Manor Born

At book club a few months ago, we were reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. One of the ladies exclaimed that she was most certainly made for having tea brought out to her on the lawn, writing letters in her morning room, and taking leisurely strolls through the garden. She declared herself to be "manor born" - meaning, born to live in a manor (the true, old-fashioned European kind). While I enjoy the modern marvels of technology and the wonderful scientific advancements, I think I am manor born as well.

The above picture is from our most recent book club, after reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. I had read it before, but it was nice to re-read and discuss the literary elements that make it such a classic. Instead of our usual wine and snacks, we had high tea with china teapots and tea cups and loose leaf teas. There were scones, strawberries, homemade Devonshire cream and even sugar cubes! It was a fantastic spread at my dear friend's house that took me back to my childhood memories of having tea parties, wearing dresses and wide-brimmed white hats. 

I also realized that most of the books I was provided with as a little girl were from my mother's or grandmother's bookshelves, so I grew up reading Little Women, Eight Cousins, The Secret Garden, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, and other antiquated classics. I honestly think I am a better person for the enriching and stimulating books that I read (regardless of how sheltered I was). I am as modern and as adventurous as the next girl, but could I be prim and proper and entertain house guests and serve tea? Unequivocally.