An ode to the biscuits on a New House tray

This week, we have a fine poem by special-guest blogger Charlotte Collins of Ask Her Friends.

It’s truly a very British habit

That when a biscuit is offered, you just have to grab it.

There’s simply no better partner in crime

For that pot of brew we crave come teatime.

McVities, Cadbury, Mars or Fox’s,

We just can’t resist those biscuit filled boxes.

New House Textiles has released a new design

That features the bikkies we find most divine,

And cos my biscuit experience is second to none

(sugary snacking’s my version of fun)

I’ve analysed the best of the NHT bunch -

hey, we all need something to read during lunch.

The Party Ring’s one that should really arouse ya

Due to the way it evokes such nostalgia.

The preferred snack at little kids’ parties,

An hors d’oeuvre, if you will, before goody bag Smarties,

Forgoing the ball pond and castle that bounces

To claim your share before another kid pounces.

The Jam ‘n Cream – what a whiley minx,

Brazenly making sure everyone thinks

That its jammy filled centre extends throughout

But then eating commences and you start to doubt

This impression, and somehow you’re always surprised

To find that in fact the jam’s more localised.

There’s another biscuit that’s equally fake,

But this time in reverse – it’s the trusty Tea Cake.

At first you peel back its tin foil shell

And the chocolate’s revealed, and you think all is well

But your life then improves immeasurably

When that marshmallow layer is quickly set free.

Then the one we all hold in the highest esteem,

king of all biscuits, HRH Custard Cream.

Just something about that vanilla flavour

Makes them the treat we all love to savour,

And in reward for all of that taste bud pleasure

We’ve crowned these babies our national treasure.

Now I’d better get on with the work I’ve been saving

And try to shake off my intense biscuit craving,

But if you would like to purchase something

Designed with a Tea Cake or a Party Ring,

Don’t delay it until the day ends,

Just head over now to AskHerFriends!

January cuts

It's January and cuts are happening all over at New House.

'Our 20% off EVERYTHING sale' is still on until close of play next Sunday 18th. This even includes  clearance items, which have a further 20% knocked off their already well-disconted prices.

 

Meanwhile, other cuts are being made elsewhere....

The new gardener at How Caple Court, Charlie is busy cutting and trimming the multitude of wisteria, figs, Virginia creeper, passion fruit and ivy that's been clambering up our walls for years..

Everything at the front looks super-tidy. I'd say like new, but as the building is 300 yrs old it's probably never going to look like that again.

At the back it's a different story, with the ivy now covering the statue of our saint.

Next week Charlie will have uncovered him and in thanks, we will give her a matching set of our gardening seed packet tea towels. Designed by Charlotte Farmer, they come with either jolly old-fashioned flower seed packets, or vegetable seed packets. Charlie surely deserves them!

Christmas comes to New House

I always start getting the Christmas Tingle about now and this year the Nordic Elves have been EXTRA busy, magicing up some incredibly charming, high-quality, lovely Swedish-made items to give everyone's Christmas a delightful festive buzz :

 

My favourite is the table runner and Charlotte Farmer's Shake It tea towel and mug :

Closely followed by the useful oven glove and tea towel :

But don't forget the Christmas apron to complete the look!

   Happy Christmas!

Gloucester Cathedral's sculpture exhibition, Crucible 2.

It's been a few years since I'd last visited Gloucester's fantastic cathedral, but I was bowled over by Crucible 2.

Magnificently curated by Gallery Pangolin, they'd brilliantly placed sculptures in different parts of the cathedral to envoke surprise, shock, depth, thought and beauty. To me it was exhibition of the year.

Outside there was Randall-Page, Robertson and Lynn Chadwick :

Inside you were greeted by March's 'the thief' and Lutcyens 'outraged Christ'. I loved the way the thief was placed so colour from the stained glass windows shone through his eyes :

In the cloisters (where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed) there was Buck's 'in man's nature' & 'dog', Harvey, Cooper, and others :

In the main cathedral there were so many excellent scultptures in great positions - Moore's, scary Humphreys, Gregory, Mach, Kenworthy, and Gavin Turk's 'Nomad' placed just perfectly :

I loved where Antony Gormley's 'The pose' stood :

The cathedral looked on impassive and impressive with chapels and historic rooms I'd never seen open before.

Even 'anatomy of an angel' (that I doubt Dameon Hurst created with any feeling of religeous spirtuality) looked great, and was actually very moving here :

Another vintage car auction at New House HQ

Yesterday we had another vintage car auction at How Caple Court. It's a regular feature for us. as it happens every 3 months.

Our location with it's 300 year old buildings, lend themselves perfectly to this sort of occasion

My favourite up for sale was a Morris taxi from the 1920's, that wouldn't look out of place on a Downton Abbey set.

It was a climb to get into the back, but interesting to see the traditional roller blinds that had fabric very similar to our natural Swedish plains. Always a good choice if you want a roller blind in a traditional setting.

 The good ladies laboured in the kitchen to feed all the visitors, and bacon & tomato sandwiches were the most popular as the sale went on