When the sun is shining and you have a few hours free (and you're in striking distance of South West London) then you couldn't do better than head for Ham House on the banks of the Thames, just beyond Richmond. Built in the 17th century, it was the wife of Lord Lauderdale, Elizabeth Murray, who brought the gardens to life with a combination of hard work and vision. The National Trust now have custody of both the house and garden, and I have to say that whenever I visit it always feels like a house that was once a home. The kitchen gardens have now been restored, as has the French Parterre Garden and once you've been round the house and garden, you can have a wonderful stroll along the River Thames, either towards Teddington Lock or Richmond town.
Summer is hanging on by its tendrils and this weekend I was happy to cling along! I had booked a trip with the Thames Rib Experience and it didn't disappoint...seeing London from the river, accompanied by an amusing and informative narrative would have been enough in itself; add to that, a 50mph rib that sweeps and dives at 45 degrees plus, on it's side, as you try to hear the James Bond theme tune above the screams (that was me by the way!) and you have yourself an outing to remember! I recommend it - go get yourself a booking - just don't eat before hand! If I had my way, I think a lot of my pics of weekends would include food...and this one was no exception. I used the last of the figs to re-create one of my fav Cote d'Azur go-tos - split, fill with blue cheese and bake (if you have pancetta wrap that around it too, but I was all out owing to delicious pancetta bagels on sat am!!!!). Finally, a trip to the Real Food Market, on the South Bank. Everything is great quality and ethically and sustainably sourced. The crowds had thinned somewhat by the time I happened by at around 5pm on Saturday and I had a pleasurable half-hour tasting some amazing Comte cheese and cooing over the tiny bottles of fizz...
Hope you all had a fabulous few days enjoying the last of the summer sun...and if there was no sun, it was relaxing anyway!
enjoying 'The Simple Things' with a coffee on Richmond Green//sweet little candy tin from favourite Italian deli//bubbles by candlelight in the garden
vapour trails over the house as dusk sets in...
beautiful pastels: hydrangea//gelati //
the beautiful newly 'refurbed' Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens//
piles of pillowy merangues//slabs of Eton Mess cake//Kensington Gardens boat lake//
I know! I should have posted this yesterday, but a truly stressful past week and difficult start to this one has meant I'm lagging behind in the posts! Last week saw me return to school after the summer break whilst also dealing with some serious family illnesses, so, by the time the weekend came about I was more than ready for some down-time. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's most historic landmark restaurants. I visited it recently to celebrate a family birthday with cocktails in its Knights Bar. Swinging into it's grand hallway is like going back one hundred years to a time when gentlemen smoked in private and the ladies dressed to please. It's interior has a gloom that reeks of old British values, but gloomy it isn't. You leave behind the manic bustle of the Strand and find yourself in a quiet and dignified British oasis that belongs to a different era.
Simpson's opened it's doors in 1828 as a chess club and coffee house called 'The Grand Cigar Divan' and soon gained a reputation for being the 'home of chess', attracting top players,including Howard Staunton, the first English world chess champion. Momentoes from its days as a chess haven can be seen throughout the building.
The Grand Divan restaurant serves fine British ingredients served in typical British fashion, including the best beef and lamb that is wheeled to the tables in antique silver domes and cut at the table. This practice originates from the days of chess when they didn't want to disturb the chess players.
The Knights Bar on the first floor is a beautiful nod to the arts deco movement. It possesses a quiet glamour that demands cocktails and we were only too happy to oblige with a perfectly made Whiskey Sour, a raspberry mocktail, G&T and French Martini.
Going to Simpson's is like stepping back in time - glamourous, timeless, epitomising all that is Britishness at its best; I can't wait to go back - for dinner!
Famous for her universally flattering wrap dresses, DVF has wiggled her way into the affections of many women, myself included. I spent a happy hour in her shop in Wimbledon Village recently, trying on a series of gorgeous dresses and some fab sunnies. I've got my holiday in Antibes in mind when I show you these...
Diane Hanky Band Dress - a gorgeous cocktail dress in a sheer print with a detachable slip, so this could also double up as a round-the-pool cover-up for instant poolside glamour.
The UK is all set for an extra-long bank holiday weekend to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. I'm taking advantage of the four days to head north to see family so will take a blog break until next week, but, hopefully will return with some lovely pictures of Northumberland. To keep you going here are some lovely links and ideas for the next few days if you find yourself with time to indulge...
1. If you're in London head for the river on Sunday to watch the 1,000 strong flotilla .
The formal river procession will be between 2pm and 6pm, starting upriver of Battersea Bridge and finishing downriver of Tower Bridge. The boats will muster between Hammersmith and Battersea and disperse from Tower Bridge to West India Docks.
It will be one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river. Rowed boats and working boats and pleasure vessels of all shapes and sizes will be beautifully dressed with streamers and Union Flags, their crews and passengers turned out in their finest rigs. The armed forces, fire, police, rescue and other services will be afloat and there will be an exuberance of historic boats, wooden launches, steam vessels and other boats of note.
4. Fuschia pink and gold leaf - make these gorgeous notebooks
5. Get organised. Get out your makeup bag, clean and throwaway anything older than 3 months or not used. Wash your brushes in baby shampoo and leave to dry before organising like this
Have a wonderfully relaxed and beautiful weekend whatever you have planned...
With only a few days to go now until the Jubilee celebrations begin, it seems fitting to look at one of the most beautiful royal palaces in London - Hampton Court. I've visited Hampton Court many times now, it's always top of the list for guests and I never tire of it. I've seen it in brilliant sunshine, in the depths of winter, lit up as people skate in the grounds, in the pouring rain, but my favourite memory involves a boat trip down the Thames at dusk; as we approached the palace, those infamous chimneys came into view, sillouetted against the darkening sky. Truly magical and evocative.
Home to many Kings and Queens - including Queen Caroline, Henry VIII and some of his wives, notably Anne Boleyn, Hampton Court has a prominent place in English history.
Kitchen Utensils in the Palace kitchens
This is what I call a fireplace!
Beautiful embossed ceilings and intricate plasterwork cover the palace
The Great Hall - one of the few remaining rooms from Henry VIII time
When he died in 1547 Henry VIII had more than 60 houses, but – in the second half of his reign – none were more important to him, nor more sumptuously decorated, than Hampton Court Palace.
Henry VIII is probably Hampton Court's most famous inhabitant and he loved the palace, lavashing time and money on it. By the time Henry finished his building works at Hampton Court Palace in about 1540, the palace was one of the most modern, sophisticated and magnificent in England.
There were tennis courts, bowling alleys and pleasure gardens for recreation, a hunting park of more than 1,100 acres, kitchens covering 36,000 square feet, a fine chapel, a vast communal dining room (the Great Hall) and a multiple garderobe (or lavatory) - known as the Great House of Easement - which could sit 28 people at a time. Water flowed to the palace from Coombe Hill in Kingston, three miles away, through lead pipes.
All of Henry’s six wives came to the palace and most had new and lavish lodgings. The King rebuilt his own rooms at least half a dozen times.
The palace also provided accommodation for each of the King's children and for a large number of courtiers, visitors and servants.
Even the staircases are ornate
Hampton Court is of course famous for it's ghosts; rumoured to haunt it's corridors and cloisters are Queen Caroline and Anne Boleyn. A few years ago a CCTV camera caught this ghostly image on it's screen, and the palace have not been able to explain it away rationally...
