The Royal Wedding, LIVE

Well, I think we all know what I'll be doing around 5am EST... and the Royal Household has just made it easier for me to watch the Royal Wedding, by streaming it live on You Tube via theThe Royal Channel. We are really in the 21st century folks. I remember the olden days when I watched William's parents marry... I watched it on our huge console TV on one of the three major networks (well actually I think we had CNN by then). I just hope this time when the bride appears my little heart doesn't sink when I see the dress, like it did 30 years ago when Diana emerged from that carriage amidst a sea of taffeta. Somehow I think Kate won't disappoint. Fingers crossed! And much luck and happiness to the couple. I hope someone gives her a shot of something strong before she goes down the aisle!

BBC 4 Woman's Hour

This is a great radio show, and you can download it on iTunes everyday. Aside form being a great way to learn more about modern British culture, I think it's one of the better done "women's" shows out there, anywhere. It discusses everything from mother-son relationships to women in the boardroom to making the perfect brownie. They interview erudite and articulate women, and men, and shed light on some overlooked women's issues. Highly recommended.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb

Upstairs/ Downstairs

Well, there is cause for celebration here at 165 Eaton Place, as Upstairs Downstairs will be revived and brought to PBS here in the states starting Sunday April 10th. The house will be in lockdown for at least 3 Sunday nights so I can royally geek out on this new incarnation of the epic series.

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

West Wycombe House source: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/193266

Ahh yes, High Wycombe, where it all began for me lo these many years ago. I was lucky enough to have been part of an exchange program at my High School in Connecticut. We had students from the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe come to our school for their Easter Holidays, then in June the American contingent returned for the summer hols. I was paired up with perhaps one of the loveliest people ever to walk god's green earth, Allan. Or families are still close, we have attended one another's weddings and now my husband is a good friend of Allan's and Allan's friends (golf, the great sport of friendship!).
Technically I was in Flackwell Heath with Allan's family, again the loveliest people EVER. Somehow they managed to put up with my loud American ways and my excitement at getting up every morning to attend an ALL BOYS SCHOOL (yes, you read that right) at the age of 16. Ho boy.
Luckily my dear friend April was there from America to (try and) keep me in line. And as we are still very close, she is always there to remind me of whatever shenanigans I may have forgotten over the years.
High Wycombe is about 45 minutes northwest of London, the very last stop on the Marleybone line. It is in Buckinghamshire, a beautiful area that deserves a visit if you get there. Check out this site for more info.

Boden: thank you

Thank you Boden for offering clothes for real women, women who are not 14 years old (although they do have a darling teen line,Johhny B.) and a size zero. Thank you for making bathing suits ("swimming costumes") that I don't have to manually remove from areas better left unsaid. Thank you for making the most comfortable jeans ever. And thank you for making baby clothes that really are pretty indestructible.
http://www.bodenusa.com/
But thanks for nothing: your maternity line (precious!) came about 2 years too late.

Not On the High Street Marketplace

Have you seen this site http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/?? It seems to be the British equivalent to the American online marketplace http://www.etsy.com/. It is FULL of the most clever items, many of which feature British landmarks. The above pillow is from the Cityscape store. I am still trying to find out if they ship to the US... I am secretly hoping they don't so I can avoid spending my childrens' college fund on things like this:


http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/isabelballardieinteriors/product/stamp-rug

A mere 650 pounds, roughly 1200 bucks. Sigh. Luckily there are smaller, much more affordable options as well.

Realm & Britain Magazines

These two magazines are much anticipated in my home. Afew years ago my parents surprised me with a subscription to Realm: I was hooked. It, along with Britain magazine which I began getting two years ago, is one of those magazines that is meant to be read properly: with a cup of tea, a few cookies and time. Thankfully they only arrive once every other month, because quiet time to savor such gorgeous publications is slim in my house.

So these magazines are in a neat pile in the living room, not in the basket in the bathroom with my Ballard Designs catalogs. Realm Magazine has the most in depth articles about people and places in the UK, with particularly tasteful updates on the upcoming royal wedding. Britain Magazine has sumptuous photographs, travel advice and fascinating history articles.

Did you get your invitation?

OK, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the cheesy engagement pic at the corner is not part of the actual invitation that was mailed out today to 1900 of their closest friends.
Did you get yours? Since today is President's Day in the States, the mail wasn't delivered. I'll check tomorrow.

Emma Bridgewater does the Royal Wedding

Emma Bridgewater Pottery is one of the most adorable products out there. Everyone should have a plate that says "Bubble & Sqeak" on it!

Seeing as the Royal Wedding is going to leave Britain awash in (potentially tacky) memorabilia, it's nice to see that Emma has taken on the Royal Wedding and made it, well, adorable.

Downton Abbey

Highclere castle, location for Downton Abbey

Really? As if waiting for the new Upstairs/Downstairs series to begin wasn't torture enough, the world now has Downton Abbey: GORGEOUS and GLORIOUS. My daughter and I were hooked (after a couple of "cover your eyes!" we made it through relatively unscathed, she is, after all, only 11. But then again that's about how old I was when I saw Jeremy Iron's naked butt in Brideshead Revisited...). So now we wait patiently for them to make a second season of DA.
If you didn't see it when it aired on PBS, do try and watch episodes 3 & 4 online at PBS. The costumes are amazing, and an old favorite of mine, Elizabeth McGovern, is lovely as the Countess of Grantham, american born wife of the Earl of Grantham. And of course Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham is perfection. I literally laughed outloud several times because of her.
If you need some help sorting out all the upstairs/downstairs characters, there is a good wikipedia page you can find here.

An Insider's Guide to Britian

This precious site is devoted to all things wonderful and "local". http://www.thisisyourkingdom.co.uk/ is charming and informative even for those of us whose kingdom it actually isn't. Did that make sense?
But a girl can dream.
And this would be a great site to check out before you travel, especially if you will be visiting some of the smaller towns, or are traveliing with children.

BBC America's Anglophenia

If you get BBC America then you are able to catch some of the popular shows (a few seasons behind) that pop up in the UK. And then you see their dopplegangers on American (or Canadian) TV not long after (Being Human, anyone?)

This little blog on the BBC America website is a lot of fun to read, and keep one up on the latest British pop culture gossip.