Pants!

According to my Sewing Notes Book, which I have been maintaining diligently since spring last year, I have mended or shortened 12 pairs of trousers/pants in the past month, for friends and family members!
Last week, I watched a NT volunteer diligently repairing a pair of Lord Fairhaven's Underpants!

She is holding them up by the toe. These soft merino wool Long Johns actually have feet attached. They are more like tights than the leggings I'd expected.

I guess that as they were made to measure, the heels and toes would come in the right place. 

So they would fit even better than a pair of Snag Tights! [my go-to choice of hosiery these days] 
People have been very kind in their comments about my previous two posts about our day out - so here are just a few more pictures for you.

The cyclamen walk was charming - the ground was carpeted with small pink and white blooms. It was a peaceful stroll among the flowers, listening to the birdsong. I bought two little plants in the shop - one for myself, and one as a birthday gift for my good friend Christine.

The dahlia border was even more colourful, shades of pink, lilac, red, yellow, white, purple... I considered trying to grow dahlias next year. Each plant was numbered, and there was a list of their names.

"Which was your favourite?" I asked Bob. He said Number 23, I said I liked Number 7. On this photo 7 is top right, 23 bottom left. They are very similar in colour aren't they? I'm glad we have agreed on that. 

7 is "Barbary D'Amour", and 23 is called "J S Dorothy Rose" It seems they are only available from one supplier. I shall have to take advice from others about the best way to grow dahlias [do I need pot tubers, mini plants, or garden ready? and when?] Just a few more pictures to share

The Windsor Guest Suite - isn't the fabric on the bed, curtains and chair amazing? I like those little buildings! The towels in the bathroom were hand embroidered with entwined Fs [for Fairhaven, I guess]

The Dining Room, adjacent to the kitchens, is the oldest part of the Abbey, with the original mediaeval vaulted ceiling. Quite small really, compared to those in other NT houses- but Lordy liked small intimate dinners at home, with close friends. The table usually set for 6 or 8 diners. Note the Victorian tiled floor. The ancient pillars are Purbeck Marble. Note the deterioration at floor level.

Finally, pictures of the different parts of the kitchen, pantry, scullery, butler's room as they were in the 1960s.

The other women who were in the kitchen when I was [all of us OAPs I think] were commenting on the familiar items - Green Beryl cups, Oxo Tins, Canisters of Vim, nutmeg graters, Brillo Pads, Fairy Soap and Prestige pressure cookers... We all said it made us feel old to see these things from our childhood**.

There was an Esse range, plus two regular electric cookers. Note the special feet under that huge table. The cook was Bob's height, and requested it be raised to a comfortable height!

**I still have, and use, some of these!!

That's the end of my review of AA. I hope to go back sometime - maybe in the Snowdrop Season.