A weekend in Salisbury

If you are looking for somewhere to go for a weekend outside of London, then I highly recommend Salisbury, a town in the county of Wiltshire and about a 2 hour drive from South West London. 

The first thing you see before entering the town of Salisbury, sitting well above the tree tops is the tall spire from its famous Cathedral. At 123 metres, it is the tallest in Britain.

But this isn't the only thing that makes Salisbury Cathedral so unique. It also houses one of only four surviving original Magna Carta's (1215), the worlds oldest mechanical working clock (1836) and the earliest surviving complete choir stalls (1236).

I think you're starting to get the idea......  it's old.

I actually got inspired to come and see this cathedral after watching a program on the ABC back in Oz called The Pillars of The Earth. If you haven't seen it, find yourself a comfy corner on the couch one rainy Sunday and soak up a story line that holds intrigue, drama, as well as being based on the history of the times.

Back to the Cathedral and Salisbury....

The cathedrals foundation stones were laid in 1220, the quire, transepts and nave were completed in 38 years (which is relatively quick for a medieval cathedral apparently) and the ornate frontage was finished in 1265. The tower and spire were added between 1297 and 1320. It is because it was built so quickly that the cathedral remains in one architectural style of Early English Gothic. Here are some more pictures for you;

West front

The water feature is a modern addition

The cloisters

Probably a bit too hard to read but lists all the Deans starting from 1091

One of the many tombstones, a Thomas Price Architect surveyor and clerk of the Cathedral

We also visited Old Sarum which was the sight of the first cathedral and a castle built here by William the Conqueror in around 1070.

If you do fancy a trip here and are looking for somewhere to stay, then I highly recommend the Cathedral View B&B. This Georgian townhouse is walking distance from both the cathedral and town centre. It has modern facilities, the hosts are extremely helpful and can give you guides on where to go and what to do and lastly (most importantly) the breakfast in the morning was one of the best I've had at a B&B for a long time.

You also might like to know that not far from Salisbury is the also famous Stonehenge. Be prepared for traffic queues if you're visiting here on a weekend.

I wonder where my next weekend away will be... think I might go to France.

Purple Sprinkles Birthday Cake

Keeping on the theme of baking this week, I thought I'd share with you a blog I frequently read, Raspberri Cupcakes (http://www.raspberricupcakes.com).  It's a Sydney based baking blog, and if you're looking for some inspiration then check it out.

The other week, I came across the Purple Ombre Sprinkles birthday cake. I'm not one to typically try a layer cake, but I had a good excuse, my father in law's birthday. 

After extracting my husband from the kitchen, I spent the morning mixing, colouring, cooking, cooling, icing and sprinkling. The final creation looked something like below, excuse the photo's from my iPhone...

I didn't eat all of this myself :)

I'm now keen to try the cream and lemon curd layered sponge with berries and meringue when I get a moment. 

But for now....back to the gym!

A Baby Shower at The Tea Cup

As I sit here awaiting news of a the pending arrival of a friends new baby boy, I thought I'd tell you about the baby shower.

The Tea Cup is set down a narrow cobblestone lane way called Brewers Lane off of Richmond High Street, and is just one of a few boutique shops on the way towards Richmond Green. It's a rather quaint and traditional tea house where tea is served in an eclectic mix of unmatched crockery. I’d love to know where the pieces came from, perhaps saved from potential demise at a local garage sale or car boot. 

The owner who usually appears relaxed, was on this day, a little perplexed by the some 20 plus females that overwhelmed his little shop. Instead of a gaggle of geese he had a gaggle (quite literally) of women. While he had one helper, he was constantly running around and continuously mopping his brow in an almost Fawlty Towers – Manuel manner. Thankfully nothing ended up on any of our laps and Basil wasn’t running through yelling ‘Fire… Fire… Fire’.

My contribution to this event, other than trying to win a game of baby bingo (it is tradition to play games at these events), was some specially designed baby shower cupcakes;

My new personalised stamps - getting the business ready!

 To end today's blog i thought I'd delve into some history and research how the traditional high tea came about? After googling I found out the following;

 Anna, the 7^th Duchess of Bedford introduced the pot of tea and snack in the afternoon. Apparently she was known for complaining of getting a ‘sinking feeling’ mid afternoon. I think in modern terms that might be the mid afternoon chocolate craving.  Whilst back in Anna’s day it may have had something to do with the fact they typically only had two main meals a day, I’m not sure what excuse we can offer in modern times. Anyway back to the story, Anna started to invite her friends to these 'afternoon snacks' and gradually the practice extended and became popular amongst fashionable society. It then extended to hotels. 

Source : http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/information/history-of-afternoon-tea/

 Well back to my cup of tea and dreaming of scones.