Belvoir Presse

When we were at Kelmscott Manor, we stopped in the cafe for a snack. I got a lime and lemongrass soda that was divine. It was a presse made by Belvoir, and it was all natural - and very refreshing. I'll have to find someplace to order it online!

Pacifica Perfume

When we went to the UK, we tried to be really smart about our packing. Air travel can be a hassle even when you're flying somewhat locally. One of the things that I did to save space and to comply with the airline liquid limits was to pack solid perfume. I had some Pacifica gardenia perfume from the natural foods store that I threw into my bag, and I'm really glad that I did. It was handy, and since I don't wear the scent on an everyday basis, when I do it will always remind me of our trip!

Friday Featured Art: Ophelia

We visited the Tate Britain while we were in London, and two of my favorite pieces were out on loan. But, we were able to see Millais' famous depiction of Ophelia. It is very beautiful and was regarded as the most accurate nature study of its day. The model is Lizzie Siddal, wife of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Thursday Tunes: Katherine Jenkins

When we were driving around the UK, it was sometimes difficult to find good music to listen to. Most of their stations are controlled by the BBC, which is fine, but they had the same news over and over all day long. The other stations played really weird music - mostly club and electronica stuff. We ended up listening to a lot of classical music, which was nice. One of our discoveries was Katherine Jenkins. She is Welsh and has a beautiful voice. We were really captivated by her rendition of Lisa Lan. Go here to listen to it. (We ended up buying this album because of it!)

Ye Olde Watling

Ye Olde Watling is a pub where we ate fish and chips while we were in London. A lot of the pubs look much like this - black signs with gold writing and flowers everywhere. This one lies on an old Roman road in the financial district near St. Paul's Cathedral. The food was rather bland (including mashed peas), but the atmosphere was great (including fragrant lilies on the bar).

Apple Market

One of the days that we were in London, we wandered through the Covent Garden area. It was such an interesting place - full of shops and cute markets. The Apple Market featured local artisans selling jewelry, accessories, art, etc. It was a very fun place to be on a busy afternoon.

Friday Featured Art: Albrecht Durer

One of the interesting things about Kelmscott Manor was that William Morris owned a number of etchings by Albrecht Durer. A lot of his etchings are rather mystical, religious, or scientific. So instead I'm including a watercolor of his that I like - Young Hare.

Tea Towels

It was no surprise that tea towels were to be found everywhere in England (and Wales and Scotland). I think I ended up with four - or was it five? Here's one that I got at Canterbury Cathedral. And one from Kelmscott Manor. I'm excited to use them in our new home (even though I don't drink tea!).

Gilchrist & Soames

Our hotel in London was the Sofitel Heathrow. We've stayed at Sofitels in Chicago and Philadelphia and really like them. They usually provide wonderful Roger & Gallet toiletries. This time, because we were in London, the toiletries were by Gilchrist & Soames. They used the Spa Therapy line, and it was really nice. Tony thought that the entire hotel - and the hallway to the terminal - smelled good. Our first Gilchrist & Soames sampling was the chamomile line when we stayed at the Grand America in Salt Lake after our wedding. I may have to get some full-size versions!

The Old Vic

As a last-minute decision, we bought tickets to see the Shakespearean play The Winter's Tale at the Old Vic while we were in London. Tony's dissertation chair recommended that we should see a show or concert, so we jumped online and ordered tickets. It was very much worth it. The Winter's Tale was part of the Bridge Project - a group of actors from the US and the UK who team up to do two shows in New York and then in London directed by Sam Mendes (Kate Winslet's husband). One of the actors is Ethan Hawke (who's been one of my favorites since Dead Poets Society). He was kind of a rogue/pickpocket kind of character in The Winter's Tale. He was hilarious, and the whole thing was delightful.