Ye Olde Worlde

Ha! No, I have not got into a new and extreme era of vintage, nor have I become a re-enactor of sword fights and the like. Although, that does sound fun in its own way...

Medieval Fun!

My latest low-budget day out is to Ruislip's Medieval Weekend, incorporating their ever popular craft and artisan food fair, managed by Duck Pond Markets.

Charleston House

Some more wanderings with my camera!

Charleston House And Garden is a wonderful farmhouse in Sussex. Decorated and renovated over the 20th Century by the artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, it became a centre of creativity for the Bloomsbury Group. It's well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys literature or art; inside, the eclectic designs vary from Medieval to Picasso with all sorts (Laura Ashley's original designs, for example) in between. Every wall has been decorated, too. Many of the century's most influential thinkers spent time there and sketches of them at work are hidden in every nook and cranny. Unlike many of my favourite places, this one isn't cheap at £9 for a tour, however as a one-off it's well worth it- both to ensure the house is preserved for future generations and to marvel and how creativity, academia, politics and economic theory interleaved within the walls.

If you do take the tour, (available Weds-Sat - check website for further details) bear in mind you may not get on the next available tour! Wednesdays are particularly busy, so pre-booking or being flexible about when you lunch or shop is useful. The reward for being patient is a small, intimate tour with a very knowledgeable guide, who has the time to answer all questions personally.

Photography is forbidden within the building, however the gardens (which can be wandered free of charge- you may get a ticketed tour but most do not bother) are an amazing place to take a camera. Here are some snaps to give you a feel of the place...just right for a pick-nick on a sunny afternoon...

This one amuses me. If you are childish and rich, the
half-statue (with mooning feature) may be purchased from
the shop for £250.

Have you any favourite houses or gardens?

Giveaway to come!

Wow, I have reached the hallowed 100 followers. Thank you for reading my blawg!!

I know that etiquette dictates a giveaway, however I am mid-preparing-to-move so be patient, something tacky and delightful will follow soon!

I promise I won't give away cardboard boxes.
Mostly because I need them all for packing nick-nacks,vintage kitchenware and shizzle.

The Pickfords man is coming round later to help plan how to move my shoes. Our flat is 99% filled with my shoes, which makes for an interesting move.

"I Come Alive Outside The M25"

Am oasis of calm and simplicity, what many of us city dwellers need right now. I don't have to explain why, it has been done elsewhere and I find the whole thing enormously stressful and triggering to the brain-toad of anxiety, so I won't.

Whatever the causes of strife and stress, there is indubitably a big bucks market in relaxation. But for those of us with a lot more common sense than cash, calm can be found in many a place - wherever there is something beautiful, some exercise or something to remind us of happy memories. These places are rarely expensive and I have found many in my home city of London (check out my museums posts for my winter favourites). In summer, the weather sometimes enables me to get into the old bomber and escape to the country.

Vintage At Southbank

Hello there! Finally blogging about Vintage-by Hemingway-On-The-Southbank. Sorry I have been away from ye olde steam powered PC for a while, I've been gadding about like an irresponsible fool in the few weeks before I buy a tumbledown abode and become one of those boringtons always talking of the price of windows and the B&Q sale...

Royal Festival Hall Entrance