I wrote a little post on BuzzFeed about BBC's Miranda, one of my favourite British TV shows.
Read it here:
Showing posts with label the UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the UK. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
5 British Picture Books
Our childhood visits to England left us with a deep, crazy love for British books.
No wonder, when we grew up reading books like this.
No wonder, when we grew up reading books like this.
Here are 5 of our favourite British picture books for kids.
"Once there was a little girl called Sophie, & she was having tea with her mummy in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a ring at the door."
by Judith Kerr
"Here's a little baby
One, two, three
Stands in his cot
What does he see?"
by Janet & Allen Ahlberg
"The children were having breakfast.
This was not a pleasant sight."
by Jill Murphy
"Mr. & Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform."
by Michael Bond
"One day Alfie came home from Nursery School with a card in an envelope.
His best friend, Bernard, had given it to him."
by Shirley Hughes
footnote:
In case you where wondering...
If I could only get one of these, it would be The Tiger Who Came to Tea, no question.
Kids love that book. Because it's awesome.
Kids love that book. Because it's awesome.
5 British Picture Books: The Tiger Who Came to Tea, & cover, Peepo, Five Minutes Peace, Paddington, Alfie Gives a Hand
Monday, December 16, 2013
A Great British Sitcom
I just found out you can watch one of my favourite British sitcoms on hulu.
It's called MIRANDA & it is hilarious.
(If you've seen Call the Midwives, you'll recognize Miranda Hart -- she plays Chummy.)
Seriously, this show makes me laugh until I cry.
Go. Watch it.
Great British Sitcom picture: BBC's Miranda
Friday, November 29, 2013
Inspiration from: Downton Abbey
Are you starting to get excited for the fourth series of Downton Abbey?
Or are you still kind of holding a grudge against Julian Fellowes for the horrific ending of last season?
If you live in England (or cheated & found a way to watch it ahead from the States) then you already know that series four is pretty epic.
(Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet.)
Series four comes out in a few months in the States.
So let's take a few moments & remember how much we love Downton Abbey.
Upstairs
The library at Downton. Just look at this place.
The flowers & pastel colours.
The dress, the pale blue walls, the dressing table. Not too shabby.
Downstairs
Daisy may be at the bottom of the Downton Abbey heirarchy, but that pink & white dress is still pretty great.
The clothes
The drama
Emotional trauma at the hands of Julian Fellowes.
Did you know that the story of Mr. Pamuk was based on a true story?
The Dowager Countess
Bringing much needed moments of levity.
Oh, the Downton drama! Coming soon.
(In the meantime, 2 Books for Downton Abbey Fans
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Good Books: C.S. Lewis, A Life
C. S. Lewis was an odd & complex guy.
Alistair McGrath's C.S. Lewis: A Life is my favourite biography of him because it doesn't try to skim over the oddness.
He doesn't sensationalize but he doesn't try to perfect the story or turn Lewis into an impeccable hero. So you're left with the real story; & while the real story can get messy, I love it. It shows how God took a rough, atheistic young Englishmen named Jack & turned him into the C.S. Lewis we all love.
C.S. Lewis was fascinating, imperfect, funny, kind of screwed up... & a totally brilliant thinker.
This book tells that story.
Read it with a very large cup of tea.
C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath pictures 1, 2
Friday, November 22, 2013
London Places: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is quite possibly my favourite place in London.
It might seem like a bit of an odd choice, given all the museums, palaces, & so many other amazing places that there are to see in London.
Covent Garden is basically a square with a market & lots of little shops & restaurants.
Oh, & it's also where Eliza Doolittle sold her flowers in My Fair Lady.
For me it's one of the quintessential London-y places I can't wait to visit when I'm there.
There's good British food to be had, including a Jamie Oliver restaurant that opened last year.
Or you can just bring your own sandwiches in ziplocs, like we did.
Jenny & I grew up traveling around Europe, so Covent Garden feels kind of like home.
There are few places we would rather be than sitting in a square in Europe.
We were pretty content hanging out there in the chilly London sunshine.
Covent Garden also has fun shopping. There's a Paperchase, little toy shops, good coffee & more.
Our favourite is the London Transport Museum Gift Shop.
They have tons of London books, postcards, magnets, & just general British awesomeness.
This guy is usually there too. Doesn't he kind of look like he belongs in Gringotts?
Covent Garden really is one of our favourite spots in London.
(It's also within walking distance of Persephone Books.)
We were two happy girls that day.
I hope you get to visit Covent Garden sometime. xx
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