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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