30th August 2018 Coke Hat or Bowler Hat?

Hi Dear Folk,

Today was our first, what I would call real day of winter.  Bright blue clear skies with white fluffy clouds, but very windy and quite cold.  I was out this morning on my volunteer work and got invited by Barb and John to go out for lunch with them to Amedeo's, a well priced down to earth Italian based restaurant.  I had a mushroom burger and fries, but took half of each home and had that for dinner, it was good.

Yesterday I drove over to Trader Joe's, I like their bread and a few other bits and pieces's.  It's a run I'll probably make about once a month since it's a little off my beaten track.  I also popped into the wine store and got a bottle of South African Pinotage, which is from a grape developed in South Africa back in the mid twenties.  I thought I'd give it a go.  Along with a bottle of Irish Cream.  Need a few goodies for those winter nights.

I was glad that I bought my mandevilla in yesterday, even though it was pouring with rain.   It is now located in my sitting room in front of one set of French doors.  I do hope it will get enough light.  The eternal problem of where to winter over the plants.

You might think that's a London Bowler businessmen's hat, but actually it's the hat that was designed for the gamekeepers at Holkham Hall.  When I was a child every city gent wore one, but not so much or really hardly at all now.  I think you will enjoy the history of this hat.

The plaid is a special plaid designed for Holkham Hall.

There are many theories as to why Holkham’s gamekeepers first came to wear ‘Bowler’ or ‘Coke’ hats, as they were commonly known in Norfolk. The original story is that in August 1849, William Coke, a nephew of the first Earl of Leicester of the second creation, commissioned his hatter James Lock, to design a close-fitting, low crowned hat. William stressed that the hat must be extra strong; in order to protect his gamekeepers’ heads from low hanging branches, while out horse riding. It was clear that the tall top-hats often worn by the keepers were easily knocked off and damaged; and a completely new style was called for. It is believed that William also hoped the new hat would protect his keepers from attacks by poachers.

A prototype of the hat was duly made by Lock’s chief hatter, Thomas Bowler, and when William visited Locks to inspect the design, he was presented with a very hard hat with a round, low crown and small brim, covered in a rough finished felt. As the story goes, William then took the hat outside on to the pavement and promptly jumped up and down on it to determine its durability. Happily, the hat withstood the test and in accordance with Locks’ usual practice, was called the ‘Coke’ hat, after the customer for whom it was made. This is probably why the hat soon became known as the ‘Billy Coke’ or ‘Billycock’ hat in Norfolk.

In later years, the hat was more generally known as the Bowler, after the Bowler Brothers, who went on to manufacture it. Although very fashionable in shooting parties of the time, the hat was also adopted by city stockbrokers and barristers and soon became uniform headwear. Nowadays, judges and officials at equestrian shows commonly wear Bowler hats. However, recent research has cast some doubt over this story. It is now believed that it was Edward Coke, younger brother of the second Earl of Leicester, who actually ordered the hat.

Christine

40 Years Ago This Month

Hi Dear Folk,

I ran across some old photos, forty years ago to the month May 1978.  Here we are the three musketeers, Joni, Me in the center and Nancy to the right.  We are at Kennedy Airport waiting to board our flight to the UK.  Just Joni and I, Nancy couldn't come.

I remember that in the late seventies jump suits were very popular, this was a winter green tartan one, which I wore with a red polo neck.  I quite liked that. I also made three from a Simplicity pattern that featured Marlo Thomas wearing it.  Two were shorts all in one outfits and the other jumpsuit had the long legs.

Here I am May 1978 at St James's Park, London.  You can tell it's May all the tulips.  That was the trip we, Joni, my sister BB and I travelled all over England and met my mum and dad at Clovelly.

This is two years later September 1980, now I can't remember where this was taken, I think New York State.  That was my grandmothers cameo; which in itself has a story.  It was lost for two years, and then one summer I'm digging in our family garden at home and find it, minus the filigree surround, just the cameo.  It always was a little lose in the surround.  I looked for it but never found it.  A year or so later in the USA I took it to a silversmith near to where I live now and he made a new setting for it and I still have it.  I matched the setting up with a silver cameo ring that I had, I actually bought it while on that trip, in Devon.

At this very moment the Boy and Tierney are on a dinner cruise going down the Thames.  The cycle of life.

Christine

Winter's Discontent Made Glorious

Hi Dear Folk,

How are you weathering?

I cannot take credit for this wonderful title Winter's Discontent Made Glorious.  As you can see it is an old underground poster from London.

Along with this other poster Always Warm And Bright.

We are in some need of Gloriousness and Warm and Bright.

I keep thinking of Enchanted April, maybe I need to gather a few friends together and escape to Tuscany or wonderful enchanted places.

Monday was a beautiful day and I actually got out and walked the mile track at the park, but since then it has plummeted back into winter and I feel like having a wood fire again.

I am sewing together my Japanese crochet flowers for my new scarf/shawl, it is Joseph's shawl of many colours, bright would be the word, so maybe I do have something Warm and Bright.

A glorious orchid, another miniature one is on my desk.  They last a long while and give you such beauty.

My other orchid at home, after having two buds for about three months, actually decided to unfurl itself and now I have two blooms there on my dining room table.

Mr. B.  cleaned up all my broken pots, did I tell you about my broken pots?

Well when we put the new furnace in all the pots that winter on the steps to my basement had to be moved and we forgot to put them back, consequently most of them cracked, including my teacup pot.  You see the outside steps are covered with a lift up outside trap door, so a great place to winter ones pots. 

Also my little water tub with the pump fell to bits, so another item that will need replacing this spring.  It lasted a long while, but I would like things to last even longer.

I wore my Felt Posy and everyone liked it, more glorious things.

Hoping that things are Glorious, Warm and Bright for you.

Christy

London

Couldn't resist posting this image which I found of London. Now if I could only find the same of New York City.

Christy

Micawber Principle, New Year Principles To Keep In Mind

Micawber Principle, based upon his observation:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."

Great Britain's pre-decimal currencies were Pounds, Shillings and Pence abbreviated £, s, and d. (Or as grandma used to say LSD, I think she had no idea what the other meaning of that was.) Thus "nineteen pounds nineteen and six" was £19/19/6d, six pence less than twenty pounds, and "twenty pounds ought and six", £20/0/6d, is six pence more than twenty pounds.

I'm sure I have written this in my blog before but the principle is well worth keeping in mind, for a new year.

Christy

The London Eye

There were a few postings I wanted to finish out before the end of 2012 one was my visit to the London Eye back in the Spring.  Our day in London had been off and on showers all day, but we got to the Eye just at the right time, because no sooner did we get off than a squall came up the River Thames and we were holding onto our inside out umbrellas.

Just to finish out our day a walk to Buckingham Palace through St James's Park.  The oldest of the Royal Parks, dedicated to the leper hospital named after St James The Less.

I worked on two Blurb books a couple of weeks ago, one I promised to my nephew and wife of their wedding; which I completed and sent directly to them.  It seems once you upload the files they can be printed anywhere in the world, according to where they're shipping to.  So I think the wedding album was printed in the Netherlands.  It arrived very promptly.

I also did another Blurb book of my 2010 Blog Year. So by the time I did that trying to also use their 25% discount coupon, my eyes were worn out.  It was a marathon weekend, to have those books just the way I wanted them and proof read etc.

I was also able to buy them as an eBook for my iPad which was great especially the Wedding Album as I only printed two copies one also being for my sister.

After all that I didn't want to look at the computer screen anymore, as I'm also on it a lot at work.

It's been a little crazy the Boy had an accident. Fortunately he's alright and nobody else was involved.  It was after work on a wet rainy night he hit a concrete pole, so the car is totaled, we were hoping not, as he loved that car, but unfortunately it had frame damage.

So now we're back looking for another second hand car in a certain price range and it's not that easy.  Oh well!  That's life.

Christy

Good Things In England, by Florence White, A Persephone Book

The Tradition of the British Savoury Pie.

This is the deli Black Olive in Southwold, a traditional English seaside town on the Suffolk coast.  The reason I wanted to feature this was to show some of the wonderful Savoury Pies that have a long British history.  I'm sure they're very popular at the seaside, to pick up a pie, with some tomatoes and salad, there you have a take out al fresco picnic.

To the left are traditional Norfolk Pork Pies and to the top right are goats cheese and onion quiches.

Some not so traditional pies here are Thai Chook Pie, but they incorporate the traditional pie making skills with an Asian influence.  There are also Moo Pies and Wild Mushroom and Asparagus.

Meat pie and mushy peas is traditional grub fare.

When I was at Persephone books in London I bought one book and it was Good Things In England, by Florence White.

Originally published in 1932 it says:

A Practical Cookery Book For Everyday Use

Containing Traditional and

Regional Recipes suited to

Modern Tastes contributed by

English Men and Women between

1399 and 1932 and edited by

Florence White

I think Americans would like this book as it has all USA measurements and makes some wonderful 1932 comparisons of cooking culture.  For instance she says:

In a new and vast country far from Europe they have been able to preserve the integrity of their own kitchen far better than we have, and to develop it on individual lines.  If we want to learn to improve our own cookery - and we should want to do this - it is to American we should turn, not to France.

She also writes:

We can learn from the Commonwealth countries.  They have the same advantage as America of developing the cookery of the Homeland in a new setting.

Florence White says a whole book should be written on The Pies of Old England.  To be sure though the heritage of the local savoury pie has a long history in the UK.  I will share one recipe with you from Bungay, Suffolk; which seems appropriate:

Shrimp Pie

Bungay, Suffolk 1823

1. Pick a quart of shrimps
2. If they be very salt, season them only with mace or a clove or two.
3. Bone and mince two or three anchovies, mix them with the spice and season the shrimps.
4. Put some butter at the bottom of a shallow pie dish, (A modern fire-proof glass pie-plate is just the thing,)
5. Put in the shrimps and pour over them some more butter and a glass of sharp white wine.
6. Cover with a very thin delicate piecrust and bake until this is cooked.  It won't take long.

Doesn't that sound delicious and really not that complicated, I might keep this recipe in mind.

Christy

Grandma and Great Uncles

Hello everyone,  the weekend is here, thank goodness.  Pretty tough week at work, I think my brain is fried.

I made a copy of this happy snap shot in time.  A family wedding, my great uncle Harry, behind him great uncle Alf and my grandma Kitty far right.  Elsie is Harry's wife but I don't know anyone else in the photo, probably on Elsie's side of the family or friends.  I'm not quite  sure when he got married, but I'd say somewhere around 1925.  This is my mum's mum.

My grandma grew up in London, living at Golders Green, great grandad was a detective in the Metropolitan Police, being a policeman he retired quite early and moved to the country, not sure if that was really best for the family, because London offered so much as opposed to the country.

Before moving down to the country grandma had learned how to be a milliner and she very well may have made her hat.  She made me a hat, when I was a teenager and showed me how to do it. I wish I still had it, how to cut it, shape it and even wire it if need be.

My gran was very artistic and all her letters would have little sketches, somewhat like Beatrix Potter.  She would write short stories accompanied with water color paintings or drawings, I still have some of her journals of stories and pictures.

Chrisy
Lil Bit Brit

London Eye Ground Level

 

I wanted to share a few views of The London Eye from ground level as we approached it.  It has a nice position on the River Thames with the back drop of Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament in many of the photos.

Christy
Continuing my day in London

Sunday A Week In Retrospect

Hi folk, I came downstairs this morning in the wee hours before the sun was up, walking through my dining room to the kitchen, for a cup of tea.  In the dining room we have an electric window fan and the digital read out said 75f, joy of joys as it has hovered around 92f with high humidity, but this week has been very changeable.

Dear Boy and I were driving to a meeting on Thursday evening and the sky was one dark charcoal mass, you couldn't even see where one cloud ended and the other began, I was afraid it would sporn a tornado a few have been known in this area but it is a rarity, the sky was most ominous though.  The winds raged through for five minutes after we got to our meeting and then the electric went out and that was that, so we all went home and the storm was passed.  Good for my garden though except for all the little dead branches that fell out of the oak tree onto the patio.

Mr Bit Brit and son cleared up all the Grad Party last week, we just need to return all the items, tables etc that we borrowed.  I think I was on my feet so much Saturday that Sunday I just vegged.

But you hardly have time to think about things before you've moved on to another thing in life.  My sister phoned and said that my mum is very ill in hospital, so have been in touch with her all week and we will have to wait and see what happens.  But being such a long way away is difficult in times like this and it all falls on my sister.

I haven't done much letter writing, it has been a busy time but yesterday I did sit on my Oak Tree Patio and wrote, with my faithful companion Tinkerbell by my side and a cheeky squirrel propped up in a crevice at the bottom of the oak tree, sitting on his haunches eating a nut in his tiny paws.  Do squirrels have paws, actually they are more like little hands.

Tinkerbell started watching the squirrels, but she was very comfortable so just gave a sigh and went back to sleep; which made me laugh.  But later she had second thoughts and started stalking them, it makes her feel like a feline.  Not that she has a hope because when I got her from the SPCA she had already been de-clawed by who ever had her before.  Not something I would do to a cat.

Later I ran out to get a paper bag to pack my wedding shower gift in, along with a card.  I bought a set of 12 steak knifes made in France with white bone style handles and a little bumble bee on them that represents the area in France that they came from.  I know I would like them so hope she will too.  Will post pics when I get them downloaded.

Ran across 6 soup bowls at the thrift made at the Cannonsburg Pottery in Pennsylvania; which closed in 1978 after a devastating fire in 1975.  The company was formed in 1909 after purchasing the Cannonsburg China Company.  They mostly made dinnerware putting out over 25,000 dozen pieces per week. They employed 305 people. Here are a couple of pics.

I just like to collect a few pieces here and there because as far as I know no dinnerware china is produced in PA anymore, if even in the USA.  You even see pieces like Portmerion of which I have a lovely platter that my grandmother gave me for a wedding present and just the other day a saw a Portmerion double dish and it was made in China, not the UK, does that seem right?

Two favourite patterns from the Cannonsburg Pottery are Temporana and Wild Clover. 

Also a couple of weeks ago I ran across a beautiful smaller turkey platter, made at Cannonsburg; which I'm thinking will go nicely with my soup bowls which are cream with an embossed edge.

Well that's my eclectic week.

I did watch the opening of the Olympics and was pleasantly surprised that Wow!  They got it right.  I liked the James Bond and Queen skit plus Chariots of Fire and Mr. Bean.  It seems wild flowers also abound around the stadium area, and that what used to be a very run down area of London in the East End has been revitalized.

Christy
Lil Bit Brit

Walking To The Eye

That's Waterloo Bridge in the background and in the foreground just one of the many lights along the embankment which are so iconic and exude such romance.  How many old black and white movies have you seen where a couple stand under one of these lights on a foggy night, especially WWII movies.  This is along The Queen's Walk.

Walking under the Hungerford Bridge a railway bridge.

I'm never sure if I really like these people dressed up like this.  We saw so many of these in Barcelona, some were intriguing, but to me there's something a little weird about them.

The Eye with The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the background.

This is the Jubilee walking bridge.  As you can see the sky is already clouding up again.  So we're hurrying along to get our tickets for The Eye.

Christy

Walking Waterloo Bridge

Here we are again in London.  The skies have cleared it's about 3:00 PM and we are walking across Waterloo Bridge to The Eye.  The weather was cooperating with us.  Here are some shots as I crossed the bridge.  Some I have used special effects on and others I have just left.

Christy

Theatre District London

Well you have been more than patient with my London postings and I hope you have enjoyed them.  Here Jean and I are walking through the Theatre District of London, above is the Aldwych Theatre playing Top Hat.  I like the dappled lighting coming through the trees and playing on the building.  It was a day of constant change weather wise.

This is in front of another theatre playing The Lion King.  I took this photo for Rob as he wants to take Media Communications.  Obviously the camera man knows I am taking his photo.

After having waited outside the theatre here they have met the man they want to interview.

All fleeting snap shots of our day out.

Christy

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane.  It was the former fruit and vegetable market.  When I think of Covent Garden it reminds me of My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn sitting there selling flowers, and of course it is on the edge of the theatre district, from which her customers would come.

Christy