'Winter' Brocante at Petworth

Petworth House is one of our favourite National Trust venues in southern England, and when we lived at Frensham we regularly travelled the 20 miles there, to the neighbouring county of West Sussex, often taking overseas visitors with us. 

Petworth House

The village of Petworth, which historically only exists because of the great House, is a gorgeous, character-filled little town with winding narrow lanes, ancient cottages, beautiful homewares and antiques stores and a very fine providore. 

Cobbled streets abound in Petworth

The curved windows on this Georgian cottage are an unusual feature

Striking Christmas decorations like this are all over Petworth - they must look lovely at night

The main reason for our jaunt to Petworth today was to attend The Winter Brocante, a fair showcasing antiques, textiles, vintage pieces, French brocante (second-hand wares) and Christmas giftware. 

Surrey and Sussex's country set were out in force, ooh-ing and aah-ing over vintage monogrammed French linen sheets (I confess I too was tempted by those...), silvered glass baubles, handmade candles and bunches of mistletoe.

Gorgeous French antiques

Escargot dish, anyone?

Made to order linen bedding... gorgeous!

How about an antique horse-on-wheels to go with your Jesus picture?

Christmas wreaths and seasonal blooms

This little chap was prepared for the cold in his hand-knitted doggy-sweater

Sadly the 'winter' element was very much lacking, with unseasonably mild temperatures continuing in this warmest autumn on record. We had 16 degrees... and in a couple of days' time it's December! This is taking The Maree Curse to extremes and I'll be honest and say I'm a tad fed up. Still, I daresay the cold is just around the corner.

Despite the warmer-than-desired weather, it was a glorious day - the first sunny weekend day in some weeks.

The Park, a typical Capability Brown design with its lake and strategically placed trees

Kevin in front of Petworth House

The stark beauty of bare winter trees in the West Sussex countryside

Just look at that amazing autumn/winter light!

After a couple of hours browsing the stalls at the Brocante, we strolled into the village and enjoyed a light lunch at the pub. Then it was back to The Park to soak up the magic of the day as the light started to fade.

What a breathtaking place, a breathtaking day. England has such a wealth of beauty.

Until next time,

- Maree  xo

Wet weather, wellies and wildlife

The past couple of weeks have been very busy for us, with our first visitors to the flat last weekend and our first overnight guests this weekend.

We took friends Roy and Tracey to Dorking yesterday afternoon, in the hope of showing them the glories of the Surrey Hills. There was a bit of very light, misty rain around but visibility was still good... until we made the climb up to Ranmore Common and the world transformed dramatically into the setting for a Brontë novel.

Spooky conditions on Ranmore Common, Dorking

So we drove back down into the town and spent a couple of hours ambling around Dorking's lovely gift shops, antiques stores and cafes, before heading to The Wotton Hatch for drinks in front of the open fire, followed by dinner.

Through the week towns all over Britain have held their official switching-on ceremonies for their Christmas lights. It's well and truly dark by 4.30pm each day now, and the streets do look much cheerier with their festive decorations.

Kevin admiring a particularly nice Christmas display in Dorking

I was in London for the day a week or two ago and Covent Garden had just put up its tree and was starting to get out its Christmas finery.

Covent Garden's christmas tree

Covent Garden festive decorations

Today has been very Autumnal indeed - constant rain, dark conditions. That didn't stop us getting out for a lovely stroll - a good opportunity for me to test-drive my new wellies. 

So... just a small amount of rain about. That's a footpath under all that water.

Green!

Sadly I wasn't able to purchase the Hunter wellies that appeared on my last post. I have a full size difference in my left and right feet which can make the purchasing of footwear challenging. Being British made, the Hunter wellingtons only come in full sizes based on English sizing. With size 5 my right toe was hitting the front of the boot. With size 6 my left foot moved about - even with two pairs of socks on. So I had to go with a French brand with the more flexible European sizing - Le Chameau. I'm very happy with their performance.

Testing out the new wellies

Despite being on the fringe of London we are delighted to have regular encounters with wildlife near our flat. In the past 24 hours we've had to slow for foxes crossing the road, enjoyed the antics of our resident population of squirrels, been visited by a beautiful green woodpecker right outside our bedroom window, and last night as we returned from Dorking we had a family of three deer feasting on the windfall crabapples in front of the flat. Seriously cute stuff.

One of our squirrels

Green Woodpecker (Picus Viridis) outside our bedroom

So nothing earth-shattering to report in this post, but I do have an overwhelming sense of relief at not having to suffer the extreme heat that much of Australia is having at the moment. Oh, bliss!

And finally, some of you who are d'un certain âge will recognise the image on my recently purchased cushion, below. I hope it gives you happy memories of a different time.

John Bender Doesn't Want You To Forget - throw cushion for 80s tragics like me
(available from Society6)

Until next time,

- Maree xo

A Time For Wellies

Autumn colour (photo by Kevin Joy)

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

- Emily Brontë

Autumn light in Epsom Common nearby (photo by Kevin Joy)

Well friends, I am happy to report that Autumn has FINALLY arrived! It's always been my favourite time of year; there is something truly magical about it.

A russet carpet of autumn leaves - Denbies Estate Walk, Dorking

After an endless summer (we still had temperatures in the mid 20s on 31 October) the weather has decided to gets its act together and it is with unbridled joy that I am accumulating my new cooler weather wardrobe. Boots, coats, showerproof jackets, scarves, opaque tights. Colour me happy.

In the fitting room at Pepperberry. Feeling a tad Abba-esque in this outfit!

The beautiful, evocative poem at the top of this post pretty much sums up my attitude to the change in season. Bring on the rain and the cold. We had our first frost on Thursday morning but luckily the previous weekend I had prepared for this eventuality, having purchased an ice scraper and windscreen cover.

A rainy Saturday morning - looking out of our dining room windows

One accoutrement I am yet to acquire is a new pair of wellies. They really are an essential item in England's damp, muddy environment. Off-pavement walking of any kind almost always involves mud of some quantity, even in summer. To be able to trudge and splosh with gay abandon through bogs and puddles makes the investment worthwhile. Currently I am lusting after the Hunter Women's Original Tall Wellington with Adjustable Back (see below). If £95 seems a lot for a pair of wellies, you've never struggled to divest your jeans and hiking boots of unctuous English mud that sets like cement once dry, and you've never attempted to get non-adjustable wellies off from a standing position without accidentally flinging boot or self into walls. Back at Frensham I had a vastly inferior pair of green wellies - non-adjustable I hasten to add. Although they served their purpose and by the time of leaving the UK I had in fact perfected the hands-free wellie removal manoeuvre, I decided back then that my next pair would be the Real Deal.

Object of desire - the Hunter Women's Original Tall Wellington with Adjustable Back

We are busy, busy, busy with both of us working full-time and my supposedly 30-minute commute usually taking something like 75 minutes. We have embraced home-delivery grocery shopping with gusto. This leaves precious leisure time for Autumn walks.

Proof that Yes, we do actually live in London. How did that happen?!

Shire horses feeding in a local paddock, with trees illuminated by low Autumn sun

Ashtead Common adjoins Epsom Common - this is about 15 minutes' walk from our flat

We have enjoyed watching the trees change colour - this one is in front of our building

Although we live in a very pleasant environment, it's still London and you are always conscious of being on the fringe of a great metropolis. It's for that reason we are drawn back to more rural Surrey just about every week or two, and in particular to the gorgeous countryside surrounding Dorking where we lived for several weeks before moving into the flat in Epsom.

View over the Surrey Hills from Leith Hill

The landscape changing from Summer to Autumn - Denbies Estate Walk, Dorking

St Barnabas Church (1859), Ranmore, on the North Downs Way (near Dorking)

Sculpture at Leith Hill - by artist Walter Bailey

Listen! 

The wind is rising, and

the air is wild with leaves.

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves!

    - Humbert Wolfe

OK, well because Autumn has been so late in arriving, the above is a tad out of date now. But the sentiment remains the same.

View over fields from Ashtead Common

Pathway from our flat leading to Epsom Common

As much as I hate Christmas decorations appearing before the beginning of December, I confess seeing them does create some anticipation. All kinds of special events are being advertised by the National Trust and other organisations - Christmas markets, ice skating rinks (we'll be doing our skating at Hampton Court Palace which is only 15 minutes from where I'm currently working), shopping nights where they serve mulled wine and so on. I am giddy with excitement.

In the meantime we're continuing to sample the local restaurants and pubs. Wednesday night has turned into a regular night out, and we usually dine out for lunch or dinner on the weekend as well. We're happily impressed on the whole. 

Though England's cuisine continues to improve and it's now possible to order a decent double espresso just about everywhere, the only disappointment is in the tea department. We are gobsmacked to find that you still cannot visit a tea room, or other venue, and obtain a 'proper' pot of tea. Venues might advertise exclusive brands of  fancy tea picked by monkeys etc but it's only when your pot arrives that you find the tea is made with *gasp* tea-bags. Yes, it's shocking, but there it is. We Australians are used to loose-leaf tea and I will happily take blind tastings to prove that I can tell the difference. I can taste the paper of tea-bags. I will admit that the modern (and expensive) nylon mesh tea-bags are much better, but I still expect that in a country purporting to be the tea capital of the universe, I should be able to obtain a proper pot of tea - particularly in an actual specialty tea-drinking establishment.

Cream teas at Gorgeous Gertie's in Dorking. Tea made with *gasp* tea-bags!

Before I go, just a shout-out to those of you who do actually read this blog - it would be great to hear from some of you! A select few friends and relatives occasionally comment or email me to say they've enjoyed my posts. Of course I'm doing this mainly to keep you up to date with our lives and because I enjoy the process... not for the feedback. All the same, please do remember we are a long distance from most of you and I would love the odd reminder that you are still there :-)

Autumn selfie

Until next time,
- Maree  xo