follows from there is actually quite a standard modern novel. A well written, but slightly predictable, love story. A good read, but nothing stands out to make it spectacular. ... read more
Tallinn
A post of few words today.Mr C and I spent a lovely weekend in Tallinn with his work colleagues. Most of our time was in or around the Old Town which is a fine example of a medieval town complete with fairy-tale towers and town walls. Strong Russian influences were also very prominent. This cathedral was built to remind Tallinn of the Tsarist rule from Russia in the early 1900s. As you can see though the weather didn't always oblige for my photographs. The journey up to the top of the Town Hall tower certainly made my legs burn, especially since the depth of some of the ... read more
Helsinki
As promised, a first instalment of our recent trip to Helsinki and Tallinn.The mysterious ways of airline costings meant that we actually flew from London to Helsinki first, before continuing to Tallinn 24 hours later by boat. So, a whole 24 hours in Helsinki in which to unwind from work, whilst also making sure that we got to see all the key sights. Helsinki is one of those cities that most people have heard of, but it isn't really a big tourist destination, and people don't instantly connect it with a specific site like they do the Eiffel Tower with Paris.A walk round on the ... read more
Did you miss me?
Sorry for the absence. This time it was somewhat more exciting that just life getting in the way of blogging. Mr C and I have been over to the Baltic and have visited Helsinki and Tallinn within the last week.As seems to be usual for us our return journey yesterday involved a cancelled connection, a six hour wait in Copenhagen, delays landing in London due to thunderstorms and a nearly lost bag! In total fifteen hours from leaving our hotel to arriving home. As you can imagine I'm a tad shattered (not helped by the fact that we both went back to work less than twelve hours after landing) ... read more
Hardwick Hall
Mr C was off on a stag do last Saturday, so I decided to head up north, meet up with my parents and explore somewhere where we used to go when I was a child.I have very fond memories of going for lunch in the Big Kitchen at Hardwick Hall. Now that I'm a bit larger myself, the kitchen didn't seem quite as big as I remembered, but the rest of the hall certainly didn't disappoint. Bess of Hardwick used to be the second most powerful woman in the country, following Queen Elizabeth I, and the house gives the visitor an insight as to just what that power brought in terms of a home. ... read more
Nella Last’s Peace: The Post-War Diaries Of Housewife 49
I seem to have been reading very slowly lately, but I can promise you that it is nothing to do with the quality of the last book I've finished. If you saw the TV adaptation of Housewife 49 or enjoyed the book version of Nella Last's War then you really must not miss Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries Of Housewife 49.After the war Nella Last continued writing her regular diary as part of the Mass Observation project and this second book covers the post war period, when Nella was trying to come to terms with her new peace time role. She ... read more
A wet weekend
After an incredibly wet Saturday we were woken in the early hours of Sunday morning by yet more rain. Looking out of the bedroom window the wind was raging, the road turned into a river and several rumbles of thunder passing overhead. We therefore headed down to the WWA this afternoon expecting to see some degree of damage from the weather. Luckily we were proved wrong. The butterfly garden seemed to have escaped the worst of the wind, and with only a couple of small exceptions, most of the plans were still standing proud. There weren't that many butterflies to be seen today, but the bees ... read more