Jane Austen's House

Post our fantastic evening with Fake That, Mrs F wanted to prolong our quality time together.

I didn't fancy a spa day, I'm too fidgety to enjoy it, so I suggested winging it.  Mrs F suggested afternoon tea, which is, in my humble opinion always a winner.  

We took a drive through the Hampshire countryside and we came across a little treasure of a place, Jane Austen's house.  

We were able to meander around the house and learn all about Jane and her family. 

The house was owned by Jane's brother, who was the heir to a local land owner (I wasn't able to find out why he inherited the entire estate.  The best guess was that he was just lucky).  

The first room we arrived in was a cinema, which told a potted history of Jane and her family's life before and up to them arriving at the house in Steventon.  

Following that we visited the kitchen and it was there we found an invite to make our own lavender pouches (using locally produced lavender) and use a quill to write a letter, Jane used a quill to write all of her novels. It must have been a very long and dirty process, I wrote a note to GO which took me ages and was very messy.  

After that Mrs F and I tried on some period costumes and bonnets, it was an era that had a style of dress that was most flattering. We both looked very elegant and regal...

We made our way into the rooms of all the family members, we saw the actual table and chair Jane sat at while writing her novels.  

In the library the society which ran the house had collected Janes by Jane in languages from across the globe, books about Jane, her family and the stories she had written.  They had graphic novels, woollen versions and hardback copies for babies.

As we looked across the street we saw a little tea room, feeling a bit peckish we headed over for a spot of afternoon tea and a bit of a heart to heart.

It was a lovely end to a weekend that I will not forget in a very long time.

Fake That

Not long after Mrs F had my goddaughter  we (she, bless her) began planning a girlie night out for us.  All over the hotels and country clubs host evenings where you have a meal, watch a tribute act and then boogy the night away. 

Before I got married we went to Bury and watched an Abba tribute which was brilliant. Keen to recreate we booked ourselves a table at a Fake That evening in Hampshire.  For weeks we plotted and planned.  "What are you wearing?"  "What time are you getting here?"  "Shall we book a spa day or an afternoon tea?"   I was beyond excited by the time Friday rolled around.  

I had spent the morning in a nursery where I just sat and played all day.  We left the (God)daughter in the capable hands of her father and headed off. We checked into the hotel and say chatting before we realised that we had twenty minutes to get ready.

Then we set off, we chatted animatedly the entire journey, the taxi driver even joined in, he recommended the place as he had taken plenty of people there, but couldn't say much about the act.We were among the first to arrive, we surveyed the scene and chose our seats, we thought we had the best position in the house, table 1 and we had the the seats facing the stage.

As the table was a table for 12 and we were only two, we knew we would be sharing with others.  Slowly but surely they all began to arrive.  The couple from Bognor, he was a builder she cleaned medical/surgical implements (who knew that was a job).  Two ladies from the area just (like us) on a girlie night out.  Another local couple, the wife it emerged had gone to school with the medical supply cleaner, so they spent the entire night reminiscing and talking about people they knew.  At one point when Mrs F had left the table I felt like I knew these people and was engrossed in the comings and going of June and Mike and their many, many, many children.  Finally a foursome arrived, dolled up to the nines, dripping in designer gear and already on the way to having a great night. A group of Essex marrieds on a get together before they all went skiing in Chamonix (this is not me being jealous this is actually what they were doing).

The food arrived and was delicious, but as with all mass catering there just wasn't enough, I patiently sat and waited for the extra vegetables to arrives, before realising that they were hidden under the chicken.  

Then the show began, the singing was good, but the lads didn't look anything like our boys in take that.  Not that I was expecting them too, but I think some people were. They put on a strange show, but very quickly managed to get most of the ladies on the dance floor and at one point dipped into a kind of hen do/stripperesque mode.  We all had a giggle and a dance.  Then as the show began to wind down, we dashed to the ladies to make the most of the lull in the crowds.  It was during Mrs F's that there was a bit of a rumble coming from the audience in the corner, before I could work out what was happening a streaker ran across the room, jumped over the barrier and was on the stage wriggling and jiggling along with the group.  The crowd went wild, he was escorted away by security and the guys carried on regardless.  Mrs F returned to her seat curious at to what had just occurred.   It was a fantastic evening, we had so much fun, we laughed and danced until they had to turn the lights back on.  Roll on the next night out.

How atmospheric

Oh my word it's so foggy.

It was quite spooky.

you never know what is coming towards you

50 flights in and out of London were cancelled today due to a blanket of thick fog that lay over the UK.  As worrying as this news was, I wasn't concerned, it didn't affect me.  

Well I was wrong the fog was so thick at some points I could barely see five meters ahead of me.  It did however have a haunting beauty about it all, especially set against the back drop of the gorgeous autumn colours.  

I stopped the car and took a few photos (it's becoming a bit of an obsession these days) and decided that I'd go for a walk and try to catch some moody shots.  

All was going well, until the sun started to set and visibility was almost none.  I carried on snapping away at cobwebs and ghostly trees, when I heard heavy breathing, I turned around to be greeted by a big, smelly dog.

It jumped up at me wanting to be greeted.  He was harmless, but very smelly.  

For the rest of the walk I could hear dogs all around, it was very disconcerting not knowing if or when they would appear out of the fog.

Time to head home, a nice cup of tea, some warm fluffy socks and a blanket were calling.

I'm making a head start on my Christmas Bucket List

My beautiful peacock displaying his tail feathers, and Ginger One.

I love tinsel 

Last year on my Christmas Bucket List (I kept typing lust instead of lust...) was a trip to the Tree Barn, for one reason or another we didn't get there.  

Today however we had an hour to spare, and it opened on Saturday, so.

We payed (or is it paid?) them a visit and it was Devine.  

For me it was heaven.  The barn smelled of cinnamon and apple, they gave us a sample of apple cider which was yummy we bought our own spices (so expensive, but worth it) every corner of the barn twinkled like a glitter bomb had exploded.

I wanted to buy everything so I challenged GO to find only one ornament under £4, I would do the same and then we would leave.  It could be a whole new Murray family tradition.

I couldn't help myself, it was so hard to choose.

I found 4 ornaments.....

Can you guess which ones are mine?

This looks amazing

I had an extra day off today ish, I was called at half eight to see if I wanted to work but I turned it down.  I had already made plans with GO to go to Costco.  Yo start the day I made French toast using brioche and it turned out amazingly well.

 I drizzled honey on mine while GO sprinkled his with icing sugar. 

Can we talk about Christmas yet?

I like the sentiment of this Piclab picture.  

We now have a moving day 17th December, a little later than expected, but I'm glad I still have lots of loose ends to tie up.

I have the whole of November to take risks and do the unexpected.