February 16, 2019

Quilted Cozy Contentment!

Dove Delivers Delightful Valentine Hearts!
Lady Ann




The Golden Thimble Society commenced as Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse at Corgyncombe for many years, wanted to assist the Queen Anne English Wooden dolls with their needlework.
 
The squares in the quilt are so small!
Lady Ann wears a golden thimble!


Lady Ann was named after my 9th great grandmother Lady Ann Borodell wife of Capt. George Denison, who lived near Mystic, Connecticut. Their daughter Margaret married James Brown, grandson of John Howland and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland who came on the Mayflower. James and Margaret were my 8th great grandparents. We also have many other Anns in our ancestral family.

The quilt reminds us of the quilt in "A is for Annabelle" written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor.


 Bleeding heart at Corgyncombe Gardens in the snow.


How delighted Lady Anne and the little doll are with the handwoven pocket hearts delivered by the dove! The woven heart in Lady Ann's hand is very small!


Dr. Cupid Corgi wears the wings of a dove at the Herbary at Corgyncombe!


The dovecote at Tasha Tudor's Corgi Cottage with the doves posing most delightfully for me!

This is my own personal photograph at Tasha Tudor's Corgi Cottage.




On the art stand made by Seth Tudor, son of Tasha Tudor, is the "New Cyclopaedia of Botany and Complete Book of Herbs", an advertising card with a lovely dove delivering a letter and a rose, and a trade card with forget-me-nots from an Apothecary in Bellows Falls, Vermont.







A woven heart makes a splendid Pocket full of Posies!



My Grandmum one day told me that she had a surprise for me. She went to her closet and took out this pieced quilt top. Grandmum told me how her grandfather (my great great grandfather), William A. Weaver, pieced this quilt top during the long hours while trying to recover from consumption. William developed pneumonia after chasing his run away oxen in the freezing cold air. Pneumonia turned into consumption, which eventually led to his death. I had recently started quilting and was delighted to have my great great grandfather's quilt top. I soon set about quilting a feather wreath design onto the quilt top.


The other day I pulled back the curtain and discovered, perched upon the hay rake on the porch was a pair of mourning doves. They were so pretty with their big eyes and grey and brown feathering!


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Please do not "Pin" our photographs.
Please do not post our photographs on facebook.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com
If you receive an email you think is from me from this email, please make sure it is atthecottagegate@yahoo.com, and not just something that sounds similar.

Photographs, images, and text copyright © 2000-2019 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson. All rights reserved. Photographs, images, and/or text may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson.


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2019/02/quilted-cozy-contentment.html
copyright © 2019 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 5, 2019

Hannah and Edward - Twelfth Night in the Parlour!

An Elegant Evening!
Hannah and Edward
 


Twelfth Night Cake decorated with swans.


A swan ornament I made.




which looks much like Hannah and Edward's cake.


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Please do not "Pin" our photographs.
Please do not post our photographs on facebook.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com
If you receive an email you think is from me from this email, please make sure it is atthecottagegate@yahoo.com, and not just something that sounds similar.

Photographs, images, and text copyright © 2000-2019 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson. All rights reserved. Photographs, images, and/or text may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson.


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2019/01/hannah-and-edward-twelfth-night-in.html
copyright © 2019 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 26, 2018

Hot Chocolate in the Parlour!

A Peaceful Evening!
When Jenny Wren Lindenwood arrived home she tended to her horse Molly, then took her Corgyn on their necessary outing.  She milked and fed her goats. She stokes up her parlour fire. On the footman in front of the fire, a pot of hot chocolate made with goat's milk is keeping warm.





Jenny Wren is delighted with her basket of greens and wreath.




Jenny Wren looks out her window and a sees a bright star over the Corgyncombe countryside and thinks of the star long ago o'er Bethlehem.


Jenny Wren settles in by the fire with her cup of hot chocolate and enjoys a peaceful, lovely evening!



We hope our Dear Readers had a Merry Christmas!


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Please do not "Pin" our photographs.
Please do not post our photographs on facebook.


Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com
If you receive an email you think is from me from this email, please make sure it is atthecottagegate@yahoo.com, and not just something that sounds similar.


Photographs, images, and text copyright © 2000-2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson. All rights reserved. Photographs, images, and/or text may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson.


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2018/12/hot-chocolate-in-parlour.html
copyright © 2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 22, 2018

Jenny Wren in the Loveliness of Winter!

Bringing Home the Greens!
Jenny Wren Lindenwood out and about with her horse Molly.



A frosty morn in Corgyncombe Country combines the beauty of the Cotswolds, Beatrix Potter's Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales and many other country places in England.

The winding country road leads past hedgerows and o'er hills and dales.

Most of my ancestors hailed from old England. Our English heritage is deeply ingrained in who we are and what we love!




A decoration on Jenny Wren's carriage.


O'er the old stone bridge.






Through village and countryside...










The wind doth blow in the high altitude of Corgyncombe!


Jenny Wren has lovely seasonal greens to decorate her parlour for Christmas.  When she arrives at home she intends to have some hot chocolate by the fire!


The bells on Molly make a cheerful sound!










Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Please do not "Pin" our photographs.
Please do not post our photographs on facebook.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com
If you receive an email you think is from me from this email, please make sure it is atthecottagegate@yahoo.com, and not just something that sounds similar.

Photographs, images, and text copyright © 2000-2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson. All rights reserved. Photographs, images, and/or text may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson.


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2018/12/jenny-wren-in-loveliness-of-winter.html
copyright © 2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 22, 2018

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving!

The Little Dolls Celebrate Thanksgiving!
In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" written by my cousin Louisa May Alcott, Mother Bassett was busy preparing for Thanksgiving when she and Pa were called away by an emergency. The Bassett children were left with the oldest children in charge of caring for the family. The children settled by the fireplace after a simple supper and the oldest boy Eph told the family story of their ancestor, Lady Matilda Bassett. The oldest daughter Tilly was proud to have been named after this ancestor, who they referred to as Matildy. The children discuss the old Bassett family and mention that "some of the Bassetts came along with the Pilgrims".

My 11th great grandfather William Bassett came in 1621 on the ship Fortune to Plymouth.



What a splendid turkey!


In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving", the oldest girls of the family, Tilly and Prue, thought they would continue fixing the Thanksgiving meal. In pondering what "yarbs" would be best to put in stuffing for a turkey, sage was considered but sweet marjoram and summer savory were decided upon. Mistakenly catnip and wormwood were the "yarbs" grabbed in the darkness of the storage area. The catnip and wormwood totally ruined the stuffing! The turkey was roasted in front of the fire and some unexpected happenings caused the turkey to be burnt on one side.

Ma and Pa came back home when it turned out that there was no real emergency and the Bassett family enjoyed their Thanksgiving meal despite some flaws.

When all their guests had left Pa Bassett said "Children, we have special cause to be thankful that the sorrow we expected was changed into joy, so we'll read a chapter 'fore we go to bed, and give thanks where thanks is due."

This year will mark the 186th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott's birth on November 29, 1832.

My 5th great grandfather Eliakim May was 1st cousin to Louisa May Alcott's great grandfather Samuel May.

 Samuel May's granddaughter, Abigail (May) Alcott, was Louisa's mother; "Marmee" in "Little Women".

 My direct ancestor Nehemiah May was brother to Louisa May Alcott's direct ancestor Ebenezer May.


I used my Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen for roasting the turkey in front of the fire. Here it is shown with the door open for basting. Isn't that turkey a beauty!



Jenny Wren Lindenwood is delighted and amused to watch the little dolls prepare the Thanksgiving meal!


The Corgyncombe Butt'ry holds many of our favorite things, yellowware, stoneware, tinware, jams, jellies, canned goods, baked goods, potatoes, squash, and apples!

At the very end of the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving", Louisa May Alcott speaks of "the soft scurry of mice in the buttery, taking their part in this old-fashioned Thanksgiving."

Little Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse for the dolls at Corgyncombe, is a descendant of the Brown mouse family who came on the Mayflower. Mayflower passenger Peter Brown Mouse's daughter Mary Brown Mouse married Ephraim Tinkham Mouse.









The Mayflower was the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620.
I descend from Mayflower passengers Myles Standish, George Soule, Stephen Hopkins and his daughter Constance, Edward Fuller and his wife, Peter Brown, John Howland, John Tilley, his wife Joan (Hurst) Tilley and their daughter Elizabeth, Richard Warren and am researching Isaac Allerton, his wife Mary (Norris) Allerton and their daughter Mary, two different lines to Francis Cooke and another line to Stephen Hopkins with his wife Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins.


I brought out some of my Tasha Tudor Christmas card collection to enjoy at tea with pumpkin pie, cheese, and Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast Tea. Birds have always been a favorite subject for Tasha Tudor at Christmas and throughout the year.


Spinning was an everyday task for Tilly and Prue.



Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Dear Readers!


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Please do not "Pin" our photographs.
Please do not post our photographs on facebook.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com
If you receive an email you think is from me from this email, please make sure it is atthecottagegate@yahoo.com, and not just something that sounds similar.

Photographs, images, and text copyright © 2000-2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson. All rights reserved. Photographs, images, and/or text may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson.


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2018/11/an-old-fashioned-thanksgiving.html
copyright © 2018 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~