Beware! This post is going to have a great deal of photographs in it...
Last week I went on the second part of my summer holiday. I was pretty excited about both weeks, because I haven't properly been on holiday for about 2 years, having worked over the summer last year. We went up to Sandringham, and stayed in a small village called Great Bircham.
The place where we stayed was a really fancy house called The Granary, which, being a Royal Collection place, was decorated with Royal Collection stuff, from photographs and paintings to royal memorabilia (there was a cabinet of china cups from the coronation and Charles and Diana's wedding!) and this beautiful oak writing desk from 1912 with George V's emblem underneath. I think I was a little bit in love.
We did all sorts during the holiday, including a visit to Sandringham estate itself. I hadn't been up to Sandringham since I was about 8 or 9, so this trip brought back a lot of memories.
I decided to jazz it up a bit with some black lipstick and an old dress I dug out.
You couldn't take pictures inside Sandringham itself, but you were welcome to do so in the little museum. I loved some of their art:
Later on in the week we went to the seaside and to a place called Walsingham. We got there by taking a miniature steam train (!) which was very exciting indeed. Apparently the place is very strongly catholic and there was going to be a huge pilgrimage three or four days after we visited. The buildings were beautiful, and I even found a little tearoom that had some seriously cool teapots in the window.
The seaside was equally beautiful, and right next to the car park we found my future home, a tiny 1-up 1-down:
We stayed by a windmill, where we would buy our bread loaves and rolls from every day. We also bought a delicious little pot of sheep's milk yoghurt, which they also make themselves.
At the end of the holidays we headed back home and it was back to work. This week I've been helping out at a children's holiday club on my days off and have had great fun dressing up as Elastigirl from the Incredibles!
I have been doing lots of cooking recently. And by lots of cooking I mean these things here, four more cakes, pulled pork for 32 people, pickled cucmbers, cardamom buns, scrambled eggs and lots of smørrebrød. Below: spinach soup, the dough and the finished brunsviger, and smørrebrød with battered lemon sole, basil and parsley dressing and prawns. I'll post some recipes soon.
The allotment is in full bloom at present, and the evening primroses are in season.
Finally, I haven't been dressing 1940s (again). Because of the wedding I have been a little more occupied in pin curling the hair of the bride, mother of the bride, and a couple of aunties, as well as assisting as breakfast-maker and make-up artist for my youngest sister and younger cousins. My new fringe makes life a lot easier to manage. Forgive the rather stern expressions. My colour palette has been mostly black these past two days.
Jumper - H&M (on sale for £3 in the children's section - the boy's clothes still fit me!)
As you probably know quite well by now, I love to dance. Swing dancing is a particular passion of mine, and for the past couple of weeks, I have been unable to go. Why is that, may you ask? Because I may have broken my foot. It's really not as serious as it sounds - the problem is most likely a stress fracture - but it is still a bit of a pain (literally...). I haven't been having a great couple of weeks, either, but hopefully things are changing, and I am looking forward to a holiday coming up in a couple of weeks.
I have also found that I am a little more interested in mixing up my style a bit. I won't be posting wholly vintage outfits right now, because I don't feel like dressing in wholly and accurately vintage outfits. It is important to be comfortable in your own skin, and I've reached a point where I feel I need a couple of nice jumpers and the odd day when I can wear jeans and sit in the coffee shop with my crossword and a hot chocolate! I'm getting another haircut soon, and am thinking of doing something a bit wacky, so keep an eye out!
In the few weeks since I have last posted, I have finished the first series of 'Hannibal', which I thought to be absolutely astounding. I will definitely be re-watching the whole thing again soon. It introduced me to the books by Thomas Harris. 'Hannibal' was by far my favourite, and I found the final part of the novel utterly gripping. I finished the book and just sat there for about 20 minutes, not quite sure what to do with myself.
But with any good television show comes a handsome villain, and in 'Hannibal's' case, a true homme fatale in the form of Mads Mikkelsen. Thorough Mikkelsen I have become interested in Danish films, and Scandinavian culture. My current reading surrounds the Danish monarchy in the 18th century, particularly King Christian VII, his wife Caroline Mathilde, and the royal physician and Caroline's lover, Johann Friedrick Struensee. Their story is a fascinating one, and the book I am currently reading, The Lost Queen by Norah Lofts, does not quite do it justice. You should definitely watch 'A Royal Affair' (yes, Mads Mikkelsen is in it...) and read The Visit of the Royal Physician by Swedish writer Per Olov Enquist. I find it to be a very interesting story indeed.
Here's the trailer for the film, although it doesn't quite do it justice; the trailer focuses very much on the Struensee-Caroline affair, whereas the film is more inclusive of Christian and other goings-on around this remarkable period:
I have also become interested in Scandinavian cuisine, so expect some photos of some culinary attempts soon! I am still aiming to cook my way through the Hannibal series, although I am having a little trouble locating some lungs to make sausages/bourguignon...
The latest thing I have made is Janice Poon's pork loin with french beans and a cumberland sauce. Unfortunately, I served up at 10pm so the photo quality is atrocious. It was a great success, though, so I'm hoping to make it again and do it some better photographic justice!
What else have I been up to? Working, something that I don't particularly like doing; drinking whiskey, something that I enjoy a lot; and eating lots of Smørrebrød.
Some other jumpers I bought today - left, from the children's section of H&M for £3, and right, from the retro charity shop Really Me, £6
I found this for a whole 55p in the charity shop and plan to make it over the course of the week. I love the Vasa and visited it two years ago - expect a nostalgic look back to Sweden soon!
