Robert Browning - Home Thoughts, from Abroad

There are only a couple of days left in England, and I've been thinking of this poem all month, so I thought I'd share it again.

O, to be in England
Now that April 's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge—
That 's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's dower
—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

Pure Wool Pillow

My husband's been searching for a good pillow for years.  We keep buying them and then throwing them out because they're not firm enough!  He just found an excellent solution from The Wool Company in England: a pure wool pillow.  It's packed with 100% wool filling.  They also sell extra bags of wool so that you can add stuffing as the pillow goes flat.  Genius.

The Ultimate Classic FM Hall of Fame

When we're in England, we like to listen to Classic FM.  Lucky for us, we can get the station on TuneIn.  Over Easter weekend each year they broadcast a Hall of Fame of the top 300 pieces.  We loved listening to it.  They've been doing it for 20 years and have now compiled an ultimate collection.  Amazon says it will be out in October, but we already got it on Amazon UK!

Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy

I think I talked about this when we first went, but I've been thinking about it again: the toiletries at the first hotel the first time we went to England were from the Spa Therapy line by Gilchrist & Soames.  We stayed at the Sofitel Heathrow, and every time I catch a whiff of one of the Spa Therapy items it takes me back!

English Fields Quilt

I finally finished a quilt that I dreamed up in 2009 when we first visited England.  I wanted to make a patchwork quilt that would look like the farms and fields of the English countryside.  It took me a while to figure out how to incorporate some diagonal pieces along with the rectangles (and to gather all of the green fabric).  I sewed straight rows through the quilt to look like furrows.  Last year when we visited England, I bought a ball of yarn made from the wool of the sheep at Blenheim Palace.  I used it to tie the quilt randomly so that it would look like lambs in pairs or threes.  I like the effect that it created on the back.

 

V-E Day

Today is my mom's 70th birthday.  It also happens to be the 70th anniversary of V-E Day.  Yes - she was born on the day that World War II ended.  I can't even imagine what that day must have been like.  In Britain, street parties (like the one pictured below) sprang up everywhere.  I love how they string festive flag bunting all along homes and businesses.  When we've been in England we've seen bunting crossing high above streets, and I love it.  I hope today will be a festive day for my mom!

9 Wallpaper Studies

My husband saved a page from the New York Times for me on Sunday, and it was quite interesting.  The page contains nine square paintings by Leanne Shapton.  They are studies of wallpaper found in museums, stately homes, and National Trust houses in England.  You can click through all nine here.

Blenheim Palace Trees

I saw an episode of Downton Abbey the other day and noticed some lovely trees on the grounds of Highclere Castle.  They reminded me of some that we saw when we were at Blenheim Palace in May.  I learned that they are Cedar of Lebanon trees - you can see one drooping in the picture below (along with some lambies).  The picture at bottom shows some Copper Beech trees that we learned about while we were exploring Blenheim (the purple ones).  We were fascinated by the way that they grew into such uniform mounds.  One of the unexpected and interesting effects of travel is learning about the flora and fauna of other parts of the world.

Cath Kidston

I just love Cath Kidston.  When we were at Heathrow about to come home from England this summer I spent my last 5 pounds on a little zipper pouch made from this cute "London Scene" fabric.  These new totes are adorable and practical (just not affordable...).

Marlborough Cologne

One of the souvenirs that my husband came home with from England was Marlborough cologne by D.R. Harris & Co.  He bought it at Blenheim Palace, home of the dukes of Marlborough (and birthplace of Winston Churchill).  The scent is described as a subtle blend of woods, including cedar and sandalwood.  It's a very nice manly scent without being too cologne-y (you know, that strong teenage boy department store stuff - blech).

The National Gallery, London

One of the great, free museums of London is the National Gallery.  It's right in the heart of things at Trafalgar Square.  We enjoyed spending time there.  I liked this very large painting of Whistlejacket, the racehorse, by George Stubbs.  As a splurge, I bought this watch featuring a still life by Ambrosius Bosschaert.  I love it.

V&A Jewellery

Rooms 91-93 at the V&A are full of jewellery (as the Brits call it).  The collection is fascinating.  They had some pieces, like this brooch, that belonged to Jane Morris - the wife of William Morris.  Below is a sample of some of the other objects.  Tony liked the really sparkly things, like this tiara (bottom).

Millionaire's Shortbread

Everyone knows that Scotland has the best shortbread.  While we were in England, we discovered Millionaire's shortbread.  It's shortbread with caramel and chocolate on top.  Yum!  Go here for a recipe from the BBC.

British Textiles: 1700 to the Present

When we were at the V&A Museum, I found this great book: British Textiles: 1700 to the Present.  It was large and hardcover and expensive, so I didn't get it.  (But it's a lot less expensive on Amazon... so I'll have to save my money!)  It's edited by Linda Parry, the textiles expert, and it looks like a fantastic reference.

Penhaligon's - Vaara

We enjoyed some shopping when we were in London this time around.  Regent Street is fabulous (and Jermyn Street, etc., etc.).  We visited a great Penhaligon's shop, and, as you can see, they had plenty of scents for us to sample.  I really liked the new scent, Vaara.  It was created for the Maharaja!

Coldplay - Ghost Stories

Do you love Coldplay's new album?  I do.  Coldplay was playing over the speakers when we arrived at Heathrow, and I thought that was very fitting.

Liberty of London

I really, really loved the Liberty store in London.  It was so amazing that even my husband wanted to go back a second time!  We, of course, adore the classic Tana Lawn cotton.  It was about $40 per yard, though, so instead I took a picture of the beautiful bolts.  The Liberty print shirts were well over $100, so I took a picture of them, too.  A girl can dream!  What I actually walked out the door with was a lovely Liberty print handkerchief.  If you ever get to London, go to the store - the entrance is just off Regent Street.

Bernardaud Etoiles

Being in England got me thinking about fine china again.  Macy's carries this beautiful line by Bernardaud.  Etoiles Limoges Collection is made in France and is stunning.  But at $112 per dinner plate, I'll just have to admire it from afar (like les etoiles...).

Wrendale Designs

We saw these adorable mugs in many gift shops in England.  They are Wrendale Designs for Royal Worcester, and I love the depictions of British critters.

Benjamin West - The Nativity

One of the places that we visited in England was Petworth House, a 17th-century estate owned by the National Trust.  It is a truly great house with fabulous grounds and gardens.  It is noted for its fantastic art collection.  They own many paintings by J.M.W. Turner and other English artists.  One piece that I liked was The Nativity by Benjamin West.  It is a cartoon for a window that West was to paint in St. George's Chapel at Windsor.