It’s Labour Day weekend, the last gasp of summer for many North Americans. Goodbye, flip-flops, shorts and popsicles. Hello, cosy sweaters, leather jackets, apples, pumpkins, and toasted nuts. Yum, yum.
Indian, a vintage pattern (1912) by Royal Doulton, captures the transition to fall perfectly, with its palette of rich greens and reds with a touch of sunny yellow and clear blue. I’ve used Indian before here, also in the late summer, and emphasized the reds in the pattern.
I photoed this table a couple of years ago but never got around to posting it. The centrepiece of durable beach rose hips framing transient daylilies echoes the contrast of the seasons. Daylilies are aptly named—their bloom lasts only until the sun goes down and the petals close up shop.
I dithered around trying to find the right tablecloth and was startled to discover the hectic ivy pattern did the best job of pulling everything together and highlighting the greens.
Years-old embroidered napkins by Pottery Barn reflect all the colours shown on the Indian plates. They are resting on Williamsburg Green Scalloped Edge bread and butter plates by Wedgwood.
Such a rich blend of colours!
The Cameo Green glassware by Fostoria looks like Depression glass, but it’s from the 1970s.
A riot of patterns and colours to celebrate the turn of seasons.
I’m writing to you from a lovely self-catering apartment in Durham, Northumberland, right on the banks of the river, just below Durham Cathedral. When we revisited Durham in 2022 to get new-and-improved pictures for the Cathedral Project, Glenn and I were quite taken with the friendliness of Durham’s townspeople and determined we’d return to spend a few days.
I found the Durham Riverside Apartment where we are staying on Booking.com, and it’s been splendid. It’s compact, but every inch is put to good use. The hosts have thought of everything, from fluffy bathrobes to power bars on each side of the bed to recharge electronics, without scrambling behind the headboard to find the British outlet. Genius.
We had a few days in London before going to the Lake District and then to the Scottish Highlands, where we met with family, and then onto a rented house in the Scottish Borders for a week. The crew has returned to Canada so that the grandgirls can start school on Tuesday. I’ll write up our adventures as soon as possible; I’ve been faithfully uploading and sorting pictures whenever I get a spare moment, so the task should not be monumental (she says).
In the meantime, an amusing incident occurred while we were visiting Scone Palace.
We enjoyed a guided tour of the castle (regrettably, no interior photos were allowed—the china is to die for) before going outside to admire the replica Stone of Scone outside the little chapel on the grounds.
We were chatting with the guide when Glenn noticed a man acting somewhat furtive around the stone. He eyed the man as he scattered what looked like sand on the stone before scuttling off into the chapel. Glenn mentioned this to the guide, who had missed the whole performance. We all went over to look at what turned out to be cremains on the stone! The guard dashed after the man, who confessed it was dearly departed Mum. Her last wish, apparently.
I related this tale to my daughter Lauren, who returned this picture. 🙂
And now, back to our regularly scheduled program…
Indian, a vintage pattern by Royal Doulton, features rich greens and reds, a sunny yellow, and clear blue. It is perfect for a transition table to bridge the joys of summer with the upcoming fall delights.
Happy Labour Day, all!
Your very colorful table gives a definite feeling of fall. We just arrived in the UK and the feeling is mutual. We left summer on Cape cod and we’re greeted with a crisp dry day and surprisingly no rain! I loved your story about the Stone of Scone. See you on Friday.
Fall it certainly is. Raining here in Burford, but looks like it might improve as the day goes on.
So glad you arrived safely, and very much looking forward to seeing you on Friday.
The Stone of Scone story will go down as one of the highlights of this trip. 🙂
Dear Helen, IMHO, this is one of the nicest tables in a while–so rich and autumnal (with nary a pumpkin in sight–yay), yet somehow cheerful and refreshing (I guess the green does that). I loved Durham and saw the Stane in Edinburgh after it was returned. Well, at least no one sat upon her! Have a wonderful time; the weather seems to have cooperated. In a couple of weeks we’ll be off to France to see what the future holds.
Hi Beatrice,
So glad you liked the table. The daylilies are particular favourites of mine, especially the deep burgundy one with the tightly knit, overlapping petals.
We really enjoyed Durham on our return visit. The weather was indeed lovely!
Yesterday we made our way south and west, stopping at Rievaulx Abbey (breathtaking) and Nostell Priory (incredibly irritating). The NT has taken to “retelling the story through the lens of…”, in this case the lady of the house, Sabine, who seems to have done nothing as well as alienating all with whom she came into contact, including her daughter whom she cut out of her will and never saw again. The daughter ran off with a local lad, likely to avoid Mummy-dearest. In the NT narrative, Sabine was an oppressed woman, transplanted from her native soil and left to struggle on the vast estate. Not able to speak English, she was helpless, apparently. And unlike many of her contemporaries, chose not to learn English.
Though the interiors are by Robert Adam, it is difficult to tell. The blinds are drawn, and utterly inadequate light is provided “to preserve the fabrics”. Visitors now grope their way in semi-darkness. Having visited Newby Hall the previous day, with its precious early-18th century Mortlake tapestries, all well lit and clearly visible, the excuse felt disingenuous, at best.
The final straw at Nostell Priory was the trigger warning, sorry – Advanced Notice: The Tapestry Room contains a pair of large historic vases which feature kneeling figures in the shape of Black African men. Information about the historic context of these vases is available alongside them. (Presumably for people unable to grasp they are in a centuries-old house, with centuries-old decor.) The sign goes on to say “An alternative route to the Library and Billiard Room avoiding this room is available. Please ask the volunteer in the Dining Room to help you find the way.
Lord love a duck.
Enjoy your new abode in France, Beatrice. I can’t wait to hear about how it all comes along!
Best,
HK