Mr. Bee is finishing up his trip home this week visiting in England. If you want to see postcards from the first part of his trip go here.
This second leg of his trip was dedicated to visiting his Uncle Trevor Austin. Trevor is technically a cousin (he was the cousin of Mr. Bee’s mother Irene)/Godparent, but he’s always been more than that to Mr. Bee so we all call him Uncle Trevor. When you think of a proper English gentleman, Trevor is the real deal.
Trevor is holding Hettie, a champion King Charles Cavalier. Trevor’s daughter, Lucy, has been raising and showing KCCs for over 15 years and has shown at Crufts, Great Britain’s national dog show.
Visits to Trevor and Kathleen’s home always involve car shows, museums, tea and working in his extensive rose garden.
One of the things that Trevor is known for is “coffee” breaks at 11 a.m., two and 4 p.m., then dinner. A visit to Denbies Winery in Rover netted Mr. Bee a delicious meal with a slice of parsnip and pecan cake for dessert.
And a variety of ciders…
This Shandie was accompanied by a “freshly made Lincolnshire Haslet”, basically a giant sausage ball.
Afternoon “tea” consisted of a dandelion and budock soda, a sandwich and small piece of “stinking bishop” cheese. Very English, you know. Remnants have to been securely wrapped as it is in fact well named.
One of Miss Bee’s favorite spots to visit when she has traveled with Mr. Bee to England is the Lord Roberts. A little corner store with a post office, coffee, a few groceries and the most whimsical selection of toys. Miss Bee loved to walk with Uncle Trevor for an ice cream and toy.
And, of course, Mr. Bee enjoyed a Ploughman’s lunch. This was one of the grandest presentations of a ploughman’s I have ever seen.
A ploughman’s is traditionally a meal that a farmer would stop to eat for lunch, with food that is portable enough to take back to work — like a big hunk of cheese with a piece of bread.
And a visit to this side of the family always involves tea with his cousin Una. Just look at the presentation on her china with hand crocheted linen cloth.
An afternoon stroll through the village to the butcher for a pork pie…
We sent Mr. Bee with a list of things we wanted him to bring back for us to enjoy. Miss Bee wanted a sampling of English candies.
And I wanted a fresh box of PG Tips loose tea with Kipling’s Battenburg cake.
The last bit of beauty he captured was this Mother Swan nested over her babies.
I am so glad Mr. Bee had this chance to see and spend time with his family and recall all the fond memories of his childhood.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
As much as you like having Mr. Bee around, I will miss his lovely photos and your blogs about all things British! He needs a raise Mrs. Bee, as he’s done a “splendid” (with your best British accent).
signed
Your ever loyal anglophile.
I’ll submit the comment to our customer relations department as I am sure Mr. Bee would love the recognition at our next staff meeting! Thank you for following along!