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!

Love is a Verb

Back in May we were invited to a screening of the documentary Love is a Verb at Navy Pier downtown.  The film is about Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet movement.  The film's web site explains that Hizmet is a social movement of Sufi-inspired Sunni Muslims that began in Turkey in the '60s.  Hizmet is the Turkish word for service, and that's really what it's all about - giving back.  It was interesting to watch the film and to think about some of these ideas.

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.

Fireworks

Did you see the NYC 4th of July fireworks on TV?  They were amazing.  We were mesmerized by the wall of fireworks raining down from the Brooklyn Bridge.  This photo by Jon Armstrong shows how incredible it looked.