Mulberry Hall: the jewel of York

After the radio silence on the blog during moving time, I now have another review! Hurrah!

My mum and aunt paid me the customary "just moved in" visit, which involved cleaning and moving things around and of course, lunch!

Mulberry hall is a china/fancy items emporium (no, not the handbag shop!) housed in a fifteenth century building, complete with a little cafe on the top floor. 

We were put on a little table in the conservatory. It was a minuscule one, but the placing of it meant we got an amazing view of the building's structure, and some of the old bits we would have missed otherwise! 

As it was brunch-time, we settled in for some eggs and bacon. The menu is quite extensive and offers a good range of things that aren't exclusively for breakfast! 

Now, I have only just started eating eggs, and so I struggle with them in some forms. Unfortunately, this was one of them. There was more milk and cream than eggs (even though there were obviously a lot!) which made all of its taste disappear. The bacon was, however, perfection! Crispy and salty, the perfect combo. The tea and coffee wasn't half bad either, served in lovely china (where is this sold?!):

The rest of the store is a real treasure trove for the history lover, high end porcelain dreamer and everything in between! 

Halcyon Days - their new Christmas stock!

Frogman - looking like they are about to jump out of the glass

The upstairs Christmas department was my favourite. Sadly, it wasn't my mum's favourite she bumped her head on the beams twice...

Lots of unique Christmas decor ideas are everywhere:

Angels after a full Christmas dinner...

I loved all of the crystal-y bits. Cue fancy 'through the looking glass' photography:

Florals are also around for the last few weeks. How cute are these?

And here is the new Miranda Kerr collection for Royal Albert! Very pretty, featuring butterflies and lots of pastels. Not one for boys!

So, if you are wandering the streets of York then come in here before any other historic buildings. I can guarantee you will have an amazing trip, spend money on things you definitely didn't need but will end up with some fabulous photos and head bumps:

www.mulberryhall.co.uk

x

Some post-summer reads

Autumn is my absolute favourite season, and there is no better time to curl up with a cosy blanket and a book!

Here are some reads that I have had on my Kindle, or that I'm about to tackle. Let's see if any of you can beat me to it...

A Pocket Full of Shells by Jean Reinhardt

The Irish Potato Famine doesn't have much fiction written on it, and so when I saw a Pocket Full of Shells I jumped at the chance to read it. I was however, quite disappointed. The book is very short, and the story never really goes anywhere. James and Mary are a very likeable couple, and the start is exciting with the prospect of going to Liverpool to escape the famine, but not much happens overall. Worth a read to find out about this area of history, but don't expect too much!

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

I'm not normally a fan of ghost stories, as they can get a bit silly and unrealistic. I saw this in a bookshop at King's Cross on the new reads shelf, and thought I'd give it a go (it's written by the man who wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas). Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. Set in Victorian England, the book follows a newly orphaned governess who is employed at a grand house in Norfolk. Strange things start to happen....and where are the parents? Spooky fun for a cold day!

The Island by Victoria Hislop


Wow. To say this is a must-read is an understatement. I loved every minute of this very popular book, and found the changes between present day and the past very well done. The book focusses on a girl trying to discover her family history which revolves around the mysterious (previous) leper colony on the Greek island of Spinalonga. Warning: nothing else in your life will get done while you are reading this!


On the horizon.....

The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyapa Bodden


A young slave is given to her younger 'sister' as a wedding gift. Although the two grew up together, their different backgrounds and social standing seems to be key to this story. It reminds me of the recent film Belle, and I hope it is just as good!





The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Written by an American woman who went over to Afghanistan, this story is about a group of women who come together in a beauty salon in Kabul. Rodriguez's first book The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul had rave reviews as it tells the stories of many incredible women and brings them together through friendship. I always like to stay clear of 'raved about' books as they rarely live up to the hype (The Island is a rare exception!) so I thought the second one by this author was a safe bet.

The Silent Lady by Catherine Cookson

A Catherine Cookson classic that was one of my mum's favourite books as a child. I love the TV adaptations of her books, and they are always based at the turn of the 20th Century in the north of England. If I like this one there will be many more!






Finally, for those of you who love snuggling up with a book like I do, Dunhelm Mill is definitely the best place for some gorgeous (and not ridiculously priced) blankets....with 20% off at the moment? Yes please:

http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/decor/blankets-and-throws/

Any Autumn reads on your list I've left off?

x

A few hours in Bath

As you might have guessed from my previous gift posts, I love Jane Austen.

So when my cousin wanted to go to the University of Bath open day, I jumped at the chance to spend a day in the city!

Bath has been around since Roman times, and since then has been famous for its waters that were meant to be good for the health. Its popularity as a spa town meant that Bath became one of the most fashionable society places in Georgian times, hosting events much like the balls and gatherings in Jane Austen's books.

I had a maximum of about 4 hours to spend in this city, on a Saturday. So as you can imagine, there wasn't much time to queue for the big tourist hot spots, but I hope to give you a bit of a flavour!

Excitingly, we stumbled from the famous Royal Crescent into what turned out to be a record breaking event...

The annual Jane Austen festival!

The people of Bath take this tradition very seriously, and people from the whole county will join in the walk around the city in period dress. The costumes were out of this world!

Bikes and prams were even in keeping with the event:

My favourite? The military outfits.
I do love a man in uniform...

The streets of Bath themselves were so pretty and all made out of the same Bath stone.

The previous history of the buildings is proudly displayed for all to see.

As well as little markets tucked away in corners...

...and wide open squares full of bustling crowds.

The one place I really wanted to see was the old Roman baths. It used to be a public bathing house and over the years some amazing things have been found there. But as you can imagine, on a Saturday during the Jane Austen festival, it was a no-go zone! Instead I took a picture of the outside, as well as the Pump Room restaurant that is right next door:

Finally, as the clock was ticking on, we made our way to Bath Abbey.

I am such a fan of massive cathedrals/abbeys/minsters. They are always full of beauty and have a real sense of peace. Often photos are banned and it can cost money to enter, but thankfully Bath Abbey was neither!

On the way back to the Crescent, I took a quick snap of the Museum at the end of the row as a reminder to visit it next time.

So, who's up for visiting the festival and Bath with me next year?!

x