The King's English

"The Americans and the English -- Two peoples separated by a common language."  George Bernard Shaw


On Thursday of last week, I spent the day with a very nice British family who are moving here from England in August.  The wife will be coming to work at the company where my husband works; she's being re-located here from their British facility to work on a project in the States.  They don't have their U.S. driver's license yet, so I was asked if I would be interested in driving the husband, wife, and their ten year-old daughter to tour some of our local schools and meet with teachers, principals, etc. I would also show them where some of the different residential neighborhoods are, along with bus stops, grocery shopping, etc.  Now, I'm not a real estate agent, so I was not going to be officially showing them houses, just giving them an idea of where the neighborhoods are in relation to elementary schools and shopping and so forth.  So I said I'd be happy to drive them around town, but I was a bit nervous about it.  I can walk and chew gum at the same time with no problem.  But driving whilst (throwing in a little British-speak there) trying to point out different items of interest and talk to three people, I get a little distracted, to say the least.  I just hope I didn't scare ten years off their lives with my driving.

I've been to England once, for a week, eleven years ago.  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there, so I was looking forward to the opportunity to talk and compare notes with this family.  We had a fun time, managed to see a large part of the town, and tour two schools.  This was actually our last week of school here, so it was rather difficult to even get appointments for the tours.

As I said, it really was fun to compare notes on the similarities and the differences between here and across the pond.  We talked about food, houses, cars, schools, shopping, movies and TV shows.  I admit I was disappointed to find that they are not Harry Potter fans.  Maybe they've been just saturated with it over there; I don't know.  But as my good friend from Mt. Airy said to me, "I'm not a fan of the Andy Griffith show, either".  Andy Griffith is a native son of North Carolina who grew up in the small town of Mt. Airy.  His TV town, Mayberry, is actually based on the real town of Mt. Airy.  Oh well, maybe she has a point there.  But back to our British family, we did talk about classic British comedies like "Keeping Up Appearances", "Are You Being Served?", and "The Black Adder" with Rowan Atkinson (one of our personal favorites).  Then we discussed the American TV shows that they watch.  They like "Frazier", "House", "Bones", and the new "Hawaii Five-O".

But the thing I probably had the most fun with was comparing the language differences.   Oh I know we both speak English, but it's not quite the same English.  And I don't mean the accents. In America, the part of the car that you lift to get to your engine is the hood; in England, it's the bonnet.  In England, what men normally wear to work are trousers; in America, they wear pants.  But oftentimes, pictures are more eloquent than words.  For example, over there this is a wheelie bin...

...over here, it's a trash can (with wheels).  Over there this is...

a dust bin or rubbish bin.  Over here, it's a waste basket.  In the The King's English these would be...

...petrol prices. In Yanks' English, they're highway robbery gasoline prices.  But seriously folks, as much as we bemoan our fuel prices at the moment (and I do my share of bemoaning), they told me that they are still paying much more in England than we are in the United States.  This next one I got a kick out of; here it's the Dollar General, or the Dollar Tree, or just the Dollar Store.  Across the pond, it's...

...the Pound Store, or the 99 Pence Store, where you can get any item for a little less than a pound.  Then, we have...

...traffic circles in the States; in the U.K., they have roundabouts :)  In Britain, these are called trainers...

...in the States, they're running shoes, or tennis shoes, or sneakers.  And last, but not least, in the King's English...

... chips, in American English, french fries; in America...

... chips, in Britain, crisps.  So it's easy to see why people can get confused when travelling in another country, even when you, technically, speak the same language.  I really enjoyed my day with the Brits; they were very polite and had a good sense of humor.  I wish them all the best in making this transition to a new country.

Cheers!

Denise

Our David Austin Roses

Our rose bush has a short bloom period; when we purchased it at the garden center three years ago, we were told that it would repeat bloom into early fall.  We've never been able to get it to bloom but the one time in Spring every year, and that's all until the next year.  But its beautiful flowers and the rich, haunting fragrance it bears make up for the brief bloom time.  At certain times of the day, the scent wafts across the air, and then we experience the sensation of real, old rose magic.

My husband found this book for me several years ago on the bargain table at the bookstore, and I treasure it for the beautiful photographs, as well as the information it contains.

Where Do I Keep It All?

This will probably be one of my shorter posts:)  I am sharing a few of the places I store my dishes, accessories, and tablescaping "stuff".  The other places are still a work in progress, and will have to wait until next year.  The posts I've seen so far are really amazing.  I was feeling guilty about having a lot of stuff, but now I feel much better!  I don't have so much "stuff" after all;) 

Many of our nicer things we actually received as wedding gifts when we got married 24 years ago, and over the years our families have given us some wonderful linens and heirloom pieces.  But in the winter of 2010, I really got the tablescaping bug.  I discovered some of your wonderful blogs online, and I looked at them for many months before I tried to set up my own blog.  My husband offered to help me set one up, but still I put it off.  Then this winter, I decided to take the plunge.  Mr. Forest Manor and I had some "animated discussions" as he likes to call them, because I wanted to understand how to do everything on the blog (the technical and creative aspects) immediately.  He works with computers every day all day at his job, and I am no stranger to them myself.  I've been typing since I was 12 years old, and worked with computer applications in my previous jobs.  But actually, neither of us had ever blogged before, and so the initial setup and design was the most difficult part.

Anyway, I digress.  I actually started buying odds and ends for tablescaping over a year ago (before I had my own blog), and guess where I stored most of them?  You guessed it -- I stored them in the bags they came in.  How ingenious, right?  Well, last fall, we inherited another china cabinet of sorts, a corner cupboard that I really love!  A new storage place that looks so much better than department store bags and boxes.  Plus during that time, I was slowly making a place for those new items in some of our existing storage spots.  After all, I had no idea we would be getting a nice corner cupboard, and even I couldn't leave things in bags forever.

So, I'll start with the corner cupboard.  In the top section are four place settings of Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles, along with some silver pieces, pink goblets, crystal coasters and a candy dish.

In the bottom section are some odds and ends:  more serving pieces for the Bavarian china, silverware caddies, and a few silver pieces.

In this plastic storage bin are my Easter decorations .

This under-the-bed storage bin has wheels, and it fits perfectly under our beds. I have three of these where I store a set of Bavarian china (I think 10 place settings) plus a lot of serving pieces.  These will be for my son when he gets his own home.  Also stored in these containers are some Christmas dishes, glasses, Lenox white plates and Butterfly Meadow plates.

Below is the china cabinet in our Dining Room.  The top section holds 12 place settings of our Royal Doulton china, plus the serving pieces.  It also holds most of our crystal stemware, and a few other odds and ends.

The bottom section holds several cake plates, some silver pieces, glass luncheon plates, crystal serving pieces like pickle dishes, relish dishes, etc., and a few Christmas pieces.

And finally, this chest holds most of my linens, but not all.  I don't have nearly as many as a lot of people do.  The chest belonged to my grandparents.

Place mats and napkins.

Table cloths and table runners.

Decorative kitchen towels, tea towels (holiday) and some miscellaneous linens.

I store our everyday dishes in the kitchen cabinets, with a few of the pretty pieces on the counter top.  Extra dishes and cooking utensils, picnic supplies, etc. are stored in cupboards in the basement.  I also store candles, votive holders, and bobeches in  a dresser in our spare bedroom. 

I'm linking to Seasonal Sundays hosted by The Tablescaper.  She's having a party called "Where Do You Keep It All, Part 2".  Thanks for visiting!

Denise 

"Freedom Is Not Free"

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze;
A young marine saluted it,
And then he stood with ease.

I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought...how many men like him,
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves
No, Freedom is not Free

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still;
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill;

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend;

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of the fathers, sons, and husbands,
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No. Freedom is not Free!
                                        Kelly Strong, Commander
                                        United States Coast Guard

Biographical Note:  This poem was written by Kelly as a high school senior (JROTC cadet) at Homestead High, in Homestead, Florida, in 1981.  It is a tribute to his father, a career marine, who served two years in Vietnam.

God Bless America and God Bless our veterans and all the brave men and women still serving in our Armed Forces. 

Denise

Happy Anniversary

This week I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturdays, and The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays. It's the merry old month of May, and in addition to celebrating Mother's Day, Mr. Forest Manor and I also celebrate our wedding anniversary.  This Monday, May 23rd, marked our 24th anniversary. I've spent almost half of my life with my "Better Half".  That sounds like the name of a country music song :-)

I set the table for just the two of us this week.  And since we're celebrating the date we got married, we're using our wedding china.  I'll be just like Hyacinth Bucket (or Boo-Kay) and pull out my Royal Doulton china, sans the hand-painted periwinkles.  My pattern is "Juliet" and I really love these dishes!

While we were on vacation a few weeks ago, we were browsing around in some antique shops, and I found these vintage etched sherbets.  I've been looking for some for quite a while now, but could not find any for a price I was willing to pay.  I thought these were a bargain.  I bought six, and the owner threw in the seventh for free.  I haven't been able to find the maker on these yet, so maybe that's why they were a bargain;)  But they seem very well made, and they are very pretty -- just what I've been looking for.

Last weekend we received an unexpected gift, a silver anniversary gift a year early :-)  My husband's mother gave us half of her sterling flatware.  I was so surprised and excited!!!  The other half will go to my husband's brother and his wife.  What a generous gift to the four of us!

A treasured cake cutter/server given to us by my bridesmaids for our wedding gift.  Our initial is monogrammed on the front, with the date of the wedding on the back.

We got some extra place settings of our dishes, so we exchanged those for the bud vase...

and the sugar bowl.

I love the look of the pattern on the coffee cups.

We've had a really busy couple of weeks, and I was so tired last night, I couldn't finish this post. So with no further witty repartee from me, I'll just leave you to enjoy the rest of the pictures.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Denise 

On The Table:

China -- Royal Doulton "Juliet"

Vintage Sherbets -- Antique store find

Crystal Stemware -- Gorham "French Cathedral"

Sterling flatware -- International Sterling "Grande Regency"

Cake Plate -- Depression Glass "Cherry Blossom"

Cake Cutter/Server -- Wedding Gift

Crystal Salt and Pepper -- Wedding Gift

Place Mats and Napkins -- Gift from my mother-in-law