Ms (Leigh) Bella St John aka Luxurious Nomad ~ https://ElegantisVitae.com/
A lovely day for a drive so I went in search of prehistoric stone circles and cairns (ancient burial sites) around Kilmartin, Scotland, reported to be over 5,000 years old – five THOUSAND years! My goodness…
…through beautiful Inverary…
~ Bella
A perfect day to set off in my time-machine and head back to the 15th century for a glorious medieval jousting tournament and festival at Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries!
~ Bella
One of the joys of my little piece of Heaven in Scotland is curling up and creating… Whether it is writing, creating art, craft… it is the perfect location.
Here is a snippet of just some of what I have been up to recently…
I decided to give the tired purple shade a new lease of life…
…and creating requires the accompaniment of good red wine, of course…
The candelabra started life like this…
…oh, and I also gave the bench-top some restoration work…
…and thought the leaves that support the glass bowls for the candelabra would look pretty with ‘glow in the dark’ veins…
Finished candelabra!
…and as for my other project…
~ Bella
I have wanted a carriage for many, many years – ok, I have wanted a carriage since I was little! – and now I have one… and not just any carriage…
According to the people from whom I bought her, this carriage is one of two or possibly three identical ones that were made – apparently it’s twin is/was owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ! (although I do not have any evidence for this yet, but the do look very similar)
In honour of the HM the Queen, I have named the carriage ‘Elizabeth’.
More information to come later re the horses etc… but for now, here are the photos… (she is currently being used as a wedding carriage).
~ Bella
Another item checked off my rather extensive bucket list – attending Royal Ascot, in the Royal Enclosure nonetheless, thanks to an invitation from my dear friend, Noreen.
It was a glorious day, but I will let the photos tell the story…
~ Bella
After driving from Windsor to Aylesbury…
…I crossed a bridge and entered heaven!
Built in the 17th century, Hartwell House (my new London residence) is most famous as the home of exiled French King Louis XVIII in the early 19th century.
The 90 acres (36 ha) of gardens at Hartwell were laid out by Capability Brown c.1750, with the North Avenue, a grand vista through trees, planted in 1830.
Everything about this place is magical!
~ Bella
“In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter. Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service.
The annual iconic Garter Day procession, where The Queen and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen’s calendar.
Every June, a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress.” https://www.royal.uk/order-garter
Well, this Princess Pixie was off to the ball, and what a lovely night it was…
~ Bella
After a long drive in Lady Penelope (my beloved baby Jaguar), I reached my destination – a lovely hotel literally across the road from Windsor Castle.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was in residence at the Castle (attending events such as Royal Ascot, Order of the Garter ceremony…)
…and now time to get dressed to head to the Royal Russian Summer Ball!
~ Bella
Before we get into saving Edward, a rather eclectic family came to visit… Two swans, a goose, and a duck!
OK, if you recall in my last post, I shared poor Edward’s sad and sorry state after almost twenty years of being out in the weather, and being attacked by woodworm and other assorted bugs…
After treating him with two different types of bug assassination goop, it was time to being the restoration…
…starting with building up all the areas that have been munched by bugs… It will take me a few sessions of doing this to slowly build up his form, but at least he and I are getting there… slowly…
It’s cool – looks like he was caught in a snow-storm!
~ Bella
