Afternoon Tea at the Empress

The Empress Hotel is famous for its Victorian afternoon tea. Being a Janeite and a bit of an anglophile I have wanted to do this for a long time. I was so excited to make it a part of a wonderful anniversary trip. My husband really went above and beyond with this one!The tea starts with fresh strawberries and cream.

I don’t drink tea, because being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) I uphold a standard called the Word of Wisdom, But hot chocolate is also served when requested, and it was very good. Of course a variety of teas are available, including herbal tea.A beautiful assortment of tea sandwiches were served. Our selections included egg salad croissants, smoked salmon wheels, and chicken curry sandwiches. There were also scones with jam and cream, and a variety of chocolates and other miniature sweets. There is a children’s tea available and I have to say that the little children, mostly girls with mothers and grandmas, looked so adorable with their own little fancy tiered plates in front of them. I know the afternoon tea is pricey for most of us, but it is not just a meal, it is a special experience.I would like to thank my husband Jon for 27 wonderful years of marriage, and the best anniversary weekend ever. I was completely spoiled and treated like royalty. Thank you, sweetie. I love you with all my heart!

-Lynnae

Anniversary at the Fairmont Empress

This is my second post on our awesome anniversary trip to the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria British Columbia.

The Empress hotel was completed in 1908 and named in Honor of Queen Victoria being the Empress of India.

This was the beautiful view of the harbor from our room.

We had a romantic package that included chocolate dipped strawberries and for us, sparkling cider.

For dinner we ate in the Bengal Room, where Jon took advantage of the curry buffet. The Bengal room was a favorite of frequent guest Rudyard Kipling.

And a delicious breakfast delivered to our room in the morning.

An interior shot of the Empress. I love the beautiful woodwork.

A path outside the Empress.

Next time my final post about our stay in Victoria- Afternoon Tea.

-Lynnae

Butchart Gardens, Victoria B.C.

My wonderful husband took me to Victoria BC for our anniversary. We had a great trip and a wonderful time together. Our first stop was Butchart Gardens.

You might think that spring and summer are the best times to visit botanical gardens, but the fall foliage was absolutely stunning!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Butchart Gardens.

 

We were amused by a sign in the gardens reading ‘No Unauthorized Singing.’ It seemed kind of funny, but if I started singing Jon would quickly shush me. Uh uh uh, No singing. Those of you who know me or my family will believe that he stopped me from singing at least three times. THAT’S how beautiful these gardens were.

-Lynnae

Update May 2013

I’m a little late….. My husband’s deployment ended in February. I know I’m very behind in blogging, but I am so thankful that he is home. Since he’s been home we’ve taken a romantic trip to Las Vegas, a spring break trip to Utah to visit our daughter and son-in-law, and our other college daughter has been here to visit us.

My husband also had two months of vacation- a month from the Army, and a month from his job here, before he had to go back to Microsoft. I loved spending so much time with him every day. We ran around town together, eating at restaurants that he had missed while he was away, we even joined a gym and started going together. I love my sweetie!

I have a list of ‘deployment thank-you’s"’ for all the help I received during the time he was gone.

I am very thankful to friends, to my family, daughters, and siblings and all the good times we had together, and for my youngest daughter who was a great companion every day, laughed at my silliness, and was perfectly willing to have a frozen burrito any night I didn’t feel like cooking.

Thanks to those who helped with yard work, visited my sick doggie at the kennel while I was out of town, brought me soup on a sad day, looked at broken cars, sent a cake through the mail, climbed a ladder, tried to help me break into my own house after locking myself out, took me to dinner, or movies, or just were there for me.

  Mostly to my Father in Heaven. For keeping us safe, for giving me strength, for protecting our home and protecting my husband. Knowing that the Lord was mindful of me and my needs is humbling and overpowering. Thank you is not enough.

-Lynnae

Basildon Court

Known as ‘Netherfield’ to fans of the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, Basildon Court is a lovely building inside and out.
The setting is beautiful. I enjoyed our little drives so much my sister at one point called me a Hampshire girl. I felt a certain thrill going out on the highway and seeing names of places that Jane Austen knew and was familiar with. I couldn’t ride past the Basingstoke exit without thinking of a young Jane and Cassandra preparing for a dance at the local assembly room. One thing I learned about this countryside is that, like in the old days, most of the roads are tucked into a thick growth of trees and hedges, making a glimpse of the gently rolling countryside a rare treat. You can imagine me craning my neck to catch a glimpse of an old church or fine country home briefly visible through the trees.
But back to Basildon- here are my pictures of that lovely mansion.

Beautifully restored ceiling in the entrance.

There were lovely patterns on the wall. These are seen in the background in Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Bennet consoles Mary after the ‘piano incident’.

More lovely ceilings.

The dining room.

This is the room where Miss Bingley and Elizabeth Bennet take their infamous turn about the room, but the directors wanted a lighter color for the room. In order to protect the historic red silk walls, artificial walls were created to go in front. Decorative pillars were also added, their real purpose was to hold the walls so nothing would be affixed to the delicate walls of the home.

This was an original ceiling that hadn’t been replaced or restored. It was absolutely lovely. The guide was trying to direct me to take my photo in another area because of the watermark here. I felt like saying “I’m from America and we like old stuff!”

This bathroom had it’s last update after WWII.

One of Basildon Court’s lovely bedrooms.

1940’s style servant’s bells.

A fun surprise in this house- the state of the art (1950’s) kitchen, complete with volunteers making cookies for the visitors to sample.

Another view of the cute kitchen.

The entrance to a walled garden.

There is a room dedicated to the houses role in the 2005

adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Wouldn’t you love to receive notice for this casting call?

One of the lovely statues on the grounds at the rear of the house.

A view of the back face of the house.

My daughter sits at the edge of the garden with a new little friend. Small children were attracted to my daughter throughout our trip, which made for some fun moments, including one little girl who wouldn’t let go of Jordan’s hand on the underground, and screamed when her parents had to pry her away at the exit.

A little picture I hobbled together of me and my daughter living in the world of Jane Austen.
Cheers!
-Lynnae

The Jane Austen House.

Today I was in Chawton for the Jane Austen Society Annual General Meeting. (More on that in the next post). The highlight of the visit was touring the Jane Austen House Museum, also known as Chawton Cottage. This is Chawton Cottage from the back. from the road it looks like a large square building but I had always wondered what the back was like. Here you can see it is more ‘L’ shaped. The upstairs window on the far left is Jane’s room.

I can’t tell you how it feels to take a curve in the road and suddenly be looking at a place that I have longed to see for years. Chawton Cottage is where Jane wrote or revised all of her novels.

The quilt on display was made by Jane, Cassandra, and their mother, from clothing pieces. This was Jane’s bedroom up until the last few weeks of her life when they stayed in Winchester to seek better medical help for her.

This is the view from Jane Austen’s bedroom window out the back of the house toward the bakehouse.

That precious little table is where she sat composing some of the greatest writings in the English language.

The stairs she walked up, the doorframes she passed through, the window sill she leaned against, all touched me with her spirit.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful. The land here is more heavily wooded than I supposed, with meadows and farmland. The area around her home is a lovely low walled garden, serene and beautiful. It is not hard to imagine what it would have looked like then.

200 years ago Jane would have been composing the ending chapters of Mansfield Park, my favorite of her six novels. Was she already feeling weary from the illness that would claim her? As tragic as her destiny was, I can see that she must have found peace in the lovely garden and the ever changing verdure of the countryside she loved.

In some respects this was a pilgrimage for me. After reading her novels, juvenalia, letters, and several biographies, the people in them begin to seem like friends and neighbors. I know they say everyone who loves Jane Austen thinks they know Jane Austen. I feel I know her more closely now after visiting this place that was so important to her.

It was a lovely day.

-Lynnae

P.S. I must say something about my dear husband today. As some of you know he is deployed oversees. Today was his birthday and he didn’t have the best day. And here I am having the time of my life traveling etc. I just want him to know I was thinking of him often…….. Jon, I love you with all my heart and I can’t wait until we are together again. So many times I wish you would have been with me to smile, make me laugh, give me a little hug, or just share in the moment.

Love always, Lynnae