Wednesday, April 27, 2011

More Chicken Babies and Pavilion Progress

We had a splendidly beautiful weekend and most of it was spent in the back yard. Saturday was warm and sunny, so we decided to take the chicken babies outside and let them run around a bit on the deck. They had a great time and Gico bird enjoyed the sunshine as well, but he’s not quite sure what to think of the girls, especially now that they are much larger than him.

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The girls!

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Little Georgina thinks she’s a parrot. She perches on our fingers and sits on our shoulders. She’s particularly fond of Aaron.

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They’ve grown even more since these pics were taken four days ago.

Aaron also spent a good part of the afternoon working on the pavilion. He framed it in about 5 hours and it looks amazing so far. I can’t wait till he gets the canvas up.

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The “I’m too sexy for my work gloves” look :P

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The finished frame.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I will have some costuming updates coming soon, I promise.

Love Lauren

Friday, April 22, 2011

Riding Tie!

I finally had a chance to get some video of me riding. Be kind, I'm new and still learning. :)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Spode, Pavillions, and More Pics of the Chicken Babies…

Warning… this is one of my random posts. Enjoy!

Yesterday, Mrs. Cartwright and I spent a bit of time browsing the gift shop at Fort Vancouver. Within a few minutes of our arrival we zeroed in on some lovely reproduction Spode dishes. We were delighted to find them and we learned they are no longer being produced so we snatched a few before they are no longer available.

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The patterns range from 1806 to 1816 and they are taken from the original copper plates. I am quite pleased with them.

Aaron and I have been doing a lot of work in our back yard. Cleaning out a ton of overgrown plants and weeds and landscaping it a bit. One of the things I have always wanted is a pavilion where we can have dinners and parties with protection from the elements, if needed. So, Aaron is setting about designing our garden tent, and I’m sooo excited for it to be finished.

This is the general idea and inspiration. We plan to put our current dining set outside when we get our new set this summer.

And finally, more pics of the girls. They are getting so big and have a ton of new feathers. It’s been a joy watching them grow and learn. IMG_0057

Henrietta

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Catherine the Great

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And Georgina

Well, that’s all I have for you today :) Have a lovely rest of your Monday!

Love,

Lauren

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Fort Vancouver

    Today Sir Thomas, Cpt. and Mrs. Cartwright and I made our way to Fort Vancouver to see the historic sites and enjoy each other’s company.  It was a lovely afternoon and we were so pleased to meet a number of the staff there and see the history. It was built just shortly after our time period and housed some amazing sites. We also learned that the British were here in the 1790’s, which was quite exciting for our group.

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Just before the Cartwright’s arrived.

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Mrs. Cartwright and I on our way to the Fort.

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Part of the Fort.

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The gardens outside of the Fort. They were lovely!

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The Captain had to find his bearings before proceeding.

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He’s been too long at sea, we cannot take him anywhere ;)

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Inspecting the jail.

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Inside the Counting House (I think that’s what it was called) It was a lovely house with many artifacts.

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The Cpt. inspects the latest maps.

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Sir Thomas inspects the dresser.

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The cannon passed the Cpt.’s inspection.

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Mrs. Cartwright and I inspect the latest pelts.

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The surgery. Sir Thomas was very the instruments and medicines on display.

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The Cpt. and Mrs. Cartwright being silly

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The ovens in the bakery were gigantic

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The blacksmith was very informative and we thoroughly enjoyed his company.

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The Hudson Bay Company Flag flying over the Fort.

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Our visit to the Fort was delightful and we plan to come back very soon.

Love,

     Lauren

Friday, April 15, 2011

Sir Michael’s Suit

It’s almost finished! All that is left is button holes and buttons. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. It fits Sir Michael like a glove and I can’t wait to see the finished pieces on him. For now, you will have to be satisfied with pictures on my dress form. It does not do it justice, but you get the idea.

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The waistcoat

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The frock coat

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The breeches

I hope to get a picture on their owner once everything is complete. The dress form just doesn’t show it well.

Have a lovely weekend!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Chicken Baby Breeds

I have had floods of questions about what type of chickens the girls are. Silly me forgot to tell you when I posted the girls’ picture.

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So, the naked neck girl in front, Catherine the Great, is a Transylvanian Naked Neck. She’s a very, very old breed that they think originated in Asia. The two fuzz butts in the back, Georgina and Henrietta, are Chanteclers, a heritage breed from Canada.

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We think miss Catherine will look something like this when she grows up.

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And the fluff balls should look like this when they grow up.

They are such cute girls and so much fun!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Chicken Babies

Yes, we decided to go ahead and get some chickens. Aaron and I picked the baby girls up today. They are just too cute!

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On the far left we have Henrietta, the middle one with the naked neck is Catherine the Great, and the one with her back to the camera is Georgina, named after a cockatiel we had when I was a kid.

That’s all for today!

Love Lauren

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Spring Tea

Le Bon Ton and guests convened at the estate of Sir Michael and Lady Devereux, on Saturday last, for an afternoon of refreshment, polite society, and entertainment. The party was graced by the talents of Mme de Bordeaux, in a reading of the Rivals, as well as Professor D.R. Schreiber and his magical experiments. A wonderful time was certainly had by all.

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Mme de Bordeaux and I enjoy fine refreshments before the entertainment begins.

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Mme de Valois calls the audience into the parlor for the entertainments.

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Professor D.R. Schreiber’s electricity machine awaits the conjurers experiment.

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Professor D.R. Schreiber performs one of his demonstrations.

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Mrs. Cartwright and Mme de Bordeax watch the Professor’s magic.

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Mme de Bordeaux delights the audience with her dramatic reading from Sheridan’s The Rivals.

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The enraptured audience, with our host, Sir Michael, watch in awe.

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The lovely hostess, Lady Devereux.

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Gentlemen enjoying their pipes after sabrage.

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Col. Etienne de Valois describes the sabrage process,which is opening champagne with a sword.