Happy Birthday Beatrix Potter!

  July 28th is the 151st anniversary of Beatrix Potter's birth...born on July 28, 1866 and beloved of many!

Her books and characters are still favorites of adults and children all around the world. I had them in the kindegarten class I taught, and the children loved them!

My favorite character is Mrs. Tiggy-winkle...I guess that's why I have always been so thrilled to come across a hedgehog on our English visits...although the sightings diminished as the years passed...especially when staying with our niece how has rescued racing greyhounds...

Her illustrations were so cute! You have to go a long way to find someone as talented...I couldn't begin to do a post that honors her work enough. 

This is her home in Cumbria called Hilltop, which is a wonderful and evocative place to visit...

 

 

The photo is from the National Trust who maintains the property... 

so a happy birthday to a beloved figure in most homes, a a joyous reminder of childhood for many, including me!

Prince George's 4th Birthday July 22, 2017 Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday to Prince George, son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine....

This photo by Chris Jackson from Getty Images is so cute! 

It has been fun watching him grow up...from birth...

to toddler...this photo is by Mario Testino, a favorite royal photographer...

to this week when he turns 4 and spent time in Poland and Germany with his parents... 

during which he looked decidedly underwhelmed by all the proceedings,

although this moment in Germany was probably the hit of the trip for him... 

Time Was Antiques still has a few Birth Of Prince George English bone china mugs available...

click on the photos...

 

UK Royal Swan Upping Starts Monday July 17, 2017 Happy Birthday Camilla

This is a weekend, starting July 17th, is  the start of the five-day ‪ Royal and annual Swan Upping ceremony in the English rivers around the Thames...

The ceremony, led by The Queen's Swan Marker is responsible for an annual count and health evaluation of the Queen's swans....

The historic ceremony dates back to the 12th Century, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans.

In the Swan Upping ceremony, the Swan Markers identify, weigh, and health check cygnets or baby swans before releasing them. The Swan Upper advises organisations throughout the UK on swan welfare, and works with fishing and boating organisations, helping them work with existing wildlife and maintaining the swans' natural habitat.

Children from local schools are invited every year to watch the ceremony so they too can learn how to protect the local swan population.  We were in the area one year during the Swan-upping on one of our annual UK visits, and quite a few folks were present to see it. These photos are from the UK Press Assoc.   For more info, click on the links below:

 http://www.royalswan.co.uk/

 https://www.royal.uk/swan-upping

English traditions are always wonderful, and so interesting, don't you think? 

And adding that July 17th is the 70th birthday  of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Prince Charles. 

This birthday portrait was just released by Clarence House, and was done by the favorite Royal family photographer, Mario Testino.
Lovely!

Queen Elizabeth Visits The Kelpies in Scotland

This week, Queen Elizabeth visited Scotland...  staying at Holyrood House in Edinburgh...

Part of her time here was hosting garden parties, where various honours are given out to people for their service in communities across Scotland.... 

And she also visited a place I have always wanted to go...but haven't been able to go...but our neice and husband who live in Morecambe  in the UK went on holiday...the famous Kelpies in Falkirk... the photo below is from my niece...

 To gauge size of these massive tower sculptures, look carefully and you will see people on the walks around the bases. 

The sculptures, by artist Andy Scott, who was there and met the Queen and Duke, depict the Clydesdale horses who worked to tow the canal barges up the canals on the towpaths along side and inspired his sculptures...
The photo above shows the artist on the right with Clydesdales Duke and Baron...

The queen met some representatives of the breeds that pulled the canal barges...the Queen loves horses, so I am sure she enjoyed this... 

 photo from The Telegraph

The Queen also travelled by canal boat in the newest section of canal in Scotland, named in her honour.  The Queen Elizabeth II Canal forms the eastern gateway to the Forth and Clyde Canal and flows right up to the acclaimed horse-head sculptures...part of the 43 billion pound Helix Project reclaiming unused or underused land and waterways...

 The 30m-high Kelpies structures CREDIT: PA

 The Kelpies are a wonderful example of modern and monumental public sculpture in the UK...especially in the north...

Just thought you might be interested!

Have a lovely week and a cup of tea with friends!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy 150th Canada!

Just wanting to wish my neighbor nation of Canada a warm 15th anniversary of the Confederation!

This was from a Victoria, BC Canada...which is our closest big city...favorite hotel of ours when in Victoria, the Hotel Grand Pacific. You can see it there across the Inner Harbour with the Coho, the ferry we take to get there, in front of it. 

Prince Charles and Camilla arrived on June 29th for the festivities and are carrying out a Royal visit to honour the anniversary....

 In September of 2016, Prince William and Catherine visited Canada for the second time, this time visiting the West Coast, staying in Victoria, BC, and accompanied by their children George and Charlotte....

Before that, you probably remember the visit in 2011 of Prince William and Catherine, newly married, for Canada Day followed by a tour of the East Coast mainly...

Over the years, most English kings and queens have visited Canada...here are a few examples of souvenirs of their visits...

This Wedgwood basalt pitcher has the Royal crest and is a souvenir of a visit of  Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince George... later King George V, and his wife...who became Queen Mary, the Duchess of Cornwall and York, who arrived in Canada in 1901 aboard RMS Ophir.  

This is a commemorative spoon from the visit in 1939 of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, parents of Queen Elizabeth II...

 So Happy 150th Canada and many more!