Autumn Cottage Diarist

Oh, Mrs Lovett - What Wonderful Pies!

Being a Dramatis personae of the cinematographic representation of Mr Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and his vengeful deeds, in which... 

Mr Todd – (Mr Depp) is magnificently lowering and glowering – with  (more than a) hint of bad-boy glimmering in his eye

Mrs Lovett – (Miss Bonham-Carter) is an ethereally corpse-like waif, even while living. Turns a mean hand with the meat-mincer, though

The Judge (Mr Rickman) leches and sneers his delicious way through most of the film, demonstrating his everlasting resemblance to a cross between Casanova and the Marquis de Sade (but who amongst us ladies would refuse the offer to browse his wickedly erotic tomes alongside him, bathed in that voice like chocolate honey... Hmm?)

The Beadle (Mr Spall) repels and repulses, simpers and drivels, ending up no better than he oughta!

The Music – (by Mr Sondheim), is divine – in fact, one could quite easily sit through the whole film with eyes closed and just allow yourself to be bathed in it, if you can’t face being bathed in....

The star of the film...THE BLOOD – which oozes and pumps, trickles and gushes, drips and splatters just about everywhere. This is a SERIOUSLY bloody – and graphic – film, folks, so don’t go if your stomach won’t take it. If you do, take a big handkerchief or gentleman’s shoulder to hide in if it all gets to be too much. 

This is a spectacular film, with a magical opening sequence of an old sailing ship, floating through the mist to enter the Victorian Pool of London by night. Quite, quite wonderful. In fact, I think I would elevate the scenery and costume design to be equal stealers with the other accolades – if this film doesn’t win every Oscar in the book, then I am the Queen of Sheba. If you like Tim Burton's sense of the macabre, you will love it! (But take that handkerchief, just in case...)

Six Men and a Little Lady

Aren’t these little clay characters fun? I picked them up last week in Hungerford, to add to my growing collection of similar figures.

They were produced for visitors to India in the last century and before – they certainly seem to have been popular items to bring during the time of the Raj when ex-pats took “home leave” or returned to Mother England for good.

I have several sets now – these are pleasing because each one has come with a little hand-written tag attached, describing their trade or station in life. (Alec’s Granny, who had been in India in the early 1900’s, knew the names of a set of 12 when I showed them to her, with no need for recourse to any tags at all).

From the left hand side of the screen, these are: “a singer”, “a water-carrier”, “a holi man”, “a punjapi girl”, “a cooli”, “a south india man” and “a Muslim”
Click the image for a closer look, or email me if you want even higher resolution.
What is it about “little people” that fascinates so much?

Colour and Surprise in a Winter Garden

Dogwood (red), Carex (green & yellow) and Pittosporum (black)

To the Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum and Gardens this afternoon (much nicer than filing my on-line tax return, as I should have been doing) to take our first advantage of the Garden membership that I gave Alec and myself as a Christmas present. (A terrific bargain at just over £26.00 per person – less for two – which gives free access to these gardens and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew for a whole year!).

Winter aconites

 

Dogwoods

Now you would think that there would be little so see in any gardens at this time of the year, wouldn’t you – the last day of January not yet passed. You would be wrong! It is not an exaggeration to say that parts of the garden were a blaze of colour – from flowers, yes, but also from the vivid yellow and red bark colours of dogwoods, the papery white bark of betulas, and the greens and golds of the evergreen conifers.

Betula

Conifers

For the rest, the tranquillity of the wintering acres of English gardens in their resting period was a delight to behold. Sometimes we just need to stand and let Mother Nature wrap her arms around us and envelop us in a blanket of peace. Ahhh....

An owl box - away from it all, down by the marsh

 

Logpile

What was even more unexpected was to see the number of plants in full flower. Azaleas, camellias, heavenly scented hammamelis (witch hazel) and viburnums, daffodils, jonquils, hellebores – all early flowering, but THIS early? Another sign of how much climate change is very clearly occurring.

 

Camellias

Enough of the talk – take a walk with me around the garden to see just how much colour and blossom was in evidence this afternoon. I think that you, too will be amazed.

Azalea

 

Cyclamen

 

The resting pond, with the "leaf" shelter

"The Bathing Girl"

A carpet of fallen blossom beneath the viburnum - and January not over yet

And then rambling home through the little town of Stockbridge - with its old Coaching inn, complete with sheltering porch, and lots of nice little shops to browse in the dusk. More gardening, anyone?

The Grosvenor Hotel at Stockbridge, with porch to shelter the old carriages and the church in the background

Heavenly scents from bunches of narcissi

Garden whimsies to brighten bare winter plots
 

We are Waiting, We are Waiting...

The wind chimes are waiting down by the pond...

Lissie is waiting in the summerhouse...

The Duke of Wellington and The Falconer are waiting for the cobwebs to be cleaned away... 

They are waiting for daffodils!

Hellebores!

Snowdrops!

 

They are waiting for the sun to shine on kittens, filled with spring fever, up a tree...

Though I’m trying hard to pretend that Springtime has finally arrived, it really has not – quite – and we are still in the “just stirring” phase. Its coming through, but it is not here yet, so I have been letting my mind and my typing finger wander round some delicious blogs, principally strolling away from my friend Britt-Arnhild’s pages, to visit those of Ulla and Florizel. Magical, magical places where I can browse literally for hours. (I linger particularly at Ulla’s dolls house pages) Ah, Fantasia! – (as Madredeus so hauntingly sings)

 Rather than defining what “the style of my heart” is, I invite you to visit those blogs – where you’ll find the most delicious confections of fantasy, whimsy, combined in a multitude of ways with elegance and serenity.Open a few tabs, so that you can listen to the beautiful, soulful Fado music of Portugal while you browse.

 Autumn Cottage is calling out for redecoration – the paintwork and decor in some of the rooms is getting more than a little – tired – shall we say. Soon the paintbrush will be out, the curtains will be down, the upholstery spruced – even if Springtime has not quite arrived outside, she is on her starting blocks indoors – as are the fairies in the summerhouse – waiting to sail away on a high spring tide...!

 

Thanks for the Memory

I’ve been working on a PowerPoint presentation recently, designed to show to prospective clients and participants what I offer in terms of courses and workshops, both here at Autumn Cottage and on clients own sites. There are images of the cottage, showing where I hold classes, but I have also included some images from some of the courses themselves – particularly the Memory Book and Box workshops. 

In my work with bereaved people, I have rarely come across something which people who are struggling with their loss take up with quite so much enthusiasm. It is such a simple idea, yet it seems to offer so much scope for being adapted by the users for their own needs.

I know that the world of “scrap-booking” is huge now, and can be costly, but there are many ideas which can be adapted for memory books that do not have to cost a fortune. A length from a roll of wallpaper and an old shoebox or box file, and anyone can make books and boxes that do not cost an arm and a leg.

Images can be scanned from many, many sources, “faded out” in a photo manipulation programme and then cheaply printed out to use as background papers. Specialised, square, scrap-book sheets at nearly a pound ($2.00) each? – I suggest plastic pockets (can be obtained for around one UK pound for 100) and A4 sheets from the printer – the costs can be kept very low if you are clever! They may not be as beautiful as some of the inspiring items that appear in Somerset Studio's  "Memories" - but it's a simple way to get started - and the artwork can always come later!

I also always keep a look out for pretty boxes in sales, or collage shoe boxes and box files with scanned images that relate to the person commemorated inside.

I’d love to hear about some of the ideas any of you may have for keeping costs down for these items – you may also help someone who is dealing with a loss in their life to get through it more easily.

'Tis Charming and Delightful...

Sense and Sensibility

 Very spoiled here in the UK on the TV at the moment – the BBC has this evening finished showing a new, three part adaption of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”, while in the prior slot , a 10 part adaptation of Flora Thompson’s “Lark Rise to Candleford” has begun. Both have been beautifully produced, doing what the BBC does so well, sensitive attention to detail – lighting, costumes, casting – all are, and have been superb. 

I was lucky enough to see the wonderful National Theatre Production of Lark Rise to Candleford in 1978 with the glorious music of The Albion Band  (do, do, listen to some of these music clips and if you love folk music, buy the cd) – so I was a little apprehensive of seeing the current BBC production – but it is different enough not to be compared. The costumes are perfect, and the sets seem to be animated versions of the beautiful old Victorian sepia prints of the era of Francis Frith. 

I will certainly be taking my seat for the next nine weeks – if you get the opportunity, in the UK, try to catch at least one or two episodes - elsewhere, look out for the DVD's!

Lark Rise with Dawn French (the Vicar of Dibley) - images thanks to BBC drama

A Round Pound Day

It has been a very January day - you know the sort of day I mean? It has felt as if it was not ever really going to get light, staying dark, dank, and miserable. The rain lashing down all night, so that when I drove to Hungerford this afternoon, I very nearly turned back to take the “high road” rather than the country road route, there were so many flooded sections along the lanes.

The lights of the Antiques Arcade in the little town are always welcoming though – just wandering around the stalls there, with 40's music in the background is always enough to cheer me up - and today there were also treasures to be found.

I count my purchases in pounds rather than tens or hundreds these days – a far cry from the book dealing days when there were often two “00’s” at the end of my invoice – but this is just as much fun, in fact, I often think even more so, since the hunt is more than half the pleasure – (the finding of treasure is the other half! 

This is what I found today – a little, hand-painted saucer for one pound, (could it be Pinxton? Liz will know) and a lovely little ruby glass scent bottle, which was also a pound. Unfortunately, that has a broken rim – and a stopper which has dropped inside the bottle, but for just one pound, I could not resist the example of good quality enamelling workmanship. 

The other little item is a Victorian “cranberry glass” posy vase, in perfect condition, which sat in the window of the Red Cross charity shop – until it went in my bag! Perfect condition required four of my round pounds for that – but it would be many times that price in any of the Arcade stalls, and will be a nice addition to the jewel box glass in my windows. 

The young girl below holding a dove is a piece of Royal Doulton china – her head has been off and needs re-gluing – that is why she was, yes, just one pound! 

Another bargain at the Arcade are always the old Christies & Sotheby’s Saleroom catalogues that Martin Smith the book dealer sells again for one pound each. Today I spotted a catalogue detailing the sale of the contents of a house whose name I recognised – La Vigie – which amazingly is the “Monte Carlo Daily Photo” today. I knew that the couturier Karl Lagerfeld had lived there – this catalogue was dated 2000 – he apparently lived there until 1997, but the items being sold were all his. 

This catalogue is like one of the finest coffee table books, filled with beautiful pictures of “Lits a La Polonaise”, French furniture, Venetian chandeliers, and all sorts of objets – some exquisite, some that are definitely from the back bedroom. Like all the best house sales, it it shows something like a glorified jumble sale – but oh, what jumble! I couldn’t afford any of it – but all the ideas come for free – and for a pound, you couldn’t buy the catalogue new  – even those are £15.00. I did well on my Round Pound day!

Books and Essays

Inspired by visiting Kelly Rae's blog today (in turn passed on by my dear friend Fran), I thought I would share with you the stack of books that is engaging me at the moment. I am working on my second module essay for my MA at Winchester University - the topic this time is the relationship between Photography, death and pre/post bereavement therapy.

Once again, it is a fascinating subject, which is intriguing me as I poke around in the theoretical background to both photography and bereavement studies. So much I am learning!

Do any of you recognise any of the books above? (click on the image to enlarge it and get a better view of the titles). I'd be interested to know if any of you have read any of them - and what your opinions are?
Right - back to the steaming keyboard and more writing, methinks!

(p.s. why not go over to Fran's blog after your visit here - it is always an inspiration)

Hospital Basket

Lily & Pippin made a scheduled visit to the vet yesterday, for their  "little operations" and though Pippin bounced around very boisterously last night, Lily is feeling the worse for wear today. (I did notice Pippin cooling his "nether regions" on the cold quarry tiles last night, however!)
Lily has hardly moved today, except to visit me in my office, where I am labouring over a Hot Essay. She squeezed herself most uncomfortably between two piles of books, so I have made her a more comfortable "sun bed" for her, where she can get some heat lamp treatment for her sore insides, feel sorry for herself and have lots of pats and cuddles.

Lissy is curled up on the printer - another "hot spot" in the room, and Pip is now bedded down on the angora travel rug. They are no fools, are they? :-)

Captain Courageous

Free range chickens, doing what they oughta in an apple orchard

At last, SOMEONE is prepared to take on a very distasteful subject – the insidious and horrific practice of intensive animal rearing – and specifically, just how cheap chicken meat is produced.

Courageous, because this man has made himself VERY unpopular with certain sectors of superstore-dom, and the producers themselves.

For a long time, one of my heroes has been Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I was hooked from the first episode of “River Cottage” – the story of his experiment in self sufficiency, and now his latest venture, an experimental comparison between free range and intensive chicken rearing, is guaranteed to have me glued to the TV for each of the other two, hour long programmes (Programme 1 was on this evening). 

I have long refused to have anything to do with battery farmed chickens (we did have two free range organic chickens for Christmas lunch, though for 20 years we were vegetarian – another “another story”!) or intensively reared anything else. Even for slight meat eaters – (and in my case, very slight), the welfare of the animals is paramount. I can still not understand why the banning of fox hunting engaged the UK Parliament for so long when these disgraceful practices are still allowed to continue. 

Read more about the new programme Chicken Run here – and share your thoughts with me on how you feel animals should be/are treated in the food industry.

Me? I'm on my way back to almost-vegetarian. Almost because there maybe a shellfish or two - but for the rest, you can keep it. The price is just too high.