Fine Art Daily

Good morning, all. Monty here. We are settling back into our normal routine of state visits, OBE ceremonies, thinking about the Royal Chelsea Flower Show, Ascot and Garden Parties. HM loves the annual flower show because she gets a sneak peek before all the people rush in crowding and pushing. I am more partial to the garden parties ...because of all the food that inevitably comes my way. Gravity is a dog's best friend. This is a snap of HM and me taken last year as we waited our turn at the Buckingham Palace Ice Cream Van. I kid you not. Wills even managed to have use of it at one ...

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May 12, 2011Miss Morning Glory can grow irises in Florida, but I can't. I have to be content with my ongoing hydrangea experiment. If I was a wandering hiker in Scotland right now I would be enthralled by the magic that comes with bluebells, which have been duly noted by our intrepid Highlanders stalking the Great Glen Way. And if I were in London I would be joining the scrum of garden folks, queuing up for tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show. Sigh.

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May 11, 2011It is starting to heat up here, and some of the spring flowers are gasping for coolth. The pansies incinerated a few weeks ago. We had a cheerful purple-y display near the front door in a chartreuse trapezoid of a pot. This morning I noticed that the petunia that I was ready to toss had put out two more brave pink trumpets. I'll stick it in the shade with the orchids, which are just going to town with exuberance. I guess I finally hit upon the right mix of shade, watering and benign neglect. Two of the orchids are from my cubicle days and were used to arctic blasts of ...

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May 10, 2011It's Spring with many blooming flowers. In my garden here in oh-so-warm-already Florida the hydrangeas soldier on bravely with their companion penta, vinca and something blue and spikey (I'll have to ask Miss Morning Glory what they are called)along with the bougainvillea (which have just been spectacular this year) and the oleanders. The container garden is a riot of blues and pinks - for once the lobilia have not burned to a crisp! The nasturtium are toast, however, and I really need to cut them back. The Evil Roxanne and Thuggie Hoover know that they are in for a ...

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May 9, 2011And a happy Monday to everyone! Here are some beauteous hydrangeas I found in a London flower stall. As you might have discovered by now, London is my drug of choice. My little four-legged friend Monty, who gave us all that delicious insider info on the wedding, says that the palace gardens are just awash with fragrant and blowsy blooms right now, an unusual moment in a royal flower bed which tends to be regulated and well-weeded. Those hydrangeas have mop-top minds of their own. The hydrangeas that I have been nurturing in my sad little Sewall's Point garden are blooming ...

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May 5, 2011These are some houses along the water in St. Michaels, Maryland. I think I am getting a little too cynical in my dotage. I still look at hilly fields and wonder how they would be in the winter, if they would be good for sledding or if the grasses would become a drag factor. This is good, because we have lived in Florida for almost 20 years and the snow days here have been very few and far between...Now I look at these enviable houses, with their well-tended gardens, lacy gingerbread, inviting sleeping porches and their water views and wonder how much their flood insurance ...

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May 4, 2011When you walk around Easton, which is always a delightful proposition, you can find all manner of interesting routes. This is an almost secret garden tucked in near the Historical Society of Talbot County, which should, of course, be on your agenda. There is a crazy quilt of brickwork, fragrant boxwoods and the perky little avian detail on the wrought iron fence. The Historical Society building is red brick, edged in purple, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it!

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May 3, 2011We have been busy with the launch of The Talbot Spy. I hope you'll get a chance to visit the site, and perhaps "Like" us on Facebook. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is thriving with culture, nature,food,gardens, boats, views, vistas and fascinating people. One of our readers said it pithily, "Every town needs a Spy." This seemingly austere building houses the Academy Art Museum in Easton. One almost expects Grant Wood's dentist and his sister to be the docents. Don't let the exterior fool you. Inside is a world of color and imagination.

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May 2, 2011We are back from the London fantasy that revolved around our below-stairs friend and source of much info, Monty. And we are back on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where there are many views of water. It would be an enjoyable afternoon spent on this porch, watching the watermen bring in their catches, with the odd pleasure craft and sailboat tipping and weaving in the breezes. This is the Oxford Inn, overlooking the little marina on the Town Creek. Everyone coming into or leaving Oxford (except by the Bellevue-Oxford Ferry) passes by here. Be sure to wave!And very happy ...

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April 28, 2011Monty here. Back at the Palace, but yesterday we went on an outing!I can't tell you how exciting it was! We went in the Roller! (Sometimes I find dropped sweeties in the cushions...) We had a little walkabout at the Abbey. The detectives needed some of my expertise in sniffing the area, to make sure the crack team of Metropolitan Police Dogs had done their jobs. And of course, all was well. I particularly enjoyed a little snackum of Twiglets just behind the gift shop! The choir boys were singing up a storm, much to Kate's delight. It sounded like a lot of caterwauling ...

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April 26, 2011Monty here, reporting from London. I am below stairs today, helping Cook with some of the decorations for the staff quarters. She has been so busy, starting to create 90,000 canapés for the parties here on Friday. You have no idea how much work goes into canapé construction! The salmon! The pâtés! The créme fraiche! The caviar! The taramasalata! And Vol-au-vent! A veritable smörgåsbord, and who do you suppose does the taste testing? Well, of course Wills and Kate have a tiny say in the day's choices, and so does HM. But HM relies on me! Those other dogs are rubbish! ...

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April 25, 2011Good morning from London! This is the big week when Wills and Kate get married, and I will be filling you in with my wonderful behind-the-scenes (under-the-table, more accurately) insights. The security around Buck House has been tightened, and there are more policemen walking the drafty halls, which means extra biscuit crumbs and the occasional crust from a sandwich coming my way. HM has been trying out some new shoes. DofE is having a new uniform made. Kate, who has lovely ankles, comes for tea often, and is trying to befriend us. She is learning the value of fish ...

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It's Food Friday!   Happy Earth Day!Charles and Camilla are a little rushed these days and have a slew of parties they must attend this weekend (out of their deep sense of duty, and Camilla's love of excellent Champagne). So they will not be hanging by the pool they way they usually do on the weekends. Charles wanted me to share Nanny's recipe for her traditional Easter Hot Cross Buns. He hopes that you are recycling, mulching, conserving water and eating his organic Duchy shortbread, because as they say on the BBC, "It's really very good."Hot Cross Buns1 cup milk2 tablespoon ...

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April 21, 2011We took a quick walk down to the docks in Chestertown where I finally got my first glimpse of the schooner Sultana. This is the Sultana, quiet and crewless. I cannot imagine what it must be like in foul weather, with sailors clambering over her decks, coiling lines, pulling and moving in unison. So much choreography in so tight a space!The Sultana and the Pride of Baltimore will be hosting some public sails on April 30. http://www.sultanaprojects.org/

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April 20, 2011We managed to get lost in Trappe, Maryland, which I gather is a bit difficult. We found these dear lambs, gamboling and lolling about in a large grass field, oblivious to us and the subsequent chase given by the attendant Labs. You can glimpse a little bit of the water way down there through the trees and beyond the fence. Around us, on the side of the road, were irregular patches of telephone-like daffodils and jonquils. Another glorious Spring day.

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April 20, 2011Here is a tiny slice of Easton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I missed seeing the 4-foot wide Magazine Alley, though. I have to put that on the list for my next investigative journey. Every day you can walk through history on your way to the grocery store, cocktails or the drugstore. I love the different architectural styles that exist cheek-by-jowl in an old town. Everything is re-purposed and re-used; recycling at its highest level.

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April 18, 2011This is St. Michaels, Maryland, from the water, with a view of the wedding cake-like lighthouse and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. With the warmer weather finally upon the Eastern Shore it is time to take advantage of the great outdoors and the many opportunities to paddle about in the water. We saw some ducklings this weekend, having a giddy time getting their bearings under the strict tutelage of their parental units. We also saw some ospreys working on new home construction - it looks like spring is finally here!

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It's Food Friday!This wedding is getting to us all. Last night Gwynnie's smile was a little strained when she commented about having to dance attendance, then that nit found the jelly bean with Kate's likeness divined from the freckle spatterings. Camilla has just about had it. Charles phoned to ask anxiously if he needed to order more Prosecco. I imagine that a little more bubbly will be flowing than is usual this weekend...Camilla requested, rather petulantly I thought, because she knows that Friday night means pizza here, to have something different. She wanted some pasta with ...

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April 14, 2011We walked from the Tidewater Inn to our elegant dinner party at Mason's, past this delightful little structure. Its address is The Smoke House, 102-2 East Dover Street. Like 221B Baker Street, although without any of the fictional mysteries attending... It was a evening bathed in butterscotch light and an early spring glow. I like the small scale here, and that the building is still being used. There was a cat sitting on the porch next door, who seemed quite put out that we stopped to comment and take photos. Watch your step when you go exploring in Easton.

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April 13, 2011We spotted this vision of delicate tracery on the grounds of The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels. It was set back off the main drive, with a few clumps of daffodils and jonquils in the newly green grass leading up to it. I have always thought that a glass greenhouse would be the perfect place for a studio, although if I had one here in Florida I would probably get burned to a crispy critter on the first day with any sunshine. Wouldn't you like to while away your working hours here? Or would you suddenly wonder if you had become a character in Clue, and had an ...

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April 12, 2011I felt a little bit like Eloise when we walked through the inviting reception area of the Tidewater Inn. Immediately I was seized with the urge to take off my shoes and slide in my socks across the invitingly shiny black flagged floor. I have no doubt that the friendly staff would have encouraged me in this childish behavior as they were so solicitious about my my other creature comforts. There was not one raised eyebrow when I appeared in the Hunters' Tavern the next day, clutching my computer and seeking a Diet Coke at o'dark thirty. Poof! Magic. Diet Coke and wi-fi. ...

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April 11 2011Fine Art Daily is still reporting from the Eastern Shore of Maryland this week. This is the Third Haven Meeting House, in Oxford, Maryland. You need to get off the main road to see this properly and to be enthralled by the riot of cherry blossoms. The historic marker is on the road, but go down the drive to see the buildings. This is the original meetinghouse and there is a more modern brick building, for the cold weather months. There are scatterings of daffodils among the gravestones. Austere and simple.

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Charles and Camilla are bickering just a bit these days – I guess the strain of planning the wedding is getting to everyone. There are just so many avenues for making social gaffes. Did you know that Kate ate some pâté de foie gras a few weeks ago, when Charles has strictly forbidden it from Palace menus? Heavens to Betsy!  (Charles has privately confided to me that he misses the good old days when the Palace would serve Veal Cordon Bleu and Veal Scallopini, but he must be firm in his stance…) Camilla is quite sure that we have done Chicken Cordon Bleu for Food Friday before, but Charles ...

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April 7, 2011Another destination I discovered on my whirlwind research trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland was this fabulous new bakery in Chestertown: Against the Grain. I spent years standing in the cafeteria line at the College trying to figure out what "Chicken Fried Steak" really was, while today's students can stroll into town for buttery, flaky pain au chocolat. The bakery's address is 203 High Street. I do not know why the geese aren't camped out front, waiting to get their fair share of the bread crumbs!

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April 6, 2011We went for a brisk walk around the the compact Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which looked vastly informative and entertaining. You can learn how to build boats here, which is something I wouldn't mind doing in the perfect life I have planned out in my head. It's that Laura Ingalls Wilder/Jo March feeling I get sometimes. In the meantime, I was ambling around the Museum's boatyard, admiring their fleet and the elegance of other people's skills and hard work. It is a great destination.

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