James at Chenies Manor House, and Goodbye

Very near us, down to the end of our road, across a busy main road, along the bridle path and through the woods is a lovely pre-Elizabethan manor house.  The garden is sublime - the colours/plantings are amazing and I visit in Spring for the bulbs and Summer for the perennials/annuals. It's a favourite summer afternoon tea destination (heavenly home-made cakes) - and the maze is always fun!

Off James, my youngest,  and I went.

 

Sitting on the fence outside the house.  (They weren't open this day).

Apparently the gnarly oak tree behind James has been there since Elizabethan times, and yes, Queen Elizabeth I did sleep here (almost bankrupting the then owner in the process!).

Jumping down to play in the leaves and look for cloud pictures

So beautiful

And before we knew it, it was time to go home, pack James comfortably into her lovely travelling box, and send her on to her next host! (I realised I hadn't taken a pic of this - it's going with James). 

 

My first BlueSkyBlythe creation - especially for James.

Goodbye little one.  

It's been a privilege, a pleasure, 

and 

SO MUCH FUN!

James and the girls in the garden

Wednesday was an unusually sunny and mild day, and the garden beckoned.  The girls went out to enjoy the unseasonal warmth, and conversation ranged 

from pull-rings

to shoes (don't ask)

DB and Jonquil disappeared into the garden to look for a wubba chicken that had got "lost" a few days ago (lost in this sense means flung from an upstairs window in a fit of not wanting to share - again, please don't ask...!)...

...leaving James to enjoy the warm sun moving across her face

and soon her eyelids grew heavy

Sleeping Beauty

Hark!  A prince - or his trusty steed?  No, it's just Chilli

deciding to share the evening's warmth

Get away from me Catzilla - I'll biff you on the nose!!!  I will too!

just playing .... with the last of the summer flowers

and then joining the others in a game of hide-and-seek

Here I come

DB falling off the trellis she'd rather over-enthusiastically attempted to climb

 and just because she's GORGEOUS!  

(James, I'm not ready to say goodbye to you little one).

(Window) Shopping in London - Part 2

Still in Fortnum's - one of my all-time favourite stores. There's so much to look at and the atmosphere is so relaxing, with a calming sense of permanence.

A delight amongst the Turkish Delights

"You're sure that's not a real arm?"

"I JUST WANT TO DANCE" shouts DB

James looking right at home

Ede & Ravenscroft - tailoring since 1689

A captivating display in Anthologie - those paper cups have been made into ceramic cups (only £300 for an artist's original)

Of course our trip included a visit to Hamley's Toyshop!

"Gosh, you're very big."

"And you're very small." "Look at the bubbles!"

"I LOVE Paddington Bear, I WANT Paddington Bear...I DO love him"

(Window) Shopping in London

James, DB, a friend and I set off for London.  Our journey began with a train ride.

DB and James (looking effortlessly glamorous, as she does in all the pics to follow)

We're here

Self-explanatory

Then a bus ride down to Piccadilly

and a look around theatre-land

The girls wanted to see Phantom (intrigued by the mask, but we didn't have time on this trip)

James loved the blue on this bus!

So many window displays

Eros on Piccadilly

Looking down the Mall with Buckingham Palace in the distance

Fortnum & Mason - quintessentially English and a reminder of times past

There's no-one behind me, is there?

We chatted to the woman who works here who told us about her daughter's Sasha doll which she's had for 40 years

He stands here holding lights on the stairway ALL this time?

James' hair providing the missing colour in this display

Resting tired model legs on the chocolate thins

Our day isn't over yet...more to follow on the next post.