Foggy evening - twilight in Highclere
A grey day in North Hampshire, but it has not been difficult to make the best of the day nevertheless.
First of all, off to an enjoyable and very 'gossipy' lecture in Hungerford, on the American 'Dollar Princess' heiresses who married into (and some say rescued!) the British and European Aristocracies at the beginning of the 20th century. I attend these lectures with a close friend and we always take the opportunity to have lunch together afterwards.
After a lovely, mixed salad, I made my way home - but as I had not visited the Hungerford Arcade for a long time, I decided to make a detour and take a browse around. As always - there were little treasures to be found - this is what came home with me today.
First 'find' in the Alladin's Cave of 'The Junk Shop' (low priced bric-a-brac but the most fun shop to root around) was a Victorian china children's part tea-set (I collect these) - a bargain at £4.00 ...
Then - (also in the Junk Shop), a beaten up but oh, so pretty engraving of Babbacombe by the Victorian artist Henry G Walker - also £4.00
and - as always...one or two books (One felicitously being a biography of one of the said 'Dollar Princesses' - Winnaretta Singer, Princesse Edmond de Polignac).
With restoration and reading, these items should be enough to keep me busy for a day or two. Just the ticket for these grey and foggy - but also cosy and closeted - autumn days in the country!
Oh Roz! What finds! I would SO buy the Babbacombe painting even if it was 40 not 4! And the Princesse de Polignac book - scrumptious. I do see it is available on Amazon though, so I need not get the vapours from envy. The dolls' china is charming, but the word "collect" scares me, for obvious reasons...
Posted by: Diana Birchall | Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 00:23
Maurice Ravel dedicated his wonderful "Pavane pour une infante défunte" to Princesse Edmond de Polignac.
Posted by: WOL | Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 01:30
Bonsoir.
J'adore le service à thé. Il irait bien dans mon joli meuble avec mon service Royal Albert.
Encore de jolies photos de votre part. J'ai hâte aussi d'avoir la brume le matin à mon levé.
Je ne connais pas les auteurs dont vous parlez, il va falloir que je cherche cela.
Merci à vous.
Posted by: florence.degallaix-milite@wanadoo.fr | Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 18:01
Hello. What great bargains you found today. There was a TV program recently on the American heiress' who married into British aristocracy. It was a multi part series if I recall. Many had sad lives. I'm sure the lecture was interesting. Pat
Posted by: Lilly's Mom | Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 20:58
Love your finds. You must be in the same area as we visit our daughter regularly. Childrey is a wonderful village. I must begin looking in the shops as you find such wonderful treasures. If you are in the Childrey are, do have coffee and sweets at Childrey Store. Yum!
Posted by: Cindy | Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 07:12