{sisterly visit}

{reunion at Chota House}

In July, my middle sister came for a visit with my niece & nephew.
We had loads of fun & had a great amount of time to catch up.
We went for afternoon tea at Oliver Hare & Co:

 We wandered the mews of Leighton Buzzard:

 We went to my cousins for a fab weekend in the country:

{started with evening croquet in the garden}

 We then went to Hever Castle (where Anne Boleyn grew up) and met Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, & the ladies in waiting:

 The gardens are stunning! (not to mention the fantastic mazes: a water maze, an impossible hedge maze, and a tower maze)

{I think I might have caught a couple kissing by accident (!)}

{nice legs!}

We went punting in Cambridge (where my sister did her MPhil):

 Followed by the necessary cream tea at Grantchester (where Rupert Brooke and the Bloomsbury set used to hang out):

{gurham chai sisters (minus three!)}

{cheers!! 2 out of 5 Clark girls!}

xo,
L

{black tie college dinner in Cambridge}

This past Bank Holiday weekend we did a number of fantastic things, but it all started off with a fancy black tie college dinner in Cambridge.

My formal wear is all in boxes, so my Dad's cousin's wife let me borrow one of her gowns from the 80s, that actually looked beautifully vintage! My Dad's other cousin's son (third cousin? cousin thrice removed?) is at Darwin College pursuing a PhD and invited us to be his guests at the dinner. Darwin College was home to yes, the Darwins of Charles Darwin fame and has been transformed into a post-graduate college.

{the dress}

{pre-dinner champagne; notice the gorgeous William Morris wall paper!}

{Seating plan}

{the 6 course menu}

{& the meal begins...}

{the meal ends with madeira & coffee}

{my room with a view}

{the college's grounds}

{my cousin takes us punting on one of the college's punts}

{past the Bridge of Sighs}

{views of colleges from the river}

{a Pimm's punt!}

{a pub from the water}

{the pub from within}

{a refreshing shandy}

 We then walked to Grantchester, home to a gorgeous orchard, where famed men and women have long sipped tea (Rupert Brooke, Virginia Woolf etc...known as the Grantchester Group) . If you click on the link, you'll find a wealth of historical info as well as some great historical photos. We joined their legacy and sat down and enjoyed cream tea at just about 3 o'clock, mimicking the famous poem by Rupert Brooke:
"Yet, Stands the Church clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea? "

Indeed, a fantastic start to a fantastic weekend. More pictures & stories to come!
xo
L