{Our Dinner with + Gift to our Medical Friends}

After quite a wait we finally managed to get together with all our medical Friends. Yes, Friends with a capital F! They went the extra mile for both of us. First in January of 2010 when I got almost completely paralyzed and ran for days a high fever that didn't want to go down, they all came together to see me at the hospital. Two Internal Medicine doctors and one Radiologist. The latter traveled after work the two hours to my bedside, with his wife. I was even given some delicious home cooked Indian food from the other friend, the Internal Medicine doctor's wife. We know each other for 28 years! It feels so good to leave your well being in the hands of caring, true Friends! They found a cure for my rare auto immune disease and I was quickly on the mend and therefore forever grateful to them.

In September when Pieter had his heart attack, without the usual symptoms, he was sent off per ambulance to the next big city for treatment by a good heart surgeon, who did his quadruple bypass surgery. Once again, I felt secure for leaving Pieter into the hands of dear medical Friends.

So naturally, we wanted to do something for them in return, something special and from the heart. Due to all sorts of family circumstances we could not sooner get all together than July 19. We made reservations at Ristorante da Maria with Lady Chef Maria and Heinz. This time we had her cook vegetarian Indian food, for all of us. We worked in India for over ten years for Pond's India and for another company in Poona, so we LOVE the spicy food.

Now to the special gifts that I found in Germany, in the north near Hamburg. Elvira from the blog Rosengärtchen (Rose Garden) not only creates fabulous Christening gowns and such but she also designed very unique handbags with Peacocks, which she called Secret Garden.

This one caught my attention in her blog: Tasche Secret Garden and in her online shop. Knowing that the Peacock is a very special symbol in our Friends' culture, I contacted Elvira after she made me a Rose Bag: Tasche Romantic Rose und eine Uberraschung and shown also here: {Introducing YOU to Romantic Rose Handbags from RosenRomanze Germany}. Asking her if she would be able to make three of those. She wrote back yes; all unique items and thus different, but she was more than happy to make them for me. That was in October of 2010...

Elvira used blue seed pearls, semi precious stones and metal rose bead buttons for a closure on this luxurious bag. She designed it such that one looks through a window of an old Palace into its secret garden, where peacocks proudly show their beautiful feathers, between the flower beds...

Also the inside of the bag shows this romantic floral paradise, with on its trails here and there a peacock feather... like on the inner-bag with multiple compartments for cell phone etc.

Elvira made this unique design by using different materials such as linen, cotton batting, wool, and decorated it with fancy embroidery and lace.

On a string, attached to the bag, is a pouch that closes with mother of pearl buttons, for securing money or keys.

Secret Garden Bag 2 with a tassel.

Secret Garden Bag 3.

With a lot of thanks towards Elvira for letting me use her photos!

Which bag would you like most?

{TIP: How YOU can place 5 LinkWithin - Related Posts with Thumbnails}

• Today I would love to share with you a TIP on how YOU can place up to 5 LinkWithin - Related Posts with Thumbnails under each post. 
• It is real easy to do. Look at the example of 5 Thumbnails shown below so you know what I am talking about...

• Just follow these steps. Click on→ this link first.

• Fill out your Email, copy and paste your Blog Link and choose Platform.
• For WIDTH you select 5 stories from the drop-down window!
• Click: Get Widget

• Click Install Widget to open Blogger in a new window, and follow the steps below in that window.

• Click on Add Widget after you selected a blog (if you have more than one...).

• 
• Now Drag and Drop the LinkWithin box under the 'Blog Posts' box as shown above.

• Click on Save and you're done! You have now 2 more chances that people click on another interesting post to visit. This is the fastest and easiest way for anyone to get to any post!

 ENJOY

Have had to remove this widget as it caused lots of problems!

{Victoria Magazine: Knife Rests Old and New}

From my favorite Victoria Magazine I had saved these two pages that I love to share with you. Some readers have indicated as never having seen knife rests before. Well, they have been around for quite a while. For your convenience I will re-type the text here below the images. For sale at my: Spectrenoir you can view several silver plated French knife rests from Christofle. Replacements Ltd. does have some crystal ones from Lalique, France and such.

Polished and Gleaming

Knife Rests Old and New

Amid the cruets and crystal on  a formal table, every proper Victorian hostess would have

set out—to the right of each place—a gleaming knife rest: an artful little bar that handily

propped up knives to keep the tablecloth spotless. Rendered in such rich materials as cut

glass, silver, and bone, rests came in a wonderful array of elegant and whimsical shapes.

Whether newly minted or antique (now the province of collectors round the world), these

charming accessories can still add a note of festivity to any well-appointed table.

PHOTOGRAPHS STARR OCKENGA

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS SUZY TAYLOR, LESLIE VALENTINE

Among French novelist Marcl Proust's recollections is one of a darkened dining room where

knife rests of prismatic glass cast "a multicolored fire as beautiful as the windows of Chartres."

Although knife rests came into use as table manners evolved in the 18th century, it was not

until nearly a century later that most middle-class families had two sets, one for the carving

utensils and another for the table. All the household catalogs offered them,

from Montgomery Ward to Harrod's.

Antiques, above left (top photo), from the collection of Uly Thompson, range from a Britannia

and silver-plate rest for a carving set (top), to a butter-knife rest with its own knife (bottom top

 photo), which came as a set of four nestled in its own velvet-lined case—a real find. Says Uly,

"I have a particular soft spot for those with figures perched at each end, such as the soldier

and sailor playing tug-of-war, which is extremely rare."

Contemporary choices, above, are no less captivating—witness Waterford's heart-shaped

crystal rest with cake knife and Saint Louis's four-bubble rendering. Traditional designs are

captured by Saint Louis in a thistle pattern, that dates back 120 years.

Daum's mimosas recall the rare colored-glass examples of the 19th century,

while Yamazaki's gold-plated version with inlay (center) doubles card holder,

a design that would undoubtedly have delighted the Victorians.

Antique linens, Fabric of Society.

♥♥

I certainly feel proud for being able to offer you several French knife rests sets from Christofle in my Zen Cart powered on line Boutique.

Artedona is also still selling sets of four silver plated knife rests "Vertigo"