December Reflections

December traditions continue as

the Queen gave her annual Christmas broadcast yesterday
( for the first time, in 3D)

Today is Boxing Day,

much like Black Friday in the US

Fragrant and winter flowering
Viburnum x bodnantense

Winter has its trademark stamp of

soft grey, mauve, peach skies
and

bare trees revealing their true structure

And yet
green, green grass
velvety moss
and winter blooming viburnums
prove this island is very much alive

Weekday family time is mostly cloaked in darkness,

as the sun sets as early as 3:55p

Evening train commuters look like fireflies

with their torches/flashlights leading the way home

as our village has few streetlights

The rain does have a cozy comfort to it

The surrender
to a cozy blanket, warm fire, hot tea, and a good read

I love that I'm not cold to the bone as I found myself in the snowy US

Absent for months,
this week I just start to hear
the welcome sounds of a squeaky bicycle pump -
the classic bird call of the tit/chickadee
announcing that Spring is coming :)

The English sights, sounds, and traditions
are starting to settle into my soul
- feeling familiar and less of a curiosity -

Thank you for joining my journey
this year

I look forward to seeing you

in 2013
:)

- all photos by me -

We have a winner!

As promised, I'm back to announce the winner of my giveaway. I'm happy to say that the lovely WENDY CALDWELL is the lucky winner! Congratulations Wendy, you've received your recent Etsy order FREE! I'll drop you a line with all the details....

Christmas In England

The Christmas season comes earlier to England than to the US

In England, it creeps in as early as November 5th

after Guy Fawkes Night

In the US, the season officially kicks off after Thanksgiving

(end of November)

Although England is ethnically diverse

(especially in and around London)

there is no politically correct 
'Happy Holidays' or 'Seasons Greetings' to be heard

See the English robin in lights?

'Merry Christmas' and 'Happy Christmas',

are not meant to be religiously assuming

Just a general 'wishing you a wonderful holiday season'

As Christianity is the official religion here,

there is no pretending it isn't

(although they are welcoming of other religions)

We were surprised by how many Jewish neighbors lived in our area
when we saw 'menorahs' in many home windows
We soon learned these 'welcome lights' are actually a new, fast-growing tradition
originating from Nordic countries

English Christmas traditions include

browsing craft fairs and Christmas markets,

visiting Santa in one of his many grottos

& attending a local 'panto' production

Family-friendly pantos take a classic story
and add gender swapping, songs, humor for adults & kids,
and loads of audience participation
photo: ATG tickets

Another activity includes stopping by a local National Trust property

to view it in period holiday decor

Edwardian Christmas at Polesden Lacey (National Trust)

Although sending Christmas cards is an old tradition here,
family photo cards are just starting to catch on

The cutie-pie English robin is closely associated with Christmas
possibly because postmen in Victorian times
wore red uniforms and delivered cards
Postmen were nicknamed 'Robin'

Post boxes have been red since 1884

Also, the robin is one feathered friend still seen on the island this time of year :)

Santa will find small mince pies, not cookies, 
left for him by the fireplace

Mince pies

Christmas meals will be enjoyed at local pubs and in homes

The menu is often goose, ham, or turkey with stuffing
In fact, turkey first appeared in England on wealthy tables in the 16th century
Reportedly Henry VIII was the first monarch 
to eat the exotic American bird for Christmas

Today, brussels sprouts and parsnips also may be served

followed by Christmas Pudding
('pudding' is a general term for baked desserts)

Mini Christmas Puddings
photo credit: Tesco

Don't come to England looking for 'Figgy Pudding' 
as it has been replaced by Christmas Pudding

Figgy Pudding's key ingredient was figs and was offered to carolers 
as a thank you for singing to the wealthy community


'Oh Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding' 
is a line from the carol 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas', 
originally sung in the 16th century in England's West Country

And although they don't have yummy eggnog here,

mulled wine is a delicious alternative

- warm, spiced red wine -

Another lovely tradition after the Christmas meal

is Christmas Crackers

Two people pull each end to open the cracker to see what is inside

- a paper crown, small toy, confetti, or a joke -

Wishing you a wonderful holiday with your loved ones

May you stay warm and cozy in heart and home :)

- all photos are my own, unless otherwise noted -

Sources: Wikipedia 1, 2; Arundel Wetlands Centre

I'm shutting up shop for the year....

With Christmas almost upon us, the elves are working at full speed to get all my last Etsy orders posted. So if you've anything like me, and you've still got a few last-minute gifts to buy, don't worry - there's still time! But be quick - you only have until close of business tomorrow to get 20% off ALL prints in my store. What's more, I'll also express post every Australian order to make sure they arrive in time for the big day*. Oh, and don't forget - if you're really fast (i.e you order before midnight tonight, AEST), you'll also go into the draw to win your order FREE!

I'll be back tomorrow to announce the lucky winner - good luck everyone!


*express post guarantees next-day delivery within the Express Post domestic network. This covers most metropolitan areas of Australian capital cities (except Darwin), plus other centres. If you're not sure if your area is covered, feel free to drop me a line*

Snapshot Of London In December

London, all dressed-up for the holidays!

'Twelve Days Of Christmas' this year on Regent Street

Thanks to my sister

I discovered a new area, St Christopher's Place

Carnaby Street is always a fun place to wander

And lovely Liberty is adorned with simple greenery

This month has been busy, as December always is

Recently I was fortunate to meet one of my first blogger friends in person,

Suzanne of Privet and Holly

She wrote up a bit about her visit here

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season so far!

Frosty England

I've never been a big fan of winter

but my kids are

I'm one step closer to loving this season 

for all that England has shown me...

Making the most of every day

regardless of weather

Each day is a weather adventure

- snow, rain, sun, clouds, fog, or frost -

Look for more

Frozen spiderwebs look like icicles due to 'hoar frost'

As we drove to school today

my daughter looked at a fence and asked if those were real spiderwebs

'No, those are too thick to be real'

But sure enough, spiderwebs were visible with all the frost,

revealing an invisible world 

everywhere I turned

Unbelievable, no?

This is exactly what it looked like - no photo tinkering

Countless hues of grey*

- soft & muted -

The lighting in England is so different from anywhere else I've lived before

Frozen grasses look like white clouds resting in the heath

Everything is better with a cozy blanket

A gorgeous countryside drive

is never far away

'All is calm, all is bright'

Beauty is everywhere

And wear gloves with fingers on next photo shoot :)

- all photos by me -

* 'Grey' is the British spelling; 'gray' the American - important as there is so much of it here :)

So, what do you think?

So the colour of the year for 2013 is Emerald Green, according to Pantone. I was quite surprised actually, as the early money was on Monaco Blue - and as you know, it's one of my favourites. But I have to say, I do love Emerald - it's strong and distinctive and not for the feint-hearted. Used wisely, it's a show-stopper. Used not-so-wisely, it's a hot mess. So I hope you think my new range of emerald sea corals is firmly in the first category....

My Oceana Series in Emerald Green

for sale in my Etsy Store

I've put together some pics to show how lovely emerald can look. For me, I like it best when used as a pop of colour - the supporting act rather than the lead. A little can go a long way, but if you're game, it can really pay off - as the following pics show...

How gorgeous is this emerald chinoiserie wallpaper? It's in the home of the lovely Dagny of Scandinavian Chic, and I was smitten the minute I saw it. It's the perfect solution if you're a little scared of colour - a smaller space, away from the main living area is a great place to test the waters....

If you want to make a softer statement, try pairing it with soft tones of greens and blues - it lessens the impact and is soothing rather than strong...

via

Here, the island is the stand-out, with the green repeated in the wallpaper pattern for a cohesive look...

via

I love emerald with a grey background - it takes it down a notch yet still packs a punch. Although these tufted bedheads are not quite emerald, they'd work just as well if they were, and I love the pops of jewel colours in the room - the perfect accompaniment....

via

Nothing like a making a dramatic entrance - this sets the tone from the get-go....

via

So, what do you say? Are you a fan of Emerald, or do you think Pantone totally missed the mark? Love to know what you think......

Film Locations: The Holiday & Bridget Jones

A few months ago

I asked you what questions you have for me

For a while 

I've been chewing on this question 

from Debi at A Tale of Two Cities...

Do you have suggestions for cute towns that would be

great day trips for us London gals wanting to get out of the city sometimes?

We've been to all the tourist sites of course, but we love cute towns

and villages that we can get to by train...

The picturesque village of Shere comes to mind,

in the heart of the rolling Surrey Hills 

just 30 miles south west of London

(photo by me)

To get there, take a train from London Waterloo to Guildford

and hop in a taxi for a 20 minute drive to Shere

Because it is a village, it is quite small by definition

Set in Tillingbourne Valley, medieval Shere

is complete with a ford, stream, ducks to feed, ancient church, teashop,

stores, and pubs

Need something to do?

How about a nose around for local film locations :)

Shere Lane on filming day
via Hooked On Houses

You can see they pumped snow all over the village for a Christmassy look

but as it rarely snows here, I can't promise you'll see the white stuff on your visit
- I got lucky this week ;) -

(photo by me)

The gorgeous Church of St James is Grade I listed and was built in 1190

It provided the backdrop for the final wedding scene in 

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

Cameron Diaz was dropped off in front of the church graveyard

in the romantic comedy, The Holiday (2006)

Take a walk over and enjoy a pint in the former smugglers pub, 

The White Horse, built in 1425

Filming at The White Horse with Jude Law
(Photos used by permission, © Chris Capstick Photography)

In The Holiday, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz enjoy drinks in this fire-lit pub

with ceiling timbers from Nelson's ship, HMS Victory, which was in the Battle Of Trafalgar

The cast and crew enjoyed their wrap up party here too

Have a rumbly in your tumbly?

Amble over to 18th century pub, The William Bray, for a scrumptious meal

(great outside seating on a sunny day)

To walk off your meal in the breathtaking countryside

 go past St James Church 

and find the public pathway to the right of the church

Up the hill you will see the field where Iris's cottage was created for The Holiday

Just a film set, the house is no longer standing

In the photo, you can see the church spire in the background

(and no snow on the hills)

Front of house via Chalk and Talk Blog
Back view via Paul Orford on Panoramio

In the photo on the right,
it looks like the public pathway is on the left side

(you can just barely see people standing on it)

The field is on private land but can be seen from the church path

And that adorable cozy English interior?

 Filmed in sunny Sony Picture Studios, Culver City, California

- the horror! -

via Hooked On Houses

Although you won't see the storefronts from Diaz's famous driving scene here

(filmed 8 miles away in Godalming),

the Shere Shop is a cute village shop worth a visit when in Shere

Another worthy walk is along the stream heading out of town

where you'll pass the community (allotment) garden, 

16th & 17th century timber-framed houses, a ford, and a pasture for horses

Shere holds a special place in my heart,

as my husband took me there

to woo me over with the idea of moving to England

As you can see,

it worked :)

{ Read my post about the building of Iris's cottage here }

Sources: uk.imbd, GreatBritishLife,Pub Explorer, 

Beautiful England, Sports Yahoo, Voices Yahoo, 

ReelStreets, EmilyMurray, TheWeekenders, 

DebbieWard, EssenceMagazine

'Vintiquing' In England

Portobello Road

I almost wrote 'Nervous Nellie' when the form asked my name,

as I registered as a buyer at an antique auction house

along with experienced antique dealers

What had I gotten myself into?

The nice man gave me my numbered card to raise during the auction

(could I exchange it for my favorite number 9, please?)

(elderly lady behind me smiles and says her mom always asked for a 3)

This was really the last frontier of buying cool vintage stuff for me

It showed my absolute dedication :)

 and I was sooooo nervous

Would I be able to understand their accent

as numbers flew out of their mouths?

Dare I remove a stray hair tickling my cheek

in fear of accidentally buying something?

Would my American accent 'out' me as a foreigner,

my shaky voice indicate my inexperience,

or would I accidentally double the price?

Here's how it worked:

I went a few days before the auction to view what was going to auction

I marked on my paper the items I was interested in (2 paintings)

The sheet indicated the opening bid

On that particular day, there were loads of furniture, artwork, and kitchen goodies

all at incredibly affordable prices/opening bids
Basically wholesale antiques!

Some of my recent purchases-
Groovy vintage printers tray by blogging friend, Vintage Sheet Addict
Authentic letter blocks from The Bothy

The day of the auction I found about 70 people in the room

The auctioneer was very easy to understand and spoke slowly (yay!)

They went through the items only by number, so I'm glad I went on preview day to view the goods

Typically only about 2 or 3 people were bidding on a particular item

The highest bidder paid for the item and took it home that day

(delivery available)

Because most of the bidders were dealers,

they would drop out from a bidding war early

as they didn't have the emotional tie to items

and needed to make a profit

I got my two paintings at half the price I would have paid at an antique fair

with no embarrassing mishaps

- plus a story to go with it and conquering the fear of auctions :)

Ardingly Antiques & Collection Fair

But if you must know, 

my happy happy place for vintiquing

is Ardingly Antiques and Collection Fair

held only twice a year

It is HUGE and jam-packed with vendors from all over Europe

It is open two days in a row, but only go the first day when it is full of vendors

Everything you could imagine is there

It is so freaky-good that I get giddy
each time I step foot among the treasures yet to be discovered

I have found London to be too expensive,

but nearby Surrey has some other great finds:

Sunbury Antiques Market (2x/mo)

Hampton Court Village, East Molesey  

Dorking's West Street

Bourne Mill Antiques Centre & The Packhouse in Farnham

I've found car boot and jumble sales have great deals 

but rarely provide good loot

The most bizarre thing I've seen in my foraging?
A container of human glass eyeballs from Victorian times(!)

My recent brocante obsession?
Kitchen scales and kitchen containers

Do you have any tips to share?
Your obsession?

- all photos by me -

More info: Ewbank Auctions
Related post: Buying Vintage In England