I had the privilege of shipping off from my shop, Time Was Antiques, yesterday a Queen Victoria 1897 Diamond Jubilee medal to Australia with a special story.
1897 was the Diamond Jubilee was the 60th anniversary of the crowning of Queen Victoria, just as this year is the 60th anniversary, or Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Australian grandfather of the purchaser had been in London in 1897 during the Diamond Jubilee as part of the New South Wales Lancers who took part in the Jubilee Procession. His grandfather regretted not having brought a souvenir medal home, so the grandson has....and plans to be in London during June for the festivities for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. How neat is that???
I am joining What's It Wednesday with Ivy and Elephants, Teacup Thursday with Miss Spenser and Vintage Thingie Thursday with Coloradolady.
My teacup today is a lovely George Jones & Sons Crescent China, England bluebird teacup in the pattern Swansea made in the 1920s. I just love the cute little bluebird, and I love George Jones who was also one of the nest makers of majolica pieces. Lovely! To see more info, click on the photos.
And for those of you planning to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with the Brits they way they always have, there is The Big Lunch project which sees villages, streets and towns setting apart part of June 3, 2012 for block parties, public lunches and pot lucks to celebrate the official big day.
The Brits have always celebrated occasions this way, communally, whether on village greens, at local pubs, sports fields or local "big houses". This was the way Bucklebury, Catherine Middleton's village, celebrated her wedding to Prince William.
And this is what we can expect to see all over Britain.
So click the link for fun ideas of what to do yourself, or just to see what others are planning.
I want to welcome you to my Pink Saturday with How Sweet The Sound post.
I remembered I had this Wedgwood, England plate with a really bright, marbled pink, almost magenta bordered plate with a fantasy bird theme that was made in between 1906-1911.
The plate is six sided or hexagonal shape. Fantasy birds is a generic term for the birds with no possible identity...fantastic visions out of an artist's head, which were frequently seen on china in England from the Victorian age until the 2nd World War. They originally were copied from oriental motifs, many being thought to exist in that area, but turning out to be Far Eastern artist's license as well. I think they are charming and indeed, "fantastic"!
For more info on the Wedgwood Pink Fantasy birds plate at Time Was Antiques, click on the photo.
And a photo of Queen Elizabeth II on walkabout in Australia today during her Australian State Visit.
Have a great day and enjoy the Pink Saturday blog party!
Pardon the pun, but I just had to post this photo of Queen Elizabeth II on her 11 day state visit to Australia as part of her Diamond Jubilee year being introduced last night to English born Australian basketball star Elizabeth Cambage who happens to be 6 foot 8 inches to the diminutive Queen Elizabeth's 4 foot 10! The meeting was at a Parliamentary reception at Parliament in Canberra. It's a great photo from the International Press Association.
Cheers!
Hi and happy Thursday! I am joining Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colororadolady today with a fun part of vintage English thingies...a toasting fork!
Toasting forks came into being because of the need to be able to toast things over open fires...before toasters as we know them as counter top appliances were invented. The bread slice, muffin or crumpet was pierced by the fork end and held to the fire to toast on one side then turned and toasted on the other. Toasting forks were still used in England into the 1940-1950s when most fireplaces were replaced with 3-4 bar electric heaters. But folks swore...at least our families did...that a crumpet toasted by the fire had a far superior taste than those toasted in the new fangled toasters or under the grill of the kitchen cooker. The toasted goodie was then buttered and eaten with the rest of your tea.
The toasting forks were usually made of brass or with brass fittings and a cast iron shaft. The finials cover the gamut. The funny looking one is called the Lincoln Imp for a local Lincolnshire mythical creature. The stag was an early Victorian piece and exceptionally well made. Fun, huh???
I still find them periodically when we are in England on a buying trip. They don't last in the shop though. These photos are from my archives of past items at Time Was Antiques.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Australia for an 11 day state visit, having sufficiently recovered from a cold a week ago...a major accomplishment when you are 85! The visit is an early part of her celebration of her Diamond Jubilee year...1952-2012
Here is a link to the BBC coverage of the arrival with a great video:
BBC Queen Elizabeth in Australia
The Monarchy website on Facebook has just posted this interesting video of a visit to Buckingham Palace kitchens by Australian chef Bill Granger in advance of a State dinner following an announcement of the Queen Elizabeth !!'s forthcoming visit to Australia.
Interesting to hear the ages of the Buck House chefs and how long some have been working there. The items mentioned are Pavlovas and Lamingtons.
In 1935, the chef of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth, Western Australia, Herbert Sachse, created the pavlova to celebrate the visit of the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Whilst it has been suggested this dessert was created in New Zealand, it has become recognized as a popular Australian dish. Recipe to follow.
Lamingtons are small squares of plain cake, dipped in melted chocolate and sugar and coated in desiccated coconut. Said to have been named after Baron Lamington, a popular governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.
4-6 egg whites
pinch salt
8oz castor sugar/sugar (equal parts)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 level teaspoons cornflour
(Please note the following equivalents:
castor sugar or fine/super fine sugar
corn flour or cornstarch)
Preheat oven to 400F(200C).
Lightly grease oven tray, line with baking paper or use non-stick cooking spray.
Beat the whites of eggs with a pinch of salt until stiff (until peaks form).
Continue beating, gradually adding sugar, vinegar and vanilla, until of thick consistency.
Lightly fold in cornflour.
Pile mixture into circular shape, making hollow in centre for filling.
(Mixture will swell during cooking)
Electric oven: turn oven to 250F (130C) and bake undisturbed for 1 1/2 hours.
Gas oven: bake at 400F (200C) for ten minutes, then turn oven to 250F (130C) and bake a further hour.
(Fan forced oven: temperature and time needs to be adjusted accordingly.) Turn oven off, leave pavlova in oven until cool.
Top with whipped cream and decorate with fruit as desired.
Lamingtons
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 (8 ounce) packages flaked coconut
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch rectangular pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well.
- Pour the batter into the 8x12 inch pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Store overnight to give the cake a chance to firm up before Icing.
- To make the Icing: In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa. In a saucepan, heat milk and 2 teaspoons butter until the butter is melted. Add the milk to the sugar mixture and mix well to create a fluid, but not too runny, Icing.
- Procedure: Cut the cake into 24 squares. Place coconut in a shallow container. Using a fork, dip each square into the icing, then roll it in the coconut. Place onto rack to dry. Continue for each piece. The Icing will drip, so place a sheet of parchment paper under the rack to catch the drips.
