An English affair: Harewood House

I was lucky enough to visit a real heritage home during my trip to England earlier this year. I knew I wanted to see one in real life (I guess you can say it was on my 'bucket list'), so B. and her sister graciously made it happen during a day trip.

Harewood House: A national Treasure House
As one of the 10 most treasured houses and palaces in England today, and located on the outskirts of Leeds, Harewood House was built in the mid-18th century and stands on a vast property. Among it's acres and acres of well-manicured land that's dotted with sheep (and some molehills), there's a beautiful bird garden and a serene orchard.

The house itself is grand. There's no other way to describe it. From the the old kitchen in the lower levels (or 'under the stairs'), to the cabinets filled with centuries-old fine China on display, one could spend hours simply exploring life as it used to be. I also got a sense of just how many people it took to maintain a home like this -- think Downton Abbey and multiply that by a dozen. Gardeners greeted us while planting flowers along the pathways, and we also saw a man go into the bird garden to feed some of the exotic birds on display.

Perfect for a day trip or a family excursion, Harewood House boasts history in every corner. It has art collections, rooms that display old Chippendale furniture and huge terraces that overlook green fields as far as the eye can see.

Harewood House - front view.
Image courtesy of stardustwish.tumblr.com

Quote on the walled garden at Harewood House
Photography by StraightFromTheCurls

One of my favourite parts of this trip was when I found this quote (above) on the door leading to the orchard. It really spoke to me and I thought I'd share it with all of you.There's no question that the English have a way with their words. Beautiful!

One of the many views as I walked through the paths surrounding Harewood House.
Photography by StraightFromTheCurls

I took a moment to capture this shot because I couldn't get over how breathtaking it was. I thought about how I could easily get used to the serenity that came with this view. Stunning, isn't it? 

xo

Simi

My favourite things today include:
- Mum's delicious home cooking.
- Dreams of an east-coast wedding happening later this month (not mine, but a dear friend's).
- A Chicagoan coming to visit me in a couple of weeks. Yaay!
- My faith that everything will work itself out as it's supposed to.
- Free time -- the fact that it's rare makes it that much sweeter when it happens.

Autumn colours

Since we're on a theme here at Straight From The Curls, I figured a few more photos from Toronto's beautiful fall show won't hurt. Here's the scene from my balcony over Thanksgiving weekend. My favourite one is of the heart tree. Nature sure is precious at times.

xo
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Autumn in Toronto

Autumn has always been my favourite season. There's just something so comforting about the weather, the colours, the food and the smells. Last year, while in Seoul, I really missed out on the autumn festivities in Canada, and was feeling rather homesick. But a friend was nice enough to take a photo of some trees in Toronto and send it to me.

This year, I've really indulged and made up for lost time. We went on a hike yesterday through Rouge Park, in the east end of the city. It was so beautiful and refreshing to be surrounded by nature in all its glory. In Korea, it's very easy to enjoy watching the leaves change because there's mountains no matter where you look. As long as you've got a clear view of the horizon, you're bound to see some peaks.

In Toronto, there's a lot of parks and wooded areas where you can go take a walk and indulge in nature's mastery. But Rouge park -- which can easily be compared to New York's Central Park or London's Hyde Park -- is the only place where the Ontario Green Belt reaches Lake Ontario... so it's rather special.

We also lucked out with the weather yesterday. It was warm for autumn temperatures and the skies were a shade of blue that could easily be compared to southeast Asia's deep blue waters. Yes, that good! I was pretty happy and felt like kid again, as I indulged in fresh air, and fall's bounty.

Here's a photo collage from our afternoon out. I'm glad I had a chance to take these shots because now you guys can see what I've been talking about for so long!

xo
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