Remember, Remember…

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. It’s the day that the plot to blow up the Parliament Buildings in London, along with the King was thawrted. To celebrate, bonfires were lit across the country.

The tradition continues to this day, with the lighting of bonfires to celebrate, and to burn the Guy in effigy, and fireworks to acknowledge the role of gunpowder in the plot.

I’ve gone to two Guy Fawkes bonfire parties. The first was with my former housemate, and we knew that the Princess Royal (Anne) was going to be lighting the fire in our area, and so we spent about an hour trying to find some old ship where the fire was being lit. Of course, never saw the bonfire, but we did see the Princess Royal as she was leaving.The second bonfire I went to was with my cousins, and we watched the neighbouring school shooting off fireworks and then we went to a dinner where they had a massive bonfire in the garden! It was a little strange seeing the fire, because there has been a ban on open burning where I live, since I was a child. People have big parties, and even wear Guy masks, which are all pretty identical.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day, and don’t go blowing anything up!

Moon River

The moon is full this week and when I saw it last night, shining over the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, it reminded me of the wonderful song, Moon River, sung by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
Waiting 'round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Although the Patapsco River doesn’t quite have the same romance as Tiffany’s, a moon like this is always gorgeous, no matter where you see it shining.

The Hallway: Part VIII

In my never-ending quest for the perfect colour for the hallway, I am still hunting. My dear new friend Christopher, gave me a copy of the Farrow & Ball colour brochure, which is incredible. As wonderful as the variety of shades are, their names and descriptions are even better. Who wouldn’t want a hallway painted Elephant’s Breath, or a dresser painted Mouse’s Back?  I am sure that people would say that I can be Churlish Green, but really, I think that Dead Salmon. The shades of String, Cord and Matchstick are so evocative of an old English Country House, while French Gray and Vert de Terre call to mind the French countryside. As much as I’d love to use F&B paint, I don’t think our Estate Manager would be able to deal with paying that kind of money for a gallon of paint. Too bad.

What’s your favourite F&B paint name?

***UPDATE: As much as I love the yellows, there are psychological studies that show that people fight more in yellow rooms than in any other colour. Because the children here have mental and behavioural issues, yellow has been taken out of the running. Too bad, because there are so many great shades.***

National Trust (US) Walking Tour

The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US has just announced a walking tour of once-endangered buildings in Washington, DC on Saturday, November 21.

“Begin with a stop at 1785 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., the Beaux Arts headquarters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Uncover the stories of Decatur House -- designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, whose prior work includes a wing of the Capitol -- on an insiders' tour. Lunch on your own at Barracks Row, a thriving, revitalized community in the Capitol Hill Historic District and the oldest commercial area in Washington, D.C. An architectural walking tour through the Embassy Row neighborhood features grand 19th-century mansions. Stop at the Georgian revival home of Woodrow Wilson -- now a house museum -- that showcases a collection including gifts of state from around the world. Attend an elegant tea at the Mayflower Hotel, considered the grande dame of luxury hotels by Washington's elite when it opened more than 80 years ago. Conclude with an exterior look at the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building, currently closed for renovations.”Architectural historian, author and National Trust employee Dwight Young will lead the tour and tickets can be booked here.

Housewerks on Daily Candy

Congratulations to my dear friends Tracey and Ben and their business, Housewerks, for the great piece in DC Daily Candy today.  I write about Housewerks frequently, because Tracey and Ben have such a great eye for unusual pieces and they put them all together in such a striking way. I am so pleased to see Housewerks getting the recognition it deserves!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you have a fun day full of lots of treats and no bad tricks!

Jeopardy!

I often say how lucky I am to have the family that I do, the experiences I have and the friends who surround me. One of those is a woman whom I am fortunate enough to call a friend. Her name is Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello.

She is charming, stunningly beautiful and extremely smart (Yale and JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health). In addition, she’s a great cook, having had one of her recipes mentioned by Mark Bittman in the New York Times.Roopa is going to be one of the contestants on JEOPARDY! tonight and we wish her all the luck in the world!   

GOOOO ROOPA!!!!

A Ghostly Tale

It was about this time of year, maybe a little later. I was driving with a friend from the horse races at Chepstow in the Welsh Borders, back to our house in Cardiff. We decided to take a detour to look at White Castle which dates to the13th century, although there is evidence of a fortification there before that time.It was just before sunset, so we were the only people there. We parked and walked through the outer ward, through a 13th century gate and headed toward the bridge over the wet moat. From there, we would enter the inner ring of the fortifications through the inner gatehouse.  As I broke the plane of the gatehouse, it felt like I was walking through a curtain. I felt a bite of chilly air and had a flash of the scene before me: lots of people milling around, cooking fires, activity and light and some noise. Then it was gone. We walked around the inner ward until it got too dark, and then we headed home. I didn’t say anything about what had happened to my friend, thinking that he’d say I was nuts.

A few weeks later, I was back in the States and sending my Christmas letter to friends around the world. I mentioned what had happened at White Castle in one sentence. Several days later, I got a call from my friend back in Wales. He was shocked! He had had the exact same experience as I had but didn’t mention it to me for the same reason I gave.

Do you believe in ghosts and other-worldly experiences like this?

Why the Post Office is in Big Trouble

I went to the post office to mail a package, and got there about 20 minutes before closing. There were about three people in front of me, and after a few minutes, about six people behind me.

There was only one clerk.

It was slow going, and soon the post office was closing, but everyone in line could stay. Another clerk came out and asked for people picking up mail, and helped them. One person jumped the line to buy stamps, and everyone objected because we’d all been waiting longer. My package was a flat-rate package and I had exact change, but that didn’t hold any sway.

The women in front of me was probably homeless and was putting tiny bits of packing tape on to her package. She also needed numerous money orders in very random amounts.

At one point, the manager came out and I asked if he could take some of the people in line. He said no, because he couldn’t handle money. I thought that was the stupidest thing I’d heard, and said so… in a nice way. As a manager, I am expected to do whatever is needed of me, regardless of whether it’s my job or not!

I finally got to the counter and completed my transaction, after apologizing to the clerk, who was nothing but pleasant in a bad situation. As I turned to leave, she said I’d left something on the counter. What?? I was sure I hadn’t. But it was this: As I went to leave, the doors were locked, so the other clerk who had let the woman jump the line, had to open the doors for me.

I told her that I thought she was wrong to let the woman buy her stamps when there were so many people ahead of her, and I just had a flat-rate package. She told me that she couldn’t have served me because she had to weigh my package. When I asked why, she said she had to be sure that it wasn’t over the 70 lb. weight limit! This was an 8x8x8 package, that I was holding in one hand.

What is your Post Office horror story?

The Hallway: Part VII

Well, there’s one more colour in the mix. I think we’re coming close, but we’re not quite there. About a year ago, we changed our corporate colours from teal and green (soooo mid-1990’s) to a pumpkin and dark brown. I thought a shade that was a little warmer than the Spice Bounty that I showed the other day, here, might be a good choice. Luckily, there’s a Duron store about a mile from the office and the guys are getting to know me pretty well. I looked for the exact shade I was thinking of, and came up with Tassel. Next to the Spice Bounty, which looks very green, the Tassel looks very warm and rich. Sort of like a nice butterscotch pudding. Maybe just a shade lighter…Right now, we’ve got seven different paints on the wall, but I feel like we’re coming down to the home stretch. I think that if we choose Tassel, we can cut it by 50% with white for the staircase.

I told the CEO that you had weighed in on the colours and had been a terrific help, so… Thoughts???