tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post8234832922640875673..comments2024-03-16T10:01:48.154-07:00Comments on Chronica Domus: An Autumn Dinner Party At HomeChronica Domushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-57521191726489949832015-12-24T04:24:38.583-08:002015-12-24T04:24:38.583-08:00Hello Penelope,
I resort to the old credit card t...Hello Penelope,<br /><br />I resort to the old credit card trick when the wax has fallen upon the wooden floors or the surface of furniture and it's quite a quick fix. I will try the freezer trick for portable items such as small candlesticks that are marred by the dripping wax. For the large candelabra, I resort to dismantling the pieces and placing them in a warm oven which melts the wax from all the little crevices in a jiffy.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-36546964598423122282015-12-21T22:42:42.513-08:002015-12-21T22:42:42.513-08:00I can make this suggestion! Putting the dripped m...I can make this suggestion! Putting the dripped messy candles into the freezer is much easier than the blow dryer and credit cards! It just peels right off; no need to even polish!<br />Penelope Bianchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07863486521957665886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-68654738520558675782015-11-05T07:25:46.707-08:002015-11-05T07:25:46.707-08:00Thank you so much, Lord Cowell. I'm so please...Thank you so much, Lord Cowell. I'm so pleased you could share in the excitement of our dinner party across the miles and through my musings. It really was all rather fun to put together.<br /><br />I'm sure that your Christmas preparations will be quite something this year as WBP continues to take shape. I look forward to following along.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by today.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-11098400585593606742015-11-04T18:30:09.244-08:002015-11-04T18:30:09.244-08:00Looks like a wonderful time was had, thanks to a f...Looks like a wonderful time was had, thanks to a fastidious hostess! It was wonderful being talked through the preparation - I began to have vicarious excitement by the time the guests were arriving. 'Tip top and Bristol'... and car 'boot' - all quite correct as far as we're concerned. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to sharing the preparation for Christmas this year at WBP.Lord Cowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08022567039394790375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-73462912252058745672015-10-30T10:51:06.012-07:002015-10-30T10:51:06.012-07:00Thank you, gésbi. I'm delighted that so many ...Thank you, gésbi. I'm delighted that so many of my readers felt compelled to leave a comment on this particular post. I enjoyed reading every one of them. It is what makes blogging so rewarding for me.<br /><br />Oh, and yes, I agree, a labor of love indeed, and so much fun to boot.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-2304110738909573702015-10-30T08:01:26.805-07:002015-10-30T08:01:26.805-07:00Ding dong! I'm a little daunted when I see the...Ding dong! I'm a little daunted when I see the quantity of comments here, but i just wanted to say that this seems a true labor of love and I'm sure your guests were deserving and appreciative. And to think you also took the time to document all this. Bravo, Lady Domus!gésbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18094108253356167918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-27169389755332663332015-10-29T10:33:54.473-07:002015-10-29T10:33:54.473-07:00Hello Karena Albert, and welcome!
Thank you so mu...Hello Karena Albert, and welcome!<br /><br />Thank you so much for your kind comment and yes, our guests certainly had fun, as did we.<br /><br />Oh, the morning after a good dinner party, where pots and pans await, and glasses require washing. In my own way, I rather enjoy the process of putting the house back together, albeit rather slowly. It gives me an opportunity to reflect upon the previous night which always brings a smile to my face. <br /><br />Thank you for stopping by, and I do hope you visit CD again.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-38036188546718132812015-10-29T10:19:13.372-07:002015-10-29T10:19:13.372-07:00So beautifully done and I can only imagine how muc...So beautifully done and I can only imagine how much fun your guests had at this gorgeous dinner party!! Love that you have shown the morning after!!!<br /><br />xoxo<br />Karena<br />The Arts by KarenaKarenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05206642885608991170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-79120544627321612462015-10-28T17:22:53.033-07:002015-10-28T17:22:53.033-07:00Hello Pammie,
Thrilled that you enjoyed this post...Hello Pammie,<br /><br />Thrilled that you enjoyed this post so much, and to learn of your riotously funny friends and their dinner party antics. As every good hostess knows, no matter the effort and thought put into any dinner party, it truly is the mix of guests that make or break any gathering. I believe dinner guests have obligations to fulfill once accepting their host's invitation, and part of that includes talking and mingling (and even singing in the wee hours of the morning if things make a turn for the better). <br /><br />The pears I make sound similar to the recipe you use. Once I've removed the fruit, I boil down the remainder of the liquid until it thickens. As your friend found out, it is delish!<br /><br />Thanks so much for your fun comment. I do hope you drop by again and add to the conversation.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-78680544469052559702015-10-28T17:03:38.500-07:002015-10-28T17:03:38.500-07:00A lovely dinner party! Beautiful silver, crystal ...A lovely dinner party! Beautiful silver, crystal and flowers - particularly love those champagne flutes. Have found some of the hostess tips very useful. The wax is still shamefully upon the candlesticks from the last time we had a dinner, some months ago now. Will give it the hair drier treatment and next time remember to put the candles in the fridge or was it the freezer? (will look it up) beforehand to reduce the drips.<br />I've been making a similar whole pear in red wine (with cinnamon sticks) dessert for years - from an old Robert Carrier book. Once I left the syrup simmering slowly (after having removed the pears) for a bit too long when called into a neighbour's apartment in an emergency for her. By the time I returned it was close to turning to toffee and instead of a light syrup had become thick and gooey. By then too late to make anything else. One of our guests - a new friend at the time and now a dear friend of many years - asked when all was served and eaten if he could lick the dish. Would probably have horrified your guests, but he was such a darling and so full of fun - and I was so chuffed - that we all loved him for it. He was by the way the son of an English lord and went on to a brilliant career - so it wasn't as if he didn't know how to behave. <br />I rather like having something unexpected - especially when the person is so full of fun and charming. Once had a dinner party that lasted till almost morning when a surprise guest was asked to sing - he turned out to have a beautiful voice. I'd met him for the first time at a cocktail party elsewhere that evening - and as he was a great friend of other guests we'd invited, and as my husband was at the last minute called up by his boss to some diplomatic emergency, I asked him to join us at dinner. It had all the makings of a dreadful disaster as the guest of honour couldn't attend either as he suddenly had to fly to Africa. But what I'd warned them would be a disaster turned out to be one of the most successful dinners ever for us. When my husband finally walked in the door he was amazed to find everyone was still there - all singing away and suddenly best friends, led by a random Finnish tenor, with their coffee and drinks still on the table. Miss those times - and the great fun we had over the dinners. Eating in a restaurant is pleasant and much less work - but not a venue for such spontaneous delights. Best wishes, PammiePamelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08374133883261488262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-48044866924976334762015-10-28T10:01:19.782-07:002015-10-28T10:01:19.782-07:00Thank you, Sarah Gouin, and welcome.
Perhaps by...Thank you, Sarah Gouin, and welcome. <br /><br />Perhaps by writing this post, I might have inspired a few of my readers to revive the old-fashioned-sit-down-dinner-party and insure it does not become such a thing of the past. Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-88312389583978137092015-10-28T09:58:36.250-07:002015-10-28T09:58:36.250-07:00Hello racheld,
What have I done to deserve such a...Hello racheld,<br /><br />What have I done to deserve such a generous and thoughtful comment, thank you! You paint such a romantic image of our fun dinner party. Alas, the rosy tint that surrounds our doorbell is merely a product of the sun setting over California early on the evening of our party (the wall is white in real life). <br /><br />I shall have to remember the mantra you wrote about "Preparation, Meditation, then Dedication". Sounds like a plan for success!<br /><br />So glad to learn that you too enjoy throwing dinner parties and the one you last attended sounds rather like the times we too enjoy dinners around the fireplace (although for two or three people only). <br /><br />Thank you for bestowing G.R.I.T.S. upon me. I am intrigued, and I'm now off to investigate your post.<br /><br />Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-60277744583160834022015-10-28T05:56:45.863-07:002015-10-28T05:56:45.863-07:00A beautiful post. Sadly, hosting dinner parties h...A beautiful post. Sadly, hosting dinner parties has become a lost art.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18079564282391157544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-7058038574186723002015-10-27T14:27:32.020-07:002015-10-27T14:27:32.020-07:00From the first press of a white-gloved finger to t...From the first press of a white-gloved finger to that venerable doorbell (PLEASE tell me that is really a pink wall, as well) to the last melty sculpt of the slumpy candle-wax---what a delightful evening! All delights and flowers and napery laid just so, in preparation for such an important event. I can picture the scene, with the flickers of such radiance on each expectant face, the clink of wineglasses and gleaming silver, then the eye-widens and smiles as the courses unfold: the soft scrape of Those Spoons in that sumptuous golden soup, and the quiet satisfaction in such a calm, delicious beginning. Then the expressions of delight, the murmurs of enjoyment betwixt all the convivial conversation, and the gasps of amazement at those sublime pears, served whole and complete, like a perfect apple on a palm. <br /><br /><br />All the time and trouble (yes, entertaining IS hard work, no matter how rewarding and fulfilling, and sometimes a table-for-six can become more complex than three-tables-for-eight. But don't you love it just for YOU, whether anyone else might be involved? I love the preparation, as well---the looking-down of the china, the last-inspection and polish of the glasses, a flower moved to better advantage, a stand-to-the-side admiring look at what your hands have arranged. <br /><br />Long ago a nun in a movie told the Hero that life consists of Preparation, Meditation, then Dedication, and I think all those are great parts of entertaining, with each necessary and completing. (She also told my favorite sacrilegious joke of all time, which I've never forgotten).<br /><br /> <br /><br />A REAL LIVE DINNER PARTY! Outside my house and yours, they’re becoming a rare breed, and that makes such gatherings the more to be sought. The last one we attended, our hostess had dedicated her dining room to an enormous art project she was trying to complete, and so we sat at a bridge table in the small sitting room beside the fire. She had four poufy-backed Windsor chairs sort of pulled into a square, and our two husbands sort of brought the small table with all its elegant linens and china TO US, so to speak, before pulling up their own. We dined on Quinoa Something and parsley-and-celery-top salad, I remember, and it's one of the most scrumptious evenings I can remember. <br /><br />And an invitation to yours---well. There must be veritable lines and stand-by lists and lotteries awaiting such an invitation. <br /><br />Should you care for such frivolous things, I hereby convey upon you your very own G.R.I.T.S. Girl credentials---even sans such splendid hospitality and care to guests’ comfort and enjoyment, you’d have earned your card on the Cheese Straws alone.<br /><br />http://lawntea.blogspot.com/search?q=G.R.I.T.S.+Girls<br /><br />rRachelDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11204947567574886675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-76151931518067385932015-10-27T12:17:30.211-07:002015-10-27T12:17:30.211-07:00Hello Diogenes,
So nice of you to say so, thank y...Hello Diogenes,<br /><br />So nice of you to say so, thank you. <br /><br />Ah, beautiful dahlias.... I've found they do not last as long as I'd like them to. They fade away about four days after I've put them in a vase sadly. The good news is that if there are unfurled buds upon the stem, they will eventually open up and provide a second flush so to speak.<br /><br />Thank you for dropping by and I do hope you come back and visit again.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-41340457514534197762015-10-27T11:02:08.263-07:002015-10-27T11:02:08.263-07:00Your table looks lovely and the dahlia arrangement...Your table looks lovely and the dahlia arrangement is quite beautiful. Do dahlias have a long vase life? Diogenesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-82742406150560523612015-10-27T07:17:11.284-07:002015-10-27T07:17:11.284-07:00Thank you, PVE, and so nice of you to drop by. Thank you, PVE, and so nice of you to drop by. Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-73380606200327806662015-10-27T01:55:43.758-07:002015-10-27T01:55:43.758-07:00Beautifully done.
pveBeautifully done.<br />pvepve designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03527745630303158002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-32251882900503816292015-10-26T08:18:54.500-07:002015-10-26T08:18:54.500-07:00Dear GSL (or Mossy, as of late),
In all honesty,...Dear GSL (or Mossy, as of late), <br /><br />In all honesty, I cannot recall any specific toasts to the host and hostess, but that may very well be due to the fact that there were two birthday guests we were celebrating, or the fact that things got a little blurry after a certain amount of toasting. Yes, that must be it.<br /><br />I had no idea Replacement Inc. had a warehouse that was open for touring. You should consider popping in and writing a blog on it (don't forget your camera). Should be a fun read for those of us that appreciate such things. Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-21653836051894553262015-10-26T08:15:01.681-07:002015-10-26T08:15:01.681-07:00Awww, thank you! We love to entertain our friends...Awww, thank you! We love to entertain our friends for we find much pleasure in their good company. Not all of our dinner parties are quite so formal, of course, but this one warranted all the extras for our special birthday guests.<br /><br />Lovely to learn that you too enjoy putting on a good evening of food and fun. Friends and Life (with a capital "L", of course!), are always worth celebrating!Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-48224060848503418362015-10-26T08:11:19.591-07:002015-10-26T08:11:19.591-07:00columnist,
Air currents certainly play havoc with...columnist,<br /><br />Air currents certainly play havoc with a candle, don't they? What an interesting bit of research you unearthed with regards to Hatchards - would have never guessed! A while back, my sister gave me a box of candles that hold a royal warrant so I'm off to see who's warrant they hold. I believe the company was Price's Candles, from memory. I've yet to break into them but shall report back if they are truly superior to the candles I use here in the United States (made in the US too).<br /><br />By the way, I do believe one of the duo of Fortum and Mason started their business by collecting the stubs of royal candles from the palace and selling them. Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-60874509366594379152015-10-26T08:03:43.783-07:002015-10-26T08:03:43.783-07:00You're welcome, Spud. I find it interesting t...You're welcome, Spud. I find it interesting to learn how the world goes around when it comes to these matters, and yes, the menu was based around seasonal ingredients, simple and nothing very fancy.Chronica Domushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06732224119040843337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-48770558172140162612015-10-26T05:34:10.019-07:002015-10-26T05:34:10.019-07:00Loved reading this CD! Even on my phone with aging...Loved reading this CD! Even on my phone with aging eyes. I suspect an invite to a CDan Dinner Party the most coveted in the Bay area...or soon will be.<br />I'll have sugarplum visions of following your doorbell's command and feasting on all the scrumptious food, tasty libations, and most importantly....a charming hostess. I do hope one of those fortunate gents summoned for this glorious evening took the appropriate measure of toasting his charming hostess in a way that this magical evening demanded...? I certainly would have and been inspired to outdo myself... and perhaps Sir Galahad too.<br />With all your fine black basalt and table finery, i do want to make you aware of Replacement Inc. in my hometown where one can often pick up that extra place setting, soup spoon, replace an injured English Regency champagne flute or add reinforcements. I 've toured the showroom and picked up several wedding gifts now featured prominantly on sideboards from sea to shining sea....and know those people only as a satisfied customer.GSLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04903412564467078538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-53283027441219565572015-10-26T01:59:17.796-07:002015-10-26T01:59:17.796-07:00Thank you for explaining the face up/down flatware...Thank you for explaining the face up/down flatware. <br /><br />Oh, and your menu sounded lovely. Ideal for the season.<br /><br />Spud.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2454554472800124620.post-90092413950956142872015-10-25T21:56:57.095-07:002015-10-25T21:56:57.095-07:00I've been through the candle dripping menace m...I've been through the candle dripping menace many times; like your draft, I think mine was as a result of the aircon. I tried to find a solution - including finding out where Buckingham Palace bought theirs for State Banquets etc, thinking they must know about these things in spades - and I think the answer was unexpected - Hatchard's in Piccadilly. But they no longer stock; not surprisingly for a bookshop whose readers now universally use electric light. (I imagine.)columnisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03764365428633038329noreply@blogger.com