Let the races begin.....

Opening Day at Royal Ascot 2010










Our Aussie friends, Tim and Sandra arranged our fabulous day at Ascot starting with a coach ride to the track and a private box next to the Royal Enclosure where we were wined and dined ...and tea'd to our hearts content! Tim even presented us with the "inside guide" for selecting winners for each race - didn't help us win but it did make the races very exciting! We did not want to disappoint our hosts so we dressed the part in Ascot attire and by the end of the day we were singing "Rule Britannia" in our best English accents!

A walk around the grounds between races was best for people watching.........














Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family enter the racecourse at Windsor Castle and proceed up the Straight Mile to the grandstand. All bets are placed....let the races begin!

774 days to go......

...the 2012 Olympics, right here in London!

This 500 acre plot of land in Stratford, North East of Central London was once the center of some of the cities more "unwanted" industries, including chemical plants, sewage plants, the Yardley Soap plant, and the Royal Docks. The contaminated soil has been sorted, analyzed, and cleaned to be reused on the Olympic Park.






Today, on our walk overlooking the construction site, we saw the Olympic Park Village which includes the Stadium, the Aquatics Center, the Velodrome, and the Village where the Olympian athletes will be housed and fed during their stay. When the Olympics are over, this whole area will be transformed into a community of new homes, parks, shops, and sporting facilities.







Now look back at the first picture....can you see the 2 0 1 0? Cool huh?

St. Petersburg's Blue

If you took a little "Martha Stewart Blue" and mixed it with "Tiffany Blue" and added some "Fortnum and Mason Blue", you might get what I now call "St. Petersburg Blue"! So many of the beautiful buildings in St. Petersburg were a contrast of blue and white with accents of gold.








The Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Tsarskoye Selo - Great Catherine Palace, and The Cathedral of the Resurrection know as "Our Saviour-on the-Spilt-Blood"......the architecture of these buildings was astounding but truly, it was the color that captured my attention.









This picture of the "White Lights" was taken at 11:00 at night with at least 3 more hours before sunset ....could it be that this is the inspiration for the famous "St. Petersburg Blue"?

St. Petersburg - The Hermitage

In preparation for our trip I read the book "The Madonnas of Leningrad" by Debra Dean. It was an unforgettable story of love and the survival of wartime, specifically the 900 day siege of Leningrad - now known as St. Petersburg. Although the main character suffers from Alzheimer's she remembers vividly the glorious ghosts of paintings in the Hermitage before they were all removed and stored for safety. She remembers the starvation and surviving the air raids and the freezing winter. As I walked the halls myself I could recall the stories of specific paintings and I felt her pride in the notion that after the war, the art was Russia's gift to the people. The Hermitage acquired authentic masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso....just to name a few! Connected to the museum is the Winter Palace, the main residence of past Russian monarchs. "Ornate" and "grandeur" only begin to describe the interior rooms of this beautifully restored Palace.










It just happened that we were there on the day of the city's birthday celebration. The square was full of lively activity and characters - people on stilts, flag dancers, gymnasts, musicians, even people dressed in aluminum foil!

The General Trading Co.

The General Trading Company, our favorite "everything" boutique, has relocated to a new premises on Pelham Street near the South Kensington tube station. We just happened to wonder by the day the doors opened - the sign is not even out yet!






........"a pot-pourri of desirable objects catering for the eclectic tastes of it's customers"

........"always adventurous, sometimes frivolous, everything exudes passion and panache"




I was their FIRST customer so they insisted that my purchase was free! Darn, why didn't I pick up something with more "panache" than a birthday card!!!

Petworth House

Petworth House is a magnificent late 17th century home best known for it's incredible art collection including works by Van Dyck and Titian and ancient Roman and Greek sculptures. It is so rare that I am allowed to photograph the inside of these historical homes but I am disappointed that the pictures just can't capture the opulence of the rooms. Come inside with me......






















We skipped the gardens and did a little antique shopping in the village instead. Ann picked up these matching lamps made of
iron door stops with black shades and I thought this secretary was the perfect size for a small bedroom - not today! We enjoyed a tasty quiche for lunch and Consuelo drove into town to join me for a cup of coffee. It was a great day in the country!

Tit Fer Tat Hats

In preparation for Royal Ascot in June, I attended a "Hat Party" at the AWC. What woman can resist trying on hats?
Mary from Tit Fer Tat - a Milliner's Shop in Richmond- has a real talent for matching a face with the perfect hat. Some of us brought our dress along to help with the selection. Believe me, in a room full of American women, wine and appetizers, everyone had an opinion!
















Which do you think I should choose? You will have to wait until Royal Ascot to see!