A Right Royal Knees Up

You might have heard by now that England is about to have a party this upcoming weekend! Yes, we are going to have a "right royal knees up" to celebrate "our" queen's Diamond Jubilee with several days of events and two holidays. Queen Elizabeth II is only the second monarch to reach the milestone of reigning 60 years, the first having been Queen Victoria, so it's a huge accomplishment for her and definitely worthy of a party.

I give you a heads-up: this is a photo heavy blog, but if you only began to know how many things I cut out, you would thank me! Let me show you just a small, small taste of the "souvenirs" that are in the stores now, ready to become collectibles down the road.

We start with china and pottery.

Here is the official Royal Jubilee designed ware, but there are scores of others out there.

You could buy a different cup and a plate to use for every day of the month, should you care to celebrate all month long.

Emma Bridgewater has done a whole line you can see by clicking here,

as well as Cath Kidston whose collection can be found here.

Fortnum and Mason has an extensive line, including teapots,

Jubilee Majestic Marmalade with diamond shaped pieces of orange peel sprinkled with gold leaf throughout,

specially blended tea,

and coffee,

as well as a musical biscuit tin that plays "God Save the Queen." The queen was quite taken with this item when she visited the store in the spring, and so was I, so two tins came home with me.

You might prefer this tall tin of pistachio clotted cream biscuits,

or fudge for a gift for you or someone special.

Paper goods are everywhere, including these cupcake thrones,

royal crowns for all the participants,

"Right Royal Trivia" games,

and even pinatas,

or Jubilee crackers.

You can easily satisfy your sweet tooth with special biscuits/cookies,

in characters,

or party style, or

you might decide to entertain with this teapot cake.

Harrod's 2012 annual bear is in the spirit, but he is currently sold out according to their website,

so maybe a waving queen would strike your fancy instead,

or some "keepsake" pillows,

tins of mints,

or one of the ubiquitous tea towels found in every store. 

I think the temporary tattoos might be fun for the party, and I kept wondering why no one had thought ahead to make a Christmas ornament....

but of course, they had.

Two of my favorite items are a Royal Scrapbook

and I wish you could flip through and see this one---a Royal dress up dolly book. Love seeing all those royals in their undies!

So what did I buy? Well, unlike during the Royal wedding frenzy when I bought way too many cups, and now wonder where to display them all, I've used restraint this time. 

So far, I've bought the musical biscuit tin,

and this lovely ornament from Harrod's

and my craziest find of all.

Royal sunglasses for the weekend, as modeled by "Princess" Jordan!

Hope you'll be watching along as we celebrate--either in person or on TV!

Do I need to pick up a little souvenir for you?

Cemetery of Angels

This post will interest my Houston friends more than anyone. I had the opportunity to take a tour of one of Houston's treasures this spring, and my friends and I were amazed that we had never seen or heard of this locale before now. 

We took a guided tour of Glenwood Cemetery, which was founded in 1871 and located in what was then a rural spot on the rolling banks of the Buffalo Bayou.

Classified as a romantic cemetery, the winding roads and gently rolling terrain today provide a beautiful setting for walkers, joggers and bicyclists, as well as being the tranquil resting place for many notables.

Although not as famous as London's Highgate Cemetery or Pére-Lachaise in Paris, it, nevertheless, is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in a long time.

Its roster of those interred reads like a Who's Who of the history of Texas and Houston. Locals will recognize many names on the tombstones, and I encourage you to check into the tours provided by Preservation Houston. At the least, pick up a brochure and guide at the office before striking out.

Bordered by Washington and Memorial Drive, the cemetery covers 85 acres, of which 18 acres are reserved for future development, so yes, you too, can be buried here.

In the shadow of downtown Houston, the cemetery is beautiful and so verdant, and boasts some of the oldest oak trees of Houston.

The cemetery is often known as the Cemetery of Angels, so without much comment, here are a few of the angels keeping watch.

An avenging angel guarding the grave of a murdered occupant.

And one of the most famous monuments of all, the Angel of Grief.

I highly recommend you take the time for a stroll--walking shoes advised- and see for yourself one of the most historical and beautiful locations in all of Houston.

Battersea Decorative Fair

Everyone's been talking about how miserable the London weather has overall been this spring, so when handed a gloomy, wet day, we are always looking for something to do indoors. Such was the case a few weeks ago, when we headed to the Battersea Park Decorative Fair--an indoor antique fair situated in the lovely Battersea Park just across the Thames River from our house.

We were greeted by a topiary in honor of the Queen--it is her Jubilee year, you know.

Just inside the door, my eyes were drawn to these angel wings. Such a beautiful accent piece.

I loved the booths with the rustic touch and

any outdoor garden accents.

Could have seriously bought many items at those two booths, if time and money had been more fluid!

Crowns were a popular decorating motif.

And vintage kitchen items always draw a lot of interest.

Chests, or "commodes" as the French call them were given places of prominence.

I would have liked to have had all three

of these commodes. As you can tell, I'm drawn more to French, and sometimes Swedish antiques, more than the English antiques, and this fair offered a few of those items that really were beautiful, such as this 18th century French commode with its original painted finish. £5950

Another French piece---this incredible armoire--beautiful!

And if I could have been more decisive, this table would have gone home with me. I left thinking I would come back the next day with hubby after he flew in from his overseas flight, but that was not to be, since his flight was delayed enough to miss the show completely.

Guess that was a sign that I didn't really need it, but I have to admit I think about it every now and then. 

Dating from the 1860's this "bureau plat" with drop leaf sides boasted a seaweed marquetry that was exquisite, and the top when raised revealed a ladies mirror framed in gold bronze. The front drawer opened up to a writing top in its original velvet.

Have you ever left a purchase behind that you dream about and wish you had grabbed it when you could?

Olympics This and That

With my visit to Olympic Park so fresh on my mind, I thought I would share with you two of my favorite photos that came out in The Evening Standard recently. 

Looks like the anticipation is building!

And in honor of all the mothers out there, a special tribute by Proctor & Gamble to the Olympic moms for all the sacrifices they have made through the years. 

It's a real tear jerker and will drive home the point:

The hardest job in the world is the best job in the world. Thanks to all the moms out there. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Try to view this on full screen if you can....

London Prepares

It was one of those lucky surprises, that come along when you least expect it, that are sometimes the most fun! When a friend's husband couldn't join her for the water polo event at the new Olympic Park last week, I gladly stepped in to fill his shoes. 

You see, it's the time when London Prepares--the warm up events that are testing the facilities of the Olympic Park to make sure that all the glitches are out of the way before Opening Ceremonies on July 27.

Did I mention that July 27 is my birthday, and what an amazing celebration it would be to attend the Opening Ceremonies, but alas, tickets are nowhere to be found?

Maybe the birthday fairy will come through before then, but I'm not holding my breath.

The giant Olympic Arena is ready (told you the weather has been miserable lately) and we could hear the rehearsals going on while we were there, but of course, it's top secret and only rumors are going around about what is really going to happen. Seating 80,000, it will be the home of the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field events.

The Orbit has recently been completed, and now stands at 115 meters high as the tallest art structure in Britain. Designed by the world renowned artist, Anish Kapoor, the Orbit will not only be a work of art, but an active experience. Visitors will be able to ascend to a viewing platform near the top via a glass elevator, and then opt to take the spiral staircase coming down for views all along the way of the Olympic Park and the cityscape of London.

We headed to the Water Polo arena for our event, and our first exposure to the sport. My friend and I were a bit clueless about water polo, but we were anxious to check it out.

Playing that night were Great Britain versus Australia, and the fans were really hyped for the local team.

The British girls were ready for a challenge,

but the Australians came out on top that night. Probably the visiting kangaroo brought them the luck they needed.

We were excited to see the US team play against Hungary that evening too.

I was surprised to learn that water polo was actually the first team sport played in the Olympics (Paris, 1900.) I had never stopped to think about the skill and strength it took to play--just treading water for the length of 4 eight minute quarters, amidst swimming the length of the pool back and forth (imagine soccer/football with goalies)

combined with the strength it takes to propel up and out of the water for passing the ball, somewhat like dolphins spin up and out of the water, as well as the dexterity it takes to "palm" a wet ball coming at you.

It was amazing watching these gals, and I have a whole new respect for the sport.

We were fortunate to sit with one of the US athletes' moms, the mom of Kelly Rulon, who helped us with some of the logistics of the sport.

Final score USA 11-- Hungary 6. A great chance to cheer on our "home team" in our home away from home land. Just this hint of watching our athletes play and seeing the layout and design of the Olympic Park has made me ever so more excited about the fun coming in just a couple of months.

Hope you're a bit intrigued by this dress rehearsal into giving water polo a bit of your viewing time. It's

going to be an exciting summer!

Tale of Two Cities Clutch

Kate Spade has A Tale of Two Cities clutch available this spring for $325.  Cute, isn't it? Which poses the question, does a blogging gal like me need a purse to match her blog??

So off I went with a friend to the Kate Spade store on Sloane Square to take a peek.

But when the salesclerk heard I was from Texas (the accent always gives it away,) she went to the stockroom to give us an advance peek of a purse that will make its debut in a couple of weeks.

She thought this armadillo purse might be more my style!

This is Kate Spade, mind you! In Texas, armadillos are road-kill, not a fashion statement.

But if I had to choose, this little shiny gold coin purse might win me over a lot sooner than the straw purse. 

I doubt it though.

But if it speaks to you, I understand there will be a necklace in the collection too. Let me know if you decide to purchase one--I'd love to see a photo of you  sporting the latest trend!