Haddon Hall has shown up in loads of British films including Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightly), several versions of Jane Eyre and The Princess Bride. I will have to watch these movies again and keep an eye out for bits and pieces of this estate.
The Long Gallery
Ever wonder how you could possibly make this room livable? See the pic below.
This photo was on display to show how a previous family turned it into a very comfortable room.
Again, I'm thinking of a dark and stormy night, crackling fire, lamps lit for reading, tea and toast.
The gardens were more inviting than I expected. Look at that well-designed herb garden next to the mottled walls. Those straight lines are so appealing along with the bright and pale greens.
The upper gardens
The lower gardens
The pretty chapel is attached to the property. Also very well-preserved.
Don't you think the purple lilacs are just the right touch?
This is the marble sculpture of Lord Haddon, the young son of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, who died too young. His mother, the Duchess, designed and sculpted the effigy. Sweet and heartbreaking.
Most of the wall paintings were done during the Reformation period (16th century). I'm assuming that is Henry VIII standing there in the middle between the windows looking ready for a fight.
A pretty pattern that reminds me of Istanbul.
The leaves and flowers bring a light feeling to the chapel.
This is perfection.
I almost forgot to take a photo of Essie's Bikini So Teeny before I took it off so I took just a quick single photo (sorry no pug model this time). This is the color Essie's summer 2012 collection is named after and it's a fantastic cool bright blue. Essie describes it as a cornflower blue, but it's much cooler, lighter, and neon-y than another cornflower blue polish, Lapis of Luxury. This is with 2 coats, with a base coat and top coat. I had this on for a long weekend and it held up well. I always love Essie polishes because they never chip on me even though I am brutal with my nails. I also got a lot of compliments on this color. I'll definitely be revisiting this polish soon!
I was off from work for some of last week and so I initially wanted to do a blue or green polish since I can never wear those during the weekdays. But I needed to try this out and the bright color did seem summery. Well I am so glad I tried this out because this is my favorite orange polish!
This required at least two polishes for complete coverage. For some reason I'm having cuticle drag issues with the Essie Summer 2012 polishes. Maybe I just got a goopy batch. This is also with base and top coats. I like red orange polishes but sometimes they can seem a bit harsh against my skin tone. Fear or Desire is a muted neon orange (if that even makes any sense). Looks great with a tan and is a perfect pop of color for the summer (makes me think of popsicles)! 
