Several years ago, daughter Terry and I both read the Mitford books - a series by Jan Karon.
We thoroughly enjoyed the books and encouraged many of our friends to read them.
The books deal with the life of a pastor, aged sixty-ish, living in a small American town and involve the lives of his old buddies, congregation and delightful next door neighbour - Cynthia.
The first line of the first book "At Home in Mitford" draws you in... 'He left the coffee-scented warmth of the Main Street Grill and stood for a moment under the green awning'.
Among the inhabitants of Mitford are many 'characters'. There is Mayor Esther Cunningham and her famous Orange Marmalade Cake.
There are Miss Rose and her husband Uncle Billy. Rose is extremely eccentric, dressing in cast-off clothes she finds in dumpsters and usually adding her deceased brother's war medals and decrepit army jacket to her ensembles.
Terry and I decided to host an afternoon tea with a Mitford theme, inviting friends who had read the series.
One such friend loaned us an "Uncle Billy" in the form of a stuffed mannequin whom we dressed according to his description in the books. Rose was my own creation - all I had was a styrofoam wig stand and a grey wig. I built a body out of pillows including legs (pantyhose stuffed with tissue paper), old unlaced running shoes and used some of Ken's war medals to complete Rose's appearance. As long as she remained seated, she was okay!
We made Esther Cunningham's famous Orange Marmalade Cake from the recipe that appeared in one of the books. We all enjoyed tea and cake as we listened to a selection of readings from various books in the series. Uncle Billy and Miss Rose, seated prominently by the fireplace, silently presided over the festivities.
The gathering was a great success and we fortunately have a few photos of the event to treasure.
Writing this story has jogged my memory, reinforced by reading various notes from the guests of that afternoon tea. "Thank you for lending me such a delightful book with a pastor who attracts every woman in his parish, from the youngest to the oldest. He is reminiscent of the bachelor 'Father Tim' that you find in old English villages - it was just priceless". Another friend penned "As warm and fuzzy as hot chocolate on a cold day".
Now I can hardly wait to curl up and enjoy reading the Mitford series all over again!
