Impact of technology today!

Yesterday, I spent a day with  technology!  My second grandchild was born and I was notified an hour and half after the birth by telephone.. then the morning  quickly disappeared pleasantly on telephone, face book , email and text messages as each of these systems hummed with the joy of this birth!  What a different world since the other grandchild that just turned 2 last month.

Here is a picture that was taken and sent  by a cell phone. The baby boy is not 2 hours old here.  Interesting enough, a photographer no longer comes to the hospital nursery to take pictures of all the newborns from that day at night.. To have a picture of the newborn with the eyes open, the bassinet was hit so that the baby wakes up for the hospital picture..  resulting in eyes open but in the startle reflex or Moro reflex with arms extended and back arched!

This is a picture of a very peaceful baby

Here is another picture sent a few minutes later to his grandfather's cell

Lamb burgers loaded with flavor, fresh mint, spinach, garlic with feta cheese

Lamb burgers loaded with flavor, fresh mint, spinach, garlic with feta cheese

The lamb burgers I made before were difficult to BBQ as I had crumbled the feta cheese into the mix.  To prevent the cheese from melting all over the BBQ, the burgers had to be grilled on a sheet of tin foil. This time I placed a slice of cheese in the middle of the burger. 

Christmas Stollen in July

Pane e Formaggio is an artisan bread and specialty cheese company located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 

Does it bother aneone else, that this bread was still okay to be eaten in July.. According to their website, this loaf was probably baked the July before!!! What does that mean??

My Summer Garden

Hutschenreuther china,

Hutschenreuther [HUTHUT1315]

In 1814, Hutschenreuther the name of the family in Northern Bavaria established a porcelain industry and gained reputation in the European market. The Hutschenreuther "Mark of the Lion" continues to this day, although since 2000 is a trademark of Rosenthal.

Pattern: HUT1315 by Hutschenreuther [HUTHUT1315]Description: Cobalt Blue Bands,Gold Encrusted Laurel

 This pattern is discontinued but one can find pieces through Replacement Limited. 

While living in Winnipeg, I went to an estate auction and the only thing I could afford were these china dishes. I loved the elegance in the pattern but the number pieces did not lend it self to be used often.  In the set there are 3 bread and butter plates, 8 luncheon plates and 3 dinner plates.  

I think that my daughter may make good use of this china as she plans to mix different patterns of china together.. Although finding china to do this may be a problem as  usually one sells all of their china pieces together.

Myott's Royal Crown china "The Crowning" pattern in Maroon

Myott's Royal Crown china "The Crowning" pattern

This week, I became the proud owner of this vintage china.  I have been looking for pieces of china for my daughter who wants to mix and match patterns, rather than have the same pattern as her place seating.  For example, using the same pattern for dinner plates, but matching another pattern for the bread and butter plates and so forth!  This 12 piece set was just too beautiful to not buy!  

In researching this china on line, I was delighted to find the  following appraisal and description on the china!

on line appraisal site, Joanne Petruska
An appraiser wrote the following on 08-02-2005

Myott & Son is a pottery in the Staffordshire district of England that has been in existence since 1898. (Formerly this pottery was called G.T. Mountford potteries). This mark suggests a time period of around 1936. The pattern number is H.W. 324 and the pattern name is "The Crowning". This pattern came in several different colors, including green, turquoise, white and cobalt in addition to the maroon color you have. It is a fine example of Staffordshire china and I am appraising it by separate piece, however, if you do decide to sell it, you should sell it as a set which would be more desireable. These pieces do tend to craze, so please try to keep it out of extreme temperatures. As with any fine vintage china, this set will only increase in value over time. Thank you for allowing me to appraise this item.

* Current Fair Market in US Value:	$1,100.00
** Replacement Cost:	1,380.00

 This pattern was made to commemorate the coronation of Edward V111 in 1936- and for this reason the pattern is called "The Crowning."  In other words, this pattern is 75 years this year.

I can hardly wait to use the platter and china at Christmas! The maroon/ burgundy color is smashing!  

Does anyone want to guess how much I paid for this 12 piece China set?

Blue Willow China

My grandmother had Blue Willow china. I remember sadly her china in a orange carte box at her auction sale and being sold for next to nothing but as a young child couldn't afford it.. Now I long to set my table with that china.  As a child I was intrigued by the scenes on the blue dishes which would stimulate images of the Far East. As a child looking at the pattern on the plate,I would imagine crossing the bridge and explore the houses with the curved roofs or sit under the pine tree.   The legend below certainly illustrates the magic in that pattern to me as a child and now as an adult!

Blue Willow, The Legend...Once there lived a very wealthy mandarin who had a beautiful daughter named Hong Shee, who fell in love with her father´s secretary, a man named Chang.  To keep them apart, the father imprisoned his daughter in the palace.  One day she escaped, and the two lovers raced over the bridge to a waiting boat.  They managed to elude the mandarin, reach the boat, and sail away.  A storm developed; the boat foundered; and the couple were lost at sea.  It is said that two love birds appeared immediately thereafter - the spirits of Hong Shee and Chang, and live on to this day.
Blue Willow was first offered almost two hundred yeas ago by a famous English maker of fine china.  Blue Willow is still the most popular pattern to ever appear on dinnerware.  The popularity of the pattern has not faded with time or life style changes as fads and fashions usually do.  Blue Willow is as collectible today as ever and is still being made in England and in many countries around the world.

When my husbands elderly aunts moved into a nursing home, they sent us  this turkey plate that they had used in their family for many years. Sadly it had been broken in transport and although it was repaired, it can not safely be used  as a turkey platter.