Saturday 15 August 2015

A Veritable Catch Up- Where Have We Been?

  One of my favourite things to do is sitting down and blogging, but alas, it’s been too long. The Vintage Twins have divided and conquered recently, with travels to London, Devon, Cornwall, the Peaks, and Yorkshire- rattling train journeys filled with books and music, and endless gazing out of windows. The weeks have passed by just as quickly; how is it I find myself just a few weeks off blackberry picking season? Can it be a year since our last semi-disastrous jam making adventure?
   Hm. Must be. So, this free, lazy Saturday afternoon, I am curled cross-legged in my living room, and the sun is streaming in. Stanley the tabby has convenient sat by my head and blocked the sunlight from my screen. Silently, this is his way of telling me to get on with it and write. There’s a large vase of lilies in front of the fireplace, that’s filling the room with scent. It’s the perfect sitting to talk about the recent goings on in our nostalgic lives.

Capturing Salford
  We went rambling around a local country park in Salford last weekend. Salford isn’t associated with the country side- it’s industrial and gritty, but in a completely lovable and wonderfully historical kind of way. Salford shaped us- like us, it combines old with new, history with the future, new stories and old stories. The blackberries we pick for jam making grow a short walk away from the industrial park round the corner from us, and the country park is full of power lines, but that doesn’t stop it from being stunning- it adds something new to it. Everybody is fond of where they come from- Salford is rich in history, culture, and nostalgia, it’s hard not to feel immensely proud of it. These photos are just a taste of the other side of Salford- the side filled with wild flowers, nature treks and beautiful sunsets!






Books and Flowers
    It’s an old love, a lost love. But recently, on a trip to the hidden beaches of Cornwall, my love was rekindled. A reunion with the glorious amalgamation of tumbling cliff sides and overgrown hedgerows, roaring tides and soft sandy beaches, all surrounded by masses and masses of wild flowers gave me a hit of nostalgia. Everywhere I looked, I saw scenes from one of our favourite childhood reads- The Flower Fairy books, by Mary Ciecly Barker. The strangest thing- when I returned home, Catherine presented me with a present, completely out of the blue and a strange coincidence- A Flower Fairies Treasury! It was such a delightful coincidence. Barker was inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, and it’s so apparent in the rich colours and drawings- I feel you can almost smell the flowers and hear the songs when flicking through the pages. Some of my favourites are the Cornflower Fairy and the Bluebell fairy, but the Queen of the Meadow is definitely right at the top.
 

NW to SW
  We both went to University down in the South West of England- Helen to Bristol and Catherine to Exeter- so it holds a special enchantment over us. We were both lucky to get down there on holidays throughout July. Catherine’s adventures took her from roaming the National Art Gallery in London (head to toe in Cath Kidston no less), to taking a very early train down to our old haunt, Topsham. Catherine and Matthew stayed in the beautiful Globe Inn, walked the Goat Walk in the mornings and took tea at our very own Topsham Lock Cottage, where we spent some glorious summers waitressing, baking, and running around like two Enid Blyton escapees. The photos say it all- Catherine’s return was very much welcomed, especially with Mike the ferryman! The star event of the holiday was Catherine’s adored friend’s wedding- a beautiful, fun filled affair, with lots of joy. Catherine of course wore a wonderfully vintage inspired dress. If you haven’t visited the Lindy Bop website, I implore you to GO- Catherine looked smashing in this Hummingbird patterned fifties inspired dress.
   Helen’s trip took her to the coast of Cornwall near Looe, where her and her friends took on the roles of the Famous Five and adventured all week! Swimming, skimboarding, and climbing through caves and coves and down cliff sides- it was gloriously sunny week and fun, laughter and backgammon. Yep, Helen is good at backgammon now. A perfect rainy day past time. One of the many highlights of the trip was a trip into Looe, a sweet seaside town. The Kitchenside Bakery was the most accommodating, nostalgic, and loveliest café, where we sampled an incredible afternoon tea surrounded by beautiful décor – the most amazing wall decorated by very real looking wallpapered bookshelves! 













Perfect Peaks

 One of our bezzie mates Steph was back in the glorious North this weekend, so we spent Saturday and Sunday in the peaceful peaks of Broadbottom and Glossop. The highlights were not only some amazing food at Chez Steph, but a great late night walk (repeated in the morning to actually see the view), and a visit to the Lymefield Garden Centre and Farm Shop, which was glorious- I had the best piece of Lemon Meringue Pie ever! 





So there you have it- a pretty great excuse as to why we've been so quiet, don't you think? We'll be back with some National Trust goodness and more nostalgic writings soon. 

                                                              Love 
                                                                 H & C x 

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