Osborne House

The weather was pretty miserable on Saturday so I went to Osborne House in Cowes, one of Queen Victoria's favourite. They recently filmed the Victoria and Abdul film here. 

Entrance

Statue of one of Queen Victoria's favourite dogs.

Family portrait.

They had the whole house dressed up for Christmas. And as most of the traditions we have for Christmas come from Victorian times, it was nice to see them up.

Christmas table

Love chair, for dating couples (middle) and their chaperones (the ends)

Victoria's billiard table - taller so she could play without bending

Statue with earrings.

Horn chair

All the furniture in this room was made from antlers.

Queen Victoria's lift (hand pulled)

The last room was the main banquet hall, used for official visits and later on family (she had 40+ grandkids!). It's all plaster and based on Indian designs.

It was drizzling when I went outside (after a lovely chat about books with the lady in the shop) and headed over to the Swiss cottage and down to the beach.

The back garden

Around the Swiss cottage.

The cottage was shut but the walk down to the beach was open.

Queen Victoria loved being outside so she had these little huts built across the grounds so she could sit outside during any weather. There was one down on the beach and no one else around. It was so peaceful. I really want one of these! (Hut and beach.)

The beach

On the way home I went to the second vineyard on the Isle of Wight, Adgestone Vineyard. The guy who gave me the easing there was very good and they have some lovely wines. Also some interesting ones, one of which I have brought my brother-in-law for Christmas, along with a few for myself of course. 

I got back to Shanklin early as I had an early dinner reservation and ticket for the theatre. The dinner was nice though they put me the opposite side of the restaurant to everyone else. It wasn't a toilet seat (the one near the toilet or behind the kitchen door where they usually put single people) but it was weird.

At the theatre, I saw the Russian State ballet perform Swan Lake. It was very good though the story was the usual. Boy meets girl. Boy promises girl everything. In the day it takes girl to join him, he has promised himself to someone else who was wearing a similar dress ("But I had a drink and I thought she was you!" Where have I heard that one before?) And in the end everyone dies. But they were very pretty while doing it.