"As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise"

Ten years ago this month, I went on my very first trip to England. Despite some initial culture shock - such as traffic on the wrong side of the road and an initial difficulty in finding food we liked (the food thing has not been a problem on subsequent visits; I don't know what we were doing wrong) - it was a wonderful time, and, in so many ways, it almost felt like I was coming home to a home I didn't know, except in my head and in my heart.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not so much so because I was completely in love with my subject, the first time I took photographs that I really loved was on this trip. I recently took the film to get redeveloped as digital prints on a cd. The film held up surprisingly well, but I did have to do a little bit of digital editing to them to crop out a weird line that appeared at the top of some of the shots. On the whole though, I really am as pleased with how they turned out now as I was when I first saw them ten years ago.








post title lyrics compliments of The Kinks

Mmm, delicious, thank you! *

I really enjoy entertaining, but I don't really enjoy cooking. So I am really big on simple and delicious appetizers. This past weekend, I had some friends over to watch movies, and I served to them one of my new fun summer snacks: "salmon delights" (a name I just made up on the spot and may come to regret. My mom made these over Father's Day weekend, and I found them simply delightful!)

Salmon delights are fast, easy, and don't require an oven, which was key during all the heat and humidity that has been in the Boston area of late. They require the following ingredients:

1. Crackers (I prefer generic "entertainment" crackers that you can get at the grocery store or Trader Joe's. They are a good size for holding and are soft enough so that they don't crumble after taking your first bite. They come in butter or multigrain, so you can vary it up a bit.)
2. Philadelphia Garden Vegetable spreadable cream cheese (when it comes to cream cheese, I really think that Philly is superior to the store brands.)
3. Smoked salmon (lox) (I bought a mid-priced package of Atlantic salmon, but you can get the kind you like. Some people like the sockeye from the West Coast better.)
4. Dill (fresh or dried)

These are super easy to put together. Slice up the salmon into 1 inch wide strips. Spread cream cheese on the crackers, leaving room along the edges so that your guest's fingers stay clean. (I didn't do this very well in the ones I photographed.) Top the crackers with the salmon, tucking one of the ends under to give it an artistic look. Garnish with the dill: fresh looks prettier, but dried will do in a pinch. (I also like to add some fresh ground pepper, because I love pepper.)

My guests gobbled these up on Saturday, and I ended up making some for supper last night as I wasn't hungry enough for a full meal. Totally hit the spot!!



* "Mmmdeliciousthankyou" is a trademark saying of one of Sister K's friends. Our family has adopted it for our own purposes.

Top Ten Costume Dramas

I have just finished watching the fantastic mini-series "Edward the King (Edward the Seventh)", which covers the reign of both the king and his mother, Queen Victoria. It is a really interesting perspective on the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th from the point of view of the English monarchy. (Although it just reinforces my opinion that Kaiser Wilhelm I was KRAZY! and Victoria had a bit of KRAZY herself.) It has been especially fun to watch after seeing The Young Victoria, "Victoria & Albert", and Tom Baker chewing the scenery in Nicholas & Alexandra. I am definitely going to add it to my Netflix list of favorite British costume dramas, which is now up to 35 films.

Looking the list over, I have been trying to determine what my top ten British costume dramas would be, and I think that I have narrowed it down. So here, without further ado is my list of my favorite costume dramas (subject to change as new films/miniseries are produced.) I am not going to recap or analyze the productions, just give you a few notes about what I love about them.

10. "Horatio Hornblower": an exciting story set during the Napoleonic wars, this series follows the adventures of heroic young Lt. Hornblower, from his first days in the Royal Navy, battling seasickness AND the French, through his promotion to his own command. Extremely well played by Ioan Gruffudd and a terrific supporting cast including the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) and Robert Lindsay as Captain Sir Edward Pellew. "BEAT TO QUARTERS!!" was the start up message on my cell phone for years.


9. Anne of the Thousand Days: my absolute favorite version of the Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn story. (It also happens to be one that is more historically accurate.) Richard Burton and Geneviève Bujold play their parts with such intensity and passion; it's hard not to imagine that energy didn't get taken off the set. ;) (Elizabeth Taylor stuck around to make sure it didn't.) Bujold's costumes are out of this world; it isn't surprising that it took home the Oscar for best costume design.


8. "North & South": What is it about handsome, brooding Englishmen that makes all the girls go weak in the knees? and brings out the worst in proud, headstrong young women? This mini-series set in the Victorian industrial north of England has some serious moments as it takes on the struggle of the laboring classes, but really the struggling love story between John Thornton and Margaret Hale is what is I love the best. (The scene on the train platform... SIGH.) Beautiful musical themes by Martin Phipps and gorgeous dresses on the ladies.


7. "Cranford": I love that overall this mini-series is about a nice little town with people who are a bit quirky, but are overall nice to each other as they all try to adapt and move with the times. The ladies of Cranford are just delightful. I want to drink lots of tea during calling hours and give them all big hugs. I also want to give hugs to Mr. Carter and little Harry in their little subplot. Oh, I wish there were more shows on television about nice little 19th century towns. Oh wait, there are!


6. "Bleak House": I didn't like this show when I first watched it on PBS, but rewatching on dvd gave me a MUCH greater appreciation for it. Dickens writes characters so well, and this production includes people who can really play "characters". Burn Gorman is so wonderfully horrible as "Mr. Guppy" that I can't take my eyes off of him, and Charles Dance's "Mr. Tulkinghorn" has made me complete forget that I loved him in "The Jewel in the Crown". Over the course of the series, I laugh, cry, despair, and hope. Sometimes I wish Mr. Jarndyce would adopt me. My cell phone now says "Shake me up, Judy" when it starts.


5. Gosford Park: a hilarious murder mystery/social commentary, set in a country manor house in the 1920s, complete with an all star cast of the best of Britain, and directed by Robert Altman? What's not to love!?! The fact that it has to end!! An added bonus is Jeremy Northam's gorgeous singing as he portrays actor/songwriter Ivor Novello. (I had no idea that Mr. Knightley had such a lovely tenor.) I love to watch this movie when I am feeling sick or blue.


4. Sense and Sensibility: I love this story of the Dashwood sisters; I can completely relate to their closeness. The film is incredibly romantic (hello, Col. Brandon!), and I end up crying at some point every time I watch it. It is very cathartic! (Although, Hugh Grant is sort of ridiculous.) Kate Winslet should have won the Oscar for this one; her on-screen sister, Emma Thompson, took one home for adapting the novel for the screen. (She also took home Willoughby; she and co-star Greg Wise married in 2003.) Patrick Doyle's score is one of his best.


3. Brideshead Revisited: a beautiful adaptation of Waugh's novel. You'll fall in love and break your heart with the Flyte family. Anthony Andrews is wonderful as Sebastian; he makes him lovable, sympathetic and complicated. You can't help, much like Charles, but be drawn to him. John Gielgud steals all of his scenes as Mr. Ryder, the man you love to hate! So great acting, plus amazing locations, including the Queen Mary. I desperately want to visit Castle Howard, which doubled for Brideshead in this series and in the (seriously inferior) film that came out in 2008.


2. A Room with a View: I watched this film once a week for an entire year when I was in college. It would just sweep me out of the dorm and into Edwardian Europe. The film is beautiful and romantic and shows off the heavenly Italian and English countrysides. (I couldn't decide for the longest time which was more wonderful.) The music just enhances the dreaminess of this story. (Not to mention the dreaminess of young Julian Sands and Rupert Graves.) I am resolved to make it to Florence and will have a room with a view of my very own, and hopefully it will have a Mr. Emerson to go along with it.


1. "Pride and Prejudice" (1995): I really can't say anything new about this one. It is the definitive interpretation of the Jane Austen novel, and I have owned it in all its forms: VHS, DVD, and now BluRay. Perfectly cast and extremely faithful to the book. The first time I watched it, I felt as if the book had suddenly come to life. The costumes and the locations make me wish that I was living in Regency England. (Well, until I think seriously about things like money...and plumbing. Thanks "Regency House Party" for pointing that out.) Mr. Darcy, sigh. Mr. Collins, snort. Miss Eliza Bennet, twinkle.

So here is my list. I'd love to hear if you agree or any suggestions you might have for costume dramas that would be on your list.

A Little Fall of Rain

There is nothing like the smell of a warm summer rain in the evening. It makes me think of childhood and imagine a world of endless possibilities.

Although it isn't quite London rain ("nothing heals me like you do").

Ocean City, You're So Pretty

When I was a kid, my family would go on vacation at the end of June/beginning of July to Ocean City, Maryland. It was a tradition that all of us kids looked forward to. Early on the morning that we'd leave, we'd all pile into the station wagon, and Dad would drive down through Connecticut to New York and then on to the Garden State Parkway, where we'd stop at a rest stop to grab breakfast. (Usually a Roy Rogers, remember those?) Then we would rushrushrush (ie. speed and hope for no traffic) to make it on time to get on the one o'clock Cape May,NJ/Lewes,DE ferry, which was a great opportunity for all of us to stretch our legs after a long morning in the car. Once we disembarked in Delaware, the anticipation would really kick in, and we'd watch the rural countryside for landmarks to indicate that we were getting closer to the city.

Once we were finally in Ocean City and checked into the place where we stayed year after year, it was a week of fun in the sun. Many of the years, the Aunties would come down in their own car and join us, teaching us to dig for sand crabs by day and babysitting us at night when our parents would go out to dinner. There was so much to do: building sandcastles, swimming in the pool, jumping the waves in the ocean, and flying kites. But one of the most fun things to do in Ocean City was a visit to the Candy Kitchen.

Candy Kitchen, for those of you who have not vacationed at the Delaware or Maryland shore, is regional a chain of candy shoppes that sells homemade fudge, saltwater taffy, ice cream, and other assorted sugary goodness. To us, it was HEAVEN. We would leave there with pounds and pounds of Swedish fish and the store's special fudge. Even now, the names cause me to salivate. Those of us "in the know" recognized that King Tut, Heavenly Hash, and Delmonico were code words for the best chocolate EVER. Try as we would, I don't think that any of this candy ever made it back across the Delaware border, despite our mother's best efforts.

This past week, the Aunties went on vacation to Rehoboth Beach, DE, which isn't too far from Ocean City. I called Aunt E up the night before they were leaving and asked her if she wouldn't mind picking me up some King Tut. (Actually, I gave her a list. Apparently so did my mom and Sister K.) She said she'd try, but she couldn't guarantee that it would survive the car trip. When I was down in CT this weekend for Father's Day, I got my Candy Kitchen. And it was delicious. I tried to make it last from Connecticut into Massachusetts, and it actually survived the trip!! (Although since it arrived here, the quantity has been vastly depleted! That's the now "Hellacious" Hash in the photo.)

In the Good Old Summertime

This past weekend, I went down to CT to celebrate Father's Day with my family. Just before lunch, Sister K and I headed into Hartford to check out the Elizabeth Park rose garden, which was hosting its big rose festival. If you are in the Hartford area at the beginning of the summer and have never been to the Elizabeth Park rose garden, you are missing out on a real delight. The two and a half acre garden is the oldest municipally operated rose garden in the country and has wonderful sights, smells, and sounds to delight its visitors.

The fragrant blossoms permeated the fog in my head brought on by a summer cold, and we had a delightful time. Naturally, I brought my camera with me. While I got off a good number of shots, it was such a sunny day that I feel many of my shots didn't do the garden justice. You need to get out there and experience it for yourself.

"A Cup of Tea, a Cookie, and Yoo-hoo"*

Things have been busy, and I haven't had a lot of time for blogging so I am trying to play "catch up" now. About a month ago, I received an unexpected parcel at work. (I usually have my online purchases sent to the office, but this is one I didn't buy for myself.)

There was no indication on the outside of the package where it had come from or who had sent it. I couldn't contain my curiosity until I got home so I opened the box where I found a belated Easter gift from my parents: Royal Albert tea cups!! They were part of a commemorative collection celebrating 100 years of Royal Albert. I got the collection from the 1900s-1950s, and they are positively beautiful.

They came specially packaged in a gift hat box.


I particularly like that they have a pattern on the inside of the cup, and the saucers are beautiful too.


For now, I have put them in my china cupboard, but I am looking forward to using them for company. Hopefully some time soon with scones and cucumber sandwiches!!
*Witch Hazel, Looney Toons