Willow Pattern & other English Ceramics plus thrift finds for you to enjoy

Here is the Willow Pattern bowl I inherited from my Grandmother ..I have no idea how old it is but it's going back a long way ...

There is a lot of romance about the Willow Pattern and here is a small bit of history , a romantic tale and a very cute poem 

The Willow pattern plate is a distinctive and elaborate pattern used on ceramic /kitchen housewares ..The willow pattern was popular in 18th century England, e.g., porcelain designed by Thomas Minton around 1790 and has been in use for over 200 years. The design was inspired by the china England imported from China during the late 18th century. Other references give alternative origins, such as Thomas Turner of Caughley porcelain, with a design date of 1780. Willow refers to the pattern, a specific treatment, either applied transfer, or stamp, known as transferware. Background colour is always white, while foreground colour depends on the maker; blue the most common, followed by pink, green, and brown. Assortment, shape and dates of production vary.

Just a few bits 'n' bobs that I love 

The White flowers are some of the Wild White Hydrangea's I blogged about in our woods ..so fragrant and beautiful ..I am so glad I bought some in as the heavy spring rain storms we get here in Alabama have just arrived and they would be ruined by the heavy beating of the rain 

A Cheeky duck vase my Son gave me when he was younger ...I just love it ...very English ..don't you think

Thrift store finds , dried hydrangea's and a mangle of little fabric flag buntings I have made 

More bowls from Staffordshire, England ..my Myott Meakin bowls ..called Oriental Garden ..thrift store finds too ..I have six of these dessert/cereal bowls

The Romantic Fable: Once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter (Koong-se). She had fallen in love with her father's humble accounting assistant (Chang), angering her father. (It was inappropriate for them to marry due to their difference in social class.) He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.

On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant, disguised as a servant, slipped into the palace unnoticed. As the lovers escaped with the jewels, the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke's ship to the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent soldiers, who captured the lovers and put them to death. The gods, moved by their plight, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves (possibly a later addition to the tale, since the birds do not appear on the earliest willow pattern plates)

This wooden box is a recent addition also from the thrift store ..it is a very old tongue and grooved Borden Milk Deposit box that would have held 6 half gallon glass bottles of milk ..what a great find for just $2.99 ..selling for $75 on the internet shops ..really useful too ..such a great color and in perfect order ..the big brown pottery butter churn came from my Husband's Father

Just another view of my Hydrangea's which I have enjoyed ..in the background an oil painting I painted in 1996 of a very victorian Guernsey ...the Town Church that I have featured in earlier blogs and there is a green Prince Albert which if you have read in one of my previous blogs Prince Albert Statue in Guernsey, Channel Isles, UK gets a face lift ...it's amazing !! you will know, is no longer green but back to his original copper color 

Two birds flying high,
A Chinese vessel, sailing by.
A bridge with three men, sometimes four,
A willow tree, hanging o'er.
A Chinese temple, there it stands,
Built upon the river sands.
An apple tree, with apples on,
A crooked fence to end my song.