Magpie Cottage on Treacle Mine Road

A miniature setting should be able to stand on it's own without explanation, and I believe my Cornish cottage does that. However, since so much of this setting has memories or special meanings for me I will indulge myself and explain some of the bits and bobs that I consider quite special. In truth, this cottage has been about 20 years in the making, some of the pieces picked up during early trips to England. Once I constructed the room itself (it was a weekend project requiring my daughter's very able assistance) I found I already had most of the pieces that eventually found a home inside & outside the aged cob walls.

In Cornwall you are never far from the sea, so my resident is a fisherman with a model ship on the wall, and his nets drying outside along with a few glass floats and the odd seashell.  He is sitting down to breakfast - his wife has been up for hours and hot Cornish pasties for his lunch are cooling on the stove.

Don't miss the English Robin perched on the open kitchen window.

The table is set with a full English breakfast, a Brown Betty teapot, last weeks 'Beano' for amusement, and HP Sauce for the sausage. Someone has left a Meccano set of the Tower Bridge on the chair - I have a soft spot for the Tower Bridge My Tower Bridge Bathroom

That's a Cornishware jam pot with the cold toast.

 I knew exactly what kind of stove I wanted and I knew I needed just the right mantel. My son-in-law took on the task, choosing just the perfect piece of rhododendron branch and carving and finishing it to perfection. On it I placed a Toby Jug, pewter platter, a bottle of Beefeater's gin, ciggy's & matches - all traditional British brands. In the cupboard are more British brands - Wheatabix, Hobnobs, Smartees and all the necessary Cornishware dishes.

The magazine on the mantel is a Coronation souvenir.

For the wife, breakfast makings are just waiting to be cleaned up.

As much as I love the traditional English postbox, I love the way one finds the flat fronted mail drops stuck in the odd coutryside stone wall or cob building. Street names are also often posted on the buildings so as a massive Terry Pratchett fan I couldn't resist Treacle Mine Road for an address.

Peeping out of the barrel...what else...a hedgehog!

One last item needs to be mentioned, the cat lounging at the front of the cottage. Not just any old cat, this is THE Mousehole cat. A bit more here: Mousehole Cat

Most of the particularly English miniatures I have collected have been used in this setting. The word 'most' is important here because I find there is still a quantity of teapots to be dealt with. Stay tuned, Teapot Cottage is coming soon to a blog near you!

 More Magpie Cottage

Simpson's in the Strand

Many years ago I bought a postcard from Simpson's in the Strand. It was from the 1920's and when I picked up another from the 1930's I became curious. The history of Simpson's is fascinating. It was opened in 1828 as a chess club and coffee house. In an effort to avoid disturbing the chess games in progress, they began placing large joints of meat on silver-domed trolleys and wheeling them to guests tables where they were then carved. It is a custom that continues to this day. Another thing that makes it distinctive has come down from one of the earliest chefs - the ironclad rule that all food served be British. My guide book describe's it as "an unchanging bastion of upper crust Britishness
beloved for its roast beef and soggy veg."

I planned to treat myself to a meal at Simpson's when I was in London in 2009. Every time I came out of my hotel, I looked across the street at the elegant entry and told myself I would do so. Somehow, I could never work up enough nerve to walk, all by myself, into this bastion of Britishness.



 

On this trip, I did my research and decided that my daughter and I would have breakfast there. We could order just one Great British Breakfast (Cumberland sausage, streaky and back bacon, Stornoway black pudding, fried mushrooms, baked tomato & egg (fried, poached or scrambled, tea or coffee, toast, Orange Juice) and another side of something and then share it. The Great British breakfast alone comes in at about $30. I was not prepared to spend $60 for breakfast.

Even split in half, there was plenty for both of us.

Everything was wonderful. It was the best black pudding either of us had ever had, the coffee was wonderful, and the butter was so good it could have been eaten with a spoon.

Simpson's open for breakfast at 7:15 and we were there about 8:  There were only two other people in the restaurant - a rather posh young woman and the waiter. He was a rather dour character with a straight-lipped little smile when we did something he approved of - like when we both declined any ketchup, and a pointed comment when he disapproved - like when I asked for decaf coffee.

Absolutely every thing in the room was first class and beautiful...and well-lit.

And so, at last, I have joined the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes, George Bernard Shaw, Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone. Not to mention Scott of the Antarctic, who had his last meal here before setting off on his ill-fated journey, or Charles and Di, whose last public appearance was here.

That big revolving door was not nearly so intimidating going out as it had been going in.



Problem Solved

In honor of Mother's Day, my darling daughter found an electronics shop open and hoofed it down there while I lazed in front of our local Starbucks watching the Thames roll by. So I'll share just a few with you right now - it's late and we just got back from the neighboring pub where I discovered two things:
   1) All Englishmen are NOT good at darts.
   2) There are some, not sure how many yet, but some nice Manchester United fans.



The view from our room at the Strand Palace Hotel

The view from our Starbucks to the Thames

 

Cecil Court AKA Diazon Alley

Our first Full English

Our first Full English (breakfast) was at three in the afternoon at a chain restaurant just down the street. Tomorrow we will have one at Simpson's on the Strand - historic & pricey. Stay tuned.