1940’s Christmas Mansion

Dark English winters are meant for elaborate Christmases - lights, candles, baubles just shimmer in a way that they don’t in the Southern hemisphere of my birth where Christmas is mid Summer, often spent around a swimming pool - no huge roasts & trimmings. I have had to adjust to doing things very differently since moving north more than 20 years ago.

However, I am in awe of how well it is done with trees, lights, decorations & villages decorated like something out of a previous century. 

Our local National Trust property is hugely popular so I opted to visit on a Monday when a house ticket was available. All the weekend spaces had been taken but I prefer to visit when it is less busy. 

My regular visitors are already familiar with it from these previous visits - 

ladies-who-walk-with-their-lunch 

An-cold-icy-birthday-walk

hello-october

an-autumn-walk-picnic

all-wrapped-up

and a special visit when I needed quiet A-splash-of-colour-amongst-greyness

The stunning old coach house / courtyard had the most divine smells from the cafe, but I headed to the stables to see how they were decorated - drat, I forgot to get some freshly grown celeriac from their walled garden before I headed home. 

A short walk to the front of the gorgeous mansion for our timed entrance - life just relaxes as you walk up those impressive stairs & enter the home .. 

This years theme is 1940’s Christmas, coming so soon after the start of WW11, times were so different, make do & mend, dig for victory times when families were encouraged to dig up flower beds in favour of planting vegetables & edible things - times were tough & everyone had to do their bit ...

The stunning art gallery room with its glass roof had extensive repairs with a secondary glass roof above the original that leaked from the time it was installed - this protects the most stunning room that I really love ... 

Each room & floor in the mansion had a different tree, all glowing beautifully ... 

Do you have a favourite?

The mansion comes alive at Christmas ...

 I love the extensive use of greenery from the estate with traditional decorations. It is a time honoured tradition of the midwinter traditions of the Holly & the Ivy (as per the Christmas carol of old)

The was the Dig for Victory tree & room, complete with a watering can topper ...

The mansion has played many roles & hosted many different people over time - this tree reflects some of that history ...

Huge windows, elegant drapes, glistening trees - what is there not to love. What do you think of the flower Christmas cake decoration on the right? It was totally stunning ...

The galleried art room with its beautiful glass roof (now protected by the secondary glass roof). The tree in this room was titled- PEACE

That staircase that rises to the upper floors - so elegant, I can only imagine the stories it could tell.

Downstairs, probably where most of our ancestors would have worked in days gone by - the servants hall near the kitchen - all decked out with the long table & much more basic food. The knitted bunting on the tree would have been made by very able sewers who could turn their hand to anything.

Wow, gleaming copper pots, pans & moulds of all kinds to make elaborate dishes to serve to discerning guests above stairs. This was one of Shropshire's wealthiest mansions so the guests expected to be impressed ...

The walled garden is a beautifully protected area with vast planting areas - all beautifully done. The stunning greenhouses are used extensively to supply the various tearooms & eateries there. The bothy was an important part of supplying the home in times gone by with all the food that was needed. It was hard work, not well paid & with long hours in all weather ...

The groundsmen have been busy making it look festive. The park has vast managed woods, deer herds & staff who put on activities throughout the year.

 Do you have a favourite tree?

I hope you have enjoyed the visit with me. Each of us bring our own traditions (however muddled they are) to the season - upstairs or downstairs, modest or elaborate, they make us special - enjoy your preparation.

Thank you for stopping by amid all your festive plans, I appreciate it
Dee ~💕~

Remembering an interesting life ...

Sometimes times passes painfully slowly, other times it just flies by, leaving us all behind.

Today marks a quarter of a century since my beloved maternal grandmother left us. The day is etched in my mind, as clearly as if it were today - 25 years is a long time but the memories remain fresh. I was at her side when she departed this world, my final act of love ...

I am acutely aware that we have little control over how we will be remembered when our time comes - I am naturally a positive person, given to recognising & acknowledging kindness, effort & love so my memories are always tinted by my nature.

My grandmother was born in 1911, in a time frame when South Africa was recovering from the devastation of the Boer War of 1899-1902 which left much of the Transvaal devastated. I do not know how my grandmothers family were effected by those events because she did not say & I sadly did not ask.

She was just young when the first World War was declared barely 3 years after her birth. South Africa contributed to both wars & the price paid to many families were high. I wish I knew more of that time period.

However, my grandmother adored her parents & had a very close relationship with her sister Ivy & her two brothers. The 2 sisters were like chalk & cheese - Gran was steady & dedicated & Ivy was edgy, daring,  always pushing boundaries - in many ways I have always said that they remind me of the Queen & her sister Margaret ...

(Sister Ivy on the left, my grandmother on the far right, others unknown)

These family photos hung on my grandparents walls, then my parents & they came to us about 20 years ago - my maternal great grandparents on both sides. My grandmothers father is on his own on the right -  a familiar face & we call him by his name - Charles William ...

On my last trip to South Africa, my Aunt (my late mother’s much younger sister) gifted me my grandmothers collection of photos, documents & bits. As a dedicated genealogist, this was the best gift ever - a glimpse in to my grandmothers life that she had kept through letters, photos, obituaries, old passports, certificates & more.

Unfortunately few photos were named or dated & so Dad & I sat trying to make sense of it on our various stops on our travels. Dad was married in to the family for just short of 57 years so he knew them as well as anyone could, but they went back further than his association so it was a guessing game, with familiar faces being a starting point.

I brought the photos home to England with me (I had to buy another suitcase as we were travelling only with carry on luggage, but it was worth making the huge effort) and these photos took over the surfaces in our conservatory where the light is good & space is generous.

These photos on our conservatory sideboard & table for weeks while I tried to group them.

Finding familiar faces amongst the photos then working from there ...

The magnifying glass was needed to pick out people & hopefully identify some; it is hard to look back on familiar people as young adults with no other photos to reference it from.

However, a story emerged of my grandmothers early life that I knew little of & that helped me to understand her better. That generation faced so many challenges - stoically, head-on, determined.  In this regard I take after my grandmother ...

I found a letter addressed to my grandmother in her spinster days & read it with interest, I quizzed my Dad, did you know of this? No, it was way before my Mom was even born. I  looked through the envelope with the many funeral & other memorial notices that were placed in the newspaper on anniversaries of deaths & suddenly I found a part of my grandmothers life I did not know about.

A series of death notices bearing her name unveiled the sad story that she had been engaged when she was about 23 years old & he passed away. I  had death dates & a name so I put a query on a closed SA genealogy group & it unlocked a story & a connection to the family. I asked if they had a photo of the person & as soon as the photo landed in my inbox, I knew exactly who he was - he was in numerous photos on my conservatory table, many photos of the families together, with my grandmother. When I asked for a photo of the headstone, I just knew exactly which photo it was likely to be, the one of my grandmother by a flower laden grave, different to the photos of her Fathers grave.

The poor chap passed away at just 26 from a heart attack brought on by his rheumatic fever & my  grandmother kept a few letters, photos & his obituaries for her entire life. My grandmother on the right with him next to her in the striped jacket, her sister Ivy in the dark floral dress to his left  ...

My grandmother as a young lady ...

Some 3 years later, the photo that starts my line, a young couple with Grandma’s parents. This is the first time my grandfather appears in the photos with my grandmother. He gives us our Prussian blood.

A young grandmother with my Mom as a baby (this was a cardboard photo album & it contained the oldest photos)

My grandfather took this photo to WW11 with him, an official photo that all seemed to do before they set off to the uncertainty of war  ...

Tall, lean Teutonic features - this photo after WW11 (my aunt, the youngest was born after the war)

My late Mother, her baby sister,  her late brother & her Father ...

My grandmother as a nurse, later a matron; she nursed throughout WW11, my mother lived with her grandparents for those years when both her parents enlisted. This image we scanned from a poor negative we found amongst the photos.

My Grandmother's father - a face so familiar as his portrait hangs on our wall. I do not know who the child is. I initially thought it might be my Mom but he passed before she was born ...

3 Generations - my gran, her mother & my Mother in Rhodesia when my great-grandmother joined them after she was widowed ...

This photo was taken in 1988 of 4 generations of us on Christmas day, my Mother’s birthday.

So 25 years later,  I am so fortunate to have been able to add to my understanding of my grandmothers life through the documents left behind.  To speak their name is for them to live on still & that surely is something we can all aspire to - to be remembered with love & for the right reasons.

What surprises have you uncovered in your family history? Do you have a treasure trove of photos & documents?

I hope you have enjoyed this history with me, thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read & possibly leave a comment so I know you have been.
Dee ~💕~

The third Advent Sunday is here

Hi everyone

I cannot believe that it is the third Sunday of Advent today, one more then it is Christmas.

Few people follow strict observances these days but it is nice to just pause & remember the reason for  Christmas. I describe myself as spiritual & quietly religious. I love how the observances punctuate the year & they just help to stay grounded, to pause & keep life real.

In these commercial times, it is hard to just opt out of all the madness of mass spending & pressure.

 However, find some  time to just take in the spiritualness of the season & be at peace with life. I bought this German church some years back because I really loved it ...

This is a view of the Prussian church in the town my ancestors lived 150 years ago; it is so similar to the one I use at Christmas - perhaps our roots run through our subconscious ...

May your day be filled with blessings & peace amid the rush of getting ready, thank you for taking time to stop by & to support my blog ...
Dee ~💕~

A blessed start to Advent

Hi everyone

I am hopelessly behind on all things due to work commitments but on this first Sunday of Advent, I just want to stop by & send my richest blessings to everyone as we start the countdown to Christmas.

I find this day always reminds me of the Christianity of the season & is a time of reflection.

I have lit my advent candle & I love watching it flicker each night - a few minutes to focus on the passing days & especially those who will not be with us at Christmas ...

I love my Ethiopian crosses - bought on my many travels around that amazing country. I mounted them in a vintage gold frame some time back & they keep me grounded; I describe myself as spiritual & like the observances that punctuate our year leading up to Christmas.

Tonight my candle is near the crosses & also my angel candle holder & a favourite book

May you have a lovely & peaceful start to the festive season, from my home to yours,
Dee ~💕~

A girlies evening & table setting

Hi all

Do you have a favourite meal? My friend makes a fabulous ox tail stew - it is not something everyone eats but it is an amazing meal when cooked long & slow so that it falls off the bone. Being our half term (we both work in education) we decided on a girlies night to catch up.

 One of my favourite things to do is to set a lovely table & even though our clocks went back last weekend, I am not ready to give up my bright colours. I love pinks so a favourite hand painted South African table cloth set the tone.

I have these lovely Wedgwood charger plates in various tones; these pink ones are my favourite (I always have to mix them up when there are many of us as they vary in tones)

I love these traditional plates but don’t have a full set of the Merrie Olde England Ironstone with its traditional patterns or the cream Chelsea Wicker plates by Spode but because they have the same wavy edges, they go very well together.  I think mixing up the sets of plates makes the setting less formal & my regular readers will recognise these from previous settings

The traditional scenes on the Old Merrie England Ironstone plates  ... 

The darker nights need lots of warming candles & lights - battery lights are warm & safe too.

I love the very girlie setting  - perfect for catching up with a friend ...

I love my sideboard / dresser; the little battery lights always looks pretty as it backlights the pocket watch plates.

I love pretty tables & I think this one was .... 

My friend made the most fabulous ox tail in red wine, with samp, a South African speciality. I made spicy butternut & honey glazed red heritage carrots - perfectly lovely meal.

Beautiful candles ...

The fabulous ox tail stew - a traditional meal which was perfect for our weather which has turned rather cool ...

Oven baked baked vegetables - a great favourite of mine

Plain vanilla cheesecake with winter berries which were cooked with Latvian Riga Balsam - used widely in Riga for its health properties ...

A warm & comforting traditional meal, a perfect catch up time. What is your favourite meal which is not too much fuss?  

Thank you for stopping by, taking the time to read & comment - it is much appreciated. 

Dee ~💕~