A Day Out at Waddesdon!

It wont come as any surprise to learn I’m now in full swing with Easter Bonnet shows as I play through to 13th April. “In my Easter Bonnet” is one of my favourite shows and it’s proving to be the perfect platform for my newly commissioned Mary Poppins Medley. It’s great to sing so many of the old seasonal favorites from “April Showers”, “Apple Blossom Time”  to “Tulips from Amsterdam”. They never fail, and as the vintage time lines move forward these songs seem as popular now as they ever were. They are warm and cosy and it’s a bit like slipping my feet into a comfy pair of old slippers.

I like to be busy but it has been very intense in the office of late as I’ve had a lot of dead lines to meet and the current economic climate is proving tough to negotiate. It reflects in peoples attitudes and there’s not much love especially when

Waddesdon Manor!

every-one is trying so hard to save money and make ends meet. Despite this I’ve been working on a new business card design with my web-designer Karen. I’m keen to appeal to a wider market and choosing the right photos to sell the message can be brain boggling.

Fortunately I have a very good photo library I can call upon but even so it can be difficult finding the right shot with so much choice.

Inside the House!

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve launched two new videos in the last couple of weeks. “Puppet on a String” and “My Myself”, a classic Judy Garland power ballad. To see my videos click the links below :-

The Gainsborough Lady!

I’m very proud of both of these videos and I hope in time they will generate a lot of new customers  along with my new show-reel which I featured in my last blog.

I spend far too much of my time prepping for shows and thinking about work which is why I made the conscious decision to take a day off on Saturday to visit the stately Rothschilds mansion Waddesdon Manor. I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago with my friend Fay, not long after the pandemic so it was delightful to see the house again in all it’s spender.

Waddesdon Manor is owned by the National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, it is one of the National Trust’s most visited properties, with over 463,000 visitors a year

The Games Room in the Bachelor’s wing!

The house is a Grade I listed building in a mostly Neo Renaissance style, copying several French chateaux, between 1874 and 1889. Baron Ferdinand had the chateaux built as a weekend residence for entertaining and to house his collection of arts and antiquities. As the manor and estate have passed through three generations of the Rothschild family, the contents of the house have expanded to become one of the most rare and valuable collections in the world. It’s quite breath taking to wander through the house as it’s exquisitely furnished and it

Beautiful Chandelier!

brought back so many happy memories when I visited with Fay.

In 1957, James de Rothschild bequeathed the house and its contents to the National Trust, opening the house and gardens for the benefit of the general public. Waddesdon is one of my favourite Stately homes, not only for it’s beautiful gardens but because of it’s many treasures. I enjoyed my visit immensely and for the first time I was able to visit the bachelor’s wing. On every occasion when I’ve visited the house before the bachelor’s wing has been closed to the public so this was a real teat.

Another one of the highlights was visiting the treasury. Some of the jewelry on display is breath taking and it’s incredible to think one family had so much wealth. I often imagine when I visit grand houses what it must have been like living in them

Beautiful Vintage Drapes!

back in the day. I’m particularly fond of victorian fashion especially dresses with bustles and that style is reflected in the home furnishings at Waddesdon Manor. Although ruched, swags and tails “Gone with the Wind” style curtains might be out of fashion today I adore this style and it’s lovely to see them in situ at Waddesdon often finished off with beautiful tassels.  

The walls are bedeck with gorgeous paintings including a couple of familiar Gainsboroughs and dutch masters

The Garden Elephant Statues!

When I visited on Saturday the gardens hadn’t as yet come into full bloom as we are still very early in the season, but never the less there are no shortage of lovely walks and I enjoyed visiting the avery and seeing the elephant statues.

I shall leave you with a few of my favourite photos from the weekend.

Keep Following -Toodle pip and bye for Now! 😉

Enjoying the Gardens!