The humble pot!

Whilst frequenting my favorite Farmers Market (just off Marylebone Lane) last week, I picked up a bunch of tiny 3-4" charming antique terracotta pots.

True, they are somewhat of a strange purchase due to their small size, and not very exciting at present, but I hope to put these lovelies to good use at our next assignment (as apparently, we'll be required to do a fair bit of entertaining).

A while back, I read an article by Martha Stuart using these small terracotta pots as simple yet elegant place card settings and favors .. they looked lovely, so I thought I'd give them a whirl.

To make one, place a small piece of broken china in the pot, fill with potting soil, and top with a rounded mound of velvety lush green moss. Insert a birch twig or sprig of pussy willow into the center of the mound and secure a name card to the twig.

As a variation to this I thought I'd either pop a vintage ribbon bow around the pot and attach the name card there in the center, or attach Regency period woodcut images of ladies & gentlemen to picks and insert them into the top of the moss and have their name cards affixed to the front of the pots in a scrolling style banner.

I've also been mulling over various ideas for lovely invitation cards, etc, but I think I'm going to seek the amazing talents of Katie ~ Homekeeping Hearts, as no one does dainty stationery as beautifully as she!

Lark Rise To Candleford

For the past month or so, Sunday evenings have long been one of my most favorite times of the week. BBC1 has been airing a wonderful ten-part adaptation of Flora Thompson's magical memoir of her Oxforshire childhood ~ Lark Rise to Candleford.

After watching the first couple of episodes and thoroughly enjoying them, I thought it prudent to purchase a copy of her immortal trilogy (book) containing ~ Lark Rise, Over To Candleford & Candleford Green .. A truly good read and a definite must for any avid reader of quintessential English life of a bygone era!

It’s an endearing portrayal of country life at the close of the 19th century, and depicts the story of three closely related Oxfordshire communities - a hamlet, the nearby village and a small market town. Based on Flora Thompson's own experiences during childhood and youth, it chronicles things such as May Day celebrations and forgotten children's games, the daily lives of farm workers and craftsmen, friends and relations, all painted with a gaiety and freshness of observation that make this trilogy an evocative and sensitive memorial to Victorian rural England.

Unfortunately, those of you in the States will be unable to purchase a "region 1" DVD of the BBC's adaptation Lark Rise to Candleford as they have only released region 2 (for Europe viewing) at present .. However, not to worry, if you're interested in purchasing a copy of her book simply click here .. I promise you won't be disappointed! ;)

Cheerio until next time,
Justine

The comfort of Tea and Grandma's

My dear old Grandma used to have a saying whenever anything was troubling me as I was growing up .. "A nice cup of Tea always puts the world to rights, if only for a wee while!"

To be honest, it wasn’t just the tea which helped at times such as these, but mainly the quiet chats we used to have and the loving hugs she would always willingly bestow upon you at a moments notice.

Her sage advice and canny ability to put the world to rights in those short moments whilst sipping a hot cup of tea were nothing short of remarkable! No matter what the problem or sticky wicket (so to speak) would be, she could always find a helpful solution to ease your woes. Gosh, I sure do miss her!!!!

Anyway, I digress .. what I meant to tell you is that I've seen my fair share of comforting cups of tea these past couple of weeks as it's been somewhat of a trying time for us here at the Watson-Rosso household. We've just received news of where we will be going on our next assignment .. Seoul, Korea.

We are due to leave here (England) in late July, so at present we're trying to organize everything involved with undertaking a transatlantic move (oh what fun!). I shouldn't complain too much as the Army does help by providing the packing Co., etc, but I don't relish the thought of packing and unpacking our entire household contents yet again .. lol ;o)

Till next time, take care!
Justine