Going Back to A Place You Know – England in The Summertime

Hi All,

Just back from a trip to England visiting family and friends and now sitting here surrounded by piles of washing, an overgrown garden,  a massive stack of ominous looking mail and a low grey skying sitting heavily on the house.  As my neighbor so succinctly put it, I am in the ‘docking’ period of getting back into regular life.

The only thing cheering me up right now is my charity shop find Brown Betty teapot which I carried back in my hand luggage, guarding it with my elbows and willpower.

If you have never come across a Brown Betty teapot, it’s a classic English fixture currently enjoying a retro revival and sold in stylish places like Baileys ( which incidentally is a shop that I could quite happily move into and stay forever…).  This teapot could and can be seen at nearly any meal time and is renowned for making the best cup of tea ever.

I can tell you now…it’s delivering.

So I haven’t lived in England for eleven years now and each time I go back, I look at it more and more with the eyes of an outsider.

And my outsiders eye says touristy things like…”cor….it’s so green”…

And, “wow, look at all those sheep”…

And “blimey…take a gander at that view”…

My family were quite bemused by my enthusiasm, so they packed me off to the most English event of all – a Country Summer Fair on a muggy afternoon…

With Ferris wheels and goldfish to be won..

A classic car display…

Featuring my all time favorite Morris minor traveller…

And of course, tents and tents displaying fiercely fought First Prize Strawberry Jams and Victoria Sponges…

It was indeed a classic British event, but would have been nothing without the great British public enjoying themselves…

And taking it all in…

There is no getting away from it, I love the British countryside in full summer swing.

The only thing better is the seaside.

You just have to get there.

Up and down the motorways we went, taking in all the fabulous clouds that go on forever…

And yes, it was worth the five hours in the car when you drive down into this little village in Cornwall.

Where there are beaches and boats and beautiful wooded walks…

That follow the coastline…

And give you glimpses of the town beyond…

And quirky idyllic waterside homes…

And top of the list for my six year, the Winkle Picker, the all time best seaside shop where they still sell sweets for 3p in little stripey bags…

These are all the things I love about England – call me a nostalgic old bat but I just do.

I know that I am sailing dangerously close to characterizing this little island as the home of long afternoons on the cricket green, warm beer, friendly bobbies walking the beat and cheery Norman Wisdom type chappies riding by on a bicycle.

I do know that it’s not like that – honest guv…

It’s just that it’s so damn beautiful and its in my bones and I miss it.

Hence the rather sad obsession with drinking tea from my brown betty tea pot – as if that somehow encapsulates all good things English.

So I will stop now in case a rousing chorus of Jerusalem becomes the soundtrack!

I will be back very soon with some luuuverlie peeeectures from ze tres chic and tres jolie land of France but in the meantime will leave you with a picture of one of many family get togethers, which after, is what it’s all about.

Until then…

Ros

p.s. Welcome to all those lovely people from the Beach Cottage.

p.p.s. If you would like to receive an email notification of the latest blog, just email me at roswyatt@greenplumdesign.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject.  Thanks for all of those already sent.

About Ros

My name is Ros Wyatt and I live across the bay from San Francisco. I moved here from England fifteen years ago with my husband, two children and a dog. Since then I have had added one more child to the line up and work as a painting contractor, color consultant, blogger, and screen printer.
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4 Responses to Going Back to A Place You Know – England in The Summertime

  1. What a lovely post, love all your pics 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

  2. admin says:

    thanks sarah – does it take you back?

  3. Pam says:

    Ah, home…I’m not from England, of course, but I know just what you mean about the way the landscape of home is in your bones. Having it as my desktop background helps, in between visits. (And of course, this place is in our bones now and we’d miss it if we went back home…forever of two places now.)

  4. admin says:

    You are so right Pam – if I moved to England I would miss here SO much – we are inbetweeners!

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