Easter Weekend Wishes

I've been something of a busy bee these past couple of weeks, working on mundane jobs and the odd exciting project - the latter of which I hope to have more news of soon.  In the meantime, it only remains for me to wish you all a:

Happy Easter!

Have a jolly Christmas!

To all my fellow bloggers, followers, readers and everyone everywhere I wish you a  

very Merry Christmas!

Happy St. George's day 2012

Happy St. George's Day, one and all!  I hope the April showers haven't dampened any celebrations of the event!

Here's a bit of Vaughan Williams-esque Jeeves & Wooster - two of the most characteristically English performances of the 20th Century - to really set the mood for England's saint's day.



And hopefully put you in mind of (sunny!) hills and dales, rural villages and English traditions.  Enjoy the rest of the day!

Easter Greetings

A Happy Easter to all my readers, may you all have wonderful time whatever you're doing.  I'm away with the family for a couple of days, so we'll catch up after the Easter holidays when I look forward to seeing what you've all been up to.  Don't overdo the chocolate eggs, now!

Appropriately for Easter, I saw my first daf of the year today. 
Spring has definitely sprung, despite the indecisive weather.

Chances of Easter Parade being shown on the television over the Easter weekend?  Probably non-existent (although I see Bringing Up Baby is on BBC2 on Saturday).  Still, I leave you with this classic routine from the incomparable Fred Astaire.  Happy Easter To You!

Happy Easter!

 

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Happy St George's Day!

Happy St George's Day!

Historic footage shows Bermuda at dawn of tourism age

Historic footage shows Bermuda at dawn of tourism age

It is amazing how the Internet can shrink the world to such an extent that a humble little vintage blogger in Great Britain can stumble across a news item from Bermuda, of all places.  That is what has happened, though, with this article from the Bernews website which has somehow managed to come within my purview.

And it's just the kind of thing I like for this blog, containing as it does film shot in the 1920s of Bermuda when the island was beginning to undergo a sea change from a simple British Company colony settlement into a tourism hot spot.  As such it contains not only a myriad of period detail, with well-heeled Americans, Canadians and Britishers holidaying on the island but also the occasional glimpse of an already fast-disappearing colonial way of life.  It's a fascinating snapshot of Twenties travel to a tourist location we now think of as quite "usual" and is thoroughly deserving of a wider audience.

Indeed, the entire Novia Scotia Archives look like a treasure-trove of 1920s and '30s delightfulness, which I shall look forward to viewing in more detail.  And all thanks to a Bermudan website I happened to chance across.  Splendid tool, the Internet, eh?

Forties Fashion #3: Sports & Leisure Wear 1940

I bet you all thought I had forgotten about this series, didn't you?  Well, I nearly did!

Once again though I've delved in to this fashion sourcebook and this time feature the penultimate illustrations for 1940 - that of Sports and Leisure Wear.

These first three lovely ladies are all set for a day of fun and relaxation (or as much as the war would have allowed, at any rate) and from left to right wear the following:

Holiday wear: dress in white linen patterned in red; bloused bodice from above wide shaped inset band; collar and wide lapels, short puff sleeves with padded shoulders; knee-length gathered skirt; small white straw hat with red ribbon trim, worn with red open-mesh cotton snood; white canvas shoes with peep toes.  (Speaking as a chap, it sounds very nice and something I fancy you ladies could get away with today.  There's been a string of red-and-white vintage fashions throughout the blogiverse and on television recently - South Riding anyone? - could there about to be a revival in time for Spring?).

Next, anyone for tennis?!  White cotton two-piece jumper suit consisting of hip-length collarless top with high round neckline, two small patch pockets with buttoned flaps, short inset sleeves & padded shoulders and self-fabric buckled belt; knee-length box-pleated skirt; white cotton ankle socks and white canvas slip-ons.

Still on the tennis courts the third outfit is: a knee-length white linen dress (fly fastening from under collar to hip level, tuck to hem of flared skirt), bloused bodice with welt pockets at chest-level; short sleeves and padded shoulders, self-fabric belt; large hip-level patch pockets with flaps from under belt; white leather wedge-heeled shoes with bow trim.

The final couple are obviously enjoyed a seaside break and wear, respectively: blue and white striped cotton sundress with wide plain white cotton shoulder straps matching bindings of shaped neckline and centre button fastening through hem and trim on angled hip-level shaped patch pockets; knee-length skirt gathered from waist; blue canvas sling-back, peep toe shoes with high-wedge heels.

Single-breasted beige linen-tweed jacket; three-button fastening with patch pockets and narrow lapels; straight-cut light brown flannel trousers with turn-ups; cream cotton shirt with blue and brown tie; natural straw high-crown trilby with blue petersham ribbon band and narrow brim turned up at the back; light-tan leather lace-up shoes.

(Note to self - I may have just found my ideal spring/summer wardrobe in that final outfit...!).

Roll on the warmer months!

Video reveals life on the Broads in 1930s

Video reveals life on the Broads in 1930s

Another wonderful find thanks to the tireless efforts of a devoted archivist, who has uncovered these delightful cine films of a family's holidays on the Norfolk Broads in the early 1930s.

Even this 3½-minute clip contains myriad delights, some sadly long since vanished but others seemingly unchanged from today, so what unseen attractions the whole 45 minutes must contain one can scarcely imagine. I suppose I'll have to buy the DVD to find out!

Then again, I have a rough idea as a lot of my family reside in Norfolk and we went on a tour of the Broads ourselves back in the mid-90s (note to self: must go back again soon!). So a lot of the places featured in this clip I am familiar with, places like Oulton Broad, Stokesby and Wroxham (the bridge at Wroxham, from 2:38 in the film, I have gone both over and under on more than one occasion!).

As I've said some of the things have long since vanished such as the row-boats laden with hay and the hand-cranked water pumps, not to mention the working drainage windmills. Yet on the other hand, as the article mentions, parts of the film contain footage that those of us who know the area would still recognise.

In fact, this has spurred me to dig out some old photographs that I took at the time of our Broads holiday and to which, using my [very] limited knowledge of Photoshop, I have attempted to approximate the same Thirties look. You can see them dotted about this post, and I hope you agree that some haven't turned out too badly and that they give a good idea of what I mean when I say that some aspects of the Broads have changed little in 80 years.

The Norfolk archivist, Mrs Carol Gingell, who came into possession of these films is to be commended for creating a valuable collection of local historic images and for taking such good care of this important footage by seeing that it is preserved on DVD for others to enjoy. It has certainly brought back happy family holiday memories for me, as well as enchanting me with excerpts of brilliant Thirties living and another generation's enjoyment of the same trip.

A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night

This will almost certainly be my last post before the day itself, so it just remains for me to wish you all - family, friends, followers and readers from around the world(!) - compliments of the season, a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.

It has become something of a little tradition with me to have a mini-marathon of Christmas-themed episodes of my favourite TV programmes in the days running up to the 25th. So to finish up with here is a run-down of my pre-Christmas viewing thus far:

The episode of A Nero Wolfe Mystery, the much underrated adaptation of the Rex Stout novels that ran for far too short a time between 2001 and 2002 (plus the pilot in 2000), entitled Wolfe Goes Out. Interestingly in the original North American airings it is actually shown as two separate episodes - Door To Death and Christmas Party - but for the European version they were spliced together and some previously unseen footage added in the middle to provide a seamless transition. I love this series; there are some great ideas for men's - and ladies - fashions, there's a brilliant use of colour and Maury Chakin and Timothy Hutton are perfect as Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. That it was cancelled after only two seasons, is barely shown in the UK and is not available on Region 2 DVD is an absolute travesty.



Anyway, putting that aside, my next treat was The Blue Carbuncle, the Christmas episode of the 1980s Granada TV adaptation of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Starring the incomparable Jeremy Brett this is a smashing story, with a delightful Victorian Christmas ambience.

For a bit of light relief I turned to a series of Laurel & Hardy shorts, beginning with their most well-known Christmas-themed film, Big Business. For those of you not familiar with the plot, our heroes are Christmas tree salesmen plying their trade in sunny California(!). They fail to sell a single tree and end up involved in a running battle with one particularly reluctant customer, which ends in destruction and hilarity.

In The Fixer-Uppers Stan and Ollie are Christmas card salesmen who, in their own inimitable fashion, try to help one female customer win back her husband, only for after several funny misunderstandings to end up facing him in a duel!

The films Below Zero and Laughing Gravy make no mention of Christmas but are set in the winter and do feature a lot of snow! In Below Zero the Boys are buskers trying to make a dime or two in the freezing conditions, before the chance discovery of a dropped wallet and a run-in with a cop leads to predictably side-splitting results. The wonderfully-titled Laughing Gravy has Stan and Ollie in all sorts of trouble as they try to hide the existence of Stan's pet dog of the title (and what a great name for a dog!) from their landlord as a blizzard rages outside.

Laurel & Hardy also posed for several publicity shots with a Christmas theme. Here are a few:


Starting shortly on Channel 4 (2:20pm) is the original 1947 version of Miracle On 34th Street, so that's another Christmas classic taken care of - I shall certainly be settling down to watch that. The 1994 remake, which is quite decent, is on ITV1 tomorrow at 12:55pm as well.



Then tonight I shall finish off with Hercule Poirot's Christmas, the 1995 Christmas episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot, starring the peerless David Suchet. Tomorrow morning I'll be off to the family pile to spend Christmas with the old folks, so whatever you may be up to may your Christmas bring joy, happiness and good cheer (plus plenty of food, drink and presents of course!) and I'll be back before the New Year.

Norfolk war hero's 71-year wait for Isle of Wight trip

source

Norfolk war hero's 71-year wait for Isle of Wight trip

We often read about holiday horror stories - cancelled flights, missed boats, overzealous customs officials and booking mix-ups. Spare a thought for the chap in this article, though, who arranged to go on holiday - not far, just to the Isle of Wight - in September of 1939, only to have a world war start and scupper his plans!

Now over 70 years later a charming postscript can be added to the story, thanks to the chance discovery of a slip of paper and the generosity of the hotel where the chap was to have gone in '39. Thanks in no small part to Warner Hotels and the manager of the Bembridge Coast Hotel the holiday happened, albeit 71 years late. That the fellow had such a nice time, and was looked after so well, just adds to the happy tale.

Railway memorabilia from the golden age of steam

Railway memorabilia from the golden age of steam

Some truly evocative images here, from what is rightly called the golden age of railway travel. It is easy to forget in these days of over-running engineering works, rail-replacement services and leaves on the line that before Dr Beeching's cuts in the 1960s the railway network reached every corner of the country and was the predominant mode of transport for the British holidaymaker.

These posters that this fellow has spent a lifetime collecting hark back to a long forgotten Britain. Somehow I can't see that style of advertisement working today with our modern trains, more's the pity!