A stately home & proper tea

We toured a stately home, wandering through rooms where the ceilings were so extravagantly painted they left us dizzy. There were enormous portraits, gilded everything, and enough tapestries to cover all the walls of my house. 

As we walked into one breathtaking bedroom, a cute boy with a cuter British accent asked, "Why are they throwing babies, Da?" Excellent question and not the strangest thing we saw painted on the walls.

Then came afternoon tea: tiny sandwiches, delicate cakes, scones with cream and jam (do NOT put the jam on first unless you live in Cornwall), and the general feeling that we had briefly wandered into a British novel.

All this is a normal experience for Will's mum and aunt (the BEST hosts ever) but Charis, Caleb and I were thoroughly impressed.