A very good morning to you dear Friends
As England is still basking in summer temperatures and sunshine, our happy little Victorians were very busy on Regent St today...
The Baking Delights of Mrs ApplepieIt is Easter morning at the Mansion and as Mrs Applepie opens the kitchen door, she finds a lovely Easter Card. This will for sure be a very special day to celebrate and there is nothing like freshly baked pies to cheer up everyone ! Can you smell the apple and cherry pies just out of the oven
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And today also saw the arrival of very special Guests to the Mansion
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We are welcoming Lady Danielle and Lord Martin St Giles, their Butler Archibald and their Pet Tiger Erroll created by our Friend Daniela from Germany Lady Danielle is the daughter of the Earl of Cheltenham and his beloved wife Lady Mary.
Earl Alexander is a very rich man. He lives at Cheltenham Castle, breeds racehorses and is the owner of the Cheltenham Racecourse.
Danielle grew up with horses and is naturally an excellent rider.
She is interested in art. She loves opera and all kind of music, she plays the piano, but her singing is terrible.
She is a very good dancer and also friend with Diaghilev and his ballet.
She studied medicine with her mother Mary, who had been one of the famous Florence Nightingale Ladies.
Her mother died, when Danielle was fifteen. It was a horrible lost for her and her father.
Lord Martin grew up and lives in Tydd´s Manor. He is collecting and painting toy soldiers and has a huge library, especially with books about military history.
He was an Officer of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, where he met Archibald Arnstruther, who is now his butler, friend and man for everything.
He is also a good rider, he loves to play the bagpipe and his pet is a tame tiger named Errol, a gift of his old friend, the Maharaja of Jaipur. He is a funny man with a loud voice and a lot of charm and full of interesting stories.
Lord Martin and Lady Danielle met at a fox hunting party. Martin was seriously injured, when his young stallion stumbled and felt. Fortunately Danielle watched the accident and was at Martins side for help a moment later. It was love at first sight.
They were married a few months later.
Lord Martin St. Giles and Lady Danielle are a very happy couple. Love marriages are not so common in the Victorian Age, as you know.
They have friends all over the world. They love to read and discuss, they collect books and have a famous garden with healing herbs.
They are also known as a little bit eccentric ( introduction of the characters by Daniela
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Needless to say that welcoming the first Motorcar and the first Tiger on Regent St is creating quite a buzz around the Mansion and even Rupert the Cat is puzzled by this horse powered carriage without horses ?
As soon as the distinguished couple has arrived to the Mansion, Mrs Higgins gives orders to the kitchen to prepare Lady Danielle favorite treat "Cherry Pancakes with Ice Cream" which will be served in the garden...
And of course, today was a very special day as we are celebrating...
Happy Easter from Regent St !Introducing Beatrix Potter created by our Friend Emma Jane from England Beatrix PotterA little girl in Victorian England, Beatrix Potter was taught at home by governesses and studied art while her brother was sent away to school. She was a shy, reserved personality when interacting with the outside world, but her secret diary written in her own code, revealed a lively young girl with highly critical opinions of her fellow artists.
Despite not going to school Beatrix was an enthusiastic student of nature, teaching herself while painting and drawing the things she saw around her. Her childhood sketches reveal an early fascination for the subject which would continue throughout her life. She also painted many exquisite landscapes that show her pleasure in the countryside.
Beatrix and her brother, Bertram, kept many animals in their schoolroom, from mice to birds and lizards to snakes. Beatrix Potter's pets were often subjects for sketches and paintings, and were later to inspire the much-loved characters in her books.
In 1893 Beatrix Potter wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit in a picture letter to a little boy she knew who had been ill for a long time. In 1901 she went on to privately print 250 copies of the tale in time for Christmas. A sign of the future success of this little story, these first copies sold very quickly at a shilling each, meaning she quickly had to print another 200 two weeks later.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902 with an initial 8000 copies printed and the tale has never been out of print since. She went on to publish another 22 little books over the next 28 years, the proceeds from which enabled her to buy Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. Eventually she went on to own 15 farms and over 4,000 acres of land in the area.