The gift-wrapper
Tinsel graduated with a first in PPE and this wasn’t how she envisaged her first employment, but the repetitive smoothing of shiny paper and primping of velvet ribbons is surprisingly soothing when you get the hang of it. Once Mr. Bauble, the floor manager at Shepherd & Wiseman, had stopped shrieking ‘No, no, no! Fat fingers!’ and becoming hysterical about imaginary creases, she’s come to appreciate his insights into human nature; he treats muddled old ladies buying bubble bath for their cleaners with gentle kindness and shifty men purchasing expensive trinkets for mistresses with a glacial froideur. Tinsel’s appalled at the waste, however; her family will be receiving presents wrapped in the pages of her father’s yellowing issues of COUNTRY LIFE, secured with string and adorned with pine cones and yew, which will make a mess on the carpet.
The choirboy
Denne historien er fra December 16 - 23, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 16 - 23, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
