Ebay win - Vintage Fairy

So now you know who will be adorning the top of our Christmas tree this year.

Christmas Fairies by Tobias and The Angel

Which would you choose?

(Availabe to purchase from Tobias and The Angel)

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

I seem to be having a bit of a Rummer Godden week, first I find

the Black Narcissus DVD then whilst browsing for vintage

children's books I come across a copy of Miss Happiness and Miss Flower.

Not a vintage copy unfortunately but I bought it anyway.

I started reading it as soon as I got home and was instantly enchanted.

It was magical

and now I wish I had a Miss Happiness and Miss Flower of my very own.

Black Narcissus

Popping into Tesco this morning I noticed piles of DVD's of the 1940's film

Black Narcissus

being given away with the Daily Mail.

It was one of my Grandmother's favourite films and at the cost of 50p for a paper I'll be induging in nostalgic film viewing later today.

Today - I'm making Sloe Gin

The recipe's here

and it's very, very good!

Introducing Mrs Crosse & Hobb

We are happy to announce that Mrs Millicent Ethel Smith will now be giving weekly vintage housekeeping advice in a new feature on our website Renaissance

where you will also find

Mr Frederick Stanley Hobb giving weekly gardening tips.

Find them under Vintage House & Garden Tips.

The Local Horse and Pony Show

Hope you all enjoyed the last weekend of September?

We spent much of ours' horse watching at a local show,

more pics here if you're interested.

Enid Blyton & Plums

(Enid Blyton's Story Time Book)

What is it about Enid Blyton's characters and plums?

If there is a picnic or afternoon tea to be had, it always seems to include thick slabs of fruit cake

and plums.

(The Rockingdown Mystery by Enid Blyton)

Well actually I can fully understand this obsession.

I mean who can resist a big juicy plum?

Those of you who have had a look around our website will know from the About Us page that we grow plums, our English plum season is now fast drawing to a close, so, I've posted some of our favourite plum recipes in a Renaissance Newsletter before it's too late.

Dame Margaret Rutherford's Marple

Agatha Christie Week was the perfect excuse to indulge in some favourite old films.

Murder She Said

Murder at the Gallop

Murder Ahoy

&

Murder Most Foul

Not the most "authentic" Miss Marple ever but absolutely hilarious, she is described

"the maddest thing on screen ever, like a petticoat tornado"

here

Miss Marple - Julia McKenzie

Well we've all had a chance to see the "new" Miss Marple, Julia McKenzie in action now

somehow she doesn't seem right. Not yet

but I suppose it takes time to get used to these changes.

What do you think?

Vintage Tablecloth with an Agatha Christie Twist

One can almost imagine Miss Marple having had something like this in her bottom drawer.

Taking the box out from time to time, opening it and examing the contents,

napkins and tablecoth. Would Miss Marple have called the napkins serviettes?
Sighing softly as she packed it all away again.

What afternoon teas would have been served on this vintage table linen, if things had been different?

Available to purchase from our shop here

Agatha Christie Week 13th - 20th September

Agatha Christie Week runs from the 13th September to the 20th.

Lots of events will be going on everywhere including blogland - MYSTERIES IN PARADISE are Celebrating the life and work of Agatha Christie with a blog tour where people undertake to put up a special post on their own site the tour will extend for 11 days. Find out more here.

More Vintage Knitting PatternLove

I was glad to see that I'm not the only one who likes those vintage knitted tea cosies

or

the only one who hasn't the ability to knit them!

Such a shame.

I mean who wouldn't love a knitted nightdress case like the one above?

Well maybe not a boy but I'm guessing that most little boys would love

a knitted Alien,

as would quite a few girls.

And what about this knitted puppy dog? Isn't he adorable?

But then maybe a snake is more your thing

or perhaps you'd like to gallop away on a knitted hobby horse?

If only wise owl could teach me to knit!

The patterns for all the toys pictured are available to purchase here.

Vintage Knitted Tea Cosies

I confess to having a bit of a thing for vintage knitted tea cosies

like this

and this

and theses

What do you think? Do you like them too?

The vintage patterns to knit these tea cosies are all available to purchase here.

Orchard Days

It's harvest time and the apple crop will definetly disrupt posting here.

Normal service will resume shortly in the meantime if you'd like to join us on a

"virtual" apple pick you'll find daily photographs from the orchard on our website

in the What we are doing section

Drying Hydrangeas

This weekend one of my neighbours took the secateurs to her hydrangea shrub.

The mophead blooms were destined for her recycling bin

so she was only too pleased to let me take them.

I've decided to dry them with the intention of making a really glamourous Christmas wreath.

This is how I'm doing it - click HOW TO DRY HYDRANGEA FLOWERS to find out how.

More Vintage Mirror Love

This time from stylist Atlanta Bartlett s Beach Studios.

My bathroom is only a fraction of the size of this one

but I'll be looking out for vintage bevelled mirrors

in an attempt to get soemthing of this look in my home.

In the heat of the day

There really is only one place to go...

Elderflower Champagne - Perfect for Picnics

Elderflower Champagne is the perfect drink for picnics and it's so easy to make, it only takes 6 elderflower heads, 1 kg of sugar, 2 lemons, water......

Click to continue and find the recipe

(Photograph from the 1970's film Picnic at Hanging Rock)