The palette at our Cape House is in keeping with a beach theme – blue and sand, with an occasional pop of rusty red for interest. Not a colour theme one usually thinks of at Thanksgiving, so I was delighted to discover this Spode Upland Game set of game bird plates with a border of navy blue and accents of turquoise, bright green and a deep rusty red. Set with turquoise Venetian glasses, it makes an unusual, yet festive display. The plates and glasses are all from Elise Abrams Antiques,

I was intrigued to find a wild blueberry vine on our morning walk and clipped a bunch to make a centrepiece of candles and to add a touch of greenery to the napkin rings, much to the alarm and disgust of our landscape guys. They shook their heads with dismay and said “Don’t let any of that get into the garden, ma’am. We’ll never get rid of it.”  So much for artistic appreciation…

Each dinner plate features a different game bird.  My favourite pattern is a family of ducks, although the regal pheasant is a close second.

The platter is enormous, with a suitably regal turkey. “Himself” as we call him, also adorns one of the dinner plates. We are always pleased to welcome him back each year as Thanksgiving rolls around. He’s quite a member of the family!