Today we took a short gallop down the Great North Road to Lotherton Hall. We recommend a visit to this Yorkshire country house for its comprehensive collection of Chinese ceramics, colourful Edwardian-taste rooms which combine lush with cosy, rare artist-designed furniture and the beauteous, sun-dappled paintings of Sir George Clausen.

We were greeted in style, held onto our hair and entered into the spirit of the latest exhibition - Native Americans of the Plains.

Love of Native American culture is a family tradition.

These child's mocassins and toy papoose are delightful

Unsure of how calm we felt after viewing the leggings adorned with human scalps we retreated to Lotherton's tiny chapel to regain our equilibrium.

                                       

    Warm Summer Day.
   An unknown Edwardian boy in a rose garden.

   Warm Summer Day,
  Mother and boys, cool water.

    Calm sea Spain.

                REMEMBERING HECTOR
                JULY 1st 1925 - JUNE 24th 2010

If you click on the eBay link at the top of the page you will see nillyram's latest offerings - lots more antique doll's house furniture, some treen and an elegant Chinese vase. 

 

    WALLPAPER DESIGN circa 1959: 
  NERDY SCHOOLGIRLS               

                    Only available in Black and White
                              

We dreamed we were in the West Country, the Cotswolds - Somerset at the very least. Life seemed so arty and decorative yesterday afternoon at Newby Hall...

We visited The Museum of British Folklore in a small caravan, painted in the English Popular Art style - how kind of this organisation to venture North and bring funkiness to these bleak parts !

Inside were all manner of curiosities, magical and mysterious, like this Corn Baby.

A mummified cat and a symbolic hand.

     An intriguing tableau in Simon Costin's minute mobile museum. Please click on the link to learn more

As promised the Morris dance group Medusa Gothic entertained us with their energetic performance, waving the purple flag in celebration of mature ladies everywhere.

                                                    
                                                                       

                        WE LOVE TRIBAL ART !

So nillyram has listed some tribal beadwork on eBay today 

Please click on the ebay link at the top of the page to see more photographs.

                                       

A snoop around the garden reveals that Nature is winning as we always knew She would.

We love our garden to be rampant with weeds and wild flowers mingling with the classier blooms.

Is old age catching up with us...or has our taste always been for the dotty & odd ?

NEWS FLASH

Our dear boy Frank is so pleased and excited to learn that his favourite Aunt G will be appearing with the dance group, Medusa Gothic, at the  Museum of British Folklore event at Newby Hall this Saturday, June 18th.

MEDUSA GOTHIC

There will be fun for all - music, mollies, mummers, maidens, magic and morris dancing at this elegant country house. Click on the links for more details.

On Thursday the gang all dashed down the road to the Newark Antiques Fair to go wheeling and dealing in the June sunshine (click on the link for the details).

Antiques collecting has become more and more eclectic - HEY - wait a moment.

Who forgot Cecil was asleep in the hammock at the last fair...?

When the hustle and bustle was over we made time to list some of our Newark finds on nillyram at eBay, so you may like to have a look.

A very sweet and primitive antique Adam and Eve sampler. Despite all the care that Mary Ann's parent's had taken she still had not learned to spell "done" !

Four pretty vintage Dutch Porceleyne Fles tube-lined tiles.

A delightful early to mid-nineteenth century Chinese watercolour of courtly ladies admiring works of art.

An Islamic bowl, an Anglo Indian spinning top, an early painted snuff box, a sewing tool carved by a sailor and amber beads.