A day out with the girls

Now, you may or may not know that I have a certain passion for collecting cloth dolls.  Not just any old doll but a certain kind called Roldan Dolls.  They were made in Spain in the 1950s/60s as tourist dolls and each has its own character.  The dolls are highly stylised and each have their own accessories and I would say, personalities.  It was because of this that I decided that it would be a great idea to take them out and photograph them as though they were on an outing somewhere.

The main character in this sequence of photos is Finoula Bucketwash who likes to drive in the countryside in her classic car with her beloved pooch, Alfred. 

Before she set off, Finoula wanted to make sure everything was tickety boo with the car so she took it to the local garage for a service.

Bert the mechanic (who had a little bit of a crush on Finoula so liked to look smart for her) was happy to service her and said that everything was fine although it maybe an issue that the car had no wheels.  Finoula didn't care about a tiny detail like that and off she went.

As she was driving along she saw a lonely hitchhiker thumbing a lift.  Heidi the hitchhiker had made her way to England all the way from Germany and she had one last little bit of her journey to go. Hoping Finoula would take pity, she stuck out her thumb and.............

........watched as Finoula just drove on past.  Finoula didn't like the look of Heidi the hitchhiker especially as she didn't approve of smoking.  She didn't want Alfred exposed to any unnecessary bad habits.

On she drove leaving Heidi at the roadside.  During her drive she came across........

........some cows in their shed and........

........some horses in their field.  Alfred loves horses and cows and barked his head off when he saw them, woof, woof, woof.  Despite the car not having any wheels, Finoula managed to make it to the tea rooms........

........where she enjoyed a cup of tea and a flapjack.  Alfred was allowed a dog biscuit which he gobbled down and thoroughly enjoyed.

After tea, Finoula set off again towards the church.  In the distance she thought she saw her dear friend Betty.

Betty had been enjoying a stroll in the  bluebell woods with her faithful hound, Henry. Betty got to the gate of the church........

 ........where she thought she spied Finoula.  "Finoula, Finoula, is that you Finoula?" she called.

Finoula skidded to a halt, " Betty!  How marvellous to see you" she said

They stopped and chatted for a while until Betty suddenly exclaimed " Finoula, don't turn round now but you'll never guess who just walked out of the church..............married!"

"Only Jemima and that awful, dreadful bore of a man Cuthbert.  Now you know I'm not one for gossip but I hear he's rather partial to a lady's undergarment". On that statement, Betty turned, gave one last close up look at the happy couple and waved goodbye to Finoula.

Finoula was somewhat appalled by the thought of Cuthbert enjoying a too familiar relationship with a lady's undergarment so she too made her escape by carrying on driving through the country lanes.

Just as Finoula was driving along, a heavily pregnant Cynthia stepped out of her cottage with her darling little boy,  Tarquin.

Finoula being the good friend she is, stopped to offer Cynthia a lift

Cynthia decided that because the car didn't actually have any wheels she may be better off walking.  That and the fact she didn't want Tarquin pulling Alfred's tail.

With a toodle pip, Finoula set off on her way back home already planning her next trip, this time to the seaside.

The end.

All words and photos ©Faded Rose Vintage 2013

Afternoon Tea at Dennis Severs' house

Last Saturday was a real treat.  I had seen on Facebook that Bea's of Bloomsbury were hosting a pop up afternoon tea event at Dennis Severs' House and considering I had wanted to sample the cakes at Bea's and take a tour of Dennis Severs house it was a no brainer, it was booked literally within minutes of me seeing it!

For those that don't know Dennis Severs' House at No. 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, London.......

......is the creation of Artist, Dennis Severs who used the house as his canvas to create a life as it may have been lived in the early 18th century.  Dennis himself lived in the house in much the same way as the inhabitants of the 1700s which meant that not only did his visitors get to enjoy this unique and extraordinary experience but he also got to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

The premise is that you interrupt the family of silk weavers named Jervis who whilst sometimes can be heard can never be seen, they are always just out of reach.  You know they've been there though by the things they leave behind, the smell of perfume in the room, the footsteps along the corridor, the low voices, the half eaten food, the half finished tasks.  When you enter a room, they have literally just left.

Normally the tour is conducted by candlelight and in total silence so you can experience a number of stimulations to your senses.  Dennis' goal was to 'provide his visitors with a rare moment in which to become as lost in another time as they appear to be in their own' (From Dennis Severs' website).  The house charts the times from the well heeled inhabitants of the 1700s to the grim existence of the attic dwellers in the 1900s.  There are 10 rooms in total and each are unique.  There is nothing to tell you about the rooms and who occupied them, you have to figure that out from the clues they've left behind.

As soon as we entered No. 18 I was overwhelmed.  It was quite unlike anything I had been to before and I actually felt a little tearful.  I had been very anxious about going to London and in a funny way I think this helped as I was so aware of my anxiety that I hadn't really thought much about the house and so had gone without much expectation.  This meant that my mind was completely blank from any preconceived ideas and I was able to have a clear head in which to absorb the sensations.  We were able to look round the house before our tea and we were also able to take photos which was a real honour as photographs aren't normally allowed.  There was only a small group so we were all able to go off and explore at our own pace and then choose a room to have tea.  The house is lit by candlelight and roaring fires so it takes a moment or two for your eyes to adjust.  We started off downstairs in one of the Georgian rooms which had been occupied by a well off gentleman.  I even managed to get Madge the cat in the photo although she was less than impressed!

We had tea in the Victorian mourning room.

Then we went to the Drawing room

Next it was the smoking room

Then the master bedroom.  What I wouldn't do to have a bedroom like this, absolutely beautiful.  The bed was unmade as though the lady of the house had just got up.

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

The Master bedroom

 TheParlour with a half eaten cream tea on the table.

The parlour

The parlour

The parlour

The parlour

The parlour

The Dickens room which happened to be my favourite with the falling down ceilings, torn curtains, threadbare furniture.

Dickens room

Dickens room

Dickens room

The upstairs attic room

Attic room

Attic room

Attic room

Attic room

And finally the kitchen in the basement

Kitchen

Kitchen

Our slot was for about 1.5 hrs and I think I sat and ate my tea for about half an hour.  I was literally itching to get up and explore the house again so I left Mark chatting to Theresa and Brian, the other couple in the lounge enjoying the tea and went off on my own.  I found the whole experience extremely moving and as I was going round the house I felt as though I was with the Ghost of Christmas Past and was listening in and watching the inhabitants of No.18.  The fact that there were people in some of the other rooms meant this was even more heightened as I could hear them but they couldn't see me as I snapped away.  It felt as though I was the invisible observer and No.18 was getting on with life without knowing I was there.  If I had been able to kick of my shoes and settle down there for the evening I would have done.  As soon as we stepped into the hallway I felt at home and as though we had shut the 21st century out.  I really didn't want to leave!

Make no mistake, this isn't a museum nor is it contrived or pretentious.  It is a truly wonderful experience which I heartily recommend for anyone who enjoys history.  You literally feel as though you have stepped back in time and that feeling stays with you for a long while after.

p.s I should just add that the tea was delicious from Bea's but I was so enthralled by the house that I haven't really mentioned it but it was delicious and the attention to detail perfect.