Colchester day trip (part 2)

More pictures to show you from my day trip to Colchester. The sky was conveniently blue and the sun was shining, so I'm pretty happy with how these photos turned out:-

Marjane Satrapi- Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel has been on my reading list for a while, ever since I saw the animated film of the same name.

The plot: A coming of age story set in Iran during the Islamic revolution of 1979. Marji is a rebellious child, outspoken and with a strong sense of justice, she resents the restrictions imposed on her life by the new government. Worried, her parents send her to Vienna to be educated. However, this move brings its own trials due to a unfamiliar culture and inhospitable people.

The images of this graphic novel are deceptively simple, but they mange to covey some massive ideas; war, revolution, religion, idealism and politics. Persepolis introduced me to the history of Iran and the 1979 revolution, but more importantly it gave me an insight into how normal people are affected by the regime. Iran is periodically mentioned in the news, so it is important to have some sort of understanding about the country.

Marji as a character is very likeable and it is lovely to see how she progresses through the novel. She made me appreciate how hard it must be to grow up and discover who you are, when so much life and freedom is dictated by the state. Marji's time in Vienna and her return to Iran are very difficult, personal struggles about identity, loneliness and love are honestly and heartrendingly told.  

 

Teacups and Trance- crisscrosscutout

crisscrosscutout

crisscrosscutout 

crisscrosscutout 

credit: crisscrosscutout

The Portrait of a Lady

"Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to afternoon tea"

- Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady 

The Tea House

The Tea House in Covent Garden is a tea drinkers' paradise. It sells loads of varieties of loose tea, my favourite name was 'precious eyebrows', though I don't think I'd actually like to drink it! The pictures aren't the best I'm afraid the shop has 'atmospheric' lighting and I thought it would be bad etiquette to use my flash.

loose tea at The Tea House 

Prices vary from about £3 up to about £12. They would make fantastic presents, especially some of the more unusual flavours. I have a sweet tooth so quite fancied the marzipan blend, the queue was too long though so I didn't make a purchase. It's not too far from where I work so I'll probably pop in and pick some up when it's a bit quieter. I also quite fancied the tea diffusers and tongs, they came in quirky shapes like robot, fruit or rubber ducks- again would make an excellent gift.  

The rosebuds smell lovely and would look so pretty unfurling in a teacup 

This would make an excellent gift for the squaddie tea drinker in your life

Candy Cakes

Strolling around at lunchtime, I spotted this incredibly festive looking cake shop called Candy Cakes. There are some cute dotty tables and chairs outside, so once the weather gets nicer I'm going to bring the lasses from work for a cuppa and a cupcake. If the cakes taste as good as they look, we're in for a treat! 

Wimpole- Library

The library and book room at Wimpole is pretty impressive. At lots of the National Trust properties the libraries are quite dark and musty- not that I mind that- but at Wimpole it is unexpectedly light and airy. I could imagine reading there without suffering from eye strain.

They are currently cleaning the Library and with over 10,000 books it's a massive task, it's going to take over two years! Each book is individually caressed with a brush made from pony hair to remove dust, it is done by volunteers with some guidance from experts. I was surprised to learn they handle the books with bare hands, but apparently cotton gloves are too rough and can scratch away miniature leather particles.

this house steward was kind enough to give a talk about the book cleaning process. 

Some of the books will take even longer to restore, as nearly 259 of them were damaged by a leaking roof. They will be methodically washed, dried and repaired by experts to remove the mould and tide marks. It's going to take over 2 years and £300,000, luckily the cost is covered by an insurance claim.

Very Beauty and the Beast

Gifts for Tea Drinkers

Following on from my post from yesterday, and because I'am undoubtedly still in birthday mode I have a few suggestions of what to buy for the big tea drinker in your life:-

One:
It would be lovely to take that special person out for afternoon tea. A lot of the famous hotels in London do this, but I'm sure you'd be able to find somewhere local. Most places you need to book in advance and some offer gift vouchers. It is a quintessentially British activity and would be a real treat. Tea at The Ritz ranges in price from £47- 67 per person.

picture credit: The Ritz website 

Or, if you budget is restricted, why not host a fancy tea yourself? The Ritz is certainly out of my price range.  Scones and sandwiches are easy to make and I'm sure the birthday girl/boy will appreciate your efforts.

Pretty Covers- Red and Pink

teacup shirt

I picked up this shirt in the Gap sale, the colour is really vibrant and the pattern is cute. I bought mine for £19.99, but no doubt it will be further reduced. The shirt comes up quite long, so if you're petite you might want to bear that in mind. My mum is five foot, when she tried the white version it was like a dress. 

Lemon Polenta Cake

Lemon Polenta Cake- gluten free and delicious 

If you want to make your own the recipe is under the cut:-

Game of Thrones, family arms

How awesome is this? I've seen a couple of others floating around the internet and some are really funny.     Make your own here.

Hibernation

It is far too cold to leave the house, so my plan for the rest of the day is to get tucked up in a blanket, crack on with a new book and eat suitably snowy looking, homemade lime cheesecake.

The recipe for the cheesecake can be found in Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess recipe book

Time for Tea

perfect t-shirt for drinkers of tea

Sorry for the slightly blurry photo- but I wanted to show you my v. appropriate t-shirt. If you fancy treating yourself it can be bought here

Anglesey Abbey

We braved the rain today and visited Anglesey Abby, a Jacobean house owned by the National Trust.  It has impeccably maintained gardens, and although the interior is a bit fusty and grandma-ish, the library is pretty impressive.

the books look good, but most of them I wouldn't want to read - A History of  Eton and loads of Punch  annuals

The grounds were the best bit, though it was too wet to go round all of it and parts of it are still a bit dead.

The silver birch reminded me of a Weirwood in  A Song of Ice and Fire  

 We finished up our visit with a cup of tea. The cafe isn't the best, it has no character and looks like a school canteen. Never mind, more importantly the sandwiches were tasty and they had a good selection of gluten-free cake.

Wimpole egg and lettuce 

Cream tea

A mug of milky, sugary tea ...

scones smothered in butter, jam and cream 

    = absolute heaven

all that's missing is a good book!  Enjoyed at Tiptree Tea Rooms